Michigan League of Handweavers Conference, 2011

This is the first year I have had the opportunity to stay for the weekend at the MLH Conference and take seminars.  

This year our guild (Greater Lansing Weavers Guild) was inn charge of setting up the Fiberart and Functional Exhibits.  We were given classrooms instead of actual gallery space but I think we got everything hung and laid out the best we could.  Here's some photos from the exhibits:

Fiberart Exhibit

Artist: Barbara Van Dyke

Artists pieces in this photo: Martha Town, Lestra Hazel, Marie Gile, Marilyn Pruka

"Congratulations and Thank you Mr. Finkle"-Martha Town

"Braided Bangle" -Jenny Schu (that's my Second Place award!)

Artist's Pieces in this photo: Pricilla Lynch, Jill Ault

Artists pieces in this photo: Priscilla Lynch, Joyce LaVasseur

Artists pieces in this photo: Loyce LaVasseur, Loretta Oliver

"Theme and Variations" by Bonnie Kay

Artists piece in this photo: Marilyn Pruka, Majorie Mink, Terry Tarnow, Joyce LaVasseur

"Project Runway Grocery Store Challenge: Ms Closure, Ms. Too Too and Candy Girl" Jennifer Gould

Artists pieces in this photo (that you can actually see): Mary Ippel, Joyce Lavasseur, Loretta Oliver

Artists Pieces in this photo: Marla Smith, Bonnie Kay, Mary Ippel

Artists pieces in this photo: Jenny Schu, Marie Gile, Millie Danielson

Artists pieces on the table on the left: Mary Ippel, Lauren Anderson

Functional Fiber Exhibit

The basic set up of the room

Artists pieces on the back blue board: Leslie Johnson, Catheine Roberts

"Symbols" by Bonnie Kay

"Lemon and Lime Kitchen Towel" by Ellen Wilson

Atists pieces shown here: Ken Allen, Nanck Peck

"Midnight Sky" Rya Rug by Catherine Roberts

Artists pieces shown here: Nacy Hedburg, Anne Flora, Andrea Anderson

Pillow: Priscilla Lynch

Artists pieces hown here: Priscilla Lynch, Marla Smith

All three of these are by Janet Peters

I'd like to apologize for the photography.  I remembered to take these photos last minute, with my phone.  I'll do better next time!  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to all who won prizes!!!!

Beadweaving into your Weaving.

I'm starting to play with this technique just within plain weave, but you can really insert beads into any type of warp, anywhere in your warp. 

What you need:
Beading thread (I use nymo size D)
Beading Needles (I keep a 2 inch size 10 and a 2 inch size 12 on hand)
Seed beads size 11/0 (you can really do any size, but this is a good starting bead, I am using "Dyna-Mites" with this piece, they have an easy hole to pass through multiple times)

I am weaving off a plain-weave scarf and deciding to place a row of seed beads in every 6-8 inches.  I start with a length of thread about 3 times the width of my warp.  This is because you will be passing the beading thread through twice to put it into your warp and you definitely want extra so that you're not struggling with the needle falling off the end of your thread.  My warp is about 14 inches wide, and I'm putting on around 150-160 seed beads. You won't need the exact width of beads to the warp because the warp threads will be in between your beads spacing them out as you go.

1) To start, thread your needle (do NOT double over your thread) place an "anchor bead" on the end of your thread.  You will slide 1 seed bead toward the end of your thread, leaving at least a 4 inch tail.  Tie an overhand knot around the bead, holding it in place.  We will be pulling this bead off later, so don't double knot it.

2) Thread on enough beads to go across your warp. (Mine is about 155 beads give or take a few, it's better to have more than less, we will remove extra at the end.)

3) Find the middle of your beading thread.  Slide the last bead (opposite end from the anchor bead) on to the middle of your thread.  Lay into the right side of your warp. (I'm right handed and will be working right to left of my warp for this.) Depending on how tight your selvage is, you will place the bead between the very end thread and the one to it's left, OR place the bead 2 spaces in. 

4) You are then going to go around the outside of your warp thread(s), to the underside of your warp and through the bead from the bottom.  Then pull the thread up to the top of your weaving through the warp threads so it looks like below:

 

5) From here, you take your needle, pull it under and up through the next warp thread (on my left), and then thread through the next bead on the strand.  Repeat all the way across your warp but as the beads start to squish the warp out of place, thread under 2 warps, pick up a bead to even it out.  See images below:

6) When you have gone all the way across your warp, you will probably have beads leftover on the top thread.  Tug the knot out of the "anchor bead" and remove all excess seed beads.

7) Now tie together your top and bottom thread in a square knot, and with the beading needle (sometimes you need a smaller needle), pull the 2 threads back through the seed beads on your warp to secure them in (not all the way, just in 2 inches or so).

8) Cut the ends that you've threaded back through the beads close to hide them in the beadwork.

This is the most-basic version of beading into a warp.  There are so many things that can be done with your weaving and this technique can be used multiple rows at a time, randomly though your warp, etc.  One of the reasons to use this technique is it will show on both sides of your weaving and it will stay securely in place.  If you'll be washing your piece make sure to test that the beads wash well also.  Some finishes don't do well when heat or water is applied.

Most of all, Have Fun!!!

Weaving: Finishing up a warp.

After a wonderful workshop with Briony Foy, I ended up with a loom that I needed to return to it's owner and about 12 feet of lavender warp still on it.

As a weaver, it is hard to just rip warp off of a loom if it's still weaveable.  Even if that which is warped on the loom is uninspiring.  Since it wasn't a background color that thrilled me, and the supplemental warps were not evenly spaced across the loom, I wanted to weave it off quick. I decided to take out the supplemental warps and just do plain weave.  In light of being tired of lavender (even 2 years after our wedding), I grabbed green for the weft to try to off-set it.  I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I always like green.

I also decided to add in some seed beads.  I thought that I would do this in my Theo Moorman that I warped on my loom, but I don't quite have the mental grasp on how to layer them into the supplemental warp, but getting them into a plain warp is easy!  I think I'll do a little tutorial on it soon.  It's somewhat time consuming (as most beadworking is), but if you're just going for some light sparkle in a scarf or wrap, it's not bad.

The way that I am weaving the beads into this weaving is great because the beads show on both sides of the scarf, yay! I'm actually just using the basic technique of beading on a bead loom.  You have to bunch some of the warp threads together as you go (using your best judgement).  When you weave the warp make up half of the square footage of the fabric and the weft makes up the second half.  With this piece the 11/0 seed beads are larger (spatially) than the weft so you have to make up for it by bunch some of the warp to keep it even. 

I can't wait to get this one off of the loom now!