Handfasting ribbon, finished
The ribbon’s done!
The ribbon is just over three feet long including the fringes, and 3/4″ wide. With 25 pattern tablets, and 8 border tablets on each side, it has 164 total warp ends, which works out to about 218 threads per inch. It’s not nearly as fine as some of my ribbon, but it’s up there. The blue and white is 60/2 commercial spun silk, and the green is a commercial reeled embroidery thread. Nicolas and Cerra are getting married; this ribbon will be used to ceremonially bind their hands together.
Here, I tried to lay it out so you can read the whole quote. “she changes everything she touches and everything she touches changes.” It’s from Starhawk.
This shows the grain of the ribbon a little better.
Here, you can see the brocaded symbols in green. Cerra’s is a Celtic knotwork called a Bridhe’s Cross; Nick’s is a shamrock.
Here it is wrapped around my left hand. I couldn’t wrap it around both hands, and then take the picture… but you get the idea. They’ll hold hands, and the Priestess will wrap it around the joined hands, kinda like this. But not.
absolutely beautiful.
once again, i’m impressed beyond all recognition. 🙂
Oh. My. God.
Words cannot express how impressed I am. Lately I’ve been thinking about delving to inkle or tablet weaving because, when I move in a month, I won’t be able to take my big barn loom with me. You’ve inspired me to try it!
ooh, I envy you a big barn loom! Let me know if you run into any questions with inkle/tablet… I’ve been doing it for (gulp) a decade and a half? Gosh, it’s been a while.
Yeah… she’s a ball. “Big Barn Bertha”. She’ll be staying at my parent’s house until… well, I’m not sure. Until I decide what I can do with her.
Thank you 😀 I’m lucky to have someone with such experience right here, at my fingertips, so to speak. I’m looking at inkle looms right now. Can you recommend a brand or type (is there even different types of inkle looms?)
Holy wow! 😀
Book recommendation
I like to weave however, I’ve not done much tablet weaving. You have any books you might recommend for lots of good patterns?
I can’t wait to see it later today. You did such a great job!!!
That is so beautiful!!
You are so very talented. That’s gorgeous.
Re: Book recommendation
Hmm… Linda Hendrickson’s books have a lot of good *designs* – graphs and charts. Peter Collingwood’s book has more information on how to do things, although it can be a little dry. Candace Crockett’s book is good, although her warping technique is definitely working harder, not smarter. Check out http://www.weavershand.com for a lot of good information, and very thorough bibliographies.
There are different brands, although these days there are a proliferation of home-made variations. If you can get one, I’d go for a Beka; they’re well-constructed and have a better space between the front beam and the spreader bar. Schacht is the “standard” that you’ll see the most often, but I find the shape frustrating because the shed space is short.
My own looms (I have two, pretty much identical) are custom-built to the Beka design, but quite a bit bigger. With my long reach, it’s nice to be able to weave several inches before needing to advance the warp. Several of the techniques I use involve breaking the tablets into packs up the warp, which eats up shed space.
*WOW*!!!!
Now I feel driven to pick up my tablets. So beautiful.
Absolutely magnificent work guy. I’m really impressed (and I know what you can do)!
Gorgeous. Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.
i know you 🙂
Splindeferous
As Always! 🙂
So that’s where you got off to. . . .
Isn’t his work just amazing? All this time and he still just amazes me.
Very cool! =) I’m sure your friends will be very pleased.
absolutely awesome!!
Very fine work.
I really love it when you post your works.
i’m around – you’ve seen me 🙂
I had no idea you could do that with and inkle loom. I have a belt someone made on an inkle loom but I do mainly finger weaving.
Congrats to your friends too.
My goodness. That is so amazingly beautiful, I actually cried just looking at it.
What a gift for your friends on their special day. Just magical… they are truly blessed. 🙂
Thanks! It was a fun piece to design; it kind of got worked out by (coven) committee.
That IS magnificent.
What are your tablets made of to be able to do that fine type of work?
Re: That IS magnificent.
I usually use the Lacis plastic ones, nowadays. I also have a set that I made from PlasTruct.
The size and weight of the tablets (within reason) doesn’t have a large impact on the weaving itself, although they do need to be fairly thin to accommodate the narrower bands.
Wow! That is really amazing … I found your journal because of
I’ve been having fun reading some of your Dream Journals and this Handfasting ribbon is just amazing … I don’t know that much about weaving … It sounds so interesting from your journal.
Tell KB hi for me!
The weaving has fascinated me for a long time – now, I want to learn how to make wider pieces and “real fabric” on a bigger loom. Lord help the living room…
*smiles* I told KB hi for you :o)
She thought it was pretty funny when I explained how I ended up posting a comment in your Journal. And then we talked about all the people we have known in Cedar Rapids over the years and how almost none of them are the same for each of us.
:o)
*smiles* that sounds neat of having large looms in your living room.
One of my Great Aunts (My Paternal Grandmother’s sister) used to have a large quilting frame that took up practically their whole living room. I always thought it was so neat if she had it up with a quilt in it when we would go to visit.
:o)
all of my looms (so far) are actually pretty small – they do take up some serious space, but it’s because of the number rather than the bigness. I want a big loom!