If you’ve been following the farm/blog on Facebook as well, then you know that we bought a 1940’s Union Rug Loom, a #36 earilier in the month of December.
A new friend of mine had a little problem. Too many looms! She needed to get a little room after getting number 5 and I just asked her if she wanted to sell one. And yep, she did! Never hurts to ask… well, not normally!
But the best part is that she was ready to deal and she gave us the loom and lots of parts, supplies, books and goodies for just such an unbelievable price, we were stunned. We even worked out a bit of trade in meat too, so it was even better for us. We got a fantastic old vintage loom for a third of the going price! And she got some food for the freezer and more floor space in her studio!!!
And the best part is that I got to go and spend the day, meeting all her critters, seeing her studio and getting a bunch of lessons on how to weave and some great tips and hand on experience. It was a fantastic day for sure! She has chickens, goats and of course doggies and kitties as well as one crazy sheep! We’re like twins separated at birth!!!
I got to help work on a rug that she was making on another loom and I thought it was really pretty! Loved the fun colors…
Now, you might think… looms? Rag rugs? Sherri and the girls? huh? Haha… we are gals of many interests and experiences for sure! I’ve always wanted to get a loom and work it into our fiber empire dreams. I wove for about 2 weeks in a class in college way way back in the dark ages of Sherri-life… gosh over 25+ years ago. Now, the teacher set up a lot of it all, and I didn’t get tons of real hands on time, but I remembered that I really enjoyed it, and found the whole process fun, creative and contentful. And that is a perfect thing for our Windhaven creative studio!
And of course, anytime I get to go and see cute Angora goats and a goofy sheep, I’m there! Actually, though she is about 2 hours away, I hope I can go back and visit soon and that maybe she can come out to our little homestead as well. She is a very likable person and a great teacher! It’s been great to be able to tap her for questions and suggestions in the beginning of getting to know our own loom!
It didn’t come with a manual or anything and we had to take it apart slightly to get it home in old Blue, so thank goodness I thought to take a lot of pictures of it at her studio! Very smart! It really helped when Maggie and I put it all together back at the house. It took us awhile, and I will admit there were a few tough moments but no one cried! That is always a good thing here at girlville. Haha….
Now, the only thing that she didn’t have in abundance for us, was the cotton/poky warp string for the loom. And that was fine, she had a great source to order it from. I knew that after some of the holiday sales I could make the first purchase of warp. But I could hardly wait, so I gathered up all the weirdo strings I had in the house to give it a try! Well, not recommended, but hey, it was a good way to give it a whirl and make a bunch of mistakes… a learning curve time! And it gave me something to fiddle with and try to learn from. I did manage to make a clever little sampler of different rag materials to give it a try. Some I liked, some I hated and some were in the middle somewhere. It was a good thing and I’m very proud of my little first weaving project!
I was never so excited as when the box of warp rolls and the couple warping tools I needed, arrived! I had to wait a few more days until I had the time to sit down and really get the warp all set up but it was worth it. I had spend a little time at some local thrift stores getting some sample fabrics and such ready for real rugs!!! And then when the internet went out, I had a lot more time to really get into it and learn. What fun it has been!
Now, getting the loom ready for weaving is a real big adventure! You have to wrap hundreds of yards of warp strings on to the loom and then thread each and every one of 200+ strings through these things called heddles and then through the reed and then tie them off to the apron, which provides tension to allow you to weave. It’s a tedious process for sure, but something that you just take your time and relax, enjoying the process, knowing that you will soon be weaving beautiful rugs! It helps to have a friend or a kid help you out at some points and Jessy was a great help there. She loves to do crafty things and she’s actually a pretty good weaver too!
I’ll show the whole process in a bit, another post, as I am getting low on laptop power and I think the Panera Bread folks are trying to get me to leave! I have already enjoyed their splendid spinach salad, and a bowl of chicken soup and a lovely strawberry scone! But I think it’s probably time for me to move on!
Needless to say, I’m working on rug #7 and hopefully will have more beautiful pictures of our lovely loom and her products! I’m having a great time creating these beautiful rugs and hope to have some of them available in our farm website’s store some day! They are fun and beautiful! And functional too!!!
A few more pictures of the new loom!!!
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When I was a child, my mother bought me a little loom. Because I was the only one of my mother’s six girls that had an interest in sewing, quilting, crocheting, or needlepoint, it was no surprise that she bought me the loom. In addition, her brother made me two potholder looms, so for a year, I made tons of potholders and little rugs. At the end of the month, I am going to the Middle East to do a presentation at a couple of universities about what I do for a living, and the director of the university that first approached me said, when you come, you will love the beautiful rugs that are handmade. Now, I have heard stories of child labor and all of that, but I have to tell you the idea of having one of those beautiful hand woven rugs makes me so excited. I will be there for almost two weeks and you better believe that I am going to not only get me a rug, but I also hope that I get a chance to meet a weaver.
You and I could easily be BFFs. I love the farm and my husband I are in the process of buying our own little farm. We have helped our grandsons build nest for their chickens (an eight year old and fourteen year old) and the next time I go visit, I will take a picture of their two free range turkeys. I can hardly wait to start my own little chicken farm and raising goats for cheese. Anyway, if you ever get to the Ozark Mts., let me know and I will hook you up to some beautiful scenery and some really good blue grass musicians.