I got a chance this week to weave a little bit on the Shag rug for my Granddaughter. I had used spare minutes over the last couple of weeks to check heddles thread and tie on the warp. The loom I am using is a 60 inch Leclerc Nilart, fondly called Big Bertha by the Tuesday Weavers.
Bertha had spent a couple of years at the Center and we had done a couple of projects on her, but found her uncomfortable to use, she is wide and heavy to treadle. Most of us that did a project on her are of the shorter variety of persons. Then I had a 6x9 rug come up on the "schedule", and at about the same time I heard about a loom that you could treadle standing up. I had an idea that this might be possible on Bertha, and it is!
The pattern I am using is from "Weavers Craft". I must admit that I when I had seen that pattern when I first got it, I had no intention of doing it. But when a granddaughter wants a big bright shag rug, what do you do?
It is a slow process, from cutting the poly fleece to weaving the strips. I am using one of my warping sticks to wrap the strips around to get a more consistent pile, it is slow but not hard. What you see in the picture is 1 1/2 repeats of the pattern. and there are 25 total repeats on this double sized rug. Let me refresh your memory on the colors I have prepared.
Yes, it is going to be big and bright, woven on Big Bertha. Maybe this week I will get through a few of the colors so that we can get a better representation of the finished piece.
Happy New Year, Tina
Bertha had spent a couple of years at the Center and we had done a couple of projects on her, but found her uncomfortable to use, she is wide and heavy to treadle. Most of us that did a project on her are of the shorter variety of persons. Then I had a 6x9 rug come up on the "schedule", and at about the same time I heard about a loom that you could treadle standing up. I had an idea that this might be possible on Bertha, and it is!
The pattern I am using is from "Weavers Craft". I must admit that I when I had seen that pattern when I first got it, I had no intention of doing it. But when a granddaughter wants a big bright shag rug, what do you do?
It is a slow process, from cutting the poly fleece to weaving the strips. I am using one of my warping sticks to wrap the strips around to get a more consistent pile, it is slow but not hard. What you see in the picture is 1 1/2 repeats of the pattern. and there are 25 total repeats on this double sized rug. Let me refresh your memory on the colors I have prepared.
Yes, it is going to be big and bright, woven on Big Bertha. Maybe this week I will get through a few of the colors so that we can get a better representation of the finished piece.
Happy New Year, Tina
