Weave Experiments

Weave Experiments || Weaving with different materials

Weaving materials that aren't yarn!I love weaving with yarn, but lately I’ve been wanting to try other materials and see what kind of different textures they bring to my weaves. We’ve talked about weaving with denim and also weaving with fabric which were really fun and brought new dimensions to my weaves. Each new material has it’s own limits, that once you understand what it can and can’t do, you can really start to make interesting visuals using the material’s strong points. Since then I’ve been looking for other different materials to weave with and I have three more to share.

Weaving materials that aren't yarn!Jersey Material ||

This is that fun t-shirt material that rolls in on itself (and if you remember, the same material that Brosha uses in some of her weaves). The interesting thing about jersey is has a flat color compared to yarn, almost like a matte. But when it’s mixed with yarn it makes a lovely balance. This also looks great in a shag weave. And the best part is the jersey that I bought is created from factory off-cuts, so it’s a great way to reuse what would otherwise be thrown out.

Weaving materials that aren't yarn!Chiffon Ribbon ||

I’ve been wanting to try chiffon ribbon for a while now, it has such a great airy texture! I have woven with this material and it was pretty interesting. The texture of the chiffon really grips the warp threads, so it stays were you place it. This material made some really soft loops.

Weaving materials that aren't yarn!Fabric Remnants ||

I got a bag full of fabric remnants, which were too small for anyone to sew with. However, they were not too small to weave with (isn’t that the best part of weaving?). This bag had strips of silk ribbon, chiffon scraps, and woven fabric. This is again, a great way to reuse what would otherwise be thrown out. It also feels like a challenge to decide how to use each scrap.

What are some materials, other than yarn, that you’ve woven with? Is there a material that you tried that didn’t work well? Or a material that worked much better then you thought it would?

Happy Weaving!

Kate

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FabricScraps

Fabric Scraps – I got mine here

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  • judy leffler
    August 4, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    I had seen T-shirt yarn in my local store but never bought any because I didn’t care for the colors they had so I took your suggestion and followed the link and got some and went to the other site and got some chiffon ribbon. Should be interesting and new to work with. Thanks

    • Kate
      August 5, 2016 at 3:44 pm

      Cool! I’d love to see what you make with it 🙂

  • Jen
    August 7, 2016 at 6:21 pm

    Kate what did you weave with the jersey and chiffon? Could you add pics to this post?

    • Kate
      August 10, 2016 at 10:32 am

      I’m still working on the weave with jersey and the chiffon weave I just posted on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BI5z9prAp_7/?taken-by=theweavingloom&hl=en
      I will try to remember to get the chiffon weave picture off my phone to put it on the blog, and add a picture of the jersey once I complete the weave 🙂

  • Kristina
    August 23, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    Really enjoyed this post, Kate, as I’ve just started learning to weave myself! Can you offer any suggestions (or a possible future post) on how to incorporate ornamental decorations, like beads, into the weaving? Thank you 🙂

    • Kate
      August 26, 2016 at 2:37 pm

      That is a great idea! I’ve made a note to include as a post in the future 🙂

  • judy leffler
    September 2, 2016 at 6:17 am

    I made a cute little hanging with the t-shirt yarn I bought, I used the t-shirt yarn as the rya knots at the bottom of it. When I took it off the loom the knots began to separate and looked terrible so I ripped the whole thing apart. I guess it was a little too stiff? Any suggestions for this kind of mishap? I had ordered 2 more cones of it before I came across this problem so I am in need of knowing how to use it. thanks

    • Kate
      September 2, 2016 at 11:41 am

      Oh no Judy, that stinks! Did you put some rows under the rya knots? I always put at least 2 or 3 plain rows under my rya knots no matter what thread I’m using so that it locks the warp threads in place. Otherwise there is the potential for the warp threads to spread. I don’t think the t-shirt yarn is bad to use, so don’t worry that you bought more. Let me know if you’re still having problems.

      • judy leffler
        September 4, 2016 at 3:29 pm

        Yes, I had put 3 rows of plain weave and hem stitched below that too. I got my other two cones yesterday and used the pink in a weave I finished last night. I posted it on Instagram and it turned out just fine as a plain weave stitch. I’m going to experiment with it more. The ones I got yesterday seemed a bit softer but that may just be my imagination? It’s all good, still having a bit of a learning curve.