Yes, there is a connection here. Really, there is!
I just finished my very first weaving project. Mother gave me a wonderful loom and I finally took the leap and started. I love it! I wove a floor rug that measures 21 inches by 4 1/2 feet. This is another "green" project from Straw Mountain Studio. The rug is woven from half inch strips of old and very thin T-shirts that were languishing in our drawers. I used the colors as they were, with no particular pattern. 
To make the weaving strips, I cut the bottom edge off the shirts and then cut them in a circular fashion up to the armholes. This provides one very long piece. I wound them in balls, stretching them as I went along. This makes them curl some which allows them to become almost tube-like when they are woven. The rest of the shirt becomes a cleaning rag. Nothing is wasted. Roy had already warped the loom so all I had to do was sit down and begin the weaving process. These photos show the beginning of the weaving.
To make the weaving strips, I cut the bottom edge off the shirts and then cut them in a circular fashion up to the armholes. This provides one very long piece. I wound them in balls, stretching them as I went along. This makes them curl some which allows them to become almost tube-like when they are woven. The rest of the shirt becomes a cleaning rag. Nothing is wasted. Roy had already warped the loom so all I had to do was sit down and begin the weaving process. These photos show the beginning of the weaving.Here you can see the actual process of moving the shuttle through the warp. 
After taking it off the loom, I braided the fringe on both ends to finish it. Then, I went over the rug and secured all of the ends where a different color was introduced. 
And here is the "memory" connection. As I sat and braided, sweet memories came to me, of braiding my little sisters' hair. There are four of them and someone always needed hair braided. Then later in life, I braided my daughter's beautiful long hair. You never forget how to braid......
And this is the finished rug. My first effort and I really like it!
4 comments:
I wove my first rug on a loom when I was ten and living on the Pine Ridge Indian Rez. My mother was to teach the Lakotas how to weave 'like' the Navajos .. The govt thought these nomadic people would have something to sell. Well that did not go over so my mother and I did weavings. I wove a chartreuse and hot pink rug for my grandmother. It was great fun to weave on the cold South Dakota days. Dee
Dee, I love the colors of your first rug! I am thinking about getting a bag full of all cotton white tees at the thrift store and dying them really fun bright colors. Yup, that would be my next project for sure.
(hey)Jude
As one of those four who had their hair braided often, thank you. You know you'll never run out of things to weave. How about old dress shirts and blouses, or even denim (skirts, etc.) for an outdoor welcome mat? I'm sure you have plenty of denim. Right? Can't wait to see what's next.
Suze
You are welcome! I did enjoy making my little sisters look pretty:)
(hey)Jude
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