Pin Loom Woven Vest, Sort of

by CZeitler

I have been on a bit of a journey this year to try to make my own clothing in a style that I enjoy. After some financial and emotional difficulties, I have also been trying to regain my passion for the crafts that I love and enjoy. To fulfill both of these, and not have to cut into any hand woven cloth, I have decided that I want to weave a vest. I did not want to purchase one of the vest templates out of wood, however. I am a larger woman and know that they do not come in my size. I printed out the free vest pattern from Purl Soho and added on an inch around all edges to size up the Large size to fit my dimensions. Originally I had planned to use only pins, about 16 per inch, to create the warp. Upon looking at the vest loom available at Woolery I decided to add in slits to create a more supportive base for the warp. I can see pins flicking out and ruining the entire thing. I did add another 1/2 inch with blue tape so that I can mark out where the slits need to be made for the warp threads. This will also let me know how far down I need to cut the slits to keep them even. I also plan on putting tape on top of the warp thread edges so that they do not pop off and mess up everything.

Since this is more of a loom I plan on having the warp threads going horizontally on the finished piece so that the longer weft threads, since I will likely have color changes, will be going vertically on the finished piece. As I said earlier I am on the larger size so I do not need anything that will emphasize that. I also plan on making a bog jacket, which I believe I mentioned in an earlier post. This will be updated as I make progress winding the warp and warping the loom.

My aunt’s quilt is down to the last 3 flowers for me to reinforce the applique by hand, then I get to finish the machine quilting using my embroidery machine. After that I need to make the tag, bind the quilt, wash the quilt, and get it sent off.

Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

Wrist Concerns

by CZeitler

I like to pretend, most days, that my left wrist is just fine. I don’t twist it too much, make sure I don’t lean on it or carry anything super heavy with it, but the truth is that I had Ligament repair surgery in 2020. 90-95% of the time my wrist does not bother me, if I fall and try to catch myself then I go to the hospital for an x-ray, if I pinch with my left hand too much then it becomes sore or the joint locks up. Fortunately I do not fall that often, winter in the north east can be problematic, and I am aware of my limitations and try to keep to them. The last time I fell the x-ray showed a concern that the orthopedic surgeon explained to me. The little bones in my wrist are dissolving. Again, the vast majority of the time my wrist does not bother me, however this morning I woke up to a sore wrist. I cannot think of what I did to exacerbate the situation, so I decided I need to look into items that can assist me by decreasing the strain placed on my wrist, and other joints, while I am crafting.

The two closest parallels I can find would be crafting with arthritis or carpel tunnel syndrome. I highly recommend getting any surgeries or medications prescribed by a doctor as they have extended my healing and ability to craft for at least five years. I am not giving any sort of medical advice. The first step in ensuring that you are not causing lasting damage is to listen to your body. All too often I hear people saying, I crocheted/knitted until my hands hurt so much I could not hold the hook/needles. Please do not do this, if your wrists and shoulders are getting tight while you are crafting then take a break, stretch, do something else for 15-30 minutes, and see if your joints are feeling better. Again, this is not medical advice.

The rest of this post is just an FYI of what items I am going to be purchasing to assist my comfort and health while crafting. I am not in any way affiliated with any of the brands and I plan on giving a complete and honest review a week after purchase and then (hopefully) a month or so after purchase.

First I have purchased Furls size-G Crochet hooks. I can tell you right now, I love these hooks. I have purchased them in the past, and passed them onto a cousin that is crocheting more than I am. These are hard hooks, made from metal, acrylic, or wood. If gripping something softer would be more of an aid I would look into getting some pencil grips for arthritis.

Second, there is a website called Crafteaze.com where they sell pillows to offer support while engaging in crafting activities. While you are seated the pillow wraps around your torso so that you are able to rest your elbows and forearms on the pillow as well as allowing the pillow to take some of the weight of your project. This greatly decreases the strain on your shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints. I have tried a couple of other methods to make crafting on my chair more comfortable, hopefully this one will work. The pillow is currently on sale for $100, the crafting variety is about $109. This is going to be the most expensive of my ‘ergonomic’ purchases, hopefully it will make the greatest difference.

A pair of electric scissors. For little things like snipping off stray threads my regular scissors work just fine. When it comes to cutting out patterns, designs, etc. every step is more difficult. I realized writing this article that I do not sew as much as I would like because I need to lean on the ruler with my left and and use the rotary cutter with my right. However I am not supposed to be leaning on my left hand so it becomes very sore very quickly. Isn’t it fascinating how often we just work around problems without thinking them through? I am going to mark my pattern/fabric with chalk or erasable pen and use my new electric scissors to cut the pieces out. Hopefully this will help. The pair I will order are $18. If they work and hold up I will add a link if not I will keep trying until I find a pair that do work.

Stainless steel hemming clips. Yes, I am discussing my wrist pain, no that is not stopping me from trying to expand my crafting. I have been working on making my own Victorian Dress, since I am plus sized and don’t want to wear polyester unless I cannot help it. This means that I have been doing more long hems than I am used to. I can, and do, pin them then fight with the pins because I have inevitably placed the pin heads on the side of the fabric facing down on my sewing machine. I will be getting 40 for $12 and hope that this prevents my having to hold the entire piece in the air while I desperately pinch the hem in place trying to get the pin in.

Tube turner, these are a great way to turn long narrow pieces, like straps, inside right. Essentially they are a straw with a dowel of the correct size to push the fabric through. I am hoping that these are sturdier than the average straw but for $9 I do not know.

Magnetic Helping Hands Soldering Station for $24. This device is about 9″ long and 6″ wide with 4 magnetic alligator clips with rubberized tips. I am hoping that this will be able to hold some of my stitching in the air so that I can do the stitching hands free without worrying about the bulk of a hoop. I have a floor quilting frame out of PVC, however it is too big for me to use it to stitch smaller projects.

Finally, I am purchasing a High torque electric jar opener. Normally for $20 I would not risk this being junk, however Sorted Food (a YouTube Channel I love) reviewed a similar device a few years ago and they were shocked at how well it worked.

I already have a couple of wrist braces as well as similar devices that provide ergonomic support to my wrist and hand. I am considering ordering a pair of compression gloves as well to assist when I am not in active pain.

At present this is a minor inconvenience to me, however, it has given me a much greater appreciation for those that have constant pain, or very limited mobility. It is my fondest wish to find methods/aids that I can utilize to aid individuals with mobility concerns to discover/rediscover crafting.

Until next time please remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract and listen to your body.

Emotional Reset

by CZeitler

Yesterday at work proved to me why having three team leads available on Saturdays is very important. There were no major disasters, however constant small problems add up to a very stressful day at work. I was technically the team lead in charge so I had ‘final say’ on what was going on, fortunately I work and communicate with the other two leads very well so I felt supported. This did not stop the stress from happening so I decided that I was going to do a complete emotional reset Saturday night to rid myself of the day. I started by going to Burger King, I had a 4 free. nuggets with $1 purchased so I bought an ice cream cone and the 4 nuggets for under $2. I ate the cone in the parking lot while watching the Snake Discovery Halloween special because the lizard dressed as a taco gives me such a belly laugh every time. I then bought 1/2 dozen Tim Hortons Donuts for $4.5 to take home. Once I got home I completely changed out of everything I was wearing and put it immediately in the washer. Finally I roasted the turkey I had thawing in my fridge, and made my final bag of chicken soup from the roasted carcass. This gave me a chance to freeze the last batch into .7 liter bags.

While things were boiling and roasting I continued to clear off and organize the bookshelves I currently have to make room for my new shelves. This has been great for me, I am working hard on consolidating my supplies according to their usage, weaving with weaving, spinning, etc. An unexpected benefit is that I am also getting everything off of the floor, and those are getting swept up as well. At present I have book cases at a right angle against the corner, however I firmly believe I am going to have to drastically change that. I dislike the idea of ‘losing’ space by having a bookcase at a 45 degree angle in the corner, however I am finding out that I absolutely cannot have stuff stuck in the corner. I forget that the items exist, tend to put items in front of the cases since I cannot easily access them anyway making them even harder to access. One of my main goals of purchasing these last bookcases is to ensure that everything is off of the floor. Another main goal is to make some of the items that I do not want to get rid of, but that are taking up considerable space. Admittedly some of this is procrastination crafting.

Last week I had decided I wanted to make a Celtic themed lap blanket for one of my dad’s cousins that was in the hospital for a form of Brain cancer. The hospital happened to be in the same city that my Sister lives in, so I had her reach out to see if we could take their daughter, our cousin after a fashion, out to lunch with whomever she wished. We did not hear back, and I found out yesterday that we did not hear back because dad’s cousin was taking a turn for the worse. Instead of making a lap blanket I am going to embroider a memorial hanging. She did not want a funeral or viewing so later we will find out when the celebration of life will be.

This is another reminder to see family when you can, that no day is promised, and that reaching out is never wasted effort.

Live Life a Little Abstract.

Always Learning

by CZeitler

At the most recent Weaver’s Guild meeting I attended we had an amazing instructor that showed us (and provided kits) how to create Huck Embroidery or Swedish Weaving. The techniques are very simple and I sort of fell in love with another craft, oops. Spruce Crafts has a great explanation of what this craft entails and how to get started.

I have been working on some other projects as well, a friend of mine is going to have their second mastectomy, their brother had one last year, and they asked me to provide knitted knockers. I crochet better than I knit so I am doing those, however I was able to quickly create some heart shaped pillows to relieve pressure on the stitches…though they are also being used as neck pillows.

I am still working on the invisible tacking of my aunts embroidery on the quilt top she asked me to quilt. I feel like I am on the home stretch for that, though once I have the last of the embroidery done I still need to hand bind it…what fun! Another aunt, my dad’s cousin technically, is not doing too great so I am trying to get a quick quilt made for her as well.

I finished the skirt for my Victorian psychic costume….I like how it looks for the most part. It is made from Linen, however I was treated to a glimpse of my colleagues costumes and I realized I need to just buy one. If I wear my amazing linen I’ll look like the country cousin…not the look I was going for. I get paid soon so I will order a costume that fits the bill and will arrive on time. I did figure out that I can make a beautiful skirt on my own, and if I rip off the Tulle that I hate I can add the linen ruffle and have a beautiful finished skirt out of linen.

I did have a gigantic positive come out of everything! I had been saving up to purchase some Billy BookCases from Ikea. I finally had enough to get their corner unit that consists of three of their narrower units connected at the top for about $160. The weekend I planned to go to Pittsburgh to see my sister, and try to take our cousin (dad’s cousins daughter) out to lunch to give her a break, Ikea decided to have a sale on their Billy Bookcases. Instead of the smaller corner units I was able to get 3 of their full sized units for less than the corner unit would have been. They are currently living in my trunk until I A. Make room for them, B. Finish up some of my projects so I can clear the room up, or C. A&B Plus I need to make sure I have the space to assemble them.

With the weather starting to change, and a lot of things sucking right now, I need to find the joy and blessings so that I can remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

Dyeing Cotton Yarn

by CZeitler

Cotton yarn mordanted with approximately 10% WOF gallnut for 2 hours. After pouring out the tannin, gallnut, I put in about 15% alum and 15% soda ash, each dissolved, into the dye pot with the fiber and plenty of water. The mixture did not foam up as the instructions indicated so I am not certain if my materials are too old.

There are 2 mini skeins of worsted weight yarn and 1 larger hank of sport weight yarn. Each of the mini skeins were immediately submersed in the different dye pots, while the sport weight yarn was left to dry with all mordant materials on it. This allows me to separate the skein into two or three smaller hanks to dye in different baths.

Cochineal is boiled in water for about 90 minutes. Log Wood is soaked in cold water for about an hour then simmered for another half-hour while the Cochineal cools. Both are deep rich colors, I pulled out the logwood, in reusable tea bags, to dry off so that I can try to reuse them again likely for wool and or silk in the near future. I am going to leave the cochineal in the pot throughout the dyeing process, hopefully getting slight variations in the finished product.

After soaking for about 20 minutes I checked on the Logwood dyed yarn and it looks intensely dark purple. They will soak overnight and I will check on the color in the morning, hopefully putting up photos then.

While working on my dye baths I decided to paint the fabric medium on my watercolor raven…and it did just what I was afraid it would. The colors started to run a bit on the edges of the feathers. To avoid that continuing I chose to just paint the medium on the large solid parts and try to carefully go around the inside of some of the feathers. I plan on letting that dry for a couple of days before I work on stitching it. I believe that this will end up a display piece so I am not too worried about how washable this will be. In the future I intend to experiment with different fabric mediums and inktense dry watercolor sticks to create unique pieces.

As you can tell, this post took a couple of days for me to type up. This is how all of the dye experiments turned out:

The Logwood turned such a dark purple it almost looks black. The second try turned brown, so I suspect that the mordant interacted with the dye. I used some acid dyes and country classics to create a lighter purple that I can use. The cochineal created such beautiful pinks. I tried to use the leftover dye on silk, the results were very underwhelming so I added in some acid dye powders and steamed them to set the dye. I had so much fun with this experiment. It reminded me that when I have the materials on hand (and specific dye pots so I do not contaminate the rest of my food stuffs) I am able to create dyed cloth with very little disturbance to my day to day life. This is going to make dyeing and attempting cloth creation more reasonable as a casual activity.

Live Life a Little More Abstract!

Back on Track (For Now)

by CZeitler

On the mend and on the go once more. I was able to visit my cousin, though I managed to forget all of my medications at home. It was a good way for me to better notice how much of an effect the anti-depressant is having on me (a lot of good effect!). I only cut my trip short by a few hours, so things went very well. I took my pills Sunday night and by work on Monday I could already tell the difference. When I spoke to my Psychologist he mentioned that I was likely going through some form of withdrawal as well.

I was feeling better, though not at 100%, last week so I took it easy until I felt that I was mostly regulated. While I was giving myself the grace and rest I needed some organizing and cleaning up did occur. Since we are heading into winter I am going to keep up with the oregano and garlic oil supplements until they run out, though I might cut back to twice a week.

This week I have found myself diving headfirst into crafting again, though some of them seem a little more like procrastinating crafts, I have gotten quite a bit accomplished! I had a large piece of faux fur left over from when I tried to make a sensory quilt, it was just the right size to be a cushion for my weaving bench. It is about 5 foot long and very puffy so I hope it will work. My house is a little too messy for me to take a picture of the enormous pillow. I have decided that this winter I wanted to weave a ‘bog jacket’. This is a lovely piece of clothing made from whole cloth with minimal cutting and seams. It is my plan to weave about 9 yards of cloth on my rigid heddle loom that can make 31 inch pieces. I am going to use Knitpicks dishie cotton for the warp and likely the weft as well since I have a 7.5 dent reed. I already have 2 inches of warp wound off, when I have a little extra in pay I will buy the rest of the yarn I need. Fortunately Dishie is very standard and I don’t need to worry about dye lots. I am currently debating about whether I want to buy all white to dye myself or buy some colored yarn.

In the middle of November I am going to be a part of a murder mystery show and I need to make progress on the dress I wanted to sew for it. One of the items that I have started is the tulle petticoat, photo below. Honestly I’m not sure it’s going to work out but this is so much fun. I pinned the tulle in and did a rough basting stitch for the first batch. I plan on pinning and sewing in the elastic today, followed by sewing down the waist band and then putting in a hem for my pull on elastic petticoat. the library had a lot of tulle left over from other projects and I am supposed to be a flamboyant medium so I chose my favorite color purple.

There was an amazing sale on cotton muslin so I have 10 yards of natural cotton muslin that I need to cut apart to dye for a dress. I need to make the first try with the pieces I cut out of a tablecloth I purchased at good will. I did wash the muslin however it is going to need a good iron before I do anything else.

My library was getting rid of a ton of receipt tape while we were doing construction and no longer have the right machines to use this tape. I have been wanting to try spinning paper for some time and I did spin a large piece of this paper tape, it turned out amazing but it is such a pain to create with my wheel. When I am feeling creative and bored again I will try a spindle to see if that is any easier. If that is not possible I can use it for some sewing projects or coloring projects. Maybe even just writing lists out.

The last project is working with watercolors on fabric. My library purchased a circuit maker 4 and one of my co workers found a great price on a light board so I bought one for myself. I was then inspired by a picture of a shape painted onto a linen cross stitch fabric then stitched over with sequins and beads as accent. That picture was of a dragon, amazing, and I decided to do the same with a crow outline I had. I taped down the paper to the light board and then taped the fabric over top. I started with blue, then red, the black over all of it in an attempt to add some depth. I took the fabric off of the light board after I had the outline completed to avoid any bleedthrough onto the board, it is a good thing I did so. I hope to do some stitching over top of this then add embellishments like sequins and beads. I have not painted over the crow with fabric medium yet since I am afraid I will blur the image and I love how it turned out. I plan on getting my guts up and putting the fabric medium on today before I start stitching.

I am making strides to keep my productivity up this weekend, here’s hoping I can keep it up. Until next time remember to Live Life A Little More Abstract!

Plans Derailed

by CZeitler

On Thursday I went to work with a slightly scratchy throat. I had been moving books an dusting shelves so I thought that was it. One of my supervisors let me know that there were throat problems going around, so after the meeting I decided to go home early sick. I’m so happy I did. I then slept through with few waking moments until Saturday. My throat was feeling better by then, I had ordered Walmart delivery of garlic pills, oregano pills, immune support pills, diet soda, and oatmeal. These purchases took up most of my cousin visit fund, but oh well. On Saturday I was feeling much better, I was able to get some dishes done and a quick shower so I could stink a little less.

On Sunday I was able to get a few projects worked on. I finished the beaded bracelet, made a kumihimo piece and finished another. I was planning on using this weekend to make progress on the big quilt project I was working on, however I do not want to get my germs on it. I hope that I am not coughing in the morning so I can make progress on that.

The final thing that I am working on is some small weavings for holiday cards. I’m not sure if it will happen or not, I’m just happy I made progress on this.

Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract.

Time Flies

by CZeitler

I took the bottom off of my sewing machine since I was having trouble with the bobbin thread catching and the top thread shredding. This took me quite a bit to clean out using an eyelash brush, it worked amazingly well. My machine is sewing like new. I also did a clean of my embroidery machine which has decided that it will not work about 50% of the time unless the hoop is slightly elevated on the side it is not anchored to, so it probably needs to go to the shop to be fixed. Since we are over half way through the library being closed to the public I brought my embroidery machine in for my colleagues to personalize whatever they would like, a few people have taken advantage of my offer which makes me feel good about bringing it in.

It is so hard for me to believe that we will be reopening to the public in two weeks. I have not completed many of the projects I intended to get done. My area is clean which is one of my main goals, I have a rhythm to my weeding and inventory project so I am pretty happy about my progress there, now that I have my ADHD medications I’m better able to concentrate and will make significant progress this week if I do not finish it.

I am trying to destash products that I do not use and have had some success in that endeavor, this will leave me with just the items that I actually use for storage and surfaces. There have been some projects that I have been meaning to get to so I am working on getting some of those completed and out the door. There is a decent amount of fleece I purchased on clearance that I planned to use for blankets. Then when I asked many of my family members stated that they preferred real backing rather than fleece on a quilt. Because of this I have cut it into a size that can be used for sensory mats and I will donate the fleece to my library for future use on the new ‘kindness cart’.

It has been my plan to create my own dress for our ‘Haunted Library’ murder mystery thing that we have going on in November when we are fully reopened. I have the pieces cut out for an initial sample so I hope to get that sewn in the next two weeks so when I go to a clearance sale with my cousin in October I know what kind of fabric might work and whether I can stand the pattern or not.

I have been working on getting some spinning done, though the fiber I first started with is a bit stickier than I thought it would be, I’m considering pitching it to spin something I enjoy. I also warped up my table loom with a fun pattern that I am doing in reds and greens for my Weaving Guild’s holiday cards, no one else is volunteering so I think I will end up doing it. I am also trying to get my Saori Loom re-warped with the cotton warp in a way that the threads may actually stay on and not slip or snap.

All of this in addition to being about a month later than when I told my aunt I would have her Quilt done, oops.

I also decided that I wanted to try to make a fall cloak with felt leaves, so I cut them out and laid them on another piece of felt. This led me to discover that I do not have enough leaves, and that unless I have some veins sewn into the leaves they look really stupid. I did manage to sew in the center vein in these leaves though I still do not have enough, and I think I want to use something other than felt for the base.

I think that’s enough for right now, I hope to get back to you in less than a Month! LOL. Until next, remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

A Little Crafting

by CZeitler

My library, where I work, is closing our doors for a month while new doors are being installed. This will really only effect the presence of the public in our building, we will still be working however patrons will not be allowed in. This is going to be a great time for me to get my personal space organized, and a lot of work done on projects that tend to fall by the wayside while focusing on patrons and other things. I just came off of a vacation where I mostly spent my time trying to rest and recharge my social batteries. This worked out really well. Prepping for the closure is going to take a ton of time, energy, and social battery next week. Next Saturday I will also be holding a spinning class, this again is going to take a ton of my social battery.

The second to last day of my vacation was spent with the Weaver’s Guild I belong to making cord wraps with handwoven fabric, these will be given out during a fiber conference in October. I found out that the type of buttons I have been buying, with the little teeth, is not going to work with any of my presses (despite the fact that some came with one of my presses.)

I also found out that I needed to add some extra width to my shirt pieces, I cut out a triangle of fabric to add to the seams on the sides. I have them pinned together and hope to finish sewing them soon.

These small crafting projects have been great for me to dip my toe back in. I have also been doing a lot of cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of items that I do not need/use.

I hope that the weather continues to be good, and that you remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

Tips and Tricks

by CZeitler

I am still very much on my cleaning kick. Thanks to some help from my family. I was able to get my kitchen completely scrubbed clean so that has set me off to wanting my entire first floor where I mostly live to be as clean and tidy as I can get it. Because of this, I have not done a lot of crafting however, I have started utilizing some tips and tricks to make my house a little bit more tidy.

The top photo shows my first trick which is using scraps of furniture cushion, purchased from the store to elevate the second layer of paperbacks. This can be used with any sort of shorter book to ensure that you have plenty of space that you can also see all of your books.

My second and final tip and trick for right now is to add L brackets to any wooden furniture that you assemble as some kind of bookcase. This is an IKEA shelf and relatively stable on its own however, with the addition of the brackets, it becomes a lot more stable.

OK, so I did get a little crafting done. While sorting and organizing, I found a linen shirt that I had cut out, but never sewn together. Here you can see the back with the center seam that I plan on hand French seaming I believe it’s called, to hide the same as well as the front with the collar turned under twice which I also plan to hand fell.

Until next time, I hope that everything that you do goes wonderfully and that you remember to live life a little more abstract