Silk and Mirrix Loom

This is what I made.  They took longer than I thought they would but hey I was in the mood for some slow-tapestry (isn’t that kind of redundant!).  I wove both of these on the same warp so I couldn’t cut one off and finish it.  I had to finish both.  The idea was to create a cuff without a brass cuff insert.  I backed it with ultra-suede, sewed on a button and a rubber washer wrapped in silk.  I really can’t wait to make some more.  Let me show you the progression of these pieces if I can sort out all the photos I took over the course of week (and yes that is the the time frame in which these were woven).  Let me also note that I was NOT using a shedding device which made the weaving probably a third as fast as it could have been. Why did I not use the shedding device?  I was using a lot of techniques that weren’t simple weaving over and under singe warps.  I could have put on a second shedding device, which I think I will do in the future so I can easily do both single and basket weave (weaving over and under double warps). I did a lot of Soumack knotting, which I love.  It’s very meditative.   Additionally, I wanted to show that it could be woven on the mini-Mirrix or the 8 and 12 inch looms without shedding devices.

What I used to make these pieces:

A Lani Loom without shedding device

Hand-painted silk

C-Lon fine weight beading cord

Ultra-suede

Bamboo needles

Size 15/0 seed beads

I used a couple of techniques in these pieces. In some places I wove under and over every other warp but in other places I wove under and over two warps at a time (also known as basket weave).  Sometimes I used one strand of silk and other times I used two strands of silk.  I also did quite a lot of Soumak knotting both using one strand and two strands of silk.  In a couple of places I did twill weave (over three and under one in progression).From top to bottom I will list the techniques:

Single strand Soumack knotting with double silk;  basket weave (over and under two warps) with two strands of silk; Soumack knotting with single strand of silk; basket weave with one strand of silk; single strand regular weave; double strand knotting; double strand basket weave; single strand regular weave; double strand basket weave; twill weave; double strand Soumack knotting.

Below are some close ups.

Obviously, I had a lot of fun with color because these pieces are just saturated in it.  I wasn’t too picky about what hand-painted silk I used because it all seemed to want to go together.

You can see the little bit of tapestry technique both in the bottom of the piece while on the loom and in the bottom finished piece.  I’ve used two different wefts going in opposite directions to create a little shading, shaping and pick and pick.  Not sure why I only did it in that one spot because I really like it!



Now some photos of the backs of the pieces.  You can see that I edged the cuffs in beads (size 15/0).  I like my pieces to look very finished and I find that I cannot produce perfect enough stitches when sewing on the ultra-suede to not need to cover them up with some beads.

Just have to show them off again. I think I am going to be sending them off to one of the galleries on the East Coast that sells my work.  Apparently, I am supposed to be stocking up for Valentine’s Day!

Here are some close-ups of the button and silk wrapped O-ring.

Finished on the loom.


I hope I have inspired you to weave your own Cuff-less cuff bracelets.  You can use embroider floss or perle cotton . . . anything that is pretty.  Of course I am madly in love with the hand-painted silk because it provides such an amazing variety of color and it just glows.