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Secret Project Reveal Time
Hi everyone! I finally finished the project. It came with much learning as it went along. Let me show you first, then I will explain what I learned. Dave named it ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’. The name is used frequently by many, but I still liked it.
One of the things I have been wondering about for a while now is why the loom work ‘crinkles’ when you take it off the loom. I don’t know if my answer is right or if there are other answers, but I did figure out how to fix that after you take it off the loom and maybe why it happens to start with. I used KO thread on this project, similar to C-Lon D. There is a stretch factor with this thread and when you tighten the warp threads, you are stretching the thread. I stretched it before I put it on the loom, perhaps I shouldn’t, so it can stretch the one time when you tighten the warp. In any case, before I weave ends in, tape or do anything to the bottoms of the work, I am from now on, am going to rub the work to flatten out. Kind of like rubbing out a bubble under a sticker.
The other ‘issue’ I had was how to make a 16 dent spring, you can see that on a previous blog post.
There are 4 panels on the lamp. Each of them took me 2-3 days, which felt like a lifetime with life happening all around me and no pause button π I used 5 spools of KO and 9 Delica colors. I bought bulk in the Delicas, but I am going to wager there is close/around 300 grams of beads on there. The lamp measure 11 1/4″ in height and is 5″ square. I was going to do some fringe around the top, but by the time I finished assembly, I kind of just wanted to be done. I may add fringe at a later date. My ONLY regret about this whole project is that the length of the panels was only just right and not a few rows longer. So after all this work, I see the flaw and that upsets me. I measured several times for overlap, I suppose one more measure would have done the trick….next time that won’t happen. I vowed I would never make another, but, ultimately, I love the concept and the beauty, so one of these days, I will make another π
Below is the video I made of the assembly process. I know I used the same ‘tune’ as the last time, but I kind of cherish it as my ‘theme’ song LOL
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Secret Project 1st Panel
Today I finished the first panel of 4. In all it probably took 3-4 days to complete. Now I have to make 3 more π I am hoping to have this secret project ready for reveal in 2 weeks, so bear with me as I go through the process. I promise you are all going to love the finished piece.
I opted for the taped ends on this project as it will suit me best, as you will see in the end. The panel measure 8 1/4″ x 3 3/4″ with the 9 Delica colors.
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Small Progress
Here it is the middle of the night. I haven’t had lots of time this past week to work on the surprise piece I am working I have started, but I will have lots of time in a few more days and it is going to be all about this project! I have a half a panel done so far. It seems to take me about a day and a half for half a panel. It was moving slower than I had anticipated the 2 solid days I worked on it. I am still excited though because this is going to be different. Here is what I have so far. The threads hanging on the left are the start and finish threads. I usually weave them in when I am all done looming a piece.
I have been also plotting and planning my next 2 pieces of loomwork and have purchased the proper items I will be working with. I am pretty excited about them as well! I will be heavily back into this piece in one more day. π
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Secret Project
Finally, I am happy to say I started the ‘secret project’ today. Thrilled to get it underway, but as I started a bit on the loom I realized this was quite the undertaking. I think it is going to take me longer to loom than I thought. We’ll see πΒ That being said, the design below, with your input, is the one I decided on.
As it turned out, I had made it larger originally than I ended up needing and had to ‘shave’ rows off the top and bottom. This will be what it looks like all finished. So I printed up my trusty word chart. 7 pages in total. I prefer a word chart for loom work and peyote work. It works up way faster than using the colored graph with the symbols!! The faster I go, the quicker I can do something else. That’s how I roll.
Then I organize my colors and put them on a board with a mat. I mark my mat with permanent marker. It gets reused plenty!
This is what I have done so far. I have to make 4 of these, so this will definitely run into a week or two. That is the only hint you get. You can guess what I am doing, if you like, but I will not confirm it π
See you next week, hopefully a good chunk done by then.
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Social Market for a Mirrix 2014-Christina Neit Intro
Hi Everyone! I am Christina Neit (aka Good Quill Hunting and sometimes fondly referred to as ‘Quilly’) and a previous ‘Social Market for a Mirrix’ winner, 2010 and one of this year’s Designers of the Year for Beadwork magazine. I am so happy to have been selected to do this again!Β I had such a great time learning the ‘Big Sister’ loom last time.Β This time I opted for “Little Guy’ and it is just as incredible, only slightly smaller.
I have some new ideas I would like to try out this time around. I may make another piece over that I made last time and really loved (and sold right after I made it) and I have a piece (split loom necklace) I started many years ago on an old loom I had before the Mirrix loom. In moving from Maine to Colorado almost 4 years ago, the bottom threads on the loom were cut, so as a result, I have to start it completely over, which is fine because now I can put it on the Mirrix, I even have all the beads and the pattern has not been lost π So those are some starting points until I get in my grove again.
I have some old videos from last time on YouTube and that is where you will find all the new ones I am going to be doing. Hopefully much better than the last ones I did! LOL I am also considering doing a Google Hangout or a Hangout ‘On Air’, we shall see and I will most certainly let you know in advance.
Where else can you find me? Facebook/Facebook Biz/Twitter/LinkedIn/DotCom
I hope I am able to inspire you and bring you new ideas. Cheers to Claudia and Elena for having the most awesome loom there is!