Notes about Barbara=s How-To: Instant Woven Pouch
Here are two examples by industrious member, Judy Hook. Aren't they fun?
" Leopard & Feather Stash " by Judy Hook
OK, so by now you see it takes a few days to weave the pouch. The "instant" part is when you finish weaving & remove the support. Voila – no stitching the sides & bottom. And there is no pulling in at the middle, like an hourglass, as is typical in a first weaving. It is instantly ready to jazz up. We can just Carpe Diem! And be "instant" in the moment, to improve the day!
The "instant pouch" idea is in Spider’s Games, Beginning Weaving by Phylis Morrison. 1979, found at Groves Library. The chapter is called "weft-faced cardboard woven bag".
Materials needed:
stiff cardboard.
long dull needle, maybe
wooden or flattened metal.
warp yarn: smooth &
tough. It only slightly shows at the very top.
weft: odds & ends
of various textures, colors, & weights. You can even weave thin ribbon.
pencil, ruler,
scissors, & comb
To prepare the Warp:
Mark the top edge
1/4" apart to cut scant slots 1/8: deep,
with the corners less than 1/4". Begin
warping the "loom": Leave a
6" tail & wedge yarn in 1st notch. Bring
the warp down one side & up the other, wedging
it into the same notch as before. Bring it
back through the 2nd notch & down, but not over the top!
Keep the warp tight, lying straight with no loose tops.
Wind your warp back down always, & never over the top edge, catching the teeth first on one side, then on the other.
You will end up at the top with an even number no matter how many warp threads you secure, since there are two sides, and two of anything makes an even number. But we need an odd number for the in & out of weaving to work. So, cut an extra notch at the bottom corner, ending there, on one side only. Leave a tail.
Ready to weave! Weave continuously round & round the support, seamlessly. Weave under / over / under/ over across the bottom of one side. Beat the weft down with your fingers or the comb. Check the last warp thread. Does the weft cross under it or over? When you turn the weaving over, you will begin opposite to the first side’s end. Over if under; under if over. Weave 2nd side & beat it down, too. Now turn the weaving over, you no longer have to remember if the starting warp was over or under. It is plain & you’ll begin opposite of what you did when last you went this way. This is what locks the weave into a mesh or web. In other words, one pass is under / over, while the next row is over / under. If the thread gets too short to continue weaving the last pass, turn the needle eye first & send it through backwards. To start a new thread, overlap the wefts (the horizontal ones) about 4 or 5 warp threads ( the vertical ones). It doesn’t matter where along the row that happens. Never make knots. They always show & change the feel of the cloth. You’re finished when at the top of the bag it becomes too hard to enter one more weft. Slip the warps off their notches, perhaps with the aid of a tiny crochet hook & slide the card board out. Darn any loose ends into the weave. You can crochet a flap on one side of the top. Choose closures, handles, buttons, or beads. You can even loop some fringe along the bottom with a crochet hook. Just bring the two ends of a folded loop back through the loop you pull through, which is over a couple of weft threads & around a warp thread.
Finishes: zipper, loop & button, drawstring. You can line it. Braid or add a rope handle. Decorate it with beads, seeds, fringe, tassels. Make the pouch into a pillow . . . Have fun!
Whatever you do, bring it to the next gathering after it is finished!
And/or send in a digital image of it. Woooo hoooo!
