Let’s Face It! (Part 2)

Posted on by texasgabi

This time, integrating patches into pin-loom weaving is about “creating scenes“. The small fabric pieces that we weave make perfect puzzle pieces to put scenes together, and adding patches (with faces) will bring them to life!

I thought of two popular autumn themes to demonstrate … we don’t always allow enough time to craft for this beautiful season:

  • Autumn nature. The heat of the summer is replaced with cooler temperatures, harvests, and colorful leaf changes. Time to slow down and relax.
  • It’s the spooky season! Some people claim that the month of October is far too short to get all the spooky stories told!

FOR THE NATURE LOVER I designed the “Autumn Meadow” table runner on which the animals of the forest gather during a golden sun set.

I used the “Harvest” yarn pack from Herrschners to make the table runner. I like that Herrschners offers budget-friendly yarns in great color combinations for multiple holiday occasions.

The project is woven on the Original TURTLE Loom™, the Original Jewel, and the Original Diamond looms, all in R-regular sett for worsted weight yarns.

I hand-selected a set of “Forest Animals” patches for this project, including bunnies, squirrels, and foxes (two of each), now available in our Etsy store.

You can get the photo-guided step-by-step pattern HERE. The pattern will be 50% off until the end of this month. No code necessary.

FOR A SPOOK-SURPRISE, I designed the beginner-friendly table topper “The Cats’ Eye”. Enjoy a group of black cats gathering during the day, and then, when you turn off the light at night, their “eye” will be watching you! The finished table topper measures about 22″ x 17.5″.

The seasonal orange hexagons are woven in Lion Brand’s Truboo rayon yarn (color 837-133 Tangerine, 1 ball) on the Original TURTLE Loom, F-fine sett. The yarn is listed as a light DK yarn, but it is so smooth that it weaves up beautifully on our fine sett looms.

I used Lion Brand’s DIY Glow -Natural yarn (1 ball), woven on the Original TURTLE Loom, R-regular sett, for the special glow-in-the-dark effect. The yarn (which is polyester but looks and feels like cotton) weaves up beautifully on our R-regular sett looms, and the uses go far beyond “spooky”. In my opinion the glow effect works very well. If you want to try out the yarn, we offer a limited supply for your order convenience in our Etsy store.

I found a fun patches set of black cats that are ready for a social gathering on a table topper … get the “Black Cats” patches in our Etsy store.

Ready to make The Cats’ Eye?

Instructions:

  • Weave 14 orange hexagons on the fine sett and 9 white hexagons on the regular sett hexagon loom.
  • Working whip stitch and using the chart for guidance, sew the hexagons into rows first, then join the rows.
  • Weave in all ends and block.
  • With a sharp needle and sewing thread OR using fabric glue, add the cat patches to the right side of the table topper onto hexagons marked with an “x”.

I hope that you will take this opportunity to “craft for fall” this year … enjoy!

Let’s Face It! (Part 1)

Posted on by texasgabi

Adding faces to stuffed animals and dolls is an art by itself. I’m not an expert, and I know that I’m not alone. To simplify the task, I looked for “pre-made face patches”. I did not find exactly what I had in mind, but I found a lot of related patches that inspire.

My “patch research” resulted in some projects that I’d like to share with you over the coming weeks. The goal is to encourage you to try out adding patches to your pin-loom weaving projects.

Let’s start very simple: Make a hexie or square puff and sew on a patch. These make perfect pocket pals.

I used little pig-face patches, made three puffs in different colors, and now I have excellent companions when reading the story of the “Three Little Pigs” to little humans!

Do you want to try it?

What You Will Need

Start with a copy of the book. Any copy will be fine. I used this edition: “The Three Little Pigs”.

Choose a loom. My hexagon puffs are made on the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular sett. The square puffs are made on the Square 4″ R loom, and you can also use a Schacht Zoom loom or equivalent.

Choose yarn. Use any yarn that will work with your loom. The samples as shown use about 12 yds in each color for the hexagon puffs and 16 yds in each color for the square puffs. I used Paintbox Simply Aran from LoveCrafts in colors 239 Sailor Blue, 213 Rose Red, and 222 Buttercup Yellow. If the pigs in your edition of the book are dressed differently, simply adjust your yarn colors to match.

Additional material: You will also need a tapestry needle, a small amount of stuffing, sewing thread, a sharp sewing needle, and scissors.

If you like the pig patches that are used in this project, you can find them in our Etsy store.

Make the Puffs

Weave two pieces in each of the three colors on the loom of your choice.

To assemble the puffs, match two pieces of the same color and use a tapestry needle and the tail ends to sew the side seams together, leaving a small opening for stuffing.

Stuff the puff to medium density or to your liking.

Close the remaining seam. Weave in all ends.

Position a pig patch in the center of the puff. Using sewing thread and a sharp needle, sew the patch onto the puff.

Repeat for the other puffs.

Notes:

  • The patches that I used have an iron-on backing, but I highly recommend that you sew them on. Most importantly, sewing will make the toy safer for little hands. Technically, iron-on patches work best on smooth fabric, which pin-loom weaving in general does not provide. There is also the issue that many yarns will take harm from the heat.
  • If you prefer to sew-on the patches using a sewing machine, sew them on to a single weavie before assembling the puff.

Do you think adding patches to your pin-loom weaving is fun? Stay tuned for more ideas!

… or try your own … add fun patches to puffs and gift them as pocket pals to friends, colleagues, and family.

“Giraffe”, “Pawsitive”, and “Sheep” patches, available in our Etsy store. Yarn: Yarnspirations Caron Colorama Halo in color “Magenta & Mandarin”