One of the most prohibitive parts of crafting is sourcing supplies. Yarn is expensive. Fabric is expensive. This is why so many of us have to find ways to monetise our hobbies. The thing we love to do to relax and unwind (pun intended) gets tarnished by pricing, self promotion and the nitty gritty of running a business, taxes, packaging, printing labels, admin.

But they don't call us crafty for nothing! 

I learned to sew with my sisters scraps, left over from her costume and hat business. Cutting them up and leaving even smaller bits behind. I am 12 years younger and our mother died when I was 3 so my big sister was my hero. I loved spending time in her studio and being useful. I used to cut pieces for her hats, sew linings, flip and stitch to finish things off, iron tags, the list of little jobs goes on. 

Although my sister was always Adult sized to me, she was only in her late teens and early twenties when she started running a business that ending up supporting my family from when I was 12, when my Father went bankrupt. By then I was already making my own hat designs and mittens. We also made beaded and macramé necklaces which we sold at markets and in small shops. I rarely saw any of the profits, so ultimately I was contributing to my own upbringing from a very young age. I loved it though, being with my sister. Making stuff, being creative together.

I am also happy to be part of the circle of salvaging scraps. A bundle of my smaller fabric scraps went off to Winter Girl Wolf Artwork and she transformed even the smallest bits into new beautiful artwork.

If you love to make stuff I would love to hear about it and if you have an extra creative way of finding you materials even more so!

Photo by Indi

For Christmas 2024 I treated myself to a 24" Rigid Heddle Loom and a small note book to keep track of the weave specs of each of new weave as I learned new things.

I have decided to digitalise my little note book to share my journey with you. I hope it inspires, delights and enthrals you.

24" Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom from ewemomma.co.uk, it comes with a 7.5dpi Heddle as standard, but I also got a 15dpi Heddle for thinner yarns.
My Loom arrived on December 11th, 2024. I had fancied one for a while and when I decided to go for it I told my husband it could be my Christmas present. Luckily, he let me open it early too!
The pieces need finishing when they arrive. You need to sand and polish the wood before assembling. It was a satisfying task although I couldn't wait to get started weaving. It didn't come with polish but luckily my husband picked up some Wax Polish Black Bison on the way home from work. It smelled lovely. Once it had two coats and had been rubbed down, the assembly was fairly straight forward and the instructions plenty adequate.

​My first Project was Dark Prism. My husband, Rhys, claimed it while it was still on the loom and although it was tricky and a few things went wrong because of the uneven tension of my very first warp it became a decent infinity loop.

Project Started - Wednesday, 11th December 2024 (yes, same day I received the loom!)
7.5dpi
200cm warp
160cm finished weave.
Completed Friday, 13th December 2024

Fibres 
Hand-dyed 'Jupiter' Cotton
Charcoal Marl 2/16 NE
Black Merino 2/34 NM

​Project #2
Bluebell Woods
100% Hand-dyed Wool, 'Bluebell Woods' and 'Greens'
15dpi
200cm warp
1.8cm woven
6" width
Started Friday 13th, December 2024
Finished Saturday 14th, December 2024