Saturday, January 24, 2015

Let the Fun Begin!

A famous author once wrote, "What's in a name?" A valid question, especially if the 'name' in question is an acronym like FFT!

Fanciful Fabulous Teapots?  
No.

Frightfully Famous Terrapins?  
Uh, no.

Frivolous Fortunate Terrestrials?  
That would be a big N-O!

How about Fun Friday Tutes?!?  Yes, yes, yes!  It's time for the first Fun Friday Tute of 2015!

This first FFT is a miniature weaving project and everyone on StitchMAP can participate in the making of the project and sharing their photos. If you are not a member of MAP, feel free to participate and share a photo of your finished project with us by emailing it HERE. We would love to share your photos, along with those of our member's, here on the blog after the closing date.  The instructions for the project can be found HERE.

The charm of making this project is simple . . . use up some scrap floss and make a darling piece of jewelry (or a zipper pull, scissors fob or maybe even a book mark), while learning (or reviewing, as the case may be) some basic principles of weaving. It doesn't take much time or effort to make the small version demonstrated, but you could expand upon the idea and try these variations once you have done the small one:
  • Change the width and or length of the weaving
  • Change the fibers to some other type - larger weaving should equal heavier fiber perhaps
  • Mix the fibers up - one for the base and one or more for the weaving
  • Add additional colors in the weaving
Four things Shari recommends when taking on the project (in deference to the needle-arts): 
  1. Strip your floss and lay it back together before threading your needle, so it doesn't twist and will lay fuller and smoother.
  2. Specifically use a tapestry needle so you don't pierce the loom threads as you weave.
  3. Whip that closing edge before adding the jump ring.
  4. Use the proper jeweler's pliers to open and close the ring if you have them. Here is a wonderful YouTube video on opening and closing rings of all sorts:

Now that you have all the information you need, try your hand at one (or two, or three)! Closing for this FFT is February 6, 2015, so you have two weeks to upload your photos to the 2015 FFT Album located on StitchMAP.

Happy weaving!

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