Compose a Masterpiece on Your Loom

In my youth, I dreamed of being a great musician. The kind of musician didn’t really matter—I just wanted to learn to make beautiful music. First, I tried my hand at singing, memorizing pop songs and show tunes, and performing them for anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, while I had plenty of enthusiasm, I lacked what others might call a “good singing voice.” I took guitar lessons in high school, with similar success (or lack thereof).

While I gave up on my dream of being a professional musician, I did end up finding my way to weaving and a different sort of stringed instrument.

After all, weaving and music have a lot in common. Weaving drafts are much like sheet music in appearance and purpose. When creating an original work, musicians and weavers can build their designs around tried-and-true groupings—specific scales or color families—or take a freestyle, improvisational approach. Whether you’re playing the drums or your loom, maintaining a consistent beat is important. And just as you need to tune your guitar before playing, you need to tension your warp before weaving.

So, for this Musical Weaving issue of Little Looms, we’re celebrating all the ways music can inspire us at the loom.

From left to right: Silver Springs Shawl by Sedona Rigsby and No-Sew Pick Pocket by Inci Koker. Click on each image in the gallery to enlarge it and take a closer look.

We have projects sparked by particular songs and musicians—including a black lace, Stevie Nicks–style shawl and a cheerful, golden-hued pin-loom submarine. You’ll also find items designed for musicians but useful for anyone, such as a no-sew pouch perfect for storing guitar picks or other tiny treasures.

From left to right: Ain’t No Sunshine Towels by Carolyn Heacock, Rhapsody in Blue Rug by Gabi van Tassell, and the I’m with the Band Bracelets by Julie Beers. Click on each image in the gallery to enlarge it and take a closer look.

Some project weavers took a more literal approach, using musical notes to guide their designs.

• A couple of the inspired projects include a set of towels inspired by Bill Withers’ classic “Ain’t No Sunshine” and a rug with motifs designed using notes from “Rhapsody in Blue.”

• If that sounds intriguing, you’ll enjoy the article by Yvonne Ellsworth on using name drafting—a design technique for turning letters into patterns.

Also in this issue, you’ll learn how to weave pebble weave with a beginner-friendly tutorial and project for some sweet heart bracelets from Julie Beers. Plus, you’ll get the details about using frame looms to make no-sew pouches from small bits of yarn.

Whether you’re musically inclined or not, I think you’ll find a lot to love in this issue of Easy Weaving with Little Looms.

Happy weaving!

Christina