Bespoke Inkle Bands

I’ve been on the edges of truly knowing how to inkle weave for a while. Years ago I taught myself to make a band using the booklet that came with my loom, and I once took a 3–4 hour guild class on the subject but never really dug in to learn more about it. I knew there were some tricks for winding the warp and having nice selvedges, but I didn’t know what they were. I limped through reviewing inkle drafts and instructions in the magazines but frankly lacked confidence in my knowledge.

Then I got lucky. A few months ago, Angela Schneider, the project editor for both Handwoven and Little Looms, needed guinea pigs to test an on-line class she was developing. I signed up immediately. Sure enough, Angela had great tips for making string heddles, winding the warp, and keeping your selvedges neat. After teaching us to read a draft and weave a band using one of her patterns, she showed us how to branch off and develop our own designs.

My first two “real” inkle bands. The one on the left was my first and based on one of Angela’s designs. The one one the right is my design. Photo by Susan E. Horton

As I was winding my first band’s warp, I started wondering what I might like to do with it. And lucky me again: We had just finished editing Little Looms Summer 2023, which includes some clever utensil holders woven and sewn by Joan Sheridan. I looked up the specifications for Joan’s Flatware On the Go holders, expanded the middle part of my band by a few threads to be sure that it was wide enough, and checked that my warp was also long enough. You can see it above on the left. Simple design, selvedges not great but good enough for what I consider my first “real” inkle band.

For my second band (on the right), I created my own design based on what Angela had taught us. I’m not sure whether it is wide enough to become a utensil holder, but if not, I’m thinking it might make a great chopstick holder, perfect for my son and his girlfriend who love to eat take-out ... and use chopsticks.

Now I’m thinking about weaving a third band for a holder, and it’s all because of Joan. One of her bands was asymetrical and when put together, created a different looking design. I’ll use some of what Joan did and some of what Angela taught me to design that band, and this time I’ll make sure it’s wide enough.

I used to say that I wasn’t really an inkle weaver, but I may be one now. Why? Because just as with other types of weaving, I find myself thinking about it a lot, wondering what other designs I could come up with and how I might use them.

Weave well,

Susan