Welcome back, y'all!
Two of my favorite bloggers Elise and Rachel have been talking alot about wall hangings and weaving projects. Years ago I learned how to knit (and machine knit!) and weave on a loom, but I haven't done it in years. I've always loved yarn and fabric projects! I had a semi blank wall in my living room that I have been staring at for months....and an idea was born.
Do you remember making popsicle stick god's eyes as a kid? I loved those! I wanted to put my own spin on Rachel's wall hangings, plus I don't have a loom, so I thought the shape of a god's eye would look great, plus be a lot easier.
I did a little research. I wanted a large piece. I found this inspiring tutorial on Honestly WTF. I dug thru my yarn box and went to the store to buy the longest dowels Michael's had to offer (I think they are about 24"?
Since dowel rods are not flat, I used my exacto knife to cut a divet in each one so they would lock together. The wood was soft, so that was easy. I gave it a little hot glue, and secured it with strong twine to help keep it stable. See above to get kind of an idea of what I did!
Then I started wrapping! In addition to plain colored yarn, I found some gray/black yarn and added a few ribbons from my ribbon box (I have a lot of boxes, lol)
I didn't think too hard about a pattern, I started with an off white yarn in the center then just eye balled how wide I wanted to make each color. I really love how the extra ribbons stick out and give it some dimension!
After finishing this piece I am inspired to make more! I did some research and found these really amazing ones on Etsy, so my next one will hopefully be even more intricate. The actual weaving part is simple- as you can see in this awesome tutorial it's really just repetitive wrapping. The creative part is picking colors, and branching out into other shapes. At it's roots, a god's eye was often made to celebrate the birth of a baby, and the family added to it as the years go by. I might make one of these to give as a baby gift in the future!
Are you into weaving? Have you ever made something like this? I want to see your ideas and inspiration!
Have a great weekend and get your hands on a good project, ok?
Michelle
p.s. this weekend is the last for my Christmas In July sale! great prices on my 2014 holiday cards and gift tags, get 'em before they are retired to make room for new cards = )