Hemstitching a Tube

Day 264: If anyone knows how to hemstitch a tube or double-wide cloth on the loom, I would appreciate a detailed description of the procedure. I always hemstitch both ends of my pieces, and it's a right pain when the fabric is not under tension (i.e., off the loom). To hemstitch on the loom if you're using a floor loom, there seems to be no way to do the bottom layer at the beginning unless you want to lay on your back underneath the fabric. In this case, I'm working on a rigid heddle, so I flipped the loom over. Even so, it was awkward working in amongst the brace pieces. This is a "stash-busting" project. I'm trying to use up some 3/2 cotton I was sent by mistake. It's substantially heavier than anything I would normally weave, so I'm making seamless bags with it.

Finishing With Hemstitch

Day 284: I have come to the end of the second summer-and-winter towel. Now it's time to hemstitch. The advantage to finishing with hemstitch while the work is still on the loom is that when the entire warp has been used up, the pieces can simply be cut free from each other, the fringe trimmed evenly, and then you're ready to throw them straight into the wash. While twisted fringes do have their place, I much prefer a hemstitched finish. Hemstitching prevents unravelling by binding the last rows weaving to themselves. The needle is brought up between warp threads (in this case, four threads to the left of the starting point), then wrapped back around the same threads, bringing the point out a few rows into the cloth directly below (in this case, two threads into the cloth). This creates a bundle of threads at the terminus of the woven cloth. This process is continued across the warp until all threads have been secured. The loose end can then be needle-woven into the cloth, and voila! The "hem" is finished. Now the warp can be advanced. After weaving an inch or so on the next towel, it can be hemstitched in the same manner. Space should be left between the pieces (towels) to allow for fringe. Alternately, the hemstitched edge can be folded under and hemmed again in the traditional manner if a fringe isn't desired.

Hemstitching

Day 63: As a matter of course, I hemstitch both ends of my weavings while they are still on the loom. There are a few exceptions to that rule (notably when I am weaving two layers at once), and I can assure you that it's much easier to do when the warp strands are tight. When a project consists of several individual lengths (e.g., a set of towels), each end of each piece requires stitching. Hemstitching secures the last weft throw against the body of the cloth so that it does not come unwoven. I usually hemstitch over two threads, although a decorative effect can be achieved by working deeper into the woven fabric. Here, I am finishing up the first of two panels for a worsted-weight lap throw. Next, I will advance the warp so that there is a space between this end and the beginning of the next panel wide enough to make a fringe on both pieces.

Two Tatters' Tatting

Day 75: Having learned most of my needlearts from my grandmother, I went to work as an art-needlework consultant not long after my 18th birthday. I made it clear to my employer that whatever other skills I might have, I did not know how to tat. I'd tried to teach myself to no avail (and since have learned that I was making the mistake most beginners make of getting the knot in the wrong thread). I was fortunate in that another of the employees was an expert tatter and even more to her credit, she was a patient teacher. She took my hands in hers and stepped me through the motions, explaining how the knot was transferred from one thread to the other so that the ring could be tightened when the sequence of double-stitches was complete. The tatting mystery was solved.

There weren't many patterns available in those days, but my husband's grandmother had a stash from the 1930s-1940s. She and I got along famously because of our shared interest in needlework. When she moved into an elder-care facility, she gave me her books. When she passed away, her incomplete projects came into my hands and were tucked away for safekeeping as heirlooms. Two of the edgings above are hers: the off-white piece and the aqua/yellow. The brown and orange are mine, including the hemstitching on the handkerchief. Can you tell? I thought not. Tatting is a timeless art.