Handweaving by Janet Whittam
91 Erin Ave., P.O. Box 253 K0C1H0 Chesterville, ON, Canada

Oh No. A threading error. Just so ready to start these rugs.

Today I started to pin and then stitch my handwoven leftover pieces of cloth together. So slow. So much fun. Time to do some yoga and rest my back!

This is the last rag rug on this warp. I love this tweedy warp. It is 25 percent acrylic and 75 percent cotton. I am using pieces of denim jeans for the weft. I needed one strip of a particular denim to complete the last (admittedly very subtle) pattern repeat, and while cleaning up.all the threads, scraps, etc., was delighted to find just the bit I needed. Once again I have triumphed in a daring game of weft chicken, as I never know what will end up first, warp or weft and adding a pattern just makes it all more complicated. I have one of my grandmother's rugs where she comprised at the end of the rug and I imagine her making that decision regretfully.

The mega project of using my handwoven cloth offcuts continues. I sew the larger pieces into clothes and weave the smaller pieces into rugs. I decided to wash these ones and they are drying all over the house. My thought was, if not now (lockdown, winter, etc.,) when? Thank goodness I have an inexhaustible source of audio books on Cloudlibrary, free with my library membership in SDG Libraries.

It has come to this. Because it took about 30 minutes to locate my sewing machine needles yesterday, and because it is way too cold to take my dog for a walk, I am starting this sunny Sunday cleaning and tidying my studio. Yes. Too late I realize another reno looms, but oh well, wiping plaster dust off everything. Soaking baskets in cold water and air drying them is a good way to keep them strong. Taking everything from shelves and organizing the sewing supply chaos is a good first step.

This morning I am finally doing something I have thought about for ages. Weaving the narrow off cuts of my handwoven cloth. The larger pieces have been sewn into garments, these are the last bits. I saw rugs like this many years ago, woven in a sheltered workshop in London Ontario. I wish my phone would get the colour right! But this gives you an idea of the strips I am using and how the finished product will look