Affinity bracelet with a change

For a change of pace I added the hand painted silk to the gold thread.  It was fun.  This is a rather thin, delicate bracelet with a fine set using 11/0 beads.  Give it a try!

Pictures from Craftsy online Course

Craftsy:  Tapestry/Bead Cuffs and more . . . sign up today by clicking here

Crafty Class Has Launched

It's here.  In the middle of April Elena and I traveled to Denver for five days.  Claudia spent three days behind a camera talking and moving her hands around a loom to demonstrate the weaving of a bunch of projects on the Mirrix Loom (primarily . . . although she (I. . . why am I talking in the third person) since there was a brief demonstration on a hand made loom and a rigid heddle loom).  Getting ready for it was hard.  Had to have everything in Denver in advance for the filming.  Couldn't just run back to my studio to pick up some forgotten loom or material.  I was very stressed.  The filming itself was fun although hard.  I am afraid to watch the whole thing all the way through.  That is your job.

So What do you get for your $29.99?  A lot.  You get to watch six hours of instruction.  If you can stand watching me for six hours, this is a good thing.  I show you how to make nine bracelets!  Two tapestry/bead cuff bracelets; two No Warps to Weave in Bracelets; Five affinity bracelets.  The course is designed to flow so that you keep piling on skills.  The goal is for you to move into your own territory . . . take the skills and concepts you've learned and create your own masterpieces.

I think it's a great class for both beginners and those who haven't tried these projects yet and are ready for something new.

So how does this format work? It's a great format combining the best of a real in-person workshop with the best of video.  First of all, it's longer than any video you'd ever find.  Secondly, you can access it on the Craftsy site any time you want.  There is a forum for asking your questions and I will get on a million times a day to check for these questions and answer them.  There is also a place for you to post your projects.  The whole thing is very interactive and community like and you can keep interacting for as long as I am still hanging out on this planet.

And even better: there is a special Craftsy/Mirrix store where you can buy some really amazing kits created just for the show at really, really great prices.  Those same kits will not be in our regular store.  The kits are cheaper when you buy all three and even cheaper when bought with a loom.

So sign up for a lifetime (literally) adventure in the world of Mirrix: craftsy

Ott-Lite Blog interview

This interview can be found on OttLite's blog.

Living Inspired: Mirrix Looms

By Autumn

In honor of Mother’s Day, we interviewed bead and tapestry weaver Claudia Chase and her daughter Elena Zuyok. Together they run Mirrix Tapestry & Bead Looms, Ltd., providing handcrafted looms, starter kits, patterns, books and other inspirational tools.

What inspired you to start weaving? Were you self-taught, or did someone teach you? 
Claudia: I’ve been interested in weaving since I was very young. I received my first rigid heddle loom when I was 8 years old but I didn’t really get involved in weaving until I was pregnant with my daughter (Elena) and I briefly attended a tapestry class in San Francisco. After that, I was self-taught. At the time there was no internet and very few books on tapestry so it was a rather circuitous journey.
Elena: I was brought up as the daughter of a tapestry weaver and therefore had no interest whatsoever in tapestry. I reluctantly learned the basics through osmosis but it wasn’t until I was in college when I accompanied my mom to a class she was (we were) teaching in Canada that I first really became interested in the medium.

Can you tell us about the first project you completed?Claudia: Probably something awful that I keep in a box upstairs where I keep all my awful beginning weavings and try not to look at them.
Elena: Probably something I did when I was five. It was probably terrible, but I can guarantee I used really nice yarn.

When did you start creating beaded tapestries?Claudia: About a year or so after I founded Mirrix Looms, I realized that the Mirrix Loom would also function really well as a bead loom so I forced myself to learn how to weave beads using the unique attributes of the Mirrix Loom. I say forced because at the time I only had eyes for fiber. At that time I had also become an avid spinner and dyer and it was clear to me I would neither be able to make beads or dye them.

Sunrise

Do you both weave? Are there other crafts or hobbies you both enjoy?
Claudia: I love doing just about anything that requires using fiber and beads including crochet, knitting, felting, dying, spinning, most off-loom bead techniques and needlepoint. There’s nothing I won’t try if given the opportunity.
Elena: As for hobbies, we’re both very into playing (not watching) sports. We’ve ridden horses and skied together since I was a very small child.

What made you decide to create your own loom design?
Claudia: I wanted a portable, professional quality loom that I could use anywhere and that loom did not exist, so I designed it.

Is there one project that holds special significance in your heart, either because of its beauty, or who it was for?
Claudia: A tapestry called “Progression” signified the first time I had found my own voice in tapestry.

Mirrix headquarters resides within a very special community. Could you tell us about that relationship?
Claudia: Mirrix manufacturing lives at a place called Sunshine House which employs adults with special needs and/or physical disabilities. Not only is the Mirrix Loom entirely manufactured in the U.S., it is made by some of the finest folks on the planet. There isn’t a day that goes by that we are not grateful for this amazing opportunity to work with people who deeply care about making sure every loom we manufacture is perfect.

What is it like working together as mother and daughter?Elena: Our work relationship is a reflection of our personal relationship. We’ve always been incredibly close with a deep and mutual respect for each other. We learned how well we work together on a professional level back when I was in college and ran her first campaign for State Representative.
At some point Mirrix went from being Claudia’s business to our business and that’s how it’s operated since. We both have different skill sets and strengths and weaknesses but the same work ethic and the same philosophy about running a business. It just works. We enjoy being together and working together and our relationship smoothly transitions from that of a professional partnership to that of mother and daughter.

Fire Flowers

Running your own company, writing books, creating patterns, even serving as a State Representative for six years—how do you find time for your own crafting?Claudia: Currently, one of my most important jobs at Mirrix is to design new products which has the advantage of forcing me to weave on a regular basis. Until about a year ago I was selling my work in galleries but now I find I am so busy with product development that I don’t have time to create a substantial amount of work for sale. I’m actually enjoying taking a break from doing that. When I served as a State Representative I produced a huge amount of work because, in order to keep myself calm, I had to keep my hands busy at all times. I noticed from my big leather seat in Representatives’ Hall that other folks were doing crossword puzzles, playing games on their phones and sometimes sleeping. By creating artwork I was actually able to concentrate better because it seemed to keep my ADHD tendencies in check and allowed me to sit in my seat for more than a half hour at a time. And yes, I did weave on the Mini Mirrix while there. There was a rule about not using computers in Representatives’ Hall, but nobody said anything about looms.

What does weaving tapestries bring to your life?
Claudia: Initially weaving tapestries forced me to design the Mirrix Loom because I was looking for a portable, professional loom which did not exist. Currently, weaving tapestries allows me to indulge in my passion for color. I use a lot of my own hand-dyed and/or hand-spun/hand-dyed yarn for my tapestry weaving which gives me a lot more control over the color and the texture. For me, tapestry weaving is extremely meditative, something a very hyper person like me really needs.

What advice would you give someone who is just starting out?Claudia: Someone starting off in tapestry should buy a few of the wonderful tapestry instruction books one can now find on the market. He or she really needs to understand that tapestry is not an art form one learns overnight. There are many skills one needs to master but the mastering of these skills is in and of itself extremely rewarding. Just don’t plan to give your first tapestry away as a wedding present. Also, really try to explore in-depth the materials, including warp and weft, that you will be using to create this tapestry because your tapestry is only going to be as beautiful as the material you use to make it.

Bead Weaving
If you’re not initially buying a kit for someone else’s pattern, take yourself to the biggest bead store you can find and spend many hours there staring at the beads. I found that one of the biggest challenges of bead weaving, since I couldn’t make my own beads and my own colors, was learning what shapes, sizes, colors and finishes were available in beads. I now have a really good understanding of what is available, hence I can often design a piece in my head using embedded images of beads. Keep in mind that the skills required for your basic bead weaving (a rectangle or a square) is not nearly as challenging as the techniques one must learn for tapestry. The challenge with bead weaving is creating the design and choosing the beads.

Mini Mirrix Loreli Loom Giveaway Contest! 

This mini loom is made for the beader on the go. It’s small enough to take anywhere and is great for making beaded jewelry. And now you can win your very own! To enter, please “Like” Mirrix Looms and OttLite on Facebook AND post a comment to this blog. If you’re already a Facebook Fan of OttLite and Mirrix, your work is half-done! Just leave a comment here!

Winner will be announced on Friday 5/4! THE CONTEST HAS NOW ENDED

More hand-painted silk

We spent the day dyeing and then hung it out on the clothes line to dry.  That is about two kilos of silk. That's a lot of silk.  Now the "fun" part:  making it into skeins.  But the painting was so much fun.  

Hanging in the sun

That's Pam, my dyeing partner

Claudia with her eyes closed, as usual

A rainbow, a bracelet

I took these photos the other day.  Just found them on my camera and was surprised that the rainbow was photographed so beautifully.  Thank you camera.

And then there was the second rainbow.  I put a hand-painted silk cord on the loom and then wove with hand-painted silk ribbon.  This bracelet has an entirely different feel from the other affinity bracelets.  It's very stiff because the warp was so heavy and the silk ribbon gives it lots of subtle texture.  I wrapped and tied some silk cord around the overlapping warp ends.  This just proves you can use a huge variety of materials in these affinity bracelets.

A new affinity bracelet and an ankle bracelet

I kept fixating on the clay beads that are on sale at the www.caravanbeads.com site.  I knew they could be used in an affinity bracelet.  So I finally took a break from getting ready for the Craftsy video and ordered and then wove those beads.  I used a very thin tapestry needle to string them onto the silk thread.  They have huge holes (I am using the 2mm by 4mm beads).  I love the look.  It is kind of funky but also very colorful.  Instead of making a peyote stitch clasp, I simply tied a piece of suede cord around the the over lapped braided silk ends.  Works great and fits in with the overall design.

I used the blue, terra cotta and light green beads . . . they come in lovely muted colors.

The clasp could not have been easier to make!

Elena suggested I try to make a bangle on the loom.  At first I was going to try to do it with beads, but then I got fascinated with the idea of doing it with silk thread and a few beads.  My idea was that I would weave an eight bead wide and silk tapestry piece using the No Warps Ends Kit and softflex beading wire and then roll it up and sew the sides together.  I thought it would make something rounded and bangle-like.  The mistake I made was to use two cut beads which resisted rolling up.  Next time I will use size 11/0 seed beads.

Bangle for the wrist?  I am not sure.  It's a little bulky.  Plus I didn't make it big enough so that if I had sewn the ends together it would have struggled getting over my hand.  

I had purchased some thin, flat leather cord a while back.  I had tried to put memory wire in the piece, but it just didn't want to go.  So I threaded the cord into a large tapestry needle and pushed it through the piece, leaving a few inches extra for the tie.

And then I tied it on my ankle.  This is hands down the sweetest ankle bracelet I have ever made.  You can see it a mile away.  It is not subtle at all and the colors just sing.  This is staying on my ankle all summer unless I make a nicer one.  And the good news is it is so easy to take off and those ties really stay tied.  

Now I have two new supplies in my supply box:  clap beads and suede ties.  

New Hand-dyed Silk yarn

Color One

Color Two

Color Three

Color Four

Color Five

Color Six

Color Seven

Hand painted silk

I've been up to it again.  Spent a few hours yesterday painting silk.  It's still drying.  It's always fascinating to see how it looks once it's unwound from the painted skein and made into smaller ones.  Then you can see how the colors interact because in the big skeins the color areas are all lined up but in the little one they are mixed.  But since I don't paint these in a regular pattern, it's always a big surprise.  Fortunately, I've been pleased with all the surprises.  This is unusual.  I am not used to so much success.