jenadina

About me

Weaving Since

2008

Kinds of weaving

backstrap, rigid heddle

Pets? Kids?

a 8yo boy child, no pets

Favorite Color

the colors of fire

Favorite Fiber

hmmm...I love any soft fiber

State/Province

California

About me

I hate writing these "about me" things, but since Alison asked me to...

I'm a homeschooling mama of 1, living in Riverside County.

I've been enamored of the fiber arts since I was a child, making my first doll blanket at about 6 (just a running stitch with colored thread tracing the picture my grandma drew for me). I learned to crochet and cross-stitch when I was 9. Cross stitch was my major love for several years, and I didn't do more than dabble in anything else. My first encounter with weaving was beadweaving on a small loom. I made tons of bracelets and have no idea what happened to any of them. When my cross-stitching phase was over, I started sewing a little more, making things like pillow cases and curtains. Then I really delved into crochet. At ~20/21, I learned to knit, then to spin. I don't knit or crochet much now because it bothers my wrists, but I do spin daily.

I began to get really interested in weaving about 4 years ago, and have literally been dreaming of weaving since. I've had a subscription to Handwoven for 2 years, about a year before I made my first backstrap loom and decided that I would weave even if I couldn't afford a loom. My first project was pretty bad, wide on one end and narrow on the other, but it was hand-dyed, hand-spun, and hand-woven by yours truely, so I decided to put it to work as a backstrap. Goodbye (and good riddance!) tiny braided string!! Then I made myself a pack of cards for tablet weaving, using playing cards, scissors, and a hole punch. I made a cardwoven bookmark with embroidery floss. That one actually came out quite well, and is still in use.

A while later, I made the pvc pipe loom from Sarah Swett's book, Kids Weaving. It's based on a navajo or tapestry loom and actually works pretty well. After weaving a small scarf and a couple of tension straps for my son, I put dowels inside the pipes to make it sturdier and made it taller. I started working on a nice piece of fabric, then found the loom to be too wobbly with the extra height and stopped working on it. Hubby made me take the loom apart since it hadn't been touched in months, but I've rolled up the warp and have it saved. I hope to finish the fabric eventually.

So, I stopped weaving altogether, though still dreaming and weaving about it, until I came across the article about backstrap weaving in Weavezine, which is what brought me over to Weavolution and really got me weaving. The inspiration and friendship that Weavolution provides is unmatched anywhere else, and I'm really grateful to those who made Weavolution a reality!