Hi to all members.

I thought we should start up a new thread so that those of us who are, or used to be ,active backstrap weavers can talk a little about what kind of looms and tools we use. I know that several members have never tried backstrap weaving and would like to see what it takes to get set up whether that means making your own loom or buying a kit.

Do you use string heddles, a rigid heddle or some other kind of ingenious device? What do you use for a backstrap and where do you tie up your loom? How do you prepare your warp? Do you sit on the floor or chair or do you kneel?

Please photos too if you can.

Laverne

Comments

bolivian warmi

Thanks Franco- so which idea do you think you will go for?-the amazing shrinking belt perhaps?!!

Laverne

bolivian warmi

Oh yeah. Carol Ventura's website is superb. Carol wrote on our introductions page.......................

''The backstrap is a carved piece of wood, with a flattened area in the middle for her body.''

I just tried sitting with my feet turned out the way the weaver has them there-impossible!

Laverne

 

Caroline (not verified)

A lot of the far eastern weavers sit with their feet straight out, and many of them do push their feet up against the far beam of the loom. I'm not sure if this is how they tension it - Carol V thinks not, but  lot of the older photos I've seen suggest they do. If you check the file I directed Virag to, there are some fantastic photos of Taiwanese weavers, and their looms have the most amazingly large back beams - they are these hybrid looms that are semi-portable, though I'm not sure that these are, hehe! Also, in the book I have on Ladakh, the warp is stretched straight out, and held down by large stones or rocks, so they must move towards the back beam as they weave!

Found the url for the Taiwanese weavers!

www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles/nb55_abr.pdf

bolivian warmi

In Ecuador, the weavers tension the warp with their bodies by way of the backstrap but they like to have A LOT of tension on the warp and so brace their feet against long blocks of wood and go pushing against them. In a typical weaver's house there will be several blocks of wood which are laid side by side according to who is weaving-several blocks for the  shortest  person in the household and then some blocks are removed when the tallest person sits down to weave. Adding and removing blocks will also accommodate varying warp lengths. 

When I was teaching some guys in Salasaca, Ecuador to weave a Peruvian technique we were working in a store which was not set up for weaving so we just tied up to a post. They complained that they felt uncomfortable not having anything against which to brace their feet..

When I weave a short piece I can brace my feet against planks that just happen to be under my bed. I must admit they really make a difference.

This weaver in Otavalo is pushing against the wood with her feet to keep the warps under a lot of tension.

francorios (not verified)




Here is an easy way to rig a backstrap. Take a belt that fits around your waist. Put two loops of rope through it that extend about 12 inches from the belt.




Place the belt around your back with the buckle facing away from your back and the loops extended.



Hook the loops onto your loom bar. You will have to experiment a little bit to get the right loom length. It's not fancy but should hold up until you weave a fancier backstrap.

Have a good day!

bolivian warmi

Hi Franco,

Didn't hear from you for a couple of days and now I can see what you have been up to. You are well and truly on your way. Well done and thanks for the great backstrap idea. 

Laverne

 

francorios (not verified)

Update on my backstrap project

I had to re-warp my backstrap project due to crossed warps and other issues. And I lost my shed sticks before I tied them so I tried to pick my way back, but it was easier to take it apart and re-warp. Which I did.

I'm letting it sit for a couple of days until I'm not mad at it anymore before I start to weave. If I was in a more primitive setting I would go out and shoot a buffalo.

Have a good day!

francorios (not verified)

 

Here is the finished towel. Woven dimensions were 16 inch wide, 24 inch long.

Off the loom without tension, it only measures 13 wide, 21 long. I haven't even wet finished it yet. That would reduce it another 10 percent. I had some missed picks, but I wasn't expecting perfect on the first try anyway.

Peaches & Creme cotton worsted yarn white warp/weft, Sugar & Creme cotton worsted yarn variegated black/white for borders. Sett is 8 per inch. Woven on a backstrap loom.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

Aquinnah (not verified)

 As I am heading off to get some dowels tomorrow to make a loom, I am reading old bits to ensure I am not forgetting about anything: I noticed that Laverne asks how to make a good backstrap: am I being too obvious, but wouldn't weaving a nice, broad band be the thing? OK maybe the pillow case improvisation at first, but then a nice band. Or am I missing something crucial here?

I already have one, passed on to me from an elderly relative. It's arather coarsely woven band, I think the kind of thing used for saddles et c(I am not a rider so I could be very wrong here), in a natural colour, with leather toggles attached at either end, to hook onto a stick in front of your body. Now looking at it more closely it looks rather homemade, but I hadn't realised before so it is also well made. 

bolivian warmi

Well that was what my article in WeaveZine was about Aquinnah!! :-) Weave-your-own-backstrap project. But what do you use as a backstrap while you are weaving your own? In the article I show a pillowcase with knotted ends which makes a good improvisation. Also, later on here I show a very ugly but effective rag rug type backstrap that I made-very cushy and comfortable!!

I like the sound of the one that was passed on to you.

Aquinnah (not verified)

 I am moving ever closer to starting something: Today I went and bought bits of dowelling etc (I find my broom handle rather useful when attached to my broom, so short of chopping down a tree branch, buying a dowel was, for me, just now, a must). Now I have plenty dowl. next fix a something on the wall where I can affix said dowel. Etc, etc. slowly getting there!

I have also decided (I think) that left over bits would make a really nice Christmas pressie for my daughter - a small portable homemade loom! What better! Even my husband got excited about that!

By the way, Laverne, each time I look I find something new on this site: Today I found links to your bits of work. Wow!!! They are lovely! And makes my finger itch to start having a go! I liked the knobbly edged beginners strap too. it gives it a nice homemade look. I was also impressed by the pic of your danish friend weaving by the roadside! Way to go!

bolivian warmi

A loom pressie for your daughter-what a great idea. Are you going to make a backstrap for her too? Hope she joins the group.Yes, we have all really packed a lot into these pages. I am so glad you are enjoying exploring them. I fact, I have enjoyed coming back to this, one of the earliest pages and having a reread.

Laverne

Aquinnah (not verified)

 We'll see. It would be nice wouldn't it! But sometimes I find that my intentions and my actions don't exactly meet - a gap, at times, as wide as an ocean! So, as yet, one step at a time. 

DianneStucki (not verified)

Okay, I've been reading everything I can find--including repeated readings of Laverne's article on Weavezine--and I have one question I'm just not completely clear on.


As you work your way up the warp, do you wind up scooting closer and closer to your anchor point?

bolivian warmi

Yes Dianne, you roll up the weaving as you go-that is on one of the videos that is in the article. If the videos are slow to load for you, you can see photos of this on another page here in the forum. 

Here's the link...........

www.weavolution.com/node/6112

Nice to see you here! Let me know if you need anything else.

Laverne

Loominaria (not verified)

And months later I replied...

Why didn't you twist yarn into rope? Or braid?

We need to get you into kumihimo proper so you can have some sturdy, strong, and beautiful cords/braids.

I noticed my toilet plunger has a nice wood handle, but I decided not to go there. Might have to go get some dowels, because I'm not happy with how my current sticks are turning out. The wood is not very good. I think the art store on J St has good dowels, and I've been wanting to look at their stretcher frames and easels from a weaving point of view.

Kurt

Caroline (not verified)

There is always the good old broom handle! About the same size as the dowel on a plunger, and you can get a set out of 1 broom handle.

I use artists stretchers for frame weaving, strong and light, and I also use the thick cheap ones for square looms, the ones you find in the bargain stores, once I have removed the canvas and the staples. They sand up nicely and are stable in use.

There is also absolutely NO reason your sticks have to be round, beyond most people traditionally using round. I have seen photos and videos of bits of 2 x 4 and similar used. That would certainly be easier for clamping the warp and/or the cloth firmly and not having to worry about it slipping if you don't do it properly. I think square sticks could be very easy to use. I would still notch them for convenience sake.

Just a few ideas to toss around.

Loominaria (not verified)

I picked up dowels at the art shop today. They were birch, 36 inches (92 cm) long, and it was surprising how much heavier the 1-inch dowels were compared to 3/4-inch. I chose the smaller ones.

On the way I stopped at a store with mops and brooms -- all had metal handles.  :-(

Meanwhile, following one of Caroline's tips, I checked the shoulder straps for various bags and found 2 candidates for temporary backstraps. Caroline also reminded me of Carol Ventura's 'tapestry crochet' (also known as 'hard crochet' because it is firm, not difficult), so I may make a backstrap with tapestry crochet or firm double-ended hook tricot/Tunisian/afghan stitch.

Slowly   coming   together.

I said to a friend that I didn't know why I was learning to do backstrap, and she said 'because it's yarn stuff and you have to know how.'  Heh.

Kurt

bolivian warmi

Getting closer......yay. I think I remember Franco mentioning it being hard to get wooden broom handles over there.

So what do you think your first backstrap woven piece will be? perhaps the sides and strap for a future bag?

 

Loominaria (not verified)

I want to make a Verny WeaveZinny backstrap, but I'm not sure my cotton yarn is thick enough. I might break totally with my tradition and actually make a sample first to check ends per inch -- but don't count on it.  Heh.  It will be hard staying with just one colour and concentrating on weaving straight, parallel edges, but if I really really work at it, I can sometimes follow  the teacher's instructions and suggestions.  :-)

Kurt

bolivian warmi

Aha! So you have discovered my nickname.

You won't have to suffer too long on the backstrap project-it weaves up really fast with thick cotton-not enough time to get bored. Anyway they are only suggestions-be mad-throw some multi colors in there!

Verny

francorios (not verified)

Laverne,

This is the part of Weavolution that drives me crazy! This mixing of old and new messages instead of chronological order.

You have replied to a message from July 4 2009. I decided the stool legs were too heavy. So I reassembled the stool and cut down the legs so my sons could sit on the stool to play their guitars.

You suggested I could weave a strap for them.

Anyway, the cross pieces are the side cross bar stick part of the stool that keeps the stool legs straight.

But thank you for revisiting the topic and offering suggestions.

Have a good day!

Aunt Janet (not verified)

Kurt,

   i love that name: " Verny WeaveZinny backstrap"  I'm not totally happy with my backstrap that I wove because it is so soft.  It tends to bunch up a bit around my hips and I have to fuss with it.  I may want to weave a second one that will be stiffer.  If I do, I will throw some of those wild colors in as Laverne has suggested.

Janet

Loominaria (not verified)

Yes, Verny, it might have been the Verny2 flickr page that gave me my first clue about your nickname, though I probably would have gone there myself eventually without seeing it anywhere.

I don't suffer from projects that tend to bore others. My mind enjoys having my hands doing something repetitive so it can wander all over the universe unencumbered by space and time. That's why I especially like 'programming' the pattern into the warp or threading it in for tablet weaving. I dislike being tied to a chart while I'm making something. (Plenty of unfinished knitting projects to show--or rather, hide--for that one.)

Kurt

aka Pippin, which most people assume comes from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but it originated from the Stephen Schwartz musical Pippin -- and Newtown Pippins are the best apples, so I'll take Pippin or Pip from wherever you want it to come from

bolivian warmi

I'll go with Pip because I like Dickens.

thelmaweaves

I finally am getting around to posting a photo of my backstrap loom I purchased on ebay a few years ago.  It is a Maya, manufactured by LeClerc in Canada.  I 've never used it, infact the loom has never been used by anyone, it is still in brand new condition.   I am hoping to use it shortly.  I do feel as though I am "cheating" using a rigid heddle instead of a heddle stick.   For my first project I will "cheat" and use the rigid heddle to get the feel of it.  Hopefully I will have it warped by next week.  Too many projects, too little time!

Sharon Carey

bolivian warmi

oh I don't think it is cheating at all! I think it is a very good idea to use something lke a rigid heddle which you are already familiar with to get used to something totally unfamiliar like being strapped onto your warp. That' s nice little kit you have there.

too many projects, too little time-yes I know the feeling. :-)

Laverne-still waiting to try that boundweave!!

Marsha A. Knox (not verified)

I love love love that I found you guys.  The one thing I need to know is how to get the warp from the ward pegs (boards) to the backstrap bars without mixing and crossing them up.  I have been a tapestry weaver using frame loom for years...but it is warped right on the loom.  No moving it from one place to another.  HELP!

 

jeannine (not verified)

So you wind a warp on a warpingboard or pegs in a figure 8. there is a cross in the middle.secure the cross by crosssticks (even pencils can be used for this)  and tie the crosssticks together with tape  . I also tie the beginning and the end off the warp (just in case off) then put your loomsticks in place off  the beginning and end peg and slide the warp on the sticks .

I can advice you to read the stickythreads on top off this forum: beginner  tutorial one:playing with stripes

Laverne explains everything very well with pictures and a video: www.weavolution.com/node/4610

I hope  i could help you  out  if not don't hesitate to ask more questions here .there is always someoner around.

handcraftermaggie

I want to make a rug similar to one I have and wonder if it can be done on a backstrap loom. There are about 600 warp threads. The rug is about 24" wide and 42" long with fringe on each warp end that are tied in bundles of about 20 threads each and there are 28 bundles total tied off. The rug is made of 100% cotton, so says the label. The weft looks to be about 1/4" wide bands of some sort of rolled tight  material (similar to rag rug strips) woven through the warp threads and there is one continuous strand at each salvage running with warp that the weft is woven around.  I can take a picture if you need to see it. 

Chingachgook (not verified)

Hi: I don't pretend to the skill these folks here have, but reading your post, it sounds like with the dense epi and heavy weft that your original rug is rep? I'm only a backstrap baby, so don't know how difficult that would be... but I'll bet one of the regulars comes along soon with an answer.

suzyhok (not verified)

Hi Laverne, Ive only just joined your group, but I have been watching what you have been up to for some time. I am very impressed by what you are able to create on a simple backstrap loom. We live on our sailboat for the summer so a large loom is out of the question. Wr don't really even have room for a rigid heddle loom. Ive used cardboard looms and potholder looms in the past but wanted to weave a narrow scarf.. and remembered your backstrap looms! I wound the warp from the ceiling grab rails, warped and have woven about 8 inches... time to roll it forward... BUT I can't get it to hold... it keeps slipping back to the beginning. I looked at your tutorials and I think I am following your instructions, but I can't get the rolling up to work. Any suggestions? Thanks so much! Suzy
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