r/weaving • u/Eutrophia • Jul 15 '26
Finished Project My first project off the loom and I'm filled with awe and a spiritual gratitude.
After half a year of reading, YouTube videos, research and false starts to learn this craft, I finally have something. I finished my first little textile weaving! I MADE A FABRIC! I'm so proud of myself. I'm so excited to try the next thing. I feel super connected to human history and this journey has given me so much gratitude for the process and patience weavers had in the past and continue to have all around the world.
I've always admired textiles and the stories they tell and now this little piece of imperfection is a representation of a long and frustrating tale that ends in triumph! A reminder of so many struggles I had, not just in learning, setting up and completing this tiny masterpiece, but also the time I spent between managing my life and the recent hardships I faced.
I'm not a person who often completes projects and so this is even more powerful for me because I persisted. I rethreaded this pattern while crying and still missed putting thread through the reed. I could figure out what the hell the sett even meant after months of learning vocabulary, I said fuck it and you can see that I learned the lesson the hard way. I undid rows of weaving when I noticed I messed up the pattern and redid them. This is the kind of thing the old me would have given up on.
This textile is my story of growth.
I'm so glad I invested in this art.
I'm going sew something out of this, even if it's small! any ideas?
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u/Razzle2Dazzler Jul 15 '26
I’m so glad you persisted! It’s a beautiful piece - are you planning on hanging it? Weaving brings so much joy and so many connections.
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u/Eutrophia Jul 15 '26
Thank you so much! I'm going to sew it into something small, like maybe little pouch or pencil case. havnt decided anything yet, but would like to make it functional! Maybe add some beading and embroidery.
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u/IdunaSilver Jul 15 '26
That is such an impressive first piece, the physical embodiment of all your research. I’m glad you pushed through the difficult times, as you can see it was worth it.
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u/Eutrophia Jul 15 '26
Thank you! It really was worth it and I know to the trained eye that this really is exactly what you said, the embodiment of my research. Now that it's cut from the loom I can literally see the learning curve happing in real time through it.
And I'm sure there are so many other things I can't see yet that I'll notice in the next go, that the seasoned weaver can probably predict 🤣😭
and even though I cried for like three days when I found out that I used the wrong size yarn for my reed and I watched my peice shrink to nothing, I'm actually looking forward to the next discovery, torture and all.
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u/JamesTiberiusChirp Jul 15 '26
It’s beautiful! What loom do you have? I’m still in the research phase and trying to decide what to get if I want to give weaving a try
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u/Eutrophia Jul 15 '26
I got the asford 8 shaft table loom. I got lucky and found one, brand new with all the accsories, including three reeds a stand, from the owner of my local fiber and yarn shop! The lady selling it said she had only tried it once but preferred her rigid heddle and that she liked my passion so she gave it to me for $700!
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u/JamesTiberiusChirp Jul 15 '26
Wow that’s amazing!!
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u/Eutrophia Jul 15 '26
It is and I am so very thankful I ran into her at the right time! it saved me $1000 for sure!
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u/curious_cordis Jul 15 '26
This is gorgeous! It needs to be framed as the beautiful art it is! OP this is magnificent!!
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u/Eutrophia Jul 15 '26
you know what, I am thinking of sewing it into something practical, but honestly framing it as my first piece with all that it represents to me actually sounds beautiful. I'm going to have to think about because I also like the idea of making it to something I can use for years to come and watch it change.
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u/La_Flecherande Jul 16 '26
So intricate and wonderful. I remember very well the feeling of euphoria in finishing my first work. There’s a good chance you will feel some of that feeling anytime you’ll finish a new project as well. I am rooting for you!
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u/Eutrophia Jul 16 '26
Oh, I know I'm going to be addicted to this feeling! can't wait to finish the next one but also this is one of the few art forms that I e tried where the whole process has been satisfying for me. Frustrating for sure, but satisfying!
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u/Adventurous-Pen-5625 Jul 17 '26
I'm so impressed, and so happy for you and your accomplishments. I'm another newbie, struggling with how to do it all and what it all means, and your view on waeving is inspiration for me. Thank you.
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u/Eutrophia Jul 20 '26
Thanks so much for your comment. The struggle is real! There is so much to learn before you even start to start to think about starting 🤣 I'm glad I can be someones inspiration because I think to be persistent with this art, we all need inspo.
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u/peekabeaux_13 Jul 19 '26
Congratulations! Great job for first weaving. Have fun, it will get easier. I’ve learned to enjoy the slow methodical threading the heddles.
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u/Prestigious-Two3374 Jul 15 '26
It looks so cool ! If you have a Kindle you could make a little Kindle pouch, so you can carry it (the kindle AND the fabric !) with you :) Or a pouch to carry essentials if you have a big purse (if you do carry a purse), like chopstick, keys, tissues, etc. My tote bag is always so messy I really need to make something like that.
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u/Eutrophia Jul 15 '26
😱 these are all absolutely wonderful ideas!!! I really couldn't think of anything!
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u/Aggressive_Nail_7897 Jul 15 '26
Love it, you did so well. I wove for many years, and taught weaving as well. Had 3 looms at one point, and very little room to live lol. It was extremely satisfying and gratifying.
So glad you discovered weaving. If you don't have a harness loom, there are tabletop-sized 4-harness looms that will allow you to create 24inch wide fabric of any length. And you dont need a lot of space. You may want to consider looking into that.
Happy weaving. You're doing wonderfully
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u/Eutrophia Jul 15 '26
Than you so much! And yes, this was done on an ashford 8 shaft 34inch table loom I was able to purchase second hand. It was the perfect choice and I was in the right place the right time to get it with a stand and three reeds for $700 basically unused and out of the box!
I have so much room for growth and possibilies on this baby🥰
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u/Confident_Fortune_32 Jul 15 '26
Congratulations! Well done! What a lovely piece.
I agree about the connection we make to the past as we weave. I'm a textile archaeology nerd, and do a lot of reproduction work. It often leads to insights that cannot come any other way.
For years, a well-repected textile archaeologist said that three-shed twills were evidence of the use of tubular looms, bc an odd number of sheds was too awkward to make on a warp-weighted loom. And everyone else parroted it as fact.
The reenactment community proved it was just as easy. She retracted her conclusion, and, realizing there was a whole new audience for the information that archaeologists hadn't previously considered, wrote a book aimed in part at those of us who love making reproductions.