Inkle weaving and other things

Whilst in the town centre last week we came upon a pop up book shop organised by Healthy Planet which offers up to 3 free books per visit and here is one I found.  I had this book from the library many years ago when I was doing a City and Guilds Creative Textiles course and found it very useful and more recently I wished I had had a copy of my own but it is now out of print.  So it was my lucky day.  Kath I remember you doing a post about a museum you went to where you came across inkle weaving too.  For a description of the technique see here.

I wanted to make a bookmark with my friend's name woven into it to take with me to France so I found out my loom - made for me about 25 years ago by Mr M (it's so handy having such a practical chap for a husband!) - and searched out some yarn and got going but I got into such a tangle warping up the loom that I am afraid my friend's bookmark will have to be a Christmas gift now as I will not have time to weave it before I am due to go to France. 

Just to prove I can do it here are some bits I made earlier!  I made a whole length of these trees one year - this one has been pinned up at some point by the look of it.

Here are two sample lengths using different techniques and the background is a piece of fabric I made from inkle braids joined together which was going to be a waistcoat but never got that far!

This belt I made using yarn I had dyed myself and this was actually accepted by the Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers for display in their Exhibition one year!

And here is one of my final pieces made for the C&G and I wished whilst weaving all the braids that I had chosen knitting or something as one of my specialist modules and not braids as it was a lot of work and as the yarn was cotton I had to wear a mask cowboy style over my nose and mouth as the fluff created was horrible!  I have never worn it and it looks very old-fashioned now but I keep it as a souvenir of my C&G days which were great fun and when I made several good friends with whom I am still in touch with all these years later.

 I have also been busy crafting this little gift booklet for my friend - each page/pocket to contain a little gift.  I hope she will like it.  She is a crafter so I think she will appreciate the idea anyway. 

 My written French leaves a lot to be desired but I dare say she will understand!

The little yellow felt cockerel is one of a couple she gave me a long time ago so will be going home!

 And for an English gardener friend I hope to see whilst in France a few hollyhock seeds in another of my little packets - again I hope she will like it.

Thank you all so much for your kind supportive words on the post about my mother - these were the flowers I picked in the garden and they lasted just the two days from the anniversary of her death to her birthday - I am sure she knew I was thinking about her.

I am hoping to have some lovely quilts to show you next time if photography is allowed at the exhibition I am going to in France!