DIY Woven Wall Hanging

Today in the studio I finally did something with the bits and pieces of leftover yarn I've been collecting for a while.  I decided to try my hand at weaving.

The nice thing about weaving is you don't really need to have any special skills and it can be done with random bits of yarn and fabric.

Traditionally weaving is made on a loom, and  there are many varieties out there.  You can easily make one with a piece of cardboard and some string, but I happened to have a latch hook mat lying around from an abandoned project one of my kids was working on.  I thought it would be the perfect loom for my weaving.

Here are the supplies I used:

• a latch hook mat ( you can get them in the sewing section at any craft store)
• a stick a few inches longer than the width of my latch hook mat -- a dowel rod will work, but I chose to find a stick outside, to add to the texture and unique feel of the final piece
• chunky yarn in a variety of textures/colors, in medium to thick weight
• scissors
• string/yarn for hanging

The process is actually pretty simple.  I like texture and lots of knotting and natural messiness so I used that in my weaving as well.

First I cut the latch hook mat down to the size that I wanted.  I went with smaller than I originally planned, because weaving takes a lot of time!

To start, I took a piece of yarn and tied it to one end at the top of the latch hook mat.

Then I poked the yarn in and out of each square in the mat, over and under to create the woven look.  Sometimes I skipped every other hole, and sometimes I added extra knots to create texture or surprising details.  

It certainly doesn't need to be perfect (I think its so much better when its not perfect and when you let the materials surprise you), and you can go back and add more yarn to spots that look like they need more texture or filling.  

when I had about two inches left, I created a loop by folding the mat over and used some extra yarn to tie it in place.  If I do this again, I would start with the two inches at the top, and probably create the loop before I do anything else.  Like I said, this was my first weaving project!

I snipped a few of the hanging yarn pieces (turns out it was a bit too messy, even for me!) then I took my stick and threaded it through the loop.  I added yarn to each side to hang it, and voila!

I also got my kids involved.  They were very excited about the idea of weaving, though they did get a bit frustrated with the small holes.  For them, next time, I will create a cardboard loom that will be easier for them to use.  

Haven't You Always Wanted a Cow Table?

A friend of mine dropped off this table at my house a few weeks ago.  She knows that I've been painting furniture, and donated this stained but beautiful coffee table to the cause.

It took me a while to figure out what to do with it, which was fine because I've had a few projects to finish up in the meantime.  I just left the table in my studio, and had no choice but to look at it all day while working on other projects.  Also, the studio is our entry way to the house from the garage, so I pass through it multiple times a day.

While looking at it kind of intently the other day, I noticed some curvy details beneath the tabletop.  At first I thought, "I wonder if I can get rid of those?"  and then, all at once, I saw that they were...wait for it...udders!!! As in, COW udders.  Then, I noticed the feet were hooves. Obviously.  

Once I saw it, I could not unsee it.  Did I need a cow table? of course not.  Did I know anyone who wanted a cow table?  I didn't think so.

Well, as it happens, my 9 year old son is obsessed with cows.  As soon as I told him my idea, he FREAKED OUT.  So now, I am making him a cow table.  For his bedroom.  I don't think he has space for it, but there was no talking him out of it.  So, a cow table. For his bedroom.  

My first step was to prime the table.  I use  Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer which means I don't even have to sand the shiny varnish off the table.  I just paint one coat right on.  I haven't done this before, but now that I know about it, I'm never sanding another piece of furniture before painting again!

Once the primer was dry, I drew the outline of the cow. The only challenging part here was the face.  I looked up some great cow pictures and tried to get the "essence" of the cow face.  The body was just random black splotches, so that was no big deal.

 I used Titanium White Liquitex acrylic paint for the body, and a mix of white and pink for the nose and the udders. Seriously, I think those udders are the best part!

Then I filled in the spots and the face with a mix of ultramarine blue, dioxanne purple and mars black Liquitex Paints (This is my standard mix for painting dark areas-- I never use a flat black). My son thought the cow should be wearing gym shoes, which I thought was awesome, so, per his request, I painted each foot a different color (red, green, yellow and blue).

I added another layer of paint to make the colors richer and to clean up the messy spots.  I also added laces to the shoes.

I protected the cow table with Parks Super Glaze Epoxy to make sure that it will be protected and can be used and therefore cleaned up.  This is especially important since it will most likely be living in my son's bedroom, and he is not particularly neat or careful.

Truthfully, I really want the cow to live in our playroom (my favorite room in the house). Here are a few a pics of it there:

But Sam wanted none of that:  

So we put it up in his room:

I guess its like he has his very own cow guard.  Or pet cow.  Or something.

What do you think? Do you need a cow table in your house?