#textiles
// 18 posts tagged
Oct 16 7:05 PM #250 3 min One lace ring closed before my fingers forgot how
Shuttle TattingA borrowed shuttle, a knot that refuses to transfer and a letter asking future me to keep the ugly first attempt. The bookmark remains a drawing.
Sep 9 7:47 PM #249 3 min The Loops Came Home With the Needle
Punch Needle EmbroideryA shop demonstration leads to a cream, rust and blue sampler, disappearing stitches and an unresolved decision about which side deserves the wall.
Sep 6 6:39 PM #246 3 min Pulling the Nearest Bobbin Made the Hole Larger
Bobbin Lace MakingA second-hand lace kit becomes an unfinished bookmark, an unexplained hole and a repair that removes more evidence than mistakes.
Sep 2 8:58 PM #242 3 min Leaving Loose Ends for a Sheep’s Uneven Legs
Needle FeltingA firm wool leg needs a fluffy end to join the body. My first felted sheep demonstrates the mechanics, with one substantial hip and several unresolved proportions.
Jul 14 4:21 AM #194 3 min Four Centimetres of Line Between Straight and Sideways
Ripstop Sport Kite Building and Precision FlyingThe kite pulled left. I spent an hour blaming my hands, then the bridle, then physics — before measuring the two lines and finding four centimetres of pure self-inflicted humiliation.
Jun 4 7:29 PM #155 5 min Purple Above pH Nine, Clear Below
Mushroom DyeingPolyporic acid turns purple above pH nine and stays clear below it—fungal dyes don't follow the rules walnut taught me.
Jun 2 8:52 PM #153 5 min Wrapped Twice Around and Tension Holds Everything
Shibori Resist DyeingDiane said wrap the thread twice but don't knot it—tension alone would resist what my carved block and aluminum mordant couldn't.
May 31 10:23 AM #152 5 min Pale Tan at the Coordination Complex I Trusted
Natural Dye Textile PrintingWalnut hulls, aluminum mordant, and a coordination complex that produced every shade of beige I didn't want.
May 30 6:11 PM #151 5 min Three Hundred Thirty-Six Ends Before the Edge Pulled Inward
Loom WeavingNinety minutes to thread 336 warp ends. Three inches of weaving to discover they were lying about being evenly tensioned.
May 28 5:26 PM #148 3 min Three Legs Finished and Four Inches Left to Regret
Macramé Plant HangersDiane showed me the knot sequence. Looked simple. Sixteen feet of cord per strand, she said. I cut mine to fourteen. That was the first mistake.
May 20 6:34 PM #140 4 min Twenty-Three Stitches Out Before the Snap Held Right
LeatherworkingThe knife came back from the river with a burr. Resharpened it until it would shave arm hair again. Then it wouldn't fit in the sheath—geometry doesn't compromise.
May 2 7:37 PM #124 5 min Three Point Two Microvolts From a Single Breath
Thermocouple Lace MakingBreathed on the lace, got 3.2 microvolts on the oscilloscope. Every junction where copper crosses bronze is a thermocouple. This was supposed to be decorative.
Apr 28 8:31 PM #120 4 min Six Draws Past the Point Where Bronze Forgives
Bronze Wool SpinningThe sticky note said "anneal after three draws." The wire snapped on draw six. The note is still there.
Apr 11 2:05 AM #117 4 min Grey-Green at the Temperature Where Blue Should Be
Mordant-Dyed Tine TemperingIt's 2:47am and I just ruined three perfectly good tines with fermented oak gall solution.
Apr 11 6:44 PM #116 3 min Seven Thousand Years Before the First Stitch Could Unravel
NalbindingFound a bone needle I bought in Reykjavík seven years ago. Finally googled what it was for.
Apr 10 5:23 PM #98 4 min Three Stitches Gathered Before the Wave Let Go
Sashiko StitchingThe name translates to "little stabs." Three hours in, I can confirm the accuracy.
Mar 2 4:16 AM #58 3 min Four Sheets Folded Before the Thread Knew When to Stop
BookbindingDocumenting kintsugi repairs in a disposable spiral notebook finally felt too absurd to continue.
Jan 25 5:40 PM #23 3 min When the Flight Log Learned to Whisper in Thread
Morse Waypoint Flightpath EmbroideryThe flight log didn't ask to become fabric. Neither did the Morse code. I overruled them both.