Okay, many of these hacks refer to warping a Mirrix loom. But most of my students are using them and these are the questions I see come up again and again. A few of these ideas apply to any tapestry loom.
The video below shows some of the things I do to make warping this loom easier. It isn't a hard loom to warp, it is just different than the big floor looms many of us are used to. There are no warping boards in Mirrix-land.
Here are some of the points I cover in this video.
- Leave at least three inches of threaded rod for stability. You don't even want to know what happens when you don't do this.
- Which direction do I start warping, up or down? I know you're on the edge of your seats waiting for the answer for that one!
- How to keep warps from getting twisted with their neighbors. (no alcohol is involved here--and can I just say that if this particular thing drives you nutty, just buy the bottom spring for your loom. Seriously.)
- Double selvedge warps. I'm not the only one who does this... and I love it!
- Using a guide thread. Nope, I don't do this, but it can be helpful if you struggle with your selvedges or weft tension.
- Moving the warping bar down. Don't forget to do this... or your warp will be much shorter!
- How to put the heddles on without throwing the loom through a window. To be honest, I like putting heddles on the Mirrix. The texsolv heddles are wonderful and somehow I don't have trouble seeing the pattern or getting them on without mistakes. Of course that could also just be because I've warped a lot of these looms. Don't resort to violence (I always advocate a glass of wine if you're allowed). Here are some easy hacks to help.
- Block the second layer of warp from view. So easy. So helpful. Just do it. I like gray but any color works.
As usual, if you receive this blog post via email, you need to visit my blog in your internet browser to see the video. Go to http://rebeccamezoff.blogspot.com. Or go see it on my YouTube channel and subscribe while you're there!
My last tip is that perhaps we all need a studio assistant as helpful as Topaz.
