I’ve been playing with the new Mirrix Chloe loom for several months now and I’ve had a lot of people asking me about it in my online courses and on social media. The Chloe loom is the new version of the Saffron Pocket Loom. The Saffron came out with in 2020 and I reviewed it HERE.
The Chloe loom uses the square bars that are standard on Mirrix’s bigger looms to make a lap-sized loom with one tensioning bar in the middle.
The 5 inch and 8 inch Chloe loom and the Saffron on the right. The extra combs for the 8 inch Chloe are on the table. Tapestry samples in progress with weaversbazaar (left) and Gist Array (middle).
I use the Saffron loom a lot for samples and teaching and honestly, I didn’t see any need for a new version of this loom, but I will admit to all of you, that I like the Chloe even better.
Chloe thoughts
The Chloe loom comes in 5 and 8 inch widths. That wider width is really nice for bigger tapestries. It also comes with interchangeable combs. This is probably the biggest innovation of this loom. You can remove the combs top and bottom and add two of them at a different sett. I have the 8, 10, and 12 combs and likely will never need another size.
This Chloe loom has the 10 dent combs installed and I have the 8 and 12 dent ones ready when I need them.
I wasn’t sure I’d like the heavier nature of the Chloe versus the Saffron, but the loom feels quite stable to me. I like using this loom on a table with the stand best, but you can use it on your lap if you support it in some way to keep it from twisting around the center bar. A tight tension also prevents any twisting from happening.*
Speaking of tension, does it matter? Yes, I think it does. Very few small looms have tensioning ability and the Mirrix pocket looms are one of the few who do. Being able to tighten or even loosen the tension is really helpful especially if life has gotten busy and you haven’t returned to a tapestry for a few weeks or months. The warp can loosen up with humidity changes and being able to tighten it again is wonderful.
The teeth on the Chloe are smoother and thicker than the ones on the Saffron. I have had teeth on the Saffrons bend a bit if I didn’t protect them when putting them in a bag while traveling. The Chloe teeth seem even sturdier. And it should be noted that all looms need protection when traveling. It isn’t something we can expect to stand up to the airlines throwing across the tarmac unless they’re protected well.
Loom length
Those of you who take classes from me know that I love to go on about making your looms as long as possible. I recommend using a longer bar on both the Chloe and the Saffron looms. Mirrix sells a longer bar for both looms so add that to your cart when you put the Chloe stand in! The bar is labeled for the pocket looms and by that they mean both the Chloe and the Saffron.** For more about loom length, see this blog post.
In the photo below, the 5 inch Chloe on the left has the longer rod in it. The 8 inch Chloe has the standard rod in it. I’m going to wish I’d put a longer one in by the time I get to the end of this square little wedge weave!
Five and eight inch Chloe looms with the long and the short rods, both with stands installed. The tapestry on the left is being woven from the back and was a demo of double weft interlock for a design workshop. The tapestry on the right is a sample I’m working on for the next Tapestry Discovery Box.
The stands
The Chloe and the stand. I think sometimes they’re sending these with hex nuts instead of wing nuts.
Both looms have stands available so you can weave with the loom propped up. I do use my Sandy stand for the Saffron but mostly just for storing it when there is a piece in progress. I don’t find it stable enough to weave on though I have had students who use it this way and like it.
The Chloe stand is a flat leg that is held between nuts on the threaded rod. The stand comes with two rubber stoppers like the ones on the bottom of the full size Mirrix looms. The stoppers keep the loom from sliding on the table and the leg makes the third point of the triangle. I find this arrangement quite stable and I can weave with the loom propped up. I also like that by moving the leg up or down the threaded rod you can change the angle at which you’re weaving.
What will I use each loom for?
I’ll continue to use the Saffrons for teaching on, especially for samples and quick small pieces. The Saffron bundles up into a small, light package for travel so I like it for teaching when I have to bring 12 of them in my suitcase. I also bring one for my personal use when I’m traveling even if my main piece is on a bigger loom. The Saffron is just a great companion in part because it is so small and light.
Right now the Chloe looms are studio workhorses for class samples. I can work on the table in the studio with the stand employed or pop it off quickly to weave on my lap as I watch the latest episode of Dark Winds on the couch.
Learning to weave on these looms
Talking to a tapestry student Cori in a recent retreat in Taos.
If you’re new to tapestry weaving, a great class to start with is my Introduction to Tapestry Weaving. This class is taught on Mirrix Saffron looms and the demonstrated warping is identical on the Mirrix Chloe. After taking the Intro course, I highly recommend taking either Summer of Tapestry or the Tapestry Discovery Box, or both! More information about all of them is on my website under Online Learning.
Some things to think about when you’re choosing a loom
size of the tapestry you want to weave. Remember that you can’t weave the whole surface of the warped loom. You need extra warp for finishing at the very least.
the Chloe comes in an 8 inch width which allows you to make larger pieces
does tension matter? It most certainly does. It is so nice to have a loom with adjustable tension and there are very few small looms that provide this. The Chloe is one of them.
a longer loom is easier to weave on. These looms are quite short with the standard bar. Consider getting the longer bar even if the tapestries you’re weaving are small. Extra free warp makes a big difference in ease of weaving. Warp is cheap and life is short.
price. If the price of commercial looms doesn’t fit your budget, please consider making a copper pipe loom. They’re fantastic tapestry looms and far less expensive than most other options. If you have the cash, then these Mirrix looms are a great investment.
I review many looms in my Tapestry Looms Simplified online class HERE.
The 8 inch Mirrix Chloe loom with extra combs.
Have you tried the Chloe loom yet? Do you have any tips for us? Leave them in the comments!
*I was REALLY worried about this twisting thing before the Saffron came out. I was sure it would be a disaster. It was absolutely not a disaster and in fact Mirrix’s insistence that a single central tensioning bar would work proved to be true. It works great on the Saffron and it works just as well or better on the Chloe.
**You can also go to the hardware store and purchase a piece of threaded rod though I’ve always had to have them cut it. A 14-16 inch length is pretty great, but threaded rod doesn’t come in that length. Many hardware stores will cut it for you. Make sure to bring the nuts from your loom to make sure you’re getting the right size rod and it doesn’t hurt to pick up some extra wing nuts while you’re there!