Fall Weaving with Grade 1

Last week I taught Grade 1 weaving at Altadore School.
We started with a simple paper weaving to get them accustomed to the process.

We then did a weaving on a branch loom.  The students selected their favorite season and had to come up with colours for that season ahead of time in their 'wonder journals'.  Don't you just love that title.... maybe my design journal should become my wonder journal!  Each child did an illustration of that season using those colours.

It was amazing how the process of weaving a textile feeds into the weaving of reflection or memories which then will result in a story.  As each child changed to a new colour both myself and their teacher would ask them "What does this colour represent in your chosen season?".  The answers were very expressive, "The yellow lights on my Christmas tree." or "The red watermelon of summer".  Now that their weavings are done they are working on their writing projects.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

Paper Weaving:
- strips of orange painted paper
- orange construction or cardstock paper
- ruler
- green construction or cardstock paper
- glue stick
- scraps of black paper
- scrap of brown paper
- pumpkin templates, I used this one
- pencil and scissors

Branch Weaving:
- branch for loom, twist your branch into circle as soon as branch is collected
- string
- chunky yarn in lots of colours
- masking tape
- scissors

PROCEDURE:

Pumpkin Paper Weaving

Now the Pumpkin paper weaving is based on this post from Cutting Tiny Bites.

I just made a few changes.

Instead of scrapbooking paper we used painted paper.  If every child paints on piece of paper you'll have lots.  Each one was different using stamps, glitter, different printmaking techniques, variations in yellows and orange, etc.

I gave each child a piece of orange cardstock for the loom.  They folded it in half, corners to corners.

Taking their ruler placed at the open end they drew a line across.  It was the width of the ruler.

This is the STOP line.

Using the width of the ruler again they made vertical lines, about 7 or 8, depends on the size of your paper.

They cut from the fold along these vertical lines until they reached the STOP line.

I demonstrated weaving on a giant piece of paper and then they started their own.

We talked about the pattern and how it should look like a checkerboard as each new strip is opposite to the one before.

You end up with something like this.

Now fold a green piece of paper in half.

Using templates trace the half pumpkin shape on the fold.

Cut out your window.

Using glue stick or white glue,  glue the green sheet in place over the weaving.

You can then trim the excess if needed.

Using black paper scraps make your face and add a stem to the top.








Branch Weaving:

I collected all the branch looms before the project.  I find Red Dogwood branches to be the best. I trim a branch and then loop into a circle right away.  I tend to only do this project in the Fall when I'm trimming out branches and they are still pliable.

Let them sit for a few days before weaving.

I made this little video to show you how to string the loom.  I did this ahead of time before we started this project.  I just use regular household string.

With the masking tape put each child's name on their loom.  They select their first colour and you tie on about a 30 inch piece of yarn to the first string.

With the masking tape put some tape on the other end to stop the yarn from unraveling as they are weaving.

They begin using the same pattern as the paper weaving...under, over, under, over.

The biggest difference between yarn weaving and paper weaving is when we get to the end of a row we turn around and continue back.

They had to do at least 5 rows before they could switch to another colour.  I like to knot it off and then tie on another colour.  That way my rows are just one colour and not 1/2 and 1/2.

Here is some of the student work in process.

Great work Grade 1.

Gail

Woven Owls #2

This is the second weaving project for this week.  Staying with the owl theme, this is a more traditional weaving technique.

It's a good project for Grade 3 and up.



Don't forget to enter the Weavy Loops giveaway.  Check out the previous post for details











MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- rectangle of recycled heavy duty cardboard
- yarn needle or toothpick
- yarn in assorted colors
- string, optional
- sturdy plastic fork
- buttons for eyes
- felt, fun fur for eyes and ear tufts
- embroidery floss for beak and feet
- twig
- feathers for wings, optional
- glue

PROCEDURE:

You can make a loom from an old picture frame or piece of plywood and some nails.  This has been on my to-do list for quite a while. I need at least 50.


Instead.....

I tend to use cardboard as it's free and if I lose one it's no big deal.

You need heavy weight cardboard.  Cut slits at both ends.  I tend to space them about 1 finger width apart.

For the owl you need about 15 strings.  To string your loom wind some string thru that first slit and the end of the cardboard, knot it onto itself.  With the long end of the string or yarn go down to the first slit at the bottom, go around the notch and then back up to the next slit at the top.  Continue until you have 15 strings.  Tie the loom off the same way you started.
Over time your strings may relax.  Don't worry your weaving will still work out but to stop them from slipping off the loom I tape the top and the bottom into place.

Time to start weaving.  Take a length of yarn and knot it onto the first string on the loom.  It doesn't matter which side you start on.

Thread a yarn needle or tape your yarn to a toothpick.  With the needle make sure you tie a knot to keep it from unthreading.

I teach the kids that same chant, "over, under, over, under" and we begin.

Thread the yarn thru the strings, over and then under until you get to the end of the row.  Pull all the excess thru.
Time to go back.  Look to see if your last pass was over or under at the end and then continue the pattern.  So if I was over the last string like in this photo, when I come back I go under that first string.  Kids often forget to look at this last string, jumping straight to the next one and that's where we can get into trouble.

As you weave you want it your rows to be tight together.  This is where the plastic fork comes in.  Use the prongs to push your rows close together.


When switching colours I like to do it at the end of a row. Knot the yarn off on that last string.  I leave a bit of a tail....don't cut it short, we will pull them thru our weaving at the back.  This will make our weaving neater.

Knot the new yarn on and keep weaving.

You want a rectangle of about 8-10 inches long for a good sized owl.

When the weaving is done it's time to take it off the cardboard loom.  I do one end at a time.
Remove the tape.  Ease the loops of strings off the notches.
It will look like this.
Take 2 of the loops and knot them together.  The string at the end will just be a single strand not a loop.  Just knot it to the loop next to it.

Make sure the knots are tight and then trim the excess.

Turn the weaving over to the back.  Slip the ends of your yarn bits thru a few of the weaving stitches and then trim the excess.

To make a hanger, fold over the top edge, add a hanging string and then glue that top edge down.

I cut 2 triangles out of fun fur for my ear tufts and glued them into place.  This is optional as not all owls have this feature.

I cut 2 circles out of felt for my eyes.  I found 2 buttons to use as the pupils.  Hand sew these into place.  Great button sewing practice for the kids.

With this owl it was woven close to the top so I used the loops to hold my hanging yarn.


Add a beak using embroidery floss. You want a triangle shape so try to bring the stitches in to a point.

You need a straight twig for the bottom, about 12 - 14 inches long.

Secure to the owl by stitching feet with embroidery floss that go around the twig.

Do both feet.

You can glue on 2 feathers for the wings if you wish.

That's it.

You could do them in Fall colours or make a Halloween owl.

I'll be back Saturday with the Weavy Loops draw.
See you then.

Gail

Woven Owls and Weavy Loops

I thought I would feature some textile work this week....first up these woven owls.

I've been trying to come up with projects that incorporate circular weaving.  You may have tried my woven eye projects:   Frogs or Bats

I like these owls as you only have to do 1 round and you can work larger.

If you haven't tried weaving in the round it is a good starter project with younger grades (Grade 1-3).

I'll give you the full owl tutorial in a minute.

This week's giveaway is brought to you by Weavy Loops.

I was recently asked to give this kit a try.

It comes in a large box and it's more of a macrame knotting type weaving.

Inside this is what you get as well as an instruction sheet.

The best parts are those 2 purple items.
The large pegboard (beginners) and the smaller anchor (advanced) which has a wonderful suction cup on the back.

You use this smaller purple anchor to hold your yarn or string lengths while you are weaving and knotting.  The suction cup helps hold it securely and lets you weave long strands. You could attach it to the wall or window.  Great to use when travelling.

The pegboard itself is ingenious in teaching kids macrame.  You can set the pegs to correspond to where the loops need to be to make the knots.

As I worked with it I was thinking of all the ways I could adapt this in the classroom.  When I teach macrame I use different coloured yarn strands to help the kids sequence the knots but I think a peg or pin board would make it even easier to follow.

Inside the pegboard you have storage for the pins and fasteners.  That pink tab allows you angle the pegboard up to make weaving easier.
There are a few videos on the Weavy Loops website to help get you going and this is a great kit to get you started.


I have 2 of these kits to giveaway.
If you want to enter please do one of the following:
- leave a comment on this post
- like or comment on this post on my Facebook page
- send me an email at thatartistwoman@shaw.ca

Canadian or U.S. residents only please.  I'll do the draw on Saturday Sept 12th/15

Now back to the owls:

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- corrugated cardboard or Chinet type paper plate
- yarn in assorted colors
- large yarn needle, you can also use a toothpick, just tape the yarn end to it
- acrylic or tempera paint
- felt, fabric, and/or fun fur for finishing
- feathers
- tacky glue

PROCEDURE:

The first thing you need to do is make the circular loom.

You want a nice big circle.  I used a dessert plate and traced around it to get my circle.


Now if you are not up to cutting out all these circles for a class set you can also use a Chinet type plate.  Something a bit heavy-duty.  I do not use foam plates to weave on because they are hard to paint when it comes time to finish them.

When you have your circle cut out you want to poke a hole in the middle.  I use an old knitting needle to do this.

You then need to make 15 slits around the perimeter. When weaving in the round we always want an odd number.

Try to make them as equal as possible but they do not have to be perfect.  I just eyeball it, I don't measure.

Time to string the loom.  Take a long piece of yarn, about 3 and a half arm lengths, and push one end thru the hole in the middle.


Pick any slit and put the yarn thru it and then tie the yarn to itself.  This will be the back of your loom.

Take the other end of the yarn and tread your yarn needle.  If you do not have a needle you can use a toothpick, just tape the end of the yarn to it.

I always knot the yarn onto the needle with kids, otherwise we spend way too much time re-threading needles.

Using your needle pass the yarn thru the next slit, around to the front and then thru the hole in the centre.  Keep doing this until you have threaded all 15.

On the last one knot off your yarn where you first tied it on at the back.

I can't believe when I was first taught weaving in the round we used to knot each one of those strings separately.....what were we thinking?



The front of your loom should look like this.

Now we are going to start weaving.  Select the colour you want to start with and cut a strand about an arm's length of so.....depends how many colours you want to use.

Knot it on to you needle....tie the other end on to the back of the loom and then push the needle thru the centre pulling all that coloured yarn thru.

I teach the kids the pattern....I get them to chant over,under,over,under a few times.

We start doing one at a time but I show them how they can do 4 or 5 at time.

They have to pull the yarn all the way thru but not tight....just enough so it's sitting where it should.

Keep weaving,  pulling as you go just enough to get it to lie flat.  Kids will have a tendency to pull tight....this will just cause the weaving to build up in the center and it will not fill the round.

When you run out of yarn or want to change colour tie the ends of the 2 yarns together.


Do not cut the ends of the yarn too short .

I find it looks neater to just stuff them under the weaving you have completed...it hides the knot.

Continue weaving until you reach the limit on the loom.

Tie the yarn to the loom at the back, just pull it thru the slit to the back and knot off.

With acrylic or tempera,  paint the exposed part of the loom.


When I was first designing this owl I figured the loom would be part of the body so I painted it as such.  After attaching the feet and wings I think it looks better as the background so paint it a contrasting colour.  You could also paint it blue for the sky or green for the tree.

I sponged on some paint just to give it some texture.

With felt, fabric, and/or fun fur cut out eyes, beaks, feet and ear tufts.

Glue into place on the weaving. I like ear tufts on my owls as the Great Horned Owl is my favourite...also the provincial bird of Alberta!

Glue on 2 feathers for the wings.  I tied a yarn loop to the loom at the top for hanging.

That's it.  What a great project for the Fall bulletin board.

Don't forget to enter the Weavy Loops giveaway.


I have another weaving project for you Thursday, see you then.


Gail