I love to loom
I love to loom. I find it very peaceful and relaxing. I also love what one can do with a loom. The art work can be as intricate or as simple as you wish. I had my honey make me a very large loom so I did not have to make a piece in strips and then sew them together. I still have a small loom, they kind you can find in any craft store. I really haven’t used it much as I prefer to make the bigger pieces. The biggest challenge one might run into is the patterns. If you are making a pattern that is repeating and is fairly simple it is easy to grab graph paper and make it. However, if you have a more intricate work, then it is not as simple.
I do use graph paper a lot in looming. I have been downloading from the internet, as there are several places to print graph paper for free. I will put a link on the bottom of this post. I found out , literally yesterday, that my printer prints graph paper. Yay. Anyway, you must remember that looming, like a lot of bead weaving is basically little squares and that your work will come out in a geometric pattern. For example: This tail I am doing, although looking nice and curvy, is going to be loomed in angles. it is only an allusion to curves. I draw the pic then I re-pencil following the graph lines.
I draw the picture then I re-pencil following the graph lines.
You can also use one of the many pattern making websites to do the work for you. Some of them you must pay to use and some are free . My favorite website for patterns is Stitchboard.com. It is a free website that allows you to upload your picture,then it creates a pattern for you.There are many options to choose from when you choose the beading. ( There are also wizards for crochet, knitting, and cross stitch). You can choose between 6 different stitches, the type of beads, color choices, number of beads, and other great choices. I highly recommend you join and that you donate. ( You can donate under the OTHER tab on the home page.)
This is the Stitchboard.com Pattern maker
When you are choosing a pattern, I like to use no more than 6 colors. More than that, when you get into the 10 colors plus, it becomes a beautiful work of art, but it is intricate and expensive to make.Many of the items I have made are just as nice but are less than 6 colors.
three colors
4 colors
3 colors
One last thing: When choosing a picture to use, if you are using an image from the internet be sure the picture is free to use. Many pictures you find on the internet is copyrighted and you need permission to use. I have included a link below to free to use picture.
Happy looming!
IMPORTANT LINKS:
http://stitchboard.com/
http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/
https://pixabay.com/ ( free images)
