Rumor has it that there will be a rigid heddle loom waiting for me under the Christmas tree. Are there any weavers around? I’d love recommendations on books/resources/useful tips/etc.
Also - what do you make? I have visions of scarves for all and many table runners, but I’m not sure what else I could do.
What a great present! Does rumour also say how wide the loom will be? Even with a 12" loom you can make fabric which can be used to make waistcoats - back in two pieces and two fronts.
At my local Weavers, Spinners and Dyers group there are several keen weavers, among them Sarah Howard and Elizabeth Kendrick who have published books on projects for your self-woven cloth. Sarah also sells patterns on Etsy.
The best tip they gave us at the guild was about reinforcing the cloth with iron on woven interfacing along all the seams, to give it some body.
I’ve just checked. The book is called “Get Weaving” and that is also what the Etsy site is called.
Rumor says a 16" Kromski Harp. A waistcoat would be very cool - there’s a Victorian Stroll in a local city here around Christmastime, and my friend and I always go in costume.
Thank you for the book/shop recommendation as well - I’ll check it out!
I haven’t done any sewing before. I’ll make a note of the interfacing suggestion.
I love weaving! I use more complex looms (up to 8 shafts) but have enjoyed using rigid heddle looms too. There are a couple of excellent Craftsy videos for rigid heddle looms, and there’s a book out there called Inventive Weaving on a Little Loom that’s supposed to be pretty good.
Popular items to weave besides scarves and table runners include placemats, napkins, tea towels, and bags.
And to add a tip to your library of sewing with handwoven fabric, if you want to sew without interfacing (because you want to keep the drape of the fabric, for example), you can put a piece of printer paper under your seam and then tear it away. It helps keep drapey handwoven fabric from getting all caught up in the machine.
Happy weaving!
Hmmm… I’m not sure that I would advise using your own first weaving pieces as your first sewing practice! Unless you like a really rustic image. A lady at my guild keeps alpacas. She had spun up a batch of fibre from her animals in lovely natural shades. She took a course with Sarah Howard on how to weave this and then make a wearable garment. She made a gilet. They planned the natural colours to make vertical stripes in the length of fabric and inserted a zip down the front. It was highly original and a good fit, but it would not have said “Steam punk” or Victorian. It meant a lot to her though, and it looked really warm.
My first project was a muffler, using plain grey for the warp and a variety of novelty yarns in purples for the weft. I was really pleased with how it turned out and gifted it to a friend, who reported recently that it just matched her coat and she had actually worn it. You can have a lot of fun making the most of odds of yarn, without needing to sew anything.
I have woven one scarf so far on my 16" Cricket rigid heddle, so I’m not ready to call myself a weaver, but it was fun! I’m getting a heddle for thinner yarns for Christmas so will hope to get another go in soon.
Thank you for all the excellent suggestions! The book you linked to looks fabulous - I’ve added it to my Amazon wishlist. (Lucky me, my birthday is only six weeks after Christmas, so the perfect time to build my weaving library.) Tea towels and bags sound really interesting, and good for gifting. I’ve spent so many years knitting for my family that I’m always on the look-out for new things to make and give. And I’ll add the sewing tip to my list. It’s something I’d like to learn properly one day. (After I master spinning, and weaving, and…)
Sewing with my handwoven pieces will be far in the future! 
It’s fun to dream, though. The piece that the lady in your guild made sounds incredible. I have three Shetland sheep, plus a lot of fiber from my sister’s llama. I haven’t spun enough to make anything yet, but that’s something to look forward to. I expect I’ll be making lots of fun scarves to start. I have quite a collection of leftover yarn, so it’ll be fun to play.
It sounds fun! I’ve been a little obsessed with weaving since the summer, and I’m so excited to get started. And hooray for loved ones who gift crafting supplies.
I love using my RH loom for kitchen towels. I tend to warp with a 3/2 cotton and use whatever cotton I have for the warp. Worsted weight kitchen cotton makes towels so amazing that we took ours when we moved overseas with only two suitcases each. I do a bit at the beginning and end in a lightweight, like maybe the same thing used for the warp, and turn a hem.
My mom is a weaver. I know how to weave - but every time I think about warping a loom I stop thinking about weaving. So much work before you get to the payoff (I have a short attention span). One nice thing about weaving is that it uses MUCH less yarn than knitting on a feet of yarn per inches of fabric scale - so special handspun and luxury yarns go a LOT further in weaving. My mom makes scarves, table runners, place mats, wraps, and wall-hangings. Mostly she does wearable things and art pieces. Have a great time!!
Check your area for a weavers guild. Even if you feel intimidated, they will inspire and provide help and ideas and classes and advice. Check your local library for books on weaving; I especially like the old ones by Jean Wilson. Good luck!