Weaving with Loom and Fibre

Have you ever seen a gorgeous piece of weaving or artwork with yarn fiber and wanted to see more and know more about the artist who created it? Jelica of Loom and Fibre makes beautiful artwork using yarn, her imagination and her loom :). She tells you about her weaving (and blogging!!!) journey as well as gives some recommendations for new weavers and entrepreneurs!

You can find more of her wonderful weavings in her Etsy Shop and if you want to learn more about DIYs she has an awesome blog (A Pretty Fix) chalk full of ideas that make me want start diving into my own imagination and craft items to create some of her beautiful decor for our house :). For behind the scenes and more of her weaving, check out her Instagram profile.

Weaving with Loom and Fibre

What gave you the idea/inspiration to start Loom and Fibre?

The idea came about 3 or 4 years ago when I noticed I was starting to accumulate more woven pieces than my home could sustain! At the time, friends and family began to ask me, “hey, Jelica, have you ever thought about selling your pieces?” Some hangings were just samplers, or practice pieces, but there were also others that received a lot of positive attention and I thought that there could be an interest in them ‘out there.’ So this spring, I finally decided to open my shop and I’m very glad I did.

How did you get started in weaving?

I started weaving nearly 6 years ago, not long after starting my home decor and crafts blog called ‘A Pretty Fix’. The two - weaving and blogging - are so inextricably linked to my weaving journey that I really can’t talk about one without the other.

I started the blog as a creative outlet, sharing my at-home decor inspirations and craft tutorials with my readers. I soon found myself exploring new-to-me DIYs online and stumbled upon the world of weaving! Pinterest really piqued my interest with images of beautiful creations that also had a modern edge. I had not seen anything like it! These were not your garden variety weavings from days past. There were so many to admire from ones with bold and bright colors to creations with soft and muted palettes and everything in between. 

I followed the online trail and found a few tutorials - not that many in those days - but I managed to learn enough of the basics using a lap loom (specially designed for kids!) that I still use for some of my pieces. I instantly fell in love with the practice and couldn’t wait to begin sharing all that I was learning with my blog readers and, later, on my YouTube channel. I haven’t looked back since.

The anatomy of a hanging weaving artwork by Loom and Fibre. You can also find a tutorial on this by clicking the picture :)

How do you choose the yarns/fibers and materials you work with?

I’m a bit of a yarn collector (some may say ‘hoarder’) and am usually drawn to colors first. I like having a wide variety of fibers at home, but I generally focus on 100% cotton, 100% wool, and wool-blends. I find that these stack the best when weaving and offer different benefits in the weaving process. I love using cotton, for example, when creating a flat or neutral background with ‘tabby’ (or basic over and under) stitches, and wool or wool blends when adding texture. Merino wool is especially wonderful to work with when creating cloud-like textures.

I’m always looking to experiment, however, by trying out new fibers and materials like natural raffia, torn fabric, and lace as well as air dry clay to create hangers for my weavings. I’ve got some wood-inspired themes percolating in my mind these days and hope to implement these into my designs. The testing and experimenting never ends and that’s the way I like it. 

How do you choose the weaving designs you create – ie is there something that you take inspiration from when you start a piece?

I tend to be drawn to two types of design that, at first glance, seem diametrically opposed. One is geometric and flat designs, while the other is textured and abstract. There is a constant push-pull between these two and I enjoy them both, immensely.

When it comes to geometric designs, I often scour Pinterest and Google images looking for retro wallpaper or geometric vintage home designs, even quilt designs, to seek inspiration, but also modern home decor and design. In my textured/abstract pieces, however, most of the time I’m just ‘winging it’ as they say. I find the process especially therapeutic, allowing my fingers to do the talking and walking, and letting the creative flow of my right brain take control. Occasionally, though, I’ll get inspiration from abstract paintings or the outdoors where the natural flow of textures and color combinations evoke strong feelings and sometimes serve as a jumping off point for me to sketch out a design. But, in the end, the sketch almost never matches the final product, which is all part of the fun.

What is your favorite design and yarn/fiber to work with?

Not a fair question - lol! I love so many, but I would say that 100% cotton (both dyed and undyed) has been my favorite of late. It’s basic, readily available and so versatile. I love using it to create precise shapes, but also to provide texture that has some ‘movement,’ all while using the same material. One of my favorite woven wall hangings that does both is a modern, minimal piece that I created a few years ago in which the entirety of the main body, including the textured circle in the centre, was made of 100% cotton. Circular precision and texture, all woven into a signal piece. And the bold gold and pink fringe along the bottom, using wool blends, adds that hit of unexpected color that I so love about that piece.

What would you tell a new weaver for encouragement?

Patience! Weaving is a slow craft and patience is important, especially in the beginning when mistakes are plentiful. Be gentle with yourself as you learn. I STILL make ‘silly’ mistakes and am always reminding myself to be patient, loving, and forgiving of myself. 

What is something you are passionate about and why?

I love home decorating! I enjoy the process of thinking about layout, design, color, how to mix styles, what works, and what doesn’t. For followers of my blog and YouTube channel, they’ve seen bits and pieces of this process in my own home, whether it’s sharing my guest bedroom and living room updates or providing the full craft room/studio tour just this year (so much fun!). I love bringing people along in the process.

How has COVID changed or impacted your vision/strategy?

I had always planned to open an online shop, so COVID has not had the kind of devastating impact that it’s had for brick-and-mortar shop owners. I really feel for them. My long-term strategy is to continue to develop my online presence and focus my strategy on learning what I can about being an online solopreneur.

What is something that has helped you get through during this global pandemic? Something encouraging or positive?

I think carrying on with normalcy as best as I can, has been the most helpful. As an introvert, staying at home was no great sacrifice in the beginning, but after a while I began to miss the variety and interaction that I had with real people and places! So it was important for me to build a new routine at home that ‘spiced up’ my daily activities. Regularly including crafting - not just fiber crafts - was very important as well as getting outside, going for a drive in the country with my husband, snuggling with my two cats (two bundles of therapy!), touching base with friends, and holding Bible studies via Google Chat in lieu of meeting in person was immensely encouraging. All these things have created a solid foundation in my personal life that, in turn, help me maintain a positive outlook in my professional life.

If you had one (or several) things to share with a woman entrepreneur, what would it be? What would you encourage them about?

Progress, not perfection, is the most important thing to remember.

You will never have it all together - and that’s okay. You will always be learning and growing, so you don’t need to know it all before you start nor while you're on the journey. My default is to always over-educate myself, over-think, and over-plan. But, there comes a time when you simply need to act - something my husband is constantly reminding me of. And that’s just what I ultimately did when I opened my shop on Etsy. I had all the basic understanding I needed (even though, as a perfectionist, I ‘felt’ unprepared). And as I write this, I have so much more to learn, including all of Etsy’s features, marketing strategies, and so on. It’s never finished, never perfect, and that’s okay. Just be easy on yourself and enjoy the journey.

Fun question – if you could meet one person in history or present, who would it be and why?

As a nerdy history major, this is a difficult question to answer! Most of the people I find fascinating, I wouldn’t want to meet - lol! As for those I admire? Well, there are many, but perhaps today, as I write this, I might want to meet Willam Wilberforce, the British politician and philanthropist, and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire in 1807 (I told you I was nerdy!), which later led to the abolition of slave-holding in Britain. I just watched a fascinating and inspiring interview about his life by one of his biographers whose book was the basis of the movie, “Amazing Grace” (which I saw a few years ago and highly recommend) about Wilberforce’s uphill battle to abolish the slave trade. So inspiring!

What is your dream for Loom and Fibre to be (where do you see Loom and Fibre in 5+ years)?

I have so many ideas bubbling in my mind. In 5+ years, I’d like to see Loom and Fibre become a one-stop-shop for decor lovers and crafters alike.

For decor lovers, I would like to see the shop’s decor options expand to include such things as pillows, table runners, placemats, coasters, and other unique home decor options. For crafters, especially beginners, I envision having several fiber art courses available including e-weaving and e-macrame as well as kits and supplies to help people get started with weaving and fiber arts. I’ve already gotten a lot of practice sharing some of the basics on my blog and on my YouTube channel and want to offer a more thorough education in the shop.

Thank you for joining us for this Maker Feature about weaving and Loom and Fibre! Thank you Jelica for doing this interview with us! I’d love to hear from you about what types of resources you want more information on as well as Makers you would like to nominate for a Maker Feature! Or to share what pieces of Jelica’s you’ve got! Please email me or leave a comment below! Looking forward to hearing from you and have a great day!