Shelbee on the Rags: “Making Memories” Festival Mat & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #710
I am posting a day early because we are headed to the Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival for a weekend of rural camping, great music, and fabulous friends! This post is the perfect time to share my most recent raggery project since I created this mat specifically for this weekend.
About 6 weeks ago, I decided to learn how to weave/twine. I had two pieces of cardboard packaging from my new dehumidifier that resembled small looms. Before investing in any kind of proper loom, I figured I would try weaving on a small DIY cardboard loom to see if I enjoyed it.
So I watched a few videos, measured out my pegs one inch apart, and used push tacks as my anchors. Then I took some scrappy strips of fabric and started weaving. It took me about 2 hours to weave one 9 x 16 inch rectangle. In that 2 hours, I discovered an incredible passion that I didn’t even know I had!
So I started weaving a second rectangle, and a third one, and a fourth one. Then Ralph suggested I make a whole bunch of rectangles and then sew them together for a giant patchwork woven festival mat. I decided 35 rectangles would make the perfect size mat to hold a family of four. Then I set a self-imposed deadline of this week to complete the mat before the festival. I spent the next few weeks weaving at a pace of 2-5 rectangles per day and finished it with plenty of time to attach all the pieces together.
After I completed 10 rectangles, I wanted to attach them to be sure that I could effectively do so before weaving 25 more rectangles. It was actually easier than I anticipated…after I bought a crochet hook for assistance.
After attaching the first 10 rectangles together, I realized that my cardboard looms were not measured or squared properly, causing my pieces to lack uniformity in size. After making about 5 more rectangles, I also realized that my makeshift cardboard looms were not holding up very well. The tacks kept falling out and the cardboard was starting to tear. So Jeff made me a wooden loom for my birthday in the same measurements so I could finish this project.
My wooden loom actually did not hold up very well either after weaving 20 rectangles on it. Jeff is in the processing of reinforcing the corner joints for me. But I also want an 18 inch squared loom and some larger ones as well. All a work in progress!
Once I had all 35 rectangles woven, I started sewing them to the 10 that were already attached. The final mat is approximately 5 feet squared.
This was a tremendous labor of love but worth every second of weaving time. It is the most fabulous festival mat for making memories! Plus it is infused with all sorts of memories already. I used old unwanted clothing including a bunch of the kids’ favorite hoodies. They sit on the mat and try to identify the different garments that have been woven into the mat. It really is very heart-warming! This mat is so marvelous and makes me so happy. I was so proud of myself for completing this project!
I am very excited to show off my “Making Memories” festival mat this weekend! I hope you all enjoy your summer and find motivation to create something fabulous for yourselves!
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
23 Comments
Steph@Stephcreatesthings
Your festival mat is beautiful! It turned out great, and I hope you have a wonderful time showing it off. Thank you for hosting this linkup. Have a great weekend! ♡
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Steph! I am so happy with this mat! I need to make more now. I have caught the weaving bug!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Oh my goodness, that brings back memories. I did that when I was 12 or something, 11 perhaps. It was so much fun to do. Never saw it again until now. The mat is fabulous! Have a amazing weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nancy! I remember weaving potholders on small plastic looms as a kid and enjoyed it then. This was a little more intricate than that but not any more difficult to do. It just takes some patience and a bit of creativity. I got so many compliments on it at the festival which was lovely! Now I have to figure out how to clean the thing!
xoxo
Shelbee
Melynda Brown
I love, love, love that mat! Thank you for hosting, I sure appreciate it! Melynda @scratchmadefood!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Awww, thanks so much, Melynda! I love it so much, too! I can’t wait to make more of these!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Shelbee, I loved this when I saw it on Instagram! You are inspiring me. I’m going to have to study this a lot to figure out how to make the “yarn.” I have always wanted to weave, and Mike once promised to make me a loom. I have lots of clothes that could be turned into fun and colorful rugs for the house.
Thanks so much for the link up, and have a fabulous time on vacation!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Marsha! The yarn is really easy to make! Textile Indie has a lot of really easy to follow tutorials on YouTube. I watched her rug weaving series and picked it up so quickly! It includes instructions for making your own loom, too. Do let me know if you try it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
Oh my goodness, I love this! And I love how you used old clothing too. This is so much than a blanket to lay on the grass. Isn’t discovering a new hobby fun?
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy! I am so glad I decided to give weaving a try because I am absolutely hooked! You can teach old dogs new tricks! Ha. I am going to make another one of these mats for the silent auction at next year’s festival. I think it will be an awesome auction item!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Beautiful! I love it – for many reasons. 1. Because it looks amazing. 2. All the encouragement and support from your family. 3. Using unwanted clothing. 4. The fact the kids enjoyed locating their old clothes in the mat. 5. It’s perfect for your music festival.
I bet weaving is meditative.
Have a fantastic weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Michelle
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! I love all of your reasons for loving my mat! I was sharing the sentimentality of this mat with a camp neighbor over the weekend and she gave me a small scrap of bandana that belonged to a dear departed friend of hers. I tied that meaningful scrap right into my memory mat, too, making it even more special now! Yes, the weaving is incredibly meditative!I just love it. I am going to make one of these mats for next year’s festival silent auction.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
That is so awesome!
xoxo
Michelle
Di
Shelbee, hope you have a wonderful time at the festival! You are so creative! Your loomed mat will be such a great addition to your campsite gear.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Di! My mat was absolute perfection for the festival weekend! We used it every day and it was really comfortable for ground sitting. I received lots of questions and compliments on it, too. Next year I am going to make one for the silent auction at the festival!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Okay; now that is just a genius idea! It turned out so great and I bet it will be so perfect for the festival.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Joanne! I was sooooo happy with how this turned out. It really came in handy over the festival weekend, too. And I received a lot of compliment and questions about it. The festival does fundraising for the Lupus Foundation and they have a silent auction each year. I am going to make one of these festival mats for that auction for next year. I am really excited to do that!
xoxo
Shelbee
Esme Slabbert
Thank you for hosting weekly, Shelbee. May you have a wonderful weekend.
My entries this week are numbered #72+73
Please join and share your posts with us https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Esme! Although it was dreadfully hot, we did have an amazing festival weekend! I hope your week is off to a great start!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
What great ingenuity to repurpose packaging to create a loom! And fabulous results. I hope you’re having a wonderful time.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail! I love finding ways to repurpose trash!
xoxo
Shelbee
Celyn
This is so cool that you were able to make that! Turned out great!
My Life Is A Shoe
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Celyn! It was a hit at the festival!
xoxo
Shelbee