Projects
Wondering what types of things you can weave on your Mirrix? Here are some free Mirrix project ideas.
Materials needed for making one bracelet:
Seven different colors of Delica beads A brass cuff Ultra suede C-Lon beading thread Bead pattern
Necessary tools:
A Mirrix Loom with or without a shedding device, a piece of cloth for holding beads, a beading needle, a blunt edge needle, glue
Warping your Mirrix Loom:
Warp Coil size: 18 dents Number of warps: 22 Number of rows: 96
You can use any of the Mirrix Looms to create this lovely bracelet. This piece can be woven with or without the shedding device. It’s your choice. Try Both!
You will want to reduce your loom’s height to minimize the amount of warp you will use. If you have a larger Mirrix Loom, this can be accomplished by using the extra warping bar. Use the 18 dent coil for this project. You will need to have 22 warp threads. We have included a bead pattern to demonstrate the placement of colors.
To Begin Weaving:
Place seven piles of 7different colored cylinder beads on a cloth in front of your loom.
Cut a length of C-lon thread about a yard long. Tie the end of this thread to the bottom of the left threaded rod on your loom using a slip knot so that you can easily release it and weave it back into your piece later. Beginning with the first row, pick up three of each bead color according to the pattern provided. Continue weaving decreasing rows like in the picture, stopping at 96 rows. To remove the weaving from the loom, loosen the tension on the loom and remove the warp bar. Lay your piece flat and trim the ends so that you have at least four inches left to work with (the longer the better). Tie overhand knots with warp pairs. When you’ve tied all the knots, trim the warp to about an inch in length.
Assembly:
Ultrasuede: Lay the beadwork on the Ultrasuede and trace the outline of the beadwork onto the Ultrasuede. Trim the Ultrasuede to match the size of the beadwork.
Gluing:
Use a toothpick to spread a thin, even layer of adhesive over the back of the beadwork and to one side of the Ultrasuede. Place the brass cuff blank between the two and sandwich them together. Smooth both pieces to remove any gaps and make sure they two pieces are aligned. Allow to dry overnight.
Sewing:
Sew the Ultrasuede to the bead work using C-Lon thread. Use a whip stitch. Try to be as neat as possible but don’t obsess because you will be disguising imperfect stitches with a pico edging.
Edging:
Cut a yard length of C-Lon thread. Bury the end between a corner of the beadwork and the Ultrasuede. You will begin a pico stitch by entering the back of the first bead, picking up three beads and entering the front of the next bead. Come out through the back to the front of the next bead, string up three beads and enter the front of the next bead. Continue in this fashion until you reach the end of the row. The picot stitch for the two ends will consist of coming out the side of a bead, stringing three beads, entering the bead again. These stitches will be closer together and might ruffle a bit, which is pretty.
Bead Woven iPod/Cellphone Purse
Myuki Size 10 Delica Beads: 50 grams of black
16 grams of Met Patina Iris
14 grams Met Gold Iris
2 grams of Bronze
2 bobbins
black C-Lon beading thread
Duponi silk for lining
One length of rayon rope for purse strap
Setting up loom:
The minimum warp length is 22 inches. This can be accomplished using a Mirrix Laniloom or 12 inch loom. Larger looms, because of their added height, require an extra warping bar kit to put on a 22 inch warp or simply make the loom as short as possible (leaving two inches of threaded rod showing for adjustment purposes) if you do not have the kit. Warp the loom for use with or without the shedding device. Use whichever method with which you feel the most comfortable. You will need 54 rows of warp. The final piece will be 3 inches wide and 13 inches tall.
Weaving The Purse:
Following the bead chart included with this kit, weave the purse. Finishing The Bead Weaving: Loosen the tension on the loom and remove the warping rod. Lay the weaving flat on a table. Place a heavy weight on the weaving. Tie overhand knots with warp pairs. Using any kind of needle (one that is slightly sturdy would be best) stick the needle in the knot and then guide the knot close to the body of the piece. After you have tied off all the warp pairs, trim ends to about one half inch. Make a hem at each end of weaving. You will fold over three rows. Either glue or use an invisible hem stitch to keep the hems in place. Line the inside of the purse with the silk, with the wrong side of the silk face down and the right side facing you. You will have to fold over all the edges of the silk. It is helpful to pin the silk to the bead weaving. Stitch around the edges of the silk/bead weaving with small, invisible stitches. The only place these stitches will show is on the flap of the purse. Fold the purse so that the body of it is 3 and a 1/2 inches long. Starting at the bottom of one end, sew through one of the two bottom rows of beads to start a thread. Have the thread emerge from the last bead in one of the rows. String three beads and enter the corresponding row's last bead. Sew through the bead in the row above, again coming out of the row's last bead. String five beads this time. Sew through corresponding rows last bead. Continue to travel up the piece with this stitch. Repeat on other side of the purse. This gives a lovely edge to your purse as well as a slight bit of depth.
Putting On Strap:
You can add the strap anyway you like. You can even make a beaded strap (on or off loom . . . we have provided enough extra beads to allow for that). We've added thet strap by slipping the two ends underneath the top three rows of side beads on either side and then joining the ends with an overhand knot. This strap is both removeable and can be made any length your want at any time.
Materials Included for making two bracelets:
Twenty-five grams of Japanese cylinder beads in ten colors
five matt and five glossy
Several grams of size 11/0 and size 15/0 seed beads
One bobbin of C-lon beading thread
Two yards of hand-dyed silk yarn Necessary
Tools not included in the kit:
A Mirrix Loom with or without a shedding device
A piece of cloth for holding beads
a beading needle, a blunt edge needle
Warping your Mirrix Loom:
Warp Coil size: 18 dents (a 14 or 16 dent coil will also work)
Number of warps: 19
Number of rows: 115
You can use any of the Mirrix Looms to create this lovely bracelet. This piece can be woven with or without the shedding device. It’s your choice. Try Both! These instructions are for a bracelet 7 ¼ inches in diameter when on your wrist. Increase or decrease by four rows to add or subtract a quarter inch from the size of your bracelet. Make sure that there are five rows after the button hole. You will want to reduce your loom’s height to minimize the amount of warp you will use. If you have a larger Mirrix Loom, this can be accomplished by using the extra warping bar. Use the 18 dent coil for this project if possible. The 14 or 16 dent coils will also be adequate. You will need to have 19 warp threads. We have included a bead pattern to demonstrate the placement of colors.
This pattern does not reflect the actual colors included in this kit. You will decide the placement of colors. Remember that you will use a matt and a glossy bead in the alternate squares. To Begin Weaving: Place ten piles of the different colored cylinder beads on a cloth in front of your loom. Cut a length of C-lon thread about a yard long. Tie the end of this thread to the bottom of the left threaded rod on your loom using a slip knot so that you can easily release it and weave it back into your piece later. Your first two rows will be a solid color of your choice and like all subsequent rows will comprise 18 beads. The third row will comprise the three beads of the color used in the first two rows, three beads of a contrasting color (one of these colors should be matt and the other glossy), three beads of first color, three beads of contrasting color, three beads of first color and three beads of contrasting color. Repeat the pattern of this row two times. In order to create the checkerboard pattern, for the next three rows exchange the placement of your colors.
For the next section, keep one of the original colors and replace the second color with a new color (remember that one of the colors always needs to be matt and the other needs to be glossy) and repeat the nine row pattern to create a checkerboard. For the next section, keep the new color and replace the old color for nine rows. At row 102, you will need to create a button hole.
Continue weaving with your current thread, but only go to column nine (please see white line in enclosed pattern). Weave this section of only nine columns for eight rows. Start a new thread to weave the eight columns on the other side of the bracelet. Weave that side for eight rows. End one of the threads and continue weaving a straight row of checkerboard for two rows. Weave two rows of a solid color. There will be 111 rows of checkerboard and four rows of solid color, two on each end of the bracelet. Next you need to weave in a header and a footer with the silk thread.
Cut the thread in half. Thread a blunt nose tapestry needle. You will be weaving a half inch of this silk on either end of the bracelet. Using the needle, go under and over every other thread (or pairs of threads, if you have used the shedding device), then reverse direction and go under the threads you went over and over the threads you went under. After you have woven a half inch, sew both ends of the silk thread into the woven part so it does not ravel. When you’ve finished weaving your header and footer, loosen the tension on your loom and slip out the warping bar.
Lay your piece flat and trim the ends so that you have at least four inches left to work with. Tie overhand knots with warp pairs. When you’ve tied all the knots, trim the warp as close as you can without allowing the knots to be undone. Fold the header (or footer) at the seam where the header and beads meet. Turn the knots under so that they are buried. Carefully sew this header down so that you knots are buried and it looks neat. Do the same with the footer. This will be the back of your bracelet. You want to make this hem as sturdy and neat as possible. Make sure that you avoid covering the button hole. In order to add a picot edge to the sides of the bracelet, string a workable length of C-lon (a yard) and sew it through the beads at one end of the bracelet in order to firmly attach it. You will pass your needle through the last bead at the edge of the bracelet, pick up three seed beads (one 15/, one 11, one 15) and then pass back through the next edge bead. Pass your needle through the next bead so that you are once again working on the edge of the bracelet.
String three more seed bead and pass back through next bead. Continue this way until you have come to the end of the bracelet. If you have left over C-lon, work your way back to the other side of the bracelet and repeat this procedure until you’ve reached the far end. If you have only a short length of C-lon, string a new piece and firmly attach to bracelet. This edging is very attractive as well as reinforcing your bracelet and disguising the warp threads on the side of the bracelet. The “button” will be created using peyote stitch: Using cylinder bead color of your choice to make a flat peyote piece that you will sew into a cylinder. String 12 cylinder beads.
Make the piece 10 rows wide. Zip the first and last rows together to form a tube. Sew the tail back into the bead work. Use the left over thread to sew to the sixth bead in one of the rows. You will be sewing this button onto the bracelet at a point that creates the best fit for you. String up three cylinder beads, sew onto bracelet, thread three cylinder beads, sew back through button.