These are fun little looms, designed for making small square designs. The large toy loom set by Transogram is from 1959, and belonged to me as a child. I was pleased when I opened up the box, to discover that I kept all the jersey loops all organized and neat. What a great kid! It brought back happy memories of making little pot holders for my Mom. I'm sure she enjoyed my little creations.
The other two looms are, while similar in design, are used slightly differently. The toy loom uses loops of fabric which the child weaves in and out, creating pattern by varying the colors. The Loomette and Jiffy Loom are designed to be used with yarn or thread, and a needle, and different patterns can be woven into the final design by varying not only the color, but the actual weave stitches, so that intricate patterns and texture can be achieved. With both looms, the idea is to take the finished squares, sew them together, and make larger items like purses, afghans, scarves, hats, and other clothing and household decor.
The Jiffy-Loom is from the Calcraft Corporation in Glendale, CA, and was copyright 1937. There's even a photo of the factory inside the instruction booklet. The Loomette was made by the Cartercraft Studios in Eagle Rock, CA in 1936. Glendale and Eagle Rock are only a few miles apart, which I think is interesting! (I'm easily amused).
I'd love to see some items woven with the small looms... (trust me, I've seen plenty of potholders woven with the child's loom!) It would be interesting to see the types of patterns that people achieved with their handy dandy loom. The original price on my Jiffy-Loom was 25 cents! The Loomette has a price tag on the bottom from Bullock's Los Angeles- the steep price of $2.
1 comment:
As a child I made my own one of those out of carefully lacquered wood with nails all around the edge. I still have it - goodness knows why!! I think I only ever made one thing with it!
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