Aprons are a standard features on Fireside Looms.  Jack looms have an apron on the cloth beam while our tapestry looms have aprons on both the warping beam and the cloth beam.  I’m sure there are many opinions about the use of aprons, but we find that it is easier to gain even tension on the warp when using an apron.  We use our tie-on sticks in conjunction with the apron.  Our grommets are spaced approximately 4″ apart so you can easily tie either your warp bouts or your lacing for your tie-on sticks at small intervals.   The edge of our apron has a steel rod to provide rigidity between the grommets and the edge of the apron.

One thing  you don’t have to worry about is the Apron stretching out of shape.  Our Canvas is much heavier than the single-filled duck cloth you find in your local fabric store.   #10 Duck Canvas 14oz double-filled natural cotton is what we use.  Duck canvas that is numbered (#10) is woven from yarns that consist of 2 or more twisted/plied threads in both the warp and the weft (sometimes called the “filling”); the lower the number the heavier the canvas.  Using double-filled canvas provides the strength needed to withstand any high tension you place on your warp while weaving.

Older Fireside Looms utilized canvas webbing, not aprons, on the cloth beam.  It is a common upgrade for weavers to replace the webbing with a full apron.  The installation is easy using a power screwdriver.  We definitely recommend upgrading to an apron on the cloth beam when you add our worm drive tensioning system to your older Fireside Loom.

Aprons are approximately 2″ wider than your weaving width and long enough to fully extend from your cloth beam and over your breast beam while you tie-on your warp.  We are happy to make custom aprons for any loom. 

TIP:  To keep my apron in place during warping, I have a nylon loop tied through the end grommets that I place over the beater upright.

Below is a picture of an apron laced to the tie-on stick of the cloth beam.  Visit our Accessory Page on Aprons for additional pictures.

Apron laced to tie-on stick

When a Fireside Loom owner recently called because she is thinking of selling her loom, her first comments on the “cleaned up” loom were about its beautiful color – aged cherry – deep reddish-brown with mixed tones in the grain as accents.  Another caller in this new year of 2010 hoped we would send wood samples of our looms so she could see the colors before making her choice.  YES! we have wood samples for buyers to see and touch before finalizing their wood choice for the loom they have ordered!

Natural is the color we prefer for Fireside Looms.  Our oil finish protects the wood but allows it to continue its aging process and change colors as nature intended.  This gives each Fireside Loom its unique color and character that is enhanced as the years pass by. 

So when you choose a wood for your Fireside Loom, consider the following:

Cherry – many people picture cherry as a very red wood, but many times it is light to mid brown.  Cherry wood deepens its color and looks more rich as it ages.

Maple – this light colored wood has a fine grain, sometimes appearing to have little grain at all.  You will notice the wood turning into a tan shade through the years.

Walnut – before oiling walnut it appears to be lifeless, BUT the grain and sometimes purplish streaks in the grain become spectacular as we handrub the oil finish.  It’s my favorite wood to oil as the transformation is truly beautiful.  After many years, walnut wood lightens and seems to mellow.

Oak – it’s a strong wood and for many years was the primary wood for building Fireside Looms.  Its heavy grain and medium tones look sturdy.  You can expect the tones to lighten and even fade a bit.

Ash – a very light colored wood that maintains its color over time.  Its grain is heavier than maple and its texture is smoother than oak.

Capturing the beauty of the wood on Fireside Looms in photographs is extremely difficult…with flash, without flash, in sunlight or not…I never know what will show the true character and color of the wood.  So when you are viewing pictures of looms on the web, consider that nothing represents the smooth finish, distinct color and grain texture like you will see it “in person”!

My personal Fireside Loom is a 54″ walnut beauty with a double warping beam.  The loom is strategically placed in our home in front of the wall of windows so I have natural light to weave by.  A busy year left little time for weaving but the loom was always ready.  In November, I began my annual furniture shifting to allow space for our many Christmas decorations, especially our 11 foot Christmas tree.  I love the reflection of the tree lights off of the wall of windows and the brightness that greets our visitors as they view our tree through our large windows.  BUT WAIT! Our teenage sons detected immediately that the loom occupied the space where the Christmas tree must stand and now they waited for me to ask them to put their weightlifting training into action to  move the large loom.  Well, I called upon them to transfer some exercise equipment and storage units to their new basement home so both our tapestry loom and jack loom could reside in the “business room” of our home…yes, their muscles were put to good use as they navigated the basement stairs! 

The loom had to travel through 2 doorways and go around the stairway base in our narrow entryway.  The boys armed themselves with screwdrivers and prepared to disassemble the loom for the move.  Then Kevin, our engineering-minded son spoke up…the loom will fit, no need to disassemble.  Ben was skeptical but we decided to give it a try.  We opened up the front of the loom by lifting off the front beam and removing 4 screws to release the treadle rail; this gave us a way to maneuver through the doorways and around the bannister.  We lifted off the warping beam to make the loom its narrowest, without disassembly.  Then, we rolled the loom (love those casters!) easily through both 32″ doorways and turned around the stairway in the entryway.  No lifting and the loom was in place without a struggle.  Much easier than the boys anticipated with no need to flex their muscles (a visit to the weight room fixes that!).

I’m glad our Fireside Loom is designed to fit through doorways without total disassembly…after the holidays I may again yearn to be weaving in natural light and call upon my sons to move the loom once again…at least they’ll know the job is an easy one!