Learning to make woven clothing - tracking my progress

At the beginning of this year (2022) I began my adventure in weaving on small pin looms. I have been enthralled by weaving for decades because of watching a floor loom weaver at a Renaissance Faire when I was about 10. I've always been too busy with raising children and life in general to begin a foray into the craft in any way until recently. I queried this group about my initial ideas here...  https://permies.com/t/174135/permaculture-fiber-arts-tools/fiber-arts/Shaped-loom

I purchased a 4 inch square pinloom called a Zoom Loom by Schacht. I played with changing colors midway, using a multi-colored yarn that produced a plaid pattern, and began piecing parts together in simple shapes. I was able to make a very cute and small pillow in a 5 point star shape, but it didn't quite follow the pattern I'd seen on the weaving support group on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/pinloomweaving/permalink/3154358691493358 ) and I ended up with a very different looking pillow.

I've been working on a 2 foot triangle loom for awhile with the idea of creating a dress/shift to wear. This size loom takes me about 3 hours to complete one triangle. Sewing 2 of these into a square is about a 6.5 hour procedure. I'm planning to weave 24 triangles to make 12 squares, 6 for the front and 6 for the back. As of right now, I have 12 triangles sewn together, with several more ready to be added and several more needing to be woven.  

I am mostly weaving double-strand for a fuller/heavier fabric. In the other thread, it was suggested that using simple squares and rectangles are easy and efficient for creating a piece of wearable clothing. I haven't gotten far enough to know if I will need to create a series of gussets for a better fitting end result. I've seen very long rectangle pin looms using a continuous strand weaving method. There's referenced "right return" or "left return" methods that I sort of grasp, but I'll need to work one to truly understand. Think between 6-10 inches wide by 4-10 feet long! Great scarves are made on these, but I can envision something of a cloak or poncho.

I've discovered that I don't really like to work the weaving as a single color as it bores me by the beginning of the second piece. I'm capable of changing colors, but using a yarn that already has different colors makes for faster weaving. My choice of yarn is also another learning curve thing. I know that manmade fibers don't shrink as much (if at all) during washing, unlike natural fibers like various protein fibers (animal-based, wool that is not "superwash"). I would rather use the warmer, healthier protein fibers because they keep you warmer even when wet, and aren't a health concern to your body if you sweat in them, giving the petroleum-based guk an avenue into your body. But protein fibers can be costly, and are harder to find locally. My available assortment in local stores is limited, and some choices are not as soft as I'd like. Think stereotypical itchy wool sweater or blanket!! I've ordered an extremely fine (think fingering/lace weight) alpaca yarn that while it was pricey @ nearly $50 per cone, that cone was in the neighborhood of 800 yards! And after searching for it on The Wooolery's website, and speaking to someone there, it is no longer being carried. Boo hiss.

I've recently added a new loom to my collection that is billed as "The Hexperimenter". Found on Etsy, made by TotaLoom, it comes arranged as a hexagon shaped pin loom. It is unique in that it is built in a component system, and this one purchase can make a total of 9 looms; 2 sizes of equalateral triangles, a chevron and several others ( https://www.etsy.com/listing/652965435/the-hexperimenter-collection-max?click_key=10f73973468ec39890e325b5a26e1e47fbd685ef%3A652965435&click_sum=5e488b05&ref=shop_home_active_10&frs=1&crt=1&sts=1 ). By the time I paid the tax, etc. my cost per shape is about $15.55! I've been too busy since it's arrival to dive in. But I do think this component system of pin loom weaving could be the answer to my creation of clothing in a woven method, with more shapes to work with.

I'm adding plenty of pictures to illustrate my progresses. Some are already here on my desktop, but plenty are on my cell, so I'll have to add those from there. Here's the first bunch!

Finally some time to add those photos from my phone! The first pic is beginning to sew the dress pieces in a pleasing order, using color and shapes to make visual appeal.

I love those chubby star pillows!

Well done, Cindy!! Fiber arts can be addictive, lol. I have a local friends who has become enamored with continuous strand weaving. She's also a spinner, knitter, and sewist, and I'm sure she'd love your projects as much as I do. Those first HMSs (Happy Mistake Stars, lol) are great! If you wanted, I've no doubt they'd make fabulous gifts, and they'd sell well, too.

You might look into your local fiber guild(s), to find those fibers you're looking for - and maybe to join a guild or two. I've been in 2 guilds - the 2nd one is the perfect for, for me. This guild has growers, shearers, felters, spinners, knitters, weavers, crocheters, nålbinders (apparently in starting a local trend, lol), embroiderers, and more, plus most do at least a few of those things. And, most in this group are also business owners, farmers, and permie-esque folks, so we do a lot of bartering for the items we want or need. If that won't work, we also try to cut each other a break, if we do sell items amongst ourselves. Maybe you'll find a similar group. Or - start one? Granted, that would be a bit more involved, but a simple add in a local social media group, newspaper, or even grocery store builtin boards - also places to look for an existing guild.