Funem Swift Loom: Learning a New Skill

Source: Funemstudio.com

I’ve talked about my love of visible mending in the past and over the years have mended jeans, sweaters and quilts. When I saw a little loom pop up on my Instagram feed with a way to cutely patch small holes, I immediately clicked through to check it out.

I ended up purchasing a Swift Loom set from Funem Studios, which came with the swift loom pieces and a Cotton Warp Thread bundle of three colors. (It doesn’t look like my set is currently available, but the loom is here)

And yes, I’m also quite tempted by the larger looms to make scarves, napkins, place mats and even bookmarks (SO FREAKING CUTE), but I figured I’d try the little loom first to see if I enjoyed it. Also, I JUST set up my stained glass studio, so I don’t have a ton of other crafting/art making time…

Anyways, it was honestly pretty darn easy. I had a couple smaller holes in my jeans to experiment on, so I followed the Funem Studios instruction video that came with my order and hooked the loom into my jeans.

I made a few mistakes initially. Stopped the video. Rewatched it again. Tried again. Repeat. Repeat.

After my first square, I moved onto the second and realized that I might have made a mistake in the weaving portion the first time, so I experimented with a different way. This actually worked out great because I could look at both weaves and see exactly what the changes I made did as a result.

I LOVE it. Once I figured it out, it was pretty easy, quite quick to do and there are so many ways I can personalize it with different thread colors, thread weights and weaving patterns. Each mend becomes a tiny piece of art… kind of imperfect, visible and full of character.

Most importantly, it’s so satisfying to turn something worn-out into something uniquely mine. I can’t wait to use this new mending loom on everything from jeans to sweaters to tote bags!

Also, I am really wanting one of the larger looms too. Perhaps in the fall/winter when it’s too chilly to do my stained glass work in my sunroom…

Oh I do have one question though — does anyone know what that hook/needle thing on the top photo with the bend in the middle is for? It came with my set and I have no idea what it’s used for!

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My Style: April 2026

This month has been a roller-coaster of weather – ranging from days in the high 80’s to days that barely break 60. So yeah, normal Maryland spring weather. I did take a little time to pack away some of my heavier winter sweaters and pull out some springy clothes, so this month has been a little transitional.

Let’s take a look back at my April outfits:

Spring Break Looks

Here are three outfits from our Spring Break trip. There were more (lots of mixing and matching), but I guess I didn’t do a very good job of taking outfit pictures. I brought three skirts with me on our trip, so this red one made two appearances.

On the left, I paired it with a secondhand linen striped top. For the second outfit, I mixed in a black v-neck tee shirt and bandana. The outfit in the middle used the same bandana, but I paired it with a secondhand Athleta tank top and black leggings.

Work Looks

This month I had a work conference to handle, so we’ve got two looks for my prepare-and-load-up-the-car-at-the-office days. For the outfit on the left, I paired my new-to-me embroidered boots with a mustard colored linen skirt, navy blouse and gray cardigan. I love the ways the colors work together, but pretty much the whole outfit was about those gorgeous boots!

The right outfit is what I wore to be around conference people, so the extra comfortable shoes were the most important part to schlep stuff from my vehicle into the conference hall. I’ve worn this Lucky Brand dress a bazillion times and it’s comfortable and looks nice. I like it with the navy cardigan and orange sandals. Also, Cooper is giving his all to steal the spotlight (and winning) with his cuteness.

Princess Party Fun

I love that I’m at the point in my life that when I’m invited to my niece’s Princess birthday party, I have a crown sitting around in my closet ready to go. For her outdoor party I went with a pretty patterned pink dress, floral cardigan, sparkly silver boots… and my crown. Perfectly appropriate to hang out with the other princesses.

New vs Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 5 items that I purchased retail and 12 items I purchased secondhand.

April Thrift Haul

For April we have a very short, yet sweet, thrift haul. Okay, it’s only two items. But it’s two items that I LOVE… so that’s really all I needed. With that being said, I just added a few items to my “looking to thrift list”, so next month may be a little extra fun (fingers crossed)!

Here’s what I thrifted in April:

Cider Cotton/Linen Tiered Skirt, $6.99

Okay, so I’ve already worn this skirt like three times since I thrifted it and I still can’t tell if it’s black or navy. I guess it doesn’t really matter, but it’s kind of frustrating that my eyeballs can’t figure out the color. Anyways, this is a beautifully heavy cotton/linen tiered midi skirt and it basically goes with everything. The only drawback is there are no pockets, but I’m thinking about maybe slitting open the side seams and adding some on my own (I mean, it’s only a $7 gamble if I mess up….).

I love a natural fiber skirt and one in an neutral color is a bonus, so this one was an easy decision to add to my closet. I wasn’t familiar with the brand, but after googling it looks like one of those crappy importer slop brands… so I’m surprised that this is all natural fibers and not some sort of plastic.

Shyanne Floral Embroidered Boots, $14.99

Can you believe that I was considering leaving these boots behind in Vegas?! We checked out just ONE thrift store on our vacation and in the entire store, these boots were the only thing calling my name. They’re embroidered. They’re leather. They’re my exact size. They’re made in Mexico and retailed for $205. And THEY WERE $15!

I went back and forth about them – I mean, I do own three other pairs of cowboy boots. Also, they wouldn’t fit in my suitcase so I’d have to rearrange everything and wear them home on the plane. My husband gave me The Look and told me I NEEDED to buy them. So yeah, they came home with me.

I already wore them a few times and I’m obsessed with them! They are so comfortable and adorable and put a little extra pep in my step. I’m so glad I didn’t make these a sad “the ones that got away” story.