One of the life lessons learned the hard way is about an ounce of prevention. As a result, I am among the proponents for an often dreaded word in the fiber art community – Sampling.

Or, as I prefer to identify with, i am a PROCESS person, one who wants to understand how it works and why, BEFORE I start breaking the rule – after all failure to plan is planning to fail.

How long should the threads be on each element?

This will vary not only from structure to structure and craftsman to craftsman – as well as for techniques like braiding and knotting – it will also vary within the structure for each element, and of course vary with the material used for each element.

The simplest way, in the long term is make a sample using similar materials as you plan to use in the final project.

Measure the length BEFORE load onto the tama/bobbin/carrier or other “loose” thread/cord.

Always allow for the “waste”. The easiest way to do this is to work at least two inches in pattern. MEASURE UNUSED – now you have a starting point.

Mark the point of the first measurement and record “used to this point”
Record AMOUNT at Start MINUS AMOUNT REMAINING –
this is your starting point for each element.

Work in pattern until your sample is 6 to 8 inches in length.
Measure Unused, Record amount used
At this point you can either “finish” or based on your experience decide how much more will be used for each element depending on your choice of finishing method.

Subtract the remaining amount from the staring amount, add 10% for insurance and that is your “guideline” for future projects using similar materials with the same structure.

Yeah I know this needs some work and maybe some photos, but I have confidence that those who want to learn will.