We love a beading party! Did you catch our recent get together? We spent some time with Elena Zuyok from Mirrix Looms. We love exploring new jewelry techniques and tools that work well with Soft Flex Beading Wire. We already have tools on our site that are great for knitting (Knitting Spools), knotting (Mini Macramé Boards), and braiding (Kumihimo Disks). We wanted to explore the world of weaving with looms. Have you ever wanted to invest in a loom? Mirrix Looms are high quality weaving tools. Join us for a beading party and find out more about this fun company!
Do you love meeting exciting jewelry designers? We think it is so much fun to get inside their heads and see what makes them tick. Especially when you can apply some of their knowledge to your own jewelry projects. There is no better way to excel than to stand on the shoulders of giants. We have been holding live jewelry making parties on Zoom. You can find these fun beading shows on the video section of the Soft Flex Company Facebook page and our YouTube Channel. In the past, we have featured Just Bead It owner, Joyce Trowbridge. We have discussed owning a business as a young millennial, with Sam Siegel. We discussed the ways we have adapted our businesses to COVID, with Kay Goss. We have learned a lot about these wonderful jewelry designers. And we have learned a lot about ourselves. Join our beading parties for deep dives into the jewelry industry, travel, and how making jewelry can be beneficial for mental health and clarity.
Live Jewelry Making Party With Elena Zuyok From Mirrix Looms
Looms have a special magic about them. The tapestries they weave can impart secrets. The woven designs can tell tales. The dance of color on a finished pattern can elevate your heart to a happy place. Looms have such a mystical quality that they often find their place in literature and movies. They have a gravity that demands attention. Angelina Jolie shared screen time with an autonomous loom that could tell the future. How is that for a simple crafting tool? We wanted to know more about weaving and we wanted to know about Mirrix Looms.
Beading parties offer a chance to find out more about a designer or bead store owner. We sit down and discuss how current events are affecting their business. We learn more about the unique products or jewelry making ideas they have. We get a real glimpse into what makes them tick. This party offered a chance to learn more about Mirrix Looms. At Mirrix, you can find a loom that most suits your needs. Do you want a portable pocket loom? They have those! Do you want a loom that can weave a small rug? Mirrix offers a 38" loom called Zeus. Zeus was made to accommodate jobs that are typically reserved for larger, immobile looms. Zeus has the added benefit of portability.
From Mirrix:
"The Mirrix tapestry loom combines the simple elegance of a portable frame with a modern invention. Its clever solutions for warping, set control, and shedding are logical and precise. A graceful synthesis of traditional weaving methodologies, the Mirrix tapestry loom is itself an example of fine craftsmanship."
Carol K. Russell Author of The Tapestry Handbook
From Mirrix:
Can a Beginner use a Mirrix Loom?
Any of our looms will work for a beginner. The difference between most of our looms is simply size. If you’re a beginner who wants to eventually make very large pieces, you may want to invest in a larger loom. If you’re an expert who only makes small pieces, a smaller loom will be best. That said, most beginners decide to start on the small side since those looms are less of an investment financially.
Mirrix Looms offers you a professional quality foundation to grow your craft/art. Plus, they are incredibly versatile. This means you can decide you want to get into beads when you started with tapestry or tapestry if you started with fiber or that you want to weave with wire or begin making mixed-media pieces.
One of the great things about a Mirrix is that you can learn and grow with your loom. A Mirrix is as easy to use as the project you choose to make on it!
Our 8″ Lani Loom, 12″ Little Guy Loom and 16″ Big Sister Loom are the most popular looms for beginner bead and tapestry weavers.
One fun thing about our beading parties is that, as we engage with our friends, we are all making jewelry. So fun! We love to learn more about people we admire and bond while enjoying a creative moment. Look at the amazing design Sara made with her loom. If you are interested in learning more about weaving on a loom, contact Mirrix today. They have helpful staff standing by that can set you up with a loom that best fits your needs!
Meet Elena Zuyok
Mirrix Looms: A Story for Mother’s Day
When I was a kid my mom was a stay-at-home mom and tapestry weaver who sold her work to galleries and wove commissioned pieces. She worked while my brother and I were in school but wanted a portable loom that she could weave professional-quality tapestries on while doing mom-things like sitting on the sidelines at our soccer games. She had some very specific ideas for what she wanted in a loom and developed the Mirrix for her own needs with the help of a handy friend. My dad thought she should sell the loom to others and she wasn’t really interested, but after getting feedback from a few other weavers, she decided to make some more looms to test out the viability of creating a business around them and gave them to someone to demonstrate at a weaving show. Long story short: They all sold immediately and Mirrix was born. Years later I was working at a job I hated and told a coworker about my mom’s company and how great she, and it, was. He asked me why I didn’t work with her and I didn’t have an answer so I called her up and asked if she wanted me on board. The rest is history. We’ve been working together for about 12 years now and we couldn’t love it more. There’s something about knowing someone incredibly well that can make working together a seamless process. We don’t need to check up on each other because there’s so much trust there and we almost always understand each other implicitly. I’m terrified of the day that she finally wants to retire!
Elena Zuyok Q&A On Mirrix Looms
Where are Mirrix looms made?
For many years Mirrix was housed at another facility, but this year we finally opened up our very own manufacturing facility in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. It was a huge move for us but we’re already seeing the benefits to having our own space. We have three employees there: Sandy, Holly and Everett (and Everett’s guide dog, Sunny, but she just gets paid in treats) and they seem to do the work of twice as many people! They are always coming up with amazing idea about how to make our products better and they truly care about the work they do. We seriously could not have a better team and we never could have made the move without them. Our products have always been made here in the United States and always will be!
What else is going on at Mirrix right now?
We have so much going on a Mirrix right now. We have a weave-along that is launching in a few weeks, The Sunny Bracelet, we’re participating in Soft Flex’s Customer Appreciation Week, have some really fun new kits available and we have a huge sale coming up on Mother’s Day (You can sign up for our newsletter to make sure you get notified about it)! We also have a few collaborations coming up that we are super excited about but can’t talk about quite yet. Stay tuned!
What’s your favorite thing about running a small business?
I love that I always know I can be proud of the company I work for. My mom never started Mirrix to get rich, she started it to employ wonderful people, to make great products and to provide for her family. Mirrix has a very old fashioned small business ethos where we really do focus on making a product that lasts a lifetime, sourcing materials locally whenever possible, and putting a lot of love into our products. We aren’t a faceless company. When a customer has a complaint or a compliment, those are being heard by real people who really care. Our customers often become real friends and there is something so amazing about that, especially because we don’t have any physical stores where we can interact with people. Running a small business isn’t easy because you become so invested, but it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.
What products are you known for and why should people use your products?
Mirrix is known for our looms, although we also make a lot of kits and starter packages and have started selling more fun bead and fiber related goodies. If you’re looking for a portable bead or tapestry loom, a Mirrix is the way to go. We believe in making high-quality products with customer support throughout our product’s lifetime (which should be forever) and in building a community surrounding our looms. We are weavers running a loom company, not businesspeople who decided selling looms would be profitable, and I think that’s an important distinction. Customers want to buy bead and tapestry looms from people who know about bead and tapestry weaving. As my mom always says: We don’t just make looms, we weave on them, too.
Why do you love Soft Flex Beading Wire?
I discovered Soft Flex wire several years ago and became obsessed. We realized a Mirrix was the perfect loom to weave Soft Flex on and did lots of experimenting from there. I’ve tried weaving with other wire and it doesn’t compare. Plus, Soft Flex is such a great company that offers so much to their customers. This is a fun project we did years ago with Soft Flex that anyone can download for free: The Changing Seasons Wire Bracelet Project Ebook
What Makes a Mirrix Loom Different from Other Bead or Tapestry Looms?
1.) Versatility
From tapestry weaving to bead weaving to wire weaving and free-form fiber weaving, Mirrix Looms are incredibly versatile.
2.) Size Options
Mirrix Looms come in eight sizes, from the 5″ wide Mini Mirrix to the 38″ wide Zeus Loom, allowing you to choose a loom size that best fits your needs.
3.) Portability
Even the largest Mirrix can fit in a relatively small space and can be easily moved, and the smaller looms are perfect for taking on vacation, to workshops and really anywhere where you want to do some weaving!
4.) Quality
A Mirrix Loom is built to last a lifetime. Made out of high-quality materials, your Mirrix may need to be polished once in a while, but it most likely will never need to be replaced.
5.) Tension
When it comes to bead or fiber weaving, providing good tension is the number one job of a loom. With its continuous warping system and the ability to increase or decrease your tension anytime, Mirrix Looms do this job incredibly well.
6.) Accessories
From the No Warp-Ends Kit that allows you to weave beads without having to deal with finishing all your warp threads to the amazing Spencer Power Treadle, we have accessories for all your weaving needs (even the ones you didn’t know you had).
7.) The Shedding Device
The Mirrix shedding device allows you to weave faster and easier with both beads and fiber. You can learn more about it here.
8.) The Mirrix Community
When you purchase a Mirrix, you join an amazing community of weavers. From online classes and webinars to weave-alongs and free projects, being a part of the Mirrix community will keep you inspired for years to come.
9.) Made in America
Mirrix Looms are manufactured in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin with the exception of the Saffron Pocket Loom, which is handmade in California.
10.) Customer Service
When you buy a Mirrix, we’ll be there for you long after you make your purchase. Need advice on a project? Want some inspiration? Not sure how something works? We’re always happy to help!
Visit Elena's links:
You can email Elena here: Elena@MirrixLooms.com
Join our Facebook group – VIB. Stay in the know. Stay up to date. From our bead shows to our video shows and sales, you can stay in touch with us. The community is full of artistic and helpful beaders and crafty people. Inspire and be inspired. Share your pictures and get the beading bug from others!
Visit the Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel!
Blog contributor Thomas Soles loves Jazz Age writers and crunchy french fries. His favorite gemstones are Lapis and Pietersite. His favorite hobby is day dreaming. And his favorite mustache is Freddie Mercury's. As you can see, he has a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) sense of humor. You can write to him at Thomas@SoftFlexCompany.com