Little Chapel Tapestry

Karen

This little chapel tapestry is growing line by line. I am weaving from the back, left to right, a single line at a time, following a cartoon. I create shades of color by blending three strands of soft Fåro wool in seemingly thousands of combinations.

Weaving small tapestry while traveling.
Weaving small chapel while waiting for my delayed flight at the airport. Chapel steeple in cartoon presents a challenge.

I knew all along that the slim spire of the steeple would be a challenge. Will I have to leave off the uppermost thin line and cross? Honestly, leave the cross off the chapel? I don’t think so. Maybe wrap around a single warp end with half-hitches, and weave the short horizontal line over just three warps… Hmm, that doesn’t work–too robust for this little chapel spire.

First steeple cross attempt fails.
First attempt to weave the steeple cross. Bulky and distracting.

Take it out.

Working on the steeple cross.
Black yarn that formed the cross is removed, leaving a gap.

Weave through the empty spaces.

Undoing part of the tapestry.
Some of the sky is removed in order to sufficiently weave over the gap.
Weaving small tapestry from the back.
Closing the gap by weaving existing threads across, and weaving removed threads back in.

Study the scene…

Adding a cross to the small chapel steeple.
Chapel steeple without a cross.

Aha! …Embroider a single-thread cross.

Embroidery on a small tapestry.
Single strand of Fåro wool is used to backstitch a cross on the steeple top.

Yes, that works.

Small tapestry chapel. Karen Isenhower
Elevated cross on the chapel’s steeple gives meaning to the woven scene.

Keep your eyes on the destination. If a cross is needed on the tip of the spire, keep trying until you find a way. With your heart set on the destination, the Lord gives strength for the journey. Don’t give up when things are not working out. Take a step back to view the whole scene, and you will see how the cross completes the picture.

May you have strength for the journey.

With love,
Karen

11 thoughts on “Little Chapel Tapestry”

  2. This is meant as helpful……Your yarn is too heavy. Next time use 1 one strand. Takes longer, but the finished product is more realistic, because the weaver can actually make the colors look like they’re not stepped. There is a technique for rounded edges that lays in a thread along the color change edge to make it look smoother. Your answer to the cross problem is great.

    Reply

    1. Hi Linda,
      Thanks for your input. I could use one strand of Faro wool if I started with a finer sett. I might do that next time. Or I might choose a picture that doesn’t have as small of detail as this one.
      Karen

      Reply

  3. Hi,There is no “rule” and if you do the church in fine and the trees or sky in heavier it should work just fine. The sett need not be changed it will just take more “shots” for the fine wool of the church to catch up with the trees/background. Play with it. love ya, linda

    Reply

  4. Karen: are you using slit technique? Do you know shared warp? It doesn’t have to be every row; you can skip a couple of rows then share that warp. It really works well especially if one of the wools is fine. The heavier wool becomes the dominate and hides the fine. If the line of fine wool is only one warp thread wide than share on either side unevenly. Start as slit, share one warp on left then on right continue slit for 3-4 rows then share.

    —- ~ —– ~ = fine —– =other
    —- ~ —-
    —-~~ —-
    —- ~~— linda

    Reply

    1. Hi Linda, for the small tapestries I use slit technique primarily, but I can see how shared warp would help on scenes like this. I know that technique, but I haven’t used it enough to be “fluent” in it. Thanks for the suggestion.
      Karen

      Reply

    1. Hi Kimberly, This loom is one my husband built for me. He put in brass nails for spacing and holding the warp threads.

      All the best,
      Karen

      Reply

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