Tag: cartoon

Big Dream Tapestry Starts Here

Karen

I dream of doing four-shaft tapestry with rosepath threading on my floor loom. I’m not there yet. It is an ambitious goal. I am inching my way toward that goal by facing little problems on my tiny frame loom and working out solutions as I go. Learning to follow a cartoon is part of the process.

Little girl tapestry in process, with Borgs Faro wool.
Little girl is being woven from the back, one row across at a time. The weft is Borgs Fåro wool, a single-ply that packs together nicely for tapestry weaving.

I derived the cartoon for this tapestry from a picture in a children’s book. The cartoon, held in place behind the warp threads, is my constant guide. As I make ongoing judgments about colors and other details, the cartoon keeps me on course and shows me the desired outcome.

Life is full of choices. If I purposely align myself with integrity, like a tapestry weaver following a cartoon, I have a guideline for decisions. But if I carelessly keep things in my path that tempt me, it’s like covering up parts of the cartoon with random post-it notes. The picture gets obscured. Our surroundings can set the stage for making good choices. And one good choice leads to another good choice. That’s the beauty of practicing with small things. When the time comes for four-shaft tapestry, I’ll be ready.

May you flourish in your surroundings.

A step at a time,
Karen

Weave the Portable Way

Karen

What do you do when you are away from your looms for a week? Portable weaving, of course. I thought about bringing my band loom, but fitting the band loom in the car turned out to be more of a hassle than it is worth. So the band loom stayed home.

Glimakra band loom with cottolin warp.
Band loom stays home.

I have my inkle loom with me instead, as well as my small tapestry frame. Steve is taking a woodcarving class from Dylan Goodson this week at the Texas Woodcarvers Guild Seminar; and while he is in class I am keeping my hands busy with portable weaving.

Woodcarving class by Dylan Goodson.
Steve beginning to shape his relief carving, following the finished example by his instructor, Dylan Goodson.
Linen inkle band.
First inkle band of the week is linen.
Cottolin inkle band warp.
Cottolin warp for the second narrow inkle band.
Cottolin inkle band.
Second inkle band almost finished.
Small tapestry on portable frame loom.
Start of a small tapestry of a little girl, derived from a picture in a children’s book.
Cottolin inkle band. Karen Isenhower
Time to put on one more inkle warp!
Woodcarver doing relief carving.
Adding more details to the relief carving. Good carving takes time and patience. Like weaving.

May you enjoy passing the time away.

Happy portable weaving,
Karen

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