Tag: tapestry frame

Tapestry Portrait Beginning

Karen

I started with a photograph of seventeen-month-old Lucia sitting in her grandad’s lap after eating lunch at Culver’s. Her pouty bottom lip and her serious brown eyes caught my attention. It seems an impossible task to replicate the charming expression in yarn, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I enlarged the picture, and then cropped it to fit a four-by-six-inch “canvas” of 12/6 cotton warp. I also reversed the image, since I am weaving this tapestry from the back. The weft is one, two, or three strands of Fårö wool yarn, depending on the degree of detail.

Grandad and granddaughter.
Steve and Lucia enjoying each other.

Here is my beginning attempt at a portrait, accomplished during our car ride home from Texas hill country, after spending time with Lucia and her cousins for the Christmas holidays.

Travel tapestry loom is warped before hitting the road.
Loom is warped before hitting the road.
Tapestry portrait in progress.
Shapes are slowly filled in with yarn. Paint stick serves to hold the cartoon in place.
On the road with a little tapestry weaving.
On the road with a little tapestry weaving.
Attempting to weave a tapestry portrait.
Beginning the blue and white polka-dotted dress. Inlaid magnets hold the blunt tapestry needle.
Weaving a tapestry portrait in the car.
Dusk has arrived, so it is time to put the weaving away for now. Good lighting is a must.
Checking progress on a small tapestry loom.
Before putting the loom in the bag, I turn it over to look at the right side of the weaving. Progress!

May you attempt the impossible.

All the best,
Karen

Small Tapestry Revived

Karen

This little tapestry has been almost finished for a very long time. I stopped short of completion months ago. I’ve missed my small tapestry weaving, so I’m back at it. Only a few steps remain with this one. Soon this little color gradation sweetheart will be on the wall, to be enjoyed.

Small tapestry with color gradation.
Last few picks of this small tapestry are woven in one sitting. Warp thread header and waste yarn are added.
Small tapestry with color gradation.
Small tapestry frame makes an interesting artwork frame. But this tapestry must be removed so another tapestry can begin.

The finishing steps are not difficult. (Rebecca Mezoff gives excellent instructions in Weaving Tapestry on Little Looms.) After the piece is removed from the loom, it is steamed. Then, weft tails are sewn in and/or trimmed on the back. Half Damascus knots secure the warp ends. The hems will be folded under and stitched down. Then, this little masterpiece will be ready for mounting and display.

Weft tails that will be sewn in and/or trimmed.
Tapestry was woven from the front, so all the weft tails are on the back.
Sewing in and trimming weft tails.
Weft tails have been sewn in and/or trimmed on the back of the weaving.
Finishing ends on a small tapestry.
Warp ends are secured with half damascus knots. Two-pound walking weight helps hold the little tapestry in place.

Here is an ancient description of an interesting woman, as told by another woman.

Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.
She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
—from Solomon’s book of Proverbs

Small tapestry is ready to be hemmed.
Small tapestry with color gradation is ready to be hemmed. Ends will be folded under at the soumak lines, and stitched into place.

This is the type of woman I admire. Wear the best clothes that money can’t buy—strength and dignity. She has optimism. No anger. She speaks with wisdom and kindness. These are finishing touches I ask my Maker to work in me. To be a woman ready for what she was made for.

May you be finished.

Kindest regards,
Karen

Small Tapestry Looms

Karen

The Hokett loom is proof that we don’t need everything we want. Simplicity often comes with fewer features, but it is still enough. I finished weaving one small tapestry sample on the simple Hokett loom, and I am pleased with the results. Now, I’m back to my little hand-built loom for the second sample. I’m spoiled by it’s tensioning device and the inlaid magnets that hold my needle.

Finishing small tapestry. Woven on Hokett loom.
Half-damascus knots, as demonstrated by Rebecca Mezoff, are used for finishing the edge of the small tapestry.
Hokett loom and small woven piece. Finishing in progress.
Finishing in progress. This small piece was woven with short hems that will be folded under.

The Weaving Tapestry on Little Looms online class (self-paced) by Rebecca Mezoff is going well. It’s great to view demonstrations that show details regarding yarn direction, headers, finishing, hems, and mounting, and more, from an expert tapestry weaver. My tapestry toolbox of skills is expanding! I’m thankful to have options of different looms to weave what I am learning.

Comparing two small looms--hand-built and Hokett.
The Hokett loom is smaller and more portable, even though the hand-built loom and Hokett loom have nearly the same weaving space.

What we need is more important than what we want. We don’t always see the difference between need and want. Lord, give us what we need today. May we long for nothing more than what you have promised to give. And may we show appropriate gratitude when given more than enough.

May you have what you need for today.

Softly,
Karen

Small Tapestry Front and Back

Karen

My small tapestries are a mess of threads on the back. I weave from the back, so I get used to seeing the mess. I admire the tapestry weavers who sew all the weft tails in. Front and back, the tapestry is finished and clean. So, I am sewing in the weft tails on this little Lucia patch.

Back of tapestry, sewing in weft tails.
Sewing in weft tails, one thread at a time. Threaded on a needle, weft tail is sewn through the back of an adjacent ridge, and then the tail is clipped off close to the surface of the weaving.
Back of small tapestry, stitching in weft tails.
When completed, the back is as finished as the front.
Lucia, woven with my youngest granddaughter in mind.
Lucia, our youngest grandchild, is the reason for this small tapestry. I may need to weave the names of the other four…

Sometimes we hit a patch in life that is filled with a mess of troubles. Take troubles to the Lord. He hears when we call. The Lord answers every little prayer. Each little trouble is taken care of, step by step. When the finished tapestry is revealed, we see that He knows our name. And a bit of every one of the messy threads is woven into our back story. Front and back, the tapestry is finished and clean.

May you be known by name.

Yours truly,
Karen

Lucia Tapestry

Karen

I added one more letter to the Lucia Tapestry. The back of the tapestry is pretty messy. Since I weave from the back, I see the reverse image as I weave; and the scattered threads clutter the view. I am spelling my new granddaughter’s name. Each letter comes about slowly. I know what to expect on the other side even though I can’t see it while weaving.

Small tapestry. Weaving from the back.
Weaving from the back.

Baby Lucia is only a few days old. She does four things. Sleep, eat, cry, and have diaper changes. What she thinks or dreams or feels is a matter of speculation. My daughter and her husband are learning the hard way, as every new parent does. They only see messy threads right now, but they know Lucia has a special purpose.

Spelling granddaughter's name. Lucia Tapestry.
Lucia in progress.

And they are trusting the Lord to show them the important things about parenting. Trust is the basis of faith. The Lord is searching everywhere to find those who trust Him completely so He can strengthen them in their faith. The tapestry He is weaving spells out the names of those who put their trust in Him.

May you see through the cluttered threads.

Love,
Lola (Grandma)