Tag: tapestry

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

Now This Year

Karen

New year 2017 is beginning! It’s time again to take account of where we stand in our life’s dreams and goals. What can we check off the list? And, what is still in progress? And, maybe there’s something new to add. But first, let me count my blessings. I’m filled with gratitude, thankful for you! What a JOY it is to have friends like you to walk through this weaving journey with me.

Here’s what you’ll find on my looms right now:

Striped cottolin warp for towels.
Glimåkra Ideal loom: Striped warp for the sample kit is all set! Winding quills is next. Then, weaving! If all goes well, a few pre-warped plattväv towel kits will show up in my Etsy shop.
Transparency with linen warp and background weft. Cotton chenille weft inlay.
Glimåkra Standard loom: Weaving a transparency. 16/2 linen warp and background weft. The weft pattern inlay is cotton chenille.
Practice piece on little Hokett loom.
Hokett loom has the start of a simple stripes tapestry practice piece. 12/6 cotton warp, 6/1 Fåro wool weft.

Thank you for joining me through 2016!

May you have joy in the journey.

Happy Weaving New Year,
Karen

Another Small Tapestry Loom

Karen

One more little tapestry loom? I signed up for Rebecca Mezoff’s Weaving Tapestry on Little Looms online class, and ordered a Hokett loom to go with it. This petite 7″ x 8″ loom is made by Jim Hokett, who uses exotic woods for the looms. Mine is made of bubinga and chechen woods. Very pretty and nice to the touch! This is a 6-dent loom, and I have warped it double, to have 12 ends per inch.

Hockett loom warped for weaving a small tapestry.
Hokett 6-dent loom is warped 12 ends per inch by warping 2 ends per dent. I am not accustomed to using a tapestry beater or a shed stick. It will be fascinating to try some new things!
New Hokett loom - starting sample for Rebecca Mezoff's class.
I did some weaving while riding in the car. I finished the header, a short hem, and a row of special knots for the hem’s turned edge.

In this course, I am practicing some basic small loom tapestry techniques. Rebecca has a very organized, clear teaching style, so it’s a joy to learn from her. As I practice, I am reviewing things I have learned previously; and I am picking up great tips that are new to me. And, for once, lo and behold, I am weaving tapestry from the front!

May your new year start with learning something new.

Happy Year End,
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)