Do you remember the baby wrap I was weaving for my daughter and her coming baby? Baby Lucia has arrived! And she is already capturing our hearts. I was glad to have a small tapestry to keep my hands busy while waiting her arrival.
Weaving from the back on my small travel tapestry frame loom.Weaving letters to spell the name of our new grandbaby, Lucia. L – U – …
Observing a newborn infant is observing pure trust. She completely depends on her mommy and daddy.
New baby and new mother. Trust and deep affection.
It will take days and years for Lucia to know her parents and learn to understand their deep love for her. Oh, to have the heart of a child. Trust in the Lord. Simply trust.
The unfinished small tapestry went in my travel bag this week. Travel tapestry is perfect for those waiting times at the airport; and gives me something interesting to do in flight. Best of all, while visiting my mom, she and I sat side-by-side one afternoon “doing art.” Mom used Staedtler coloring pencils to color detailed flower designs in a fancy coloring book; and I used Fårö wool to weave colors in the tapestry. What a sweet setting in which to finish this tapestry bridge!
I weave small tapestries from the back, using a blunt tapestry needle to go under three warpends at a time. I love blending the colorful strands of Fåro wool to get the shading I need. Every pick is purposeful; and I turn the little loom over frequently to keep an eye on the front side. If I weave all the way across at once, the selvedges start pulling in, despite bubbling the weft. Going under just a few warps at a time like this is the slow way, but it helps me control the amount of weft being placed across the tapestry.
Tapestry needle takes the weft under three warpends at a time. Weft is bubbled and then tapped into place with my fingertips.Upper part of cartoon is held out of the way to examine the front of the weaving. Bottom half of cartoon stays in position, being held in place with small magnets.Bridge progresses one row at a time.
We can often avoid big problems by saying fewer words. When we keep talking, we lose control of the words that come out of our mouths. Words can hurt or heal. Unlike erring tapestry threads that can be pulled out and woven back in correctly, words can’t be undone. A wise person errs on the side of saying too little. Three warp ends at a time, weave across the row, and check the front frequently to see how the words are coming across.
I am trying a new thing–magnets. Little magnets hold a cartoon in place behind my small tapestry. The magnets need to be strong so the cartoon does not shift. Yet, I want to be able to adjust or to completely remove the cartoon easily.
Small tapestry is woven from the back, line by line. Three strands of Fåro wool are blended for the weft.
I have noticed other tapestry weavers using small rare earth magnets for this purpose, so I decided to give it a try. “Steve, do we have any rare earth magnets on hand?,” I asked. Steve went out to the garage, and came back with these. Perfect! Finally, a use for the magnets he had salvaged from worn out electric toothbrushes over the years!
Magnets, salvaged from worn-out electric toothbrushes, give an extremely tight grasp for holding a cartoon behind a small tapestry.With magnets in place, it is easy to raise the cartoon to ink the warp at strategic points, and then to let the cartoon drop out of the way while weaving. The tight toothbrush magnets keep the cartoon from shifting out of place.Bridge under construction…
January 1st is more than just another day, isn’t it? It’s a time to review the past year and bring new dreams into the year ahead. This pivot point calls for gratitude. I am especially grateful for friends like you who walk with me on this weaving journey!
Thick and thin cottolin towels on this warp. One towel to go!The end is near! The end of the warp, that is. Almost ready for the final border of the halvdräll table square. There will be just enough warp left for a short sample piece.
First up in the new year I have thick and thin towels to finish, and the halvdräll is oh so close to the end of the warp (didn’t quite make it for Christmas). And one little girl is off the small tapestry loom, waiting for final finishing, mounting, and framing.
Little girl small tapestry. After finishing the ends, the piece will be mounted on linen-covered foam board and placed in a frame.
