Tag: tapestry

Tapestry with No Intention to Hurry

Karen

I call it Figs and Coffee, but the figs and the coffee are barely recognizable at this point. The image will make sense when it is complete. In the meantime, I am continually intrigued by the fascinating interplay of colors. You can expect me to keep adding to the tapestry until it is complete. It’s nice to not be in a hurry.

Warping slat hangs from the ends of the beater and sits below the warp. The suspended slat keeps the cartoon right under the warp. I use a quilter’s clip on each side to hold the cartoon in exact position.
Every time I advance the warp I examine the positioning of the cartoon to make sure it matches up with marks I have made on the warp in key places.
Regular stops to step back and see if I need to make color or contrast adjustments keeps me on track. Thus, the need to backtrack and undo rows of weaving is infrequent.
Corner window setting for this hand-built loom reinforces my intention to not be in a hurry.

May you keep moving toward completion.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Have enough Colors of Yarn?

Karen

I don’t want to tell you how many different colors I have of wool yarn. Most of it is 6/2 Tuna and 6/1 Fårö, but I have a good collection of other wool yarns, too. If it’s wool, I include it in my tapestry weaving. I have all of it arranged according to a 5-step value scale.

Yarn butterfly is equivalent to about 4 strands of 6/2 Tuna. I’m composing a color in the medium-dark value range.

If I combine the colors of wool just right, I can make the exact color I need for a tapestry detail. This is the challenge on which I thrive. There are never enough colors. Or, so it seems. The truth is, I have more than enough color options. Besides, for tapestry, the exact hue of a color is not nearly as important as the value of a color in relation to the colors around it.

Tapestry in progress. I carefully select yarns, mostly according to color value.
The cart beside the loom holds all the possible colors I may need for this Figs and Coffee small tapestry. I stop frequently to evaluate the colors and the value contrasts in the weaving.

The Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, Creator of color, makes himself known. Take a look outside. Everywhere we look there is more color than we know how to express. So, in our humble attempts to make yarn butterflies in exact colors, we are showing that we are indeed made in our Creator’s image.

May you see all the color around you.

Your friend,
Karen

Enough Time to Weave

Karen

The best things take time. Time (years) to know what you want to learn. Time to study, time to practice, time to put into practice what you’ve studied. By the time you finish a work of art you have invested more hours than most observers will ever realize. If you have ever made anything, you know the most common question you are asked: How long did it take you to make that? Answer: A lifetime, really.

Tapestry progresses row by row.
Cartoon under the warp is held in place with a plastic clip on each side. Center warp end is marked so I can line up the cartoon horizontally. Horizontal marks on the warp and on the cartoon provide for accurate vertical alignment.
Boat shuttle with 6/1 tow linen rests on the side frame. Linen picks are woven between pattern rows of wool colors in this style of tapestry.
As I weave, I pay attention to the cartoon that is visible beneath the warp to see where to make color changes.
At the end of my time at the loom I stand back and look at the progress. And then, I stand up on a stepstool to get a good view from above. And then, I pull out my little monocular and look through the back of it to see what I can see from a distance. What I see: one cut fig and a couple more figs emerging. You will see what I see when this is off the loom and hanging on the wall across the room. All it takes is time.

Time is the greatest gift. We always have enough time. How will we invest it?

May your lifetime reveal the good investments you’ve made.

Happy weaving all the time,
Karen

Image in the Cloth

Karen

I am starting to see a fig. This tapestry is a short story about fresh figs and a cup of coffee. My full attention is on weaving while I’m at the loom. I’m always looking for the moment that a recognizable image forms in the woven wool and linen cloth. Attention flows from desire. And when I am weaving, there is no other place I’d rather be.

When I look through my monocular I get a distinct view of the first part of the fig.
Colors of wool (primarily 6/2 Tuna and 6/1 Fårö) are combined in butterflies to represent color values and hues that will become an image of a cut fig–mostly recognizable from a distance. An exciting challenge!

When our affections are set on the Lord Jesus, there is no other place we’d rather be than sitting in prayerful conversation with him. And, I imagine he is delighted when he sees his own image formed in us.

May you desire the best things.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Meet and Separate Strategies

Karen

Pictorial tapestry on the floor loom requires a good working knowledge of basic tapestry techniques. Doing small tapestries on a tapestry frame loom, line by line, is one thing I do to hone these basic skills. I have finally reached the happy realizaton that I am no longer frustrated by meet and separate.

After several rows of scrap wool to space the warp, I weave ten rows of 6/1 tow linen as a header.

Meet and separate is a simple concept. It’s not hard to understand. Two butterflies come toward each other (meet) in one shed, and they move away from each other (separate) in the next shed. If you are working with only two butterflies — piece of cake! But when you need to add one more butterfly in a row you can find yourself in a pickle!

Butterflies are arranged so that the heads of butterflies are next to each other, and tails of butterflies (which have been tucked to the back) are together.

Resources that help me understand basic tapestry techniques, including meet and separate:

The Art of Tapestry Weaving, by Rebecca Mezoff

Tapestry Design Basics and Beyond, by Tommye McClure Scanlin

Tapestry Weaving, by Kirsten Glasbrook.

Workshops by Joanne Hall for weaving tapestry on a frame loom.

Meet and separate. Two butterflies on the right-hand side don’t have “partners.” New butterflies will be added in the next row that will balance the meet-and-separate order.

Meet and Separate strategies:

  1. Add two butterflies at a time. Remove two butterflies at a time. (Easier said than done.)
  2. Add one butterfly near where you are ending another butterfly.
  3. Add a “two-headed” butterfly, with the two heads going in opposite directions.
  4. If you must add or remove a single butterfly, expect to reset one or more other butterflies. (To reset a butterfly, cut it off and tuck in the tail, and then reverse its direction.)
  5. Think ahead. You may find that the next row will need one more (or one less) butterfly, and the problem will resolve itself.
So far, not too complicated for meet and separate.
As the tapestry progresses it’s a continual dance of the butterflies.
More butterflies. More fun.

Every row is a game of strategy. Where is the best place to add in a new color butterfly? How can I add or remove a butterfly and cause the least disruption? It’s an intriguing puzzle. The frustrating part has become the fascinating part.

May your frustrations become your fascinations.

Glad to Meet,
Karen