I planned a small tapestry project to take with me on our travels to Grand Canyon North Rim last month. I was rushed in the planning of the cartoon and in the selection of the yarn colors. Sitting by our travel trailer at the campground, with the rim of Grand Canyon in view, I had an inspiring environment for weaving.
After returning home, I could see changes I’d like to make in the cartoon, and some adjustments needed in the hues and values of my yarn selection. The cartoon is a photo of a Grand Canyon North Rim sunset from our visit there two years ago. I reworked the cartoon in Photoshop and edited my yarn selection. Then I undid everything that I had already woven. I’m starting over and it is looking better already!
Every evening, now, I bring my Freja Tapestry Frame to our small breakfast table in the kitchen and weave for a little while. Steve made a holder for me to hang the tapestry frame on a wall in the study. I take a picture every morning. I will end up with a series of photos that show how the tapestry grows, row by row, over time. This daily tapestry weaving gives me a constant reminder of how beautifully creative the Creator of our universe is, and how His planning is never rushed, nor His selection of colors short sighted. His work is perfect from the start.
First, we found a place to hang this Freja Tapestry frame on the wall. Bright yarn is the scrap yarn for beginning to space the warp. Six rows of 12/6 cotton warp thread finish the job of spreading the warp evenly. I also added two quick rows at the top to help keep uniform spacing from bottom to top of the warp.Steve’s simple mounting rack is just right for holding the tapestry frame. I can view the right (or wrong) side of the tapestry and watch it grow day by day. I completed these six rows in the first couple days back home.Detail view of the right side of the first six rows. This tapestry is being woven from the back.Adding rows two at a time.So far, this is simply colors and shapes.Sitting down in the evening and completing one pass (two rows) is a satisfying way to wind down for the day.Pouch with yarn, Gingher snips on a handwoven band to wear around my neck, legs to hold the tapestry frame at a comfortable angle on the table, folder with tapestry cartoon and a few go-by’s. And, the Freja Tapestry frame, with slat that holds the cartoon, and tapestry needle held by earth magnets that Steve inlayed into the face of the right side of the frame, and a wood cover that slips over the bottom teeth on the frame that keeps anything from snagging on the teeth.This is my simple setup. Most evenings I take my place here at our small breakfast table and set up my tapestry frame. I have a black-and-white, and a full-color go by. I refer to these constantly as color reference and value reference.This is my “crayon box” of colors, carefully selected by value and hue. Most of the weft yarn is 6/1 Fårö wool, with a few colors of 20/2 Mora wool added in. I have the yarn sorted by value. There are five sleeves in the pouch, so 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – for a five-point value scale. The yarn is wound on floss bobbins left over from my counted cross-stitch days. This makes the whole project very travel friendly.
Steve and I plan to return to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon this autumn. When we were there two years ago we were amazed at the rich colors everywhere. Those colors are the inspiration for this wool goose-eye twill cape. It was a joy to weave these colors on my Glimåkra Julia loom, using four shafts. The process video slideshow below will show you the project from start to finish, with a few Grand Canyon views thrown in. I made a prototype cape from dark gray felt before settling on the pattern details for my handwoven material. You will see the felt cape at the end of the film. Enjoy!
Sunset brings a hush over those who witness it. Colors, textures, and a dramatic ending to the day.Hand-stitched lines follow the edges of the pattern pieces. This alleviates the difficulty of putting chalk or other marks on this fabric.All the pieces are outlined with thread. I was able to match stripes in the front and on one side by carefully laying out the pattern pieces.Machine zigzag stitches inside the thread outlines. After this, I can cut the pieces along the outline, knowing the edges are secure.I saved this measuring ribbon for the babywrap I wove when my daughter was pregnant. The baby for whom I wove the wrap just turned 8 years old. I found the ribbon when I was looking for some twill tape to sew into the shoulder seams for stability. Perfect! Now I have some of this memorable twill tape sewn into my cape!Blanket stitch around all the edges helps hide the zigzag stitching, as well as provide a decorative edge that gives the fabric a finished look.Ready for autumn. And ready for the fun of wearing this Grand Canyon cape at the Grand Canyon!
May you honor the Grand Weaver who designed the Grand Canyon in all its colors and gave it to us to enjoy.
The last few months have been a season for me to put my focus on writing a book about prayer. This has been a season of less weaving than usual. Still, I find a way to get to the looms–a little here, a little there. It adds up. The nice thing about handweaving is that you have something to show for your efforts. Every little weft thread counts. Every day is a gift from the Lord, and every season is an opportunity to acknowledge Him. Thank you, Lord, for every season!
Here’s what I’ve been up to in this weaving season:
Eight different weft colors for this goose-eye twill. 7/2 Brage Wool.Cloth beam filling up.Standing back and enjoying the colors.Roadrunner on the drawloom. Cottolin and linen. Six groundshafts.Beginning the top half of the roadrunner pattern. Chart hangs for handy reference as I move up the chart, row by row.Roadrunner complete. Next chart to design is the Texas Longhorn. And three more critters after that.Curtain fabric, 24/2 cotton M’s and O’s.Cloth beam filling up.Take a step back and enjoy the process.
The Glimåkra Standard is where I am most comfortable, even though the reach of the full width is stretching me. The curtains for the bathroom are progressing. No new news, just continuation of adding cloth to the cloth beam.
Still weaving this M’s and O’s curtain yardage. Looking forward to the day the curtains will hang in our remodeled bathroom.Fabric is adding up on the cloth beam.
The Glimåkra Ideal is patiently waiting for a new tapestrywarp. I have a bit more design work to do on the cartoon, and then I’ll be winding the warp with the 16/2 linen I have set aside just for this project. I’m eager to show the new tapestry idea to you! Soon!!
I am finishing up the next critter napkin design for the drawloom. This one is a roadrunner, and it is just…about…ready…to weave.
The Glimåkra Julia is getting filled up on the cloth beam, too. This wool goose-eye fabric is going to be fun to sew into a winter cape when it comes off the loom!
I like to check on the cloth beam to see how it is filling up. You can see there is still more warp on the warp beam.Julia with four shafts. Ribbon pinned on the side has marks that help me keep the diamond pattern square.
And finally. Drumroll. After a year of sitting on the sidelines after having been cut from the loom, two small tapestries are now hanging on our walls. I did the finishing work of adding a slat for hanging, stitching a backing in place, including some zigzag quilting stitches for support, and stitching up the sides and the hem.
Beginning to mount the tapestry by adding a wood slat at the top.Backing is added to the back of the tapestries. Zigzag stitching at the top helps secure the tapestry so it will not sag. One small nail will hold the tapestry to the wall.Heaven and EarthIntricately Created: Delicate Wing of a Monarch Butterfly.
It is good to finish, even if you do it a year later. Now I am really ready to start the next tapestry.
Every now and then I forget where I left off. This happens when I get interrupted when I am not quite finished with a sequence at the end of a weaving session, or when I get interrupted when I am just getting started back on the loom. Often, the interruptions are my own thoughts going in different directions. The only loss is a few dozen weft threads that get pulled out one by one, plus the time it takes to pull them out and weave the right ones back in. Everything is fixable.
Sometimes it is necessary to backtrack. I was at a pause in weaving. When I came back to it I forgot to put in the gray weft stripe. Pulled out more rows than I wish, then resumed weaving, starting with the gray stripe.No more troubles, just attentive weaving.Still several meters to go on these bathroom curtains! 24/2 cotton, M’s and O’s, gray stripe is 16/2 cotton
I have come to the unfortunate realization that I am probably short on blue weft yarn and green weft yarn. This project is using yarn from my excess, and the warp yarn was measured out just so. I miscalculated on the weft yarn. My solution is to space the blue and the green weft stripes further apart. If I still run out of either color I will finish with the colors I do have. I may end up liking it better that way. Everything is fixable.
Blue weft at the front edge makes a lovely contrast with the poppy and the pumpkin warp colors.Cart by the loom holds shuttles and yarn. You can see that I am using a 120 cm reed in a 70 cm loom. I can get away with it by having the loom in the corner of the room.Winter wool indoors and spring blooms outdoors. Brage wool for an autumn/winter cape. Goose-eye twill on four shafts.
I did not imagine that one of the single-unit draw cords on the drawloom could snap in two while I am putting it on the hook bar. But it happened! Now what? I’m able to finish the 6-thread unit by tying a knot and maneuvering threads this way and that way. This is not acceptable for weaving the rest of the warp, however, nor even for the rest of this napkin. I just so happen to have a fancy clip that Steve brought to me a couple weeks ago, saying, “I thought you might be able to use this somewhere.” It is the perfect temporary fix for this shortened draw cord. I will replace the broken draw cord before starting the next critter napkin (roadrunner). Everything is fixable.
Wild turkey is running with his head cut off for a few days. The single-unit draw cord that raises the threads at the turkey’s chin snapped when I put it on the hook bar. I finished the 6-thread unit for that chin by tying a knot in the end of the draw cord. I need to make a permanent fix, though, because the knot makes the draw cord just a little too short.As a temporary fix, I found a double caribiner clip that is just the right size to hold the draw cord. Before I start weaving the next critter, I will try to replace this broken draw cord with a new one.Wild Turkey – finished!Chart beside the loom shows my row-by-row plan for the image being woven.
Yesterday we enjoyed Easter, the day of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We are lost without Him, suffering from our own errors, miscalculations, and brokenness. The Heavenly Father raised Jesus from the dead to prove to us that Jesus is Lord. Everything is fixable in Him.
