A tapestry show catalog round-up

A tapestry show catalog round-up

I have been unable to get to any tapestry shows in the last few years for various reasons. But I am an avid collector of catalogs because I find it a great source of inspiration for my own work and I love to see what other people are doing in tapestry. The catalogs below are recent acquisitions.

Catalogs are definitely not the perfect representation of a piece of art, but I find them very useful for getting ideas, celebrating artists I do know, and learning about artists I didn’t know about. I have quite a collection and I find that when I’m stuck for ideas for whatever reason, going back through old catalogs is really helpful!

I hope this brief review of these catalogs is inspiring enough for you to get your own copy and perhaps start your own catalog collection!

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Continuous tapestry warp and tight selvedges: This is the knot to use.

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Continuous tapestry warp and tight selvedges: This is the knot to use.

There are only a few things that I’d say regularly frustrate new tapestry weavers and one of them is the final knot on the warping bar of a continuously warped tapestry loom. If that last knot doesn’t hold tightly, then your edge selvedge will be loose which affects your weaving. Using a double half-hitch knot allows you to adjust the tension on that last warp with a knot that will hold.

Continuous warping

What does that mean? A continuous warp is one which wraps around the outside of a tensioned frame loom. Some common examples of this type of loom are the Schacht Arras and most Mirrix looms. These looms use a warping bar. The bar gives you a place to tie the beginning and ending warp securely as well as a rigid structure to help you turn the tapestry around the loom without distorting it. This type of loom can produce a tapestry that is longer than the loom is high.

Messing around with natural dyes

Messing around with natural dyes

I had another Bluebird dye day this week, quite literally. I’ve been taking some dye classes from Laurie Hall of Bluebird Dye Gardens. The day was beautiful with blue skies and there were bluebirds all around her studio!

Before going back for more shibori and resist dyeing, I had to mordant more fiber. I had to order some supplies from MAIWA and by the time it all came together, it was the day before the dye day. So much for having time to do some shibori stitching before getting there! But I was able to get the fabric mordanted and felt quite happy that I did it successfully.

Weaving amongst the cows

Weaving amongst the cows

I love visiting a beautiful place repeatedly over time. One can learn a lot about a place by seeing it in different lights and seasons. There is a huge area of dispersed camping and trails about 20 miles from my house in the La Plata Mountains. I spotted a nice weather window over the weekend and loaded up the car for some nights sleeping on the ground. I also filled the car with various art and craft supplies and I even used some of them!

I particularly enjoy spending time in aspen trees. They are happy trees. Their leaves shake in the wind and that reflects the sunlight in beautiful ways. The area I was camping in has some old growth aspen trees. Some of them are absolutely huge.

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How tight should my warp be?

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How tight should my warp be?

I am frequently asked this question by readers of my book, The Art of Tapestry Weaving, and by students in my online classes. The best way to really know how tight the warp should be is to feel the warps of experienced tapestry weavers. But if you aren’t able to come to an in-person workshop or retreat any time soon, the video and discussion below will help you figure out what the right warp tension is for you.

When I got my first Mirrix loom I was thrilled with how tight I could make the tension. The looms come with a little wrench that you can use to tighten the wing nuts beyond what you can do with just your hands. I use a cotton seine twine warp which is very strong and can take a huge amount of tension. So I’d tighten that Mirrix warp very very tight. It was far tighter than I can get the tension on my beefy rug loom.

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Dwella is here along with a new online course, Introduction to rug weaving

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Dwella is here along with a new online course, Introduction to rug weaving

Many years ago I wove rugs on my shafted floor looms. I first bought rug yarn from Halcyon and then when I moved back home to New Mexico, I used rug yarn from Clasgens and then churro rug yarn which is particularly wonderful. I love how quickly rug-weight textiles weave up and how suited they are to tapestry techniques.

When I became the apprentice of James Koehler, I left rug weaving behind and focused on wall tapestries. But it is true that the very same techniques I use for my art tapestries can be used to make more functional rug-weight textiles. Of course rugs can also be hung on the wall and often are!*

Wedge weaving with Array: Indiana and a little loom (plus a bonus dog story)

Wedge weaving with Array: Indiana and a little loom (plus a bonus dog story)

In July I took a road trip.

To Indiana.

It wasn’t really planned but an opportunity came up for my wife and we decided to drive. I admit that I wasn’t looking forward to the part of the drive between the last of the Colorado Rockies and our friend’s swimming pool,* but it turned out to be just fine! Nebraska and Iowa are surprisingly beautiful and I had some fun with my little loom along the way.