This is the last week of our six-week run through the nuances of sett for tapestry weaving.
Warp and Weft: A cooperative relationship in tapestry weaving
Sett: What does it have to do with tapestry weaving?
Sett: How does sett affect image?
Sett: How does it affect materials for tapestry weaving?
Sett: Looms and tools.
Sett: Recap. Why does it matter again?
Here is a run-down of what was in each post.
Warp and Weft: A cooperative relationship in tapestry weaving
What happens to your weaving when warp or weft size changes? I begin to talk about the relationship between warp and weft sizes and use cross-section diagrams and photos of tapestries to explain them. See the full post HERE.
Sett: What does it have to do with tapestry weaving?
In this post I explain what sett is and how different setts (number of warp ends per inch/cm) affect your tapestry. The samples below illustrate how different weaving looks at setts of 4, 8, and 12 ends per inch. See the full post HERE.
Tapestry weaving done at three different setts with the same yarn: 4 epi, 8 epi, and 12 epi.
Sett: How does sett affect image?
Tapestry is a woven structure and as such, it most easily follows a grid. The number of warps you have in an inch affects the look of the shapes you create in tapestry. Curves are stepped and the wider your warp sett, the larger those steps will appear. See the full post HERE.
Example of a 2 inch circle woven at 4 epi.
Example of a 2 inch circle woven at 8 epi.
Sett: How does it affect materials for tapestry weaving?
How do you match your weft size and your warp sett? There are so many different yarns out there and it is important to match the size of the weft yarn you're using to an appropriate warp sett. See the full post HERE.
Same weft, different warp sizes.
Sett: Looms and tools
Looms deal with sett in different ways. Some looms have little teeth or pegs that space the warps, other have metal reeds. Some looms don't have any spacing mechanisms at all. The sett(s) at which you want to work might determine what loom is the best for you. See the full post HERE.
Pipe looms usually don't have an automatic way of spacing the warp. This means you can warp it for any sett you want! This is a copper pipe loom that I made. Instructions are included in my Weaving Tapestry on Little Looms online course.
Sett: Recap. Why does it matter again?
That is the post you're reading right now. Sett matters.
The sheep at Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins concur.
I hope this series has been useful. Figuring out the ways that warp sett, warp size, and weft size interact is important in tapestry weaving. At the end of the day, doing some experimenting within the guidelines I give here will tell you where your tapestry practice falls on this continuum of options. Not everyone will choose the same sett and warp size with a given weft. Changing each of these variables leads an artist to different expressions and possibilities. And that is how it should be.
So don't be afraid to experiment. Try different wefts and different setts and even different looms. Make yourself a copper pipe loom or use a loom where the sett can be changed easily like a Mirrix. Figure out how the images you most want to create can be made. Most of all, have fun!
Have you woven tapestry at different setts? Have you found that different warp sizes makes a difference in the fabric you end up with?
Let us know in the comments!
And if you want more experience and advice, consider my online course, Warp and Weft: Learning the Structure of Tapestry.