A very common struggle among newer tapestry weavers is to keep the weaving square. This is all about weft tension or how much weft is going into your tapestry at any one time. Too much weft and the piece will get wider, too little and it’ll get narrower. I find that most students have more trouble with the tapestry getting narrower as they work. The changes can be subtle! It is easy to weave a whole piece not realizing that over the course of it you’ve drawn in a half an inch or more. The only fool-proof way I’ve found to make sure this isn’t happening is to make myself measure the width of the tapestry frequently.
Measure your weaving to prevent draw-in
And by frequently, I mean at least every inch. For wider pieces I use a flexible tape measure like the one pictured below.
Rebecca Mezoff measuring width of an angle sampler on a Big Sister Mirrix loom with a flexible tape measure.
If you have difficulty remembering the measurement you’re aiming for, write it down.
Measure and measure again.
I should also note here that if you don’t start with your bottom header at the full width you want the tapestry to be, you’ve lost the battle before you’ve even started. As you’re warping the loom, make sure you spread the warps on the bottom to the full width you want your tapestry to be. Most likely that is the same width as you have at the top of the loom. Some looms might have some method to keep the warps spread out at the bottom. Peg or slotted looms do and if your Mirrix loom has a bottom spring kit, that can make sure you start off with the warp spread evenly at the bottom. On most other looms, you’ll need to carefully measure as you warp the loom and before you start your header.
Using guide strings
Another method many tapestry weavers use is guide strings. This is when you put a warp thread on each edge of the tapestry that you do not weave. They serve as a visual guide for when your tapestry is getting wider or narrower. In the photos below, I have used guide strings on a narrow sample warp. In general, I’d probably only use these on a wider tapestry because if I’m letting a 4 inch wide tapestry get wider or narrower enough that I’m seeing it with the guide strings, it has probably already gone too far. There is more tolerance for wider tapestries because you won’t see slight differences in width as quickly.
When adding guide strings to a warp, various methods might need to be used to apply them. On a continuously warped loom with a warping bar like the Mirrix or Schacht Arras, I tie the guide string which is a different color to the warping bar, bring it around the loom, and tie it again with a sliding double half hitch knot so that the tension is adjustable.
On a loom with beams, you could include the guide string when you prepare the warp and just sley them on the outside edges of the weaving.
Using guide strings while weaving a 4 inch wide sample tapestry. The guide strings are red.
The gallery of photos below show how I put the guide strings on this Mirrix loom in a little more detail. Hover over the images for caption information.
I don’t usually use guide strings myself. I find that they don’t give me enough precision. But they work well for some people, so if it seems like an attractive option, give it a try. If I do use guide strings, I use a different colored warp so that I am reminded not to weave it into the tapestry. 12/6 cotton seine twine comes in many colors or you can just use some kind of brightly colored strong cotton or linen as your guide.
What if you use a floor loom with a beater?
In that case, you’re in luck. I weave my large tapestries on low-warp floor looms and I often use the beater on the loom. The beater which contains a reed is a fantastic check for both draw-in and the tapestry getting wider. As I pull the beater forward, I can see immediately if the warps are pressing against the steel teeth in the reed and know whether the warps are out of alignment.
The photo below is of a warp on my Harrisville Rug Loom. Right now the warps are pretty much centered in each dent. I hope so since this is the beginning of a tapestry! As I weave I’ll watch especially the selvedge warp threads as I pull the beater forward. If I see those edge warps pushing against the outside of the edges of each dent, I know that I’m putting in too much weft and the piece is getting wider. If the warps are pulling against the inside of the dents, I know I’m not putting in enough weft and the piece is getting narrower. I don’t even have to use a tape measure to know this.
The steel teeth are the reed in the beater on Rebecca Mezoff’s Harrisville Rug Loom.
Do your selvedges have to be straight?
This might be THE most important question here. In my opinion, the answer is most definitely a no. When making art, it is helpful to have an understanding of what the piece is about. What feeling are you trying to evoke? What is the idea behind the piece? There are certainly many instances where non-straight selvedges help support what you’re communicating in the artwork.
Tapestry is a textile. Textiles are by nature flexible and they move. The edges of your tapestries can move also. Think about what you want to say and then go make stuff to say it. Yes, straight selvedges are often a goal for me and for many tapestry artists, but they don’t have to be your goal. If you need permission to allow your selvedges to wander and to care less about weft tension, then you have my permission.
Your permission slip. Print it, fill in your name and the date, and post over your loom. Go make your art.
Do you have any other tricks to keep your selvedges straight? Or have you embraced uneven selvedges?