Color use in tapestry weaving is an unending source of exploration. When you’re first starting out you’ll probably use one solid color at a time. But the world of color can be vastly expanded by mixing weft colors in a bundle.
Most tapestry yarns are thin enough that you can use several strands at once. This practice is called weft bundling and is of great benefit if you want to mix colors. The video below talks about various aspects of weft bundling including:
how to match up multiple strands of weft
why you might want to use a weft bundle
possible tools to carry your weft bundle including some you may not have considered
Tapestry bobbin and Aubusson bone for tapestry weaving. These are just two methods you might use to carry your yarn through the shed in tapestry weaving.
At the beginning of the video I mention Change the Shed. This is a free program on YouTube where I show you what I’m working on in my studio and answer questions about it. You can find more information on my website HERE.
All of the tools and materials you use for tapestry weaving have to work together and serve the design idea you’re working on. All the pieces are part of that puzzle including loom, tools, weft, warp, size, and preferred manner of weaving. It can feel a bit tricky to figure all these pieces out at the beginning of your tapestry weaving career and if you need help with that, I recommend taking my comprehensive online course, Warp and Weft: Learning the Structure of Tapestry Weaving.
See you there!
Weaving on a copper pipe loom with loose strands of yarn. This is a Fringeless four-selvedge warp.