Note: This post has been updated in June of 2026. It was originally posted May 29, 2025. I am still getting this question a lot, so I’m adding more thoughts to this post.
I had a lovely email last week from Francine who said this:
“I like your work and love doing tapestry but I always wonder with to do with the very small tapestry! What do you do with yours? ”
This question used to really bother me but now I love it because it gives me an opportunity to think about why I weave tapestry at all. The answer also relates to almost everything else I do for fun: knitting, drawing, birding, hiking, reading…
For me, weaving my tapestry diary or sketch tapestries is all about the process. My tiny tapestry diary or sketch tapestry pieces are often just 2-4 inches and they’re too small to hang on the wall without being mounted. It is about slowing down, paying attention, and making something with my hands. I’m the same with knitting. I have piles of shawls I’ve knit because I love the process. I can’t possibly wear them all so sometimes I give them away, but the making of them is all that I really care about.
A small tapestry inspired by a hike with friends at Twin Lakes in Colorado to the historic Interlaken site. The blue hexagon represents a six-sided privy they have there and the part below that is the logs as pictured to the left from the side of one of the buildings.
The small sketch tapestry pieces I’ve been making for the last decade are related to specific events in my life and I put tags on them and keep them like a journal. They ARE a journal. I have in past pinned them to my studio wall but since I’ve moved they’re in a plastic box. They each have an informational tag on them and relate back to a journal page with photos and thoughts about that event or thing I saw.
I guess I’m saying that what they’re for doesn’t really matter. The process matters. But I have seen people use these small tapestries as Christmas cards or they’ll mount them and give them as gifts or hang them on the wall. Tapestry isn’t usually functional so this isn’t ever a big deal for me I suppose.
I have had people who really needed a “use” for their small tapestries and I’ve seen them do some of these things with them. If you have other ideas, please pop them in the comments!
Sew or glue them on holiday cards. I think for special people, this is a wonderful use for these magical little works. But only send them to people who will appreciate them!
Use them to make a perpetual calendar which you’ll use every year for birthdays, etc.
Mount them in groups and hang on the wall.
Put them in three-ring binders or other books with the inspiration or sketches related to the work. Keep these references around so you look at them often!
Use them for pockets or decoration on garments or bags or any other piece of fabric.
Mug rugs are a thing.
The fun is in the process, 2026
After a decade of doing my sketch tapestry practice, I love it more than ever. I get to make myself a little kit of tools and focus on one thing for awhile. Weaving small things without any pressure around the finished product brings me into a state of flow and is quite relaxing. Weaving in this way encourages me to slow down, really observe my environment, and take the time to explore through notes, sketches, and weaving.
This is an example of the tools I might take when I leave the studio. The tiny loom is what I take backpacking. I take a larger loom if I’m going somewhere in the car. The loom is by Handywoman Shop, the bobbin is by Milissa Ellison Dewey, the tapestry fork is by Threads Thru Time, and the shed stick is by Stephen Willette. There are links to these suppliers under FAQ/resources on my website.
Weaving the tapestry in that kit while backpacking in northern Colorado.
use tapestry to explore the world around you.
Summer of Tapestry 2026
Summer of Tapestry kicked off with the first prompt this week. This is the class where I teach my favorite thing, sketch tapestry.* We learn to simplify ideas and weave from our surroundings. There is still plenty of time to join us. You get forever access to the class and the joy of being part of a vibrant and international community of tapestry weavers. You have forever access to the class and you don’t have to do it in the time frame I’ve presented. If you have some days of vacation, maybe you want to weave a few of the ideas during that time instead of following along with the group.
The best thing about this class is the community. Hearing the stories and other weavers’ ideas is marvelous. You’ll understand that weaving doesn’t have to be complicated to be rewarding.
One of my sketchbook pages and weavings for Summer of Tapestry this year is this one about a claret cup cactus I saw at Hovenweep.
*You do NOT have to draw a single thing to do this class. I use the word “sketch” to indicate that these are quick works that reference something important to you in the moment. If you do like to draw, then that can be part of your process, but it is most certainly not a requirement of the class or the practice.