The current Tapestry Discovery Box* is about vertical lines. In it I talk both about how to create the illusion of vertical lines and how to do a variety of joins. In general, making lines that follow the warp is pretty tricky in tapestry weaving. It is much easier to create a line or curve in the horizontal direction because there are many more picks per inch than there are warps per inch in the other direction. It is all about the structure of the medium.
Many times in tapestry we rely on a bit of illusion to make our brains believe a form is present when it might not really be there. For example, an unsewn slit or a slit sewn with a very contrasty color of thread can create a shadow that implies a thin vertical line.
Joins can also be used to create many wonderful effects in the vertical direction (along the warp). Tapestry is woven in cultures all over the world and has been for thousands of years. The ways humans have approached this tricky thing in weaving, vertical lines, varies tremendously. This course just scratches the surface of some options, but if nothing else, you’ll learn to make some really great joins and understand why you might use a particular one for your idea.
In my example for the class project, pictured below, I wanted to keep the forms simple so we could focus on learning vertical joins. There are people of all ability levels in these classes and for people who are more experienced, they’re encouraged to put their own stamp on their tapestries. In my example I used sewn slits and a modified warp interlock technique for the vertical joins. I encouraged people to change the view they see through their window.
Rebecca Mezoff’s sample tapestry for TDB13
This course started in mid-January and I have seen many beautiful variations on this theme so far. I wanted to include just two of them here, but know there are many more creative ideas in the class.
The first is by Karen Laing. The Tapestry Discovery Box comes with 7 colors of Gist Array yarn which is what I used in the example above. But Karen used other hues in her window view. She even incorporated pick and pick while using joins!
Karen Laing, tapestry woven during Tapestry Discovery Box 13 about vertical lines and joins
Here is another example where Besty modified the design and added the colors that worked for her idea. I loved seeing the inspiration photo for the window view!
Betsy Lemon, view from a Scotland castle window
Inspiration photo for Betsy Lemon’s tapestry
This course is only available^ until the end of March, 2026 in a kit through Gist yarn. They’ll send you 7 beautiful colors of Array tapestry yarn and I’ll teach you to do these joins!
Unfortunately this is also the last Tapestry Discovery Box we’re going to do for a while. It is time to take a break from this quarterly course/yarn offering. If you’d like to jump into this class and get the yarn box from Gist, please do so before March 31st which is the last day to order. You can do that on Gist Yarn’s website HERE.
I have enjoyed teaching this class for more than three years now and I’m sorry to see it coming to an end, but there will be different tapestry adventures coming soon. Please watch my newsletter for those announcements. And if you don’t get Tapestry Picks in your inbox, you can sign up HERE.
Join the Tapestry Discovery Box before March 31st to learn more about weaving vertical lines and joins. The Tapestry Discovery Box is a fantastic way to build your tapestry skills, get help from a seasoned teacher, and interact with other students in the class for inspiration. Made in collaboration with Gist Yarn, it includes a course + yarn shipped right to your door. Find out more here.
*The Tapestry Discovery Box is a quarterly class where I teach a technique or idea offering ways to practice that technique and then present a project to weave. You can weave one of the projects I suggest or I always offer ways to think about creating your own project to practice whatever we’re studying this quarter. You can find out more on my website HERE. Please note that this is the LAST Tapestry Discovery Box for now so order before March 31st.
^If you live in the UK you won’t be able to order the box from Gist due to shipping problems. In that case I offer this course alone and give you suggestions of what colors of Weaversbazaar yarn to substitute. Please contact me for details about how to do that.