Designing for Tapestry

Designing for tapestry

Designing for tapestry

A tapestry weaver’s task is to weave an image at the same time they’re creating a stable fabric. As a creator of images, many tapestry weavers are challenged by the process of designing. And part of that challenge has to do with that fact that we’re creating the fabric as the same time as the image so the work has to be structurally sound.

Some of us want to make fine art-level tapestries that hang in galleries and eventually someone’s home or office. And some of us want to enjoy the practice of the craft and don’t care one bit if anyone even sees their work. I think what matters most is whether or not the creator’s needs from the medium are met by their practice.

The thing that is true for of both of those kinds of creator is that design plays a part in engaging with this medium. Because we are creating something based in image, how we design that image is important.

The new class opens Monday, Jan 13th!!! Design Solutions for the Artist/Weaver

The new class opens Monday, Jan 13th!!! Design Solutions for the Artist/Weaver

A new online experience starts on Monday. My new course, Design Solutions for the Artist/Weaver begins Monday, January 13, 2020. This class has been something I’ve been working on for about a year and a half and I’m so thrilled to say that it is ready.

,

Fall in Colorado: weaving leaves

,
Fall in Colorado: weaving leaves

The leaves are changing. In fact, after the snow we had last week, they’re probably mostly done. I’ve taken a few high-altitude hikes lately to enjoy them and found the colors inspiring for tapestry design. Of course the design process always starts with photos when it involves a place I’ve been though sometimes the final weaving looks nothing at all like the photo. I’m usually interested in the feeling of the place more than depicting it in woven form. These sorts of inspirations usually get approached first in my tapestry diary.

The end of September we went to Pingree Park (those of you who come to my CSU Mountain Campus retreats know it well). There is a broad swath of aspens surrounding the campus and they were brilliantly yellow and orange that week. I was still pretty tired from my east coast trip, so we only hiked about 6 miles through the leaves enjoying the sunshine.

,

Making long-overdue color choices

,
Making long-overdue color choices

My studio Fridays this year have been devoted to getting the yarn and design ready for a new large tapestry. I don’t have a name for it yet, but the inspiration came from my artist residency at Petrified Forest National Park way back in 2016. That experience made me think a lot about time. Petrified Forest does have a lot of petrified wood—trees that grew when Arizona was near the equator and fell in some great event 220 million years ago. The park is also full of amazing landforms that are stratified. As you walk through the landscape you’re walking through landscapes formed during entirely different time periods. The only way I know to travel through time in a single day.

During my month at that park, I did a daily 2 x 2 inch weaving every evening about my experiences in the park that day. I spent much of my time hiking, sketching, and taking photos. In my little casita after the early winter darkness fell, I had many hours to do some weaving. On day three of the residency, I wove a piece about the layers I saw everywhere.

,

Color palettes: using yarn wraps for color sampling

,
Color palettes: using yarn wraps for color sampling

I’ve become a fan of yarn wraps. The kind of yarn wrap where you wind some yarn around a stiff card to look at the color combinations, not the kind that might keep you warm during a polar vortex in Chicago.

I’ve been playing with color a lot lately partly because I just taught a retreat about color in tapestry and partly because I’m in the middle of designing a new large-format tapestry. I think there are two basic ways people approach color choice and design in tapestry weaving. They either design the piece including color choices and then dye or purchase the yarns to match those color needs or they spread out all the colors they have and use those choices as they design.

I am a member of the “design first, find yarn later” club.

,

Sett: How does sett affect image?

,
Sett: How does sett affect image?

How does sett affect image?

When someone says they’re weaving at 8 epi, that is the sett. That means they have 8 warp strands in one inch. I define sett a bit more in my last blog post on this topic. 

Weaving is a gridded structure. The images we make have to fit onto the grid formed by the warp and weft.

Because the structure so easily forms squares, making other shapes is more challenging in tapestry weaving. But of course we do want to weave something besides squares!

,

Designing for tapestry

,
Designing for tapestry

There are as many ways to design for tapestry as there are tapestry weavers. Everyone has to find their own way. But over the last couple years I have employed one particular technique that I find shakes my brain loose and helps me conquer the fear that comes up when designing large pieces.

I start small. I don't have any fear at all about making something that is only a few inches square. The warp goes on quickly and whatever comes out of it, I'll have gotten in some practice and learned something about color and design.

The video below talks about this process and even shows me weaving one of these small pieces.