Looms

Tapestry looms: 5 things you need to know

Tapestry looms: 5 things you need to know

I’ve written a lot about tapestry looms over the years. I’ve linked to some of those posts below. I get a lot of questions from new weavers about looms and which one might be the best for them. I’d like to summarize some of the things to look for in a tapestry loom. After that, the posts below will lead you to more information about the loom you’re interested in.

I have started categorizing tapestry looms this way.

  • Untensioned frame looms: these are generally small looms that do not have a tensioning device. Examples are the Schacht Easel Weaver and the Handywoman Loom.

  • Tensioned frame looms: These are looms that could be larger than the untensioned frame looms that have a tensioning device. Examples are the Mirrix and the Glimakra Freja loom.

  • Beamed looms: These are looms that have two beams to hold the warp and the woven cloth. Examples are the Harrisville Rug Loom and the Tissart tapestry loom.

Tapestry looms: Matching loom choice to what you want to weave

Tapestry looms: Matching loom choice to what you want to weave

The American Tapestry Alliance’s media tour kicks off today. This year they’re holding it on Instagram and I am kicking off the week with a day of posts about tapestry looms. You can see the posts on my Instagram feed HERE. You do not have to have an Instagram account to go there and look at them. All the information about the next days of the tour is in those posts and also at the end of this email with links.

I wanted to talk some about choosing a tapestry loom. Most people who jump into tapestry outside of a university fiber art program start with small tapestry looms. I’ve written articles on this blog about looms (three of them are HERE, HERE, and HERE) which focus on what looms are out there and why some are better than others for tapestry weaving.

Today is my day on the tour and I wanted to use this blog post to provide more information and links. The video in this post is one I did for the Instagram stories today.

Small tapestry looms: which one should I use?

Small tapestry looms: which one should I use?

For my small tapestry work and for teaching on small looms, I have used Hokett looms for many years. Jim Hokett retired in 2019 and though I will use my personal stash of these looms forever, those of you who didn’t manage to get one before he retired are looking for other options.

Why would you want to weave on looms like these? I’ve written about this a lot on this blog, but the short answer is that small looms are less intimidating. They tend to allow us to play with yarn and ideas without feeling like we’re making something monumental. I think that helps us drop our own expectations and allows us to learn without shame because what we’re doing might not match the image we had in our head. They’re also portable, less expensive, and they don’t use as much yarn as big looms.

I have four great options for you and I am sure there are others out there. I’ve woven on all of them and I can recommend them all for various reasons.* All four of these looms are made in the USA, many of them completely by hand. Please remember if you’re ordering a hand-made loom from someone that they most likely won’t be able to get it to you as quickly as a large commercial operation could. Be patient. Make or buy another loom while you wait for your treasured heirloom equipment. For example, you could purchase a Schacht loom or make a copper pipe loom (links below) while you wait for one of the other three looms.

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The saga of the tapestry postcard

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The saga of the tapestry postcard

The title of my postcard is Waypoints. I’m including photographs here because I don’t think they’re going to make it into the ATA show which is quite disappointing actually… but entirely my fault.

I started this piece forever ago. With the intention of actually finishing it of course. I was planning ahead, sure I’d get it finished and mailed before the end of the summer, determined not to be the last person in the show to mail their card. Partway in I had an idea I liked better for the theme but I was lucky to get this one done, so the new design will have to wait.

I determined, mostly from photographs I took likely with this very blogpost in mind, that my original intention was to finish this piece that is on my biggest copper pipe loom before starting the postcard for the ATA exchange. I do remember looking at this piece, thinking that I didn’t much want to cut it off but neither did I want to finish it (because I still can’t, after a couple years, decide how to do that), so instead I went to the garage and…

The simplest looms can make the most beautiful things

The simplest looms can make the most beautiful things

Last week I took a class with John Mullarkey at Interweave’s YarnFest. I’ve taught with John a few times at various conferences. In 2017 at Midwest Weaver’s Conference, his classroom was right next to mine. We were on the top floor of an old building in July in Indianapolis. The air conditioner could not keep up with how hot it was and so we had the classroom doors open. Every so often through the whole conference we’d hear uproarious laughter coming from John’s classroom. Ever since I’ve wanted to know why tablet weaving was so much fun.

The satisfaction of making your own simple weaving equipment

The satisfaction of making your own simple weaving equipment

I come from a family of makers, so the idea of making my own loom is not totally foreign to me. However, my stash of woodshop tools is pretty limited. I have a mitre box and saw for making tapestry hanging bars, a few small wrenches and screwdrivers, and a motley collection of screws and wire.* Oh, and not long ago I added a big pipe wrench. If your guess is that I bought it to make pipe looms, you'd be wrong. It had something to do with a dye stove and a propane tank... I do occasionally use it to tighten or loosen the galvanized threaded pipe on my small loom and one day I'll make a large pipe loom and use it to tighten large nuts.