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Summer is a great time for tapestry weaving and travel. I packed up an overly large bag (or two) of yarn, spindles, and looms and had a few days car camping at 11,000 feet with friends.
Some four selvedge weaving was done on this trip... the first completed on the ride there. One of my favorite views is this one coming out of South Park when you first see Mt. Princeton.
Making the Fringeless four selvedge warping class has been an adventure. A new online class always is. I totally love curriculum development. I like editing videos especially if I pick up some new skills for each class. And then the best part is when the class goes live and I see people's reactions to it. This class was extra special for me because I got to work with Sarah Swett who is always inspiring and a fantastic teacher. Also, the fact that she regularly makes me laugh is a big plus.
That probably isn't true for all of us... that summer is for weaving. But it is definitely the time when I feel the least inhibited by my inner rules about the weaving (you know the ones... it must be big and grand and perfect and say something and...).
Because in the summer I go outside.
When you live in Colorado, going outside is expected. I don't think you can live here without owning running shoes, hiking boots, a closet full of clothes containing some level of synthetic wicking fiber, and some kind of bike that might just cost more than your car. (Give me a break Coloradoans--mine is just an inexpensive commuter bike, but at least I have one and I know how to ride it! Also, I don't run. But I do own running shoes... which I use for backpacking. The hiking boots are for snowshoeing. Also, I don't ski. Don't judge.)
I'm a conference spouse this week. I figured that the internet at Snowbird would be at least as good as ours at home (it's better) and that I could just as easily work from a room with a view as from my studio. Who knew being the one who was NOT teaching or presenting could be so great?! I feel like I'm on vacation even though I'm still working.
But, it turns out having this view outside the 12-foot wide floor-to-ceiling window is just a tad distracting for someone who loves hiking as much as I do.
In February, I saw a lot of lovely hearts being woven. Here are the ones that people sent me. If you'd like me to add your heart project, send it my way! I'll add it to the post. Last year's final post is HERE.
I finished my own tapestry heart. It came out quite well. I ended up leaving out the tiny heart shape and just leaving the design more abstract. It is part of my current tapestry diary, yellow piece bottom right. I talked about designing that piece on the blog in February HERE.
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.
I think any practice that gets you in the habit of creating is a good one. Only you can answer the question if doing a daily tapestry diary is the thing for you, but it is one way to get yourself going to your loom every day of the year. (Or make your own rules! Maybe you weave one bit every Sunday morning or once a month.)
I think the quesiton to ask yourself is do you have a practice of creating regularly right now? If you do, then another thing to do might not be the answer for you. But if you have difficulty making time to create on a regular basis, then making some rules for yourself around it might be helpful. A tapestry diary is one way to do that.
