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Shed Stick UPDATE! More options for your small-loom tapestry weaving

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Shed Stick UPDATE! More options for your small-loom tapestry weaving

I wrote a post a couple months ago about using shed sticks which included the few options that I could find readily available. Since then I’ve had several updates to the shed stick situation and I now have a healthy list of great options. I am quite sure there are more great tools out there. Here I was focusing on makers who have their work in stock all the time or at least with good consistency.* These are all US makers, but there are woodworkers all over the world and I am sure there are small tool makers in your neighborhood also if you do not live in the US.

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Archie Brennan: Tapestry as Modern Art

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Archie Brennan: Tapestry as Modern Art

This new book about Archie Brennan (1931-2019) and his life as a tapestry weaver is a wonderful mix of Archie’s voice and art, images of his work, and thoughts of his friends and colleagues. I heard rumors this book was happening many years ago and have been hoping they were true for a long time. I have not been disappointed. This book has far exceeded my expectations. Brenda Osborn has taken what has to be a rich collection of Archie’s spoken and written words and created a wonderful picture of an artist who had a huge influence on the trajectory of a very old art form, tapestry weaving. The book is by Archie Brennan, but the second author, noted as “with Brenda Osborn” deserves a standing ovation for her crafting of this masterpiece.

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Messing around with looms and yarn, Part 2

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Messing around with looms and yarn, Part 2

Who else is a loom geek? I really enjoy trying out different pieces of equipment and though I’d love to try every large tapestry loom, mostly I’m testing small looms that I have the space for (or not!). Last week I talked about this new-to-me loom I’m playing with from weaversbazaar in the UK. I’ve had a wonderful time picking the shed and trying out the WB heavy 5/2 wool. You can read about that HERE. I wanted to share a bit more about the clamps that are holding the loom and try them with a couple other looms I like.*

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Messing around with looms and yarn: playing with wool and wood

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Messing around with looms and yarn: playing with wool and wood

I’m constantly experimenting with tools and yarn and techniques in tapestry weaving. It gives me a lot of joy and though the outcomes of these experiments is sometimes unpleasing, the process is always educational and more ideas surprise me with their success than not. Lately I’ve been working on a loom that weaversbazaar in the UK sells. It is a simple tensioned frame made by Andrew Dickinson.*

The beauty of a tensioned frame loom.

Tension is the friend of a tapestry weaver. At least it is for me. I do know some tapestry weavers who love a floppy warp and who weave very large things on wooden non-tensioned frames that have nails on the edges. I admire their ability to manage the weave with non-tensioned equipment at such a large size! But for me, a loom with some tensioning ability is the best.

Yarn and color: using yarn color cards made with actual yarn

Yarn and color: using yarn color cards made with actual yarn

If I had an Olympic-level talent, I think we could all agree it would it is for collecting yarn that might be useful for tapestry weaving. I justify this to both myself and the IRS as an exceptionally important teaching tool. If I have some idea of at least some of the commercially available yarns out there that work well for tapestry, I can pass that information on to my students which makes them more successful in their learning.

One thing I love to have in front of me when evaluating a potential material is color cards made with actual yarn. Many companies use printed color cards and it is impossible to really know what color that yarn is until you order some of the it. In tapestry weaving, the color of the yarn matters a great deal and so yarn cards are a fantastic tool if they’re available.

I had the idea for this post when Gist Yarn sent me these beauties with their new Array tapestry yarn. These may be the most beautiful yarn cards I’ve ever seen. Turns out they do these for all of their signature yarns.

The Little Guy Grows!

The Little Guy Grows!

I wrote a blog post last year about loom length and how it impacts tapestry weaving. The post is called Questions from the Book: Ease of Weaving and Loom Length. In that post I advocated for longer looms and more free warp because it really makes weaving easier no matter what loom you’re using. See the post for details about why I feel this way.

Since that post, the one Mirrix loom that I have struggled with a bit because it felt like the warp was too short has had an upgrade. (Admittedly this is just my preference and the original Little Guy loom works just perfectly as it is!) You can now get the Little Guy loom in the Tall Guy version. The new loom adds inches to both the threaded rod and the copper pipe making the overall maximum height of the loom 5 inches longer.

Weft bundling tricks and tools

Weft bundling tricks and tools

Color use in tapestry weaving is an unending source of exploration. When you’re first starting out you’ll probably use one solid color at a time. But the world of color can be vastly expanded by mixing weft colors in a bundle.

Most tapestry yarns are thin enough that you can use several strands at once. This practice is called weft bundling and is of great benefit if you want to mix colors. The video below talks about various aspects of weft bundling including:

  • how to match up multiple strands of weft

  • why you might want to use a weft bundle

  • possible tools to carry your weft bundle including some you may not have considered