Every year I run a class I call Summer of Tapestry. It revolves around a practice I’ve had for many years of bringing a small loom with me when I’m hiking or traveling and weaving something about what I experienced or saw. I call the practice sketch tapestry because my goal is to capture something interesting about the experience, not to replicate what I saw in a realistic way.
I find that the practice of really looking at something and then weaving about it makes me pay attention instead of just rushing blindly through the experience and more generally, my life. The inspirations I’ve woven something about are things that I remember months and years later.
Taos calls me back again and again. I lived near there for most of a decade and never tired of visiting and hiking nearby. I now teach there several times a year and next week I get to go back again! I’m teaching for Taos Wools Festival which happens October 6 and 7. My class is earlier in the week (I might be able to sneak one more person in if you want to come!).
Taos Wools Festival is a brand new festival.
I have had two bird tapestries on the go for months now. Those of you who took Summer of Tapestry 2023* will recognize them and will also raise your eyebrows at the fact that they are not yet finished even though the live version of the class wrapped last month.
Yesterday on Change the Shed I cut off five four small tapestries from a variety of looms. I had planned on five, but the last one was not done. I wove on it some at the end of the broadcast, and you know what? Then I sat down and finished the thing and cut it off too.
This particular weaving is frenetic and WAY too busy for my taste. But it has been so fun to weave and it does fit well in the sketch tapestry spirit that the Summer of Tapestry class follows. It was woven for the process. I took photos of birds that came to my backyard feeder last spring and then I matched their colors and wove a bit about each bird. I enjoyed the time thinking about each of the birds and attempting to match their colors. The joy is in the process.
Sarah Swett and I had a fun time talking to all of you on YouTube as we discussed tapestry weaving, Fringeless four-selvedge warping, and not nearly enough about our dogs, though we were reminded to bring them into the mix! The recording of the chat is below and I’ve included some “show notes” below that.
Spending time with people who are deeply passionate about making, materials, and playing with ideas is invigorating to me and that is why people like Sarah are part of my world. We talked about many things mostly in the realm of tapestry weaving. We talked about the value of limitations and how important playing is to learning and growing.
Part of my mission in teaching tapestry weaving is to remind people that though this is an art tradition with a lot of history behind it, there are no tapestry police. You can make whatever artwork you want and utilize any fiber techniques you want to get there. Sarah is a fantastic idea of someone who uses the techniques of tapestry to experiment with all sorts of fiber ideas. Enjoy the chat and if you want to join the class which is full of more Sarah wisdom with some nuggets from me as well, there is a discount code in the video that is good a bit longer for 20% off.
I’ve come by a few new tapestry tools lately such as a new set of bobbins, some bones, wooden needles, and shed sticks came from Bobbin Boy. I also got a new tapestry fork from Magpie Woodworks. Along with these wonderfully useful tools, there was an unexpected gift. What a treasure trove all in the last few months.
A really well-made tool is such a joy. I think having a tool that works well for your body and fits your hand well is an important part of spending time making things. It is always interesting to me that the tools I love are not the ones everyone else does! But that shouldn’t be surprising since we are all different people who weave and use our bodies in different ways.
Sarah Swett is one of the most joy-filled people I’ve ever met. We made an online class together called Fringeless: Four-selvedge Warping with Sarah C. Swett in which Sarah teaches us all how to do her four-selvedge warping method. She is a fabulous teacher and by the end of the course you’ll not only have laughed many times over at our antics, but you’ll have a solid understanding of how to use this wonderful warping method yourself. Sarah also includes bonus material about her methods of tapestry weaving.
My point in saying all that is that I got to know Sarah much better over the course of the four days it took us to film the class and she has become a fantastic role model for my own creative practice.* From spinning novel materials (milkweed and coffee filters anyone?) to natural dyeing, tapestry weaving, backstrap weaving and tapestry ON a backstrap loom, to her daily cartoon journal and her new dog Beryl, her creative journey is an inspiration.
It has been a busy summer and I haven’t had nearly enough time to backpack. But I did get away for a few days to the Rawah Wilderness this week. This is one of my favorite places to visit but I hadn’t been back since the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire. The fire started perhaps 10 miles from where I camped but went in the other direction. It ended up lasting 5 months and becoming the largest wildfire in Colorado history. From this spot 60 miles from Fort Collins, the fire burned within 5 miles of the city limits.*
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I left the pups at home and hiked in about 7 miles to one of my favorite camps near Twin Crater Lakes. I spent three days sitting in the sunshine, exploring a bit, spinning, drawing, and weaving. It is a good reset to get outside, sleep on the ground, and listen to the quiet, the birds, and a moose chomping willows nearby.
Chaos reigns around here as the pups take over life day to day. I've been reveling in early morning strolls around the backyard muttering, "hurry up!" and waiting for two pees and two poops. And that is just self defense. If I’m not patient, they don't learn to potty outside and I have to clean it up inside.
If you missed my post about getting two dogs last month, you can read that HERE.
To be honest, the time wandering around my own backyard, watching the finches at the feeder and the puppy chase butterflies has been good for my soul. I’m in the middle of a couple big projects, one is personal and the other is a course, and the pups have the ability to remind me that taking a moment to relax is important. (And they do that by the pee pee on the floor reminder… I didn’t pay attention and the puppy couldn’t hold it any longer.)
