Change the Shed Episodes April 20, 2020 through May 27, 2020
Group 2
Episode groups
Group 1: March 27, 2020 through April 17, 2020
Group 2: April 20, 2020 through May 27, 2020
Group 3: June through September, 2020
Group 4: October through December, 2020
Group 5: January through June, 2021
Group 6: July through December, 2021
Group 7: January through June, 2022
Group 8: July through December, 2022
Group 9: January through June, 2023
Group 10: July through December, 2023
Group 11: January through December, 2024
Return to main Change the Shed page
Many episodes have photos or links for more information about what I was talking about under the summary. Donation button for Change the Shed is on the top of THIS page if you’re interested in helping support the technology and time taken to make this free program happen. Thank you!
Monday, April 20, 2020 is HERE. Working on the Hot Flash tapestry. A toe with purple toenail polish appears and may not stay long. Showed eccentric weaving with silk.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 is HERE. Weaving on the Hot Flash tapestry. The toenail color has changed. Fixed a double shot (two wefts in the same shed). I also talked a little bit about ridging and what causes it.
MAXIMO LAURA
Take a look at his weaving. We were talking about changing setts and patterns. His website is: https://maximolaura.com/
Wednesday, April 22, 2020 is HERE. This is the one day I set up my greenscreen for a different backdrop. I worked on the Hot Flash Tapestry with two setts: 8 and 16 epi. I demonstrated sewing a slit. Showed some of the challenges of weaving at two setts on one piece especially where they meet each other. I also talked about the tines per inch in a tapestry beater.
Thursday, April 23, 2020 is HERE. I worked on the Windows piece on the Handywoman piece including taking out some silk I didn’t like. I also talked about the Mirrix Saffron loom. I showed how to tighten this loom. I also talked about Helena Hernmarck’s work and the workshop I took from her in 2012.
HELENA HERNMARCK
Her website is: https://www.hernmarck.com/
My blog post about the workshop I had with her in 2012 and her show at the American Swedish Institute is HERE. There are some details in that post showing the weave structure.
JAMES KOEHLER BOOK
You can get James’ book HERE. It is expensive because the remaining author has used Blurb to self-publish and if you’ve ever made a self-published photo book, you know that every color page after about 30 has an additional cost. I do believe it is worth the cost or if you belong to a fiber guild, convince them to purchase a copy you can borrow.
MY BLOG POSTS ABOUT SETT
This set of six posts about sett can be helpful. You can find a recap post with the rest linked HERE.
Friday, April 24, 2020 is HERE. Working on the Windows piece on the Handywoman slotted loom. Talked about finishing with the small pick and pick piece I finished from the Mirrix Saffron loom.
SARAH SWETT
Sarah also has made tapestries in many forms (like Susan below) including books. She just wrote THIS blog post with the most adorable tapestry book. Definitely read her blog for more inspiration. Make sure to check out her soon-to-be-released how-to PDF, Tucking the Tails. It is fantastic (I got a sneak peek)! It looks like it’ll be available very soon.
SUSAN MARTIN MAFFEI’S TAPESTRY WORK
Susan has made all kinds of tapestries from her small traveling pieces made while riding the train across the USA to her huge tapestries woven on scaffold looms. Her current work about endangered species and bugs is marvelous. Her website is: http://susanmartinmaffei.com/
SKETCHBOOK SKOOL
Monday, April 27, 2020 is HERE. Worked on the Hot Flash tapestry. I’m weaving the silk butterfly as well as some eccentric silk lines.
THRUMS BOOKS
This publisher is run by Linda Ligon, the founder of Handwoven and Interweave (now co-owner of Long Tail Media and in charge of Handwoven again!). The books Thrums publishes are gorgeous. They are all fabulous. I mentioned THIS book by Deborah Chandler and THIS book about Laos. Thrums website is HERE.
5 INCH WEAVING NEEDLES
I mentioned these Susan Bates needles. They can sometimes be found in craft stores. They are blunt on the end and work nicely for some looms. (Also if you use Amazon, consider using Amazon Smile and choosing the American Tapestry Alliance for your charity.)
ABBY FRANQUEMONT’S SPINNING BOOK
If you are interested in spindle spinning, Abby is a pro. Her book is HERE and is called Respect the Spindle. Abby grew up in Peru and has had a spindle in her hand since she was a small child.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020 is HERE. Weaving the butterfly in Hot Flash today.
Monday, May 4, 2020 is HERE. Working on Hot Flash. The butterfly is in process with silk at 16 epi. This is the first larger double-sett tapestry that I’ve woven and at this point in the process, I knew it was going to turn out just fine. I showed mixing colors of silk for the outlines, eccentric weaving, splicing, and other techniques.
SMALL AMOUNTS OF HARRISVILLE HIGHLAND
You can purchase smaller amounts of Highland from The Weaver’s Loft or Dakota Designs.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 is HERE. Hot Flash is done and I put in the waste yarn and cut it off the loom. In the process I talked about preventing draw-in when you’re using just one color all the way across a tapestry, mounting small tapestries, and finishing. We looked at the back and I mapped out my plan to get the piece ready for show.
MY BLOG!
My blog is a good source of information about tapestry weaving. Yes, I’m working on a better categorization system for posts and I realize the search function is a little wonky. But there are some great things there, or just follow along in future. Best way to do that is to sign up for my newsletter HERE. It comes out on Thursdays.
MOUNTING TAPESTRIES
There are several great articles on the American Tapestry Alliance’s website on the education page about mounting tapestries. I also cover this in Weaving Tapestry on Little Looms (small format with stretcher bars) and Warp and Weft (large tapestries with hanging bar). ATA’s education pages are free, so take a look. I do encourage you all to join this fantastic organization. They are doing a great deal to ensure that tapestry weaving remains a recognized visual art today.
Monday, May 11, 2020 is HERE. Weaving on the second Windows piece on a Handywoman shop slotted loom. These pieces are 2x2 inches, have open warp bits, and are woven with handspun. I demonstrated how I draw the cartoon on the warp on very small pieces.
JOHN MOSS BOBBINS
I don’t have any more information than this website, but this is the bobbin maker we were talking about this day. https://www.johnandjoymosswoodturners.com/tapestry-bobbins-wood-brass/
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 is HERE. Working on the second Windows piece on the Handywoman loom. Talked about the miracle of steaming a finished tapestry with the Hot Flash tapestry as an example. Demonstrated doing half-damascus knots on Hot Flash.
JOAN BAXTER MOVIE IS AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON FACEBOOK
I believe THIS LINK should work. It is on the Lore Film Project Facebook page. The film is called Threads from the Deep. It is a short film about Joan Baxter’s work in tapestry.
Monday, May 18, 2020 is HERE. Working on the Listen tapestry on a copper pipe loom. Talked some about the yarn I was testing and what to look for in a tapestry yarn. Talked about EPiC yarn and Fringeless set-up for this piece.
DOUBLE HALF-HITCH KNOTS
This YouTube video shows how to make them for use when warping. The other time I use this knot is for a double half-hitch header. That procedure is shown in depth in the Weaving Tapestry on Little Looms course. (There is still a discount on this class until the end of May. See above.)
TUCKING THE TAILS
Sarah Swett’s new PDF about ways to manage tails in tapestry weaving is available on her website here: https://www.afieldguidetoneedlework.com/store/p27/Tucking_The_Tails.html
FRINGELESS ONLINE COURSE
If you want to know how to make four-selvedge tapestries in the way I showed on this day, take a look at an online course I produced. Sarah Swett taught it and it is so much fun! It is called Fringelesss.
EPIC YARN
The website for the colored yarn I was using this day is https://timeless-textiles.com/
Wednesday, May 20 is HERE. Working on the Listen Fringeless tapestry again. Discussed the challenge of getting yarns in the correct shed. Gave some tips for circles (though did not weave one here!)
SUSAN MARTIN MAFFEI AND ARCHIE BRENNAN
Susan’s website is here: http://susanmartinmaffei.com/
To order their video series go here: http://susanmartinmaffei.com/woven-tapestry-techniques-video
Archie’s website: http://www.brennan-maffei.com/
I was talking about weaving from the bottom to the top and mentioned an image of Susan working on a huge scaffold loom weaving a piece without a cartoon. She has a nice article about weaving without a cartoon from April 2020 on her website HERE. Her New York Times Series is HERE. Click on the image and you’ll see a slide show with more. The image I was talking about with Susan weaving near the ceiling while sitting on scaffolding is in a really old blog post of mine that you can see HERE.
SCHACHT ARRAS TAPESTRY LOOM
This loom is one that I’m going to do some video content about soon! (Seriously!) I did an interview with Jane Patrick about my work on the prototype HERE and you can see it on their website HERE.
ROBBIE LAFLEUR’S BLOG
Robbie studies and teaches about Norwegian tapestry weaving. Her blog is fascinating and you should visit it! https://robbielafleur.com/
THE PRINCESS BRIDE
ROUSes are the big creatures in the fire swamp in The Princess Bride. If you are from the USA and you have not seen this classic 1987 film, you must watch it right now. (My apologies for the rather obscure reference to the ROUSes though. Here is a short clip in case you’re not inclined to watch the whole movie.)
Monday, May 25, 2020 is HERE. Working on the second Windows piece on the Handywoman loom. Talked some about different wool warps. We ended up talking about moths some. Also talked about cutbacks near the end with Hot Flash as an example.
WOOL WARPS
Well! This day was an adventure! Besides not being able to see what I was weaving, I hadn’t eaten breakfast (did a yoga class and just didn’t get to it) so I think my brain was sugar-starved. You all were so kind to my bumbling self. But it is true that I weave myself into corners all the time and finding my way out is just part of the weaving journey.
I did talk some about warps and the ones I mentioned were these:
Brown Sheep. This is a singles warp. You might have to request it from Brown Sheep directly or from a place like The Woolery.
Jaggerspun 2-ply warp. I get this from Halcyon yarn HERE.
Janet Austin mentioned Davidson’s (this might be the wool wrap that Mirrix sells but I’m not sure). Another place that sells wool warp is Clasgens. I haven’t used it in 15 years, so I can’t vouch for it now.
KNITTED DUCKS AND CHICKENS
If you’re a knitter, you can find the little animal patterns from @mochimochiworld.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 is HERE. Further work on the Listen tapestry on the copper pipe loom.
KLAUS ANSELM
Klaus was a fellow student of James Koehler. https://anselmtapestries.com/
AMERICAN TAPESTRY ALLIANCE ARTIST PAGES
This is a treasure trove. You can get a snapshot of tapestry artists and then find more information on their websites (if they have one). https://americantapestryalliance.org/artist-pages/
SCOTTISH GALLERY ARTIST PROFILES
I saw these videos originally on Facebook, but it looks like the Scottish Gallery has now made them public on their YouTube channel. Sarah Brennan. Jo Barker.
JOHN BRENNAN
This is the instagram feed I mentioned. https://www.instagram.com/jpbrennantapestry/ I may have said at some point during a Change the Shed episode that I wondered if John Brennan was Archie Brennan’s son. I should not have said this out loud because I did not know. I believe he is not and I apologize for any mischaracterization of relationships between anyone with the last name “Brennan”!