Introduction to Rug Weaving

Expand what you can make

This class is all about expanding what you can make with tapestry weaving. We learning to use rug-weight yarn to make textiles using tapestry techniques. In the class I’ll be using Gist Yarn’s brand new Dwella rug-weight yarn.

We’ll start small with table-top textiles that are 12 inches wide. By the time we’re finished you will have all the skills you need to make larger floor rugs (if you’re so inclined!)

If you want to purchase the materials to make exactly what you see here, the course is offered through Gist Yarn in one of their stellar kits. The kit includes:

• 7 balls of Dwella rug-weight yarn in 5 beautiful colors

• 1 cone of cotton seine twine tapestry warp

• access to the Introduction to Rug Weaving Online Course

I you’d like to purchase just the course alone, you can source your own rug-weight yarn and join me online for this rug-weaving adventure. In that case you’ll register for the course alone right on my course platform Pathwright.

Expand your tapestry skill set, or dive into tapestry weaving for the first time!

Who is this course for?

I assume very basic weaving knowledge (if you can warp your loom, you’re good to go!) but have created this course with a variety of weavers in mind.

I’ve designed this course to be accessible to fabric or shaft weavers who don’t have any experience with tapestry as well as tapestry weavers who are in the intermediate-beginner level of learning or beyond. I teach basic tapestry techniques and concepts but I don’t go over how to warp your loom. I’m assuming you’ve woven something before on your equipment and can manage warping yourself. (I have other courses with that information if you need it!)

Course content

This online class will teach you:

• Basic tapestry concepts like meet and separate, weft tension, and sett

• Tapestry techniques such as splicing, angles, curves, and eccentric outlines

• What sorts of looms will work for rugs and tapestry and which ones are best left to other kinds of weaving

• I’ll walk you through two different projects. You can weave them exactly as I show you or you can modify them in any way you’d like including using different colors or a different yarn entirely

• Finishing steps including making the braided edge you see in the photos

• Throughout, we’ll tackle common problems people have with managing selvedges, warp spacing, and anything else that comes up for you individually. I answer your questions right in the class whenever you have them

• There are downloadable PDFs detailing all the information given in the videos

• There is also a great community of learners in the class who you can interact with and learn from

HOw to purchase

Purchase the course as part of a kit of materials from Gist Yarn: The course plus kit with warp and weft yarn is $216. If you want to purchase the kit with the course, click the button below. Gist will send you a PDF with a link to get into the course and they’ll have your yarn in the mail to you soon!

Or you can purchase the course by itself on my course platform Pathwright.

More about Dwella rug yarn and Gist’s kit

Dwella is a stunning rug-weight yarn that Gist has been working on developing for a couple years to get everything just right. I’ve been priviledge to be able to test it during this time and I’m thrilled with the resulting yarn. It is beautifully reflective and it weaves well using tapestry techniques. I recommend using this yarn for these projects if you are able to get it! (People in the USA of have easier access to this particular yarn so if you live somewhere else and need to use a different rug yarn, look for something that is about 350 ypp.)

The Dwella colors are based on the Array tapestry wool line Gist makes. They have 24 colors of Dwella currently. If you’re an Array user, you’ll recognize the colors in the photo below as being Marigold 1, Cinnamon 2, Natural, Ocean 1, and Ocean 3. Gist has renamed the colors in the Dwella line. They are Potter (Cinnamon 2), Chanterelle (Marigold 1), Natural, Marina (Ocean 1), and Patina (Ocean 3).

With this kit you’ll get two balls each of Potter and Marina, plus one ball each of Chanterelle, Natural, and Patina for seven balls of yarn total.

Also included in the kit is a tube of Brassard’s cotton seine twine warp in the #6 size. This warp will work on a floor loom in a 12 dent reed. You can do this class on a shafted floor loom or on a frame-type tapestry loom (more details below). We are going to weave these projects at 6 epi.

The projects

We’re going to weave two table-top projects that are 12 inches wide. You’ll have enough yarn in your kit to weave both of them with some left over for further experimenting.

The projects will teach you how to make angles, make curves, and finish your work.

In the first project we’ll weave line by line and create angles with a suggested triangle in the negative space (see the project in brown in the photos). In the second project we’ll learn to build up shapes and create curves. We’ll then outline those curves for a striking pattern (see the project in blue-green in the photos).

And after you’ve finished weaving the projects, we’ll learn to finish them so they lay flat and wear well for years of use.

By the end of class you’ll have all the skills you need to weave larger floor rugs.

FAQ

There are extensive FAQs on my website HERE if you don’t see your question below.

Can I see what videos are in the course somewhere?

In the video below I show you the steps in the course and talk about what material I’m presenting.

Preview the course

You can also go right to the course on Pathwright and click the Preview button you’ll see in the middle of the screen. The Welcome video is open for you to watch and you can look through the rest of the steps in the class.

Where do I sign up?

You can purchase the kit plus course through Gist Yarn HERE.

Or you can purchase the course alone on my online platform Pathwright HERE.

What materials and tools do I need?

I review this in depth in the class, but here is a basic list:

• a loom suitable for tapestry. You can do this class on a shafted floor loom or on a frame-type tapestry loom. It will work best if the loom has tensioning ability. The projects are 12 inches wide by 12 or 16 inches long and you’ll need a loom that can accommodate this and still give you a shed. These projects are fun to weave on a shafted floor or table loom if you have one!

• If you’re using a shafted floor loom, you’ll need either a 6 or a 12 dent reed for it. On a Mirrix I used a 12 dent coil and warped every other dent (Mirrix doesn’t make a 6 dent coil). The Schacht Arras loom works very well and does come with a 6 dent coil.

• a tapestry fork or beater. I suggest the Schacht Duet if you don’t have a tapestry fork already.

• measuring tape or ruler, tapestry or yarn needle, permanent marker

• If your loom doesn’t have a shedding device, a shed stick or batten appropriate to the size projects we’re doing (the Schacht 9 inch weaving stick for example).

Can I use a jack floor loom for this class?

Yes! I made this class with shafted floor loom weavers in mind and most of you have lightweight jack looms. Because these projects are not very wide, they will be weaveable on light jack looms like the Schacht Wolf line looms and the Harrisville shafted looms. Of course if you want to weave very large floor rugs, you’re going to want to purchase a loom for rugs like the Harrisville Rug Loom or the Schacht Cranbrook. But for the purposes of this project, your lightweight jack loom will be okay. You will be unable to get a very tight tension unless you have a Macomber, but most shafted jack floor looms will be just fine for this class.

How do I find my class?

My classes are hosted on a platform called Pathwright. If you purchased the course in a kit from Gist Yarn, they sent you a PDF with a link to get into the class. If you purchased the class straight from me, you can always find your classes in your Pathwright library.

Once you’ve registered, bookmark this link or remember you can always find it on my website under FAQ (tapestryweaving.com). https://rebeccamezoff.pathwright.com/library/ From that link after signing in, either go to the menu top left and click Home to see your courses or navigate to the Introduction to Rug Weaving class.

I don’t see my class when I go to Pathwright!

If you purchased from Gist Yarn, you will get a link to get into the course in a PDF from them right after you purchase the class. Make sure that you have gone to that link and clicked it. That will take you to my online course platform where you’ll either need to make an account if you’ve never taken a class from me before, or it will add the course to your Pathwright account.

The most frequent problem if you don’t see your class in Pathwright is that you are using two different emails. If you already own some of my classes, try a different email and see if the class is there. If you can’t find it, please email support@rebeccamezoff.com for assistance.

How long do I have access to the class?

You have access to this class for as long as you want it. There is no end date, so you can come back to it months or years from now for reference or to weave another set of projects.

Can I use a rigid heddle loom for these projects?

Maybe. Rigid heddle looms can work okay for tapestry or they can be really challenging. If you have a RH loom with four beams on it, two on each end, then you’re probably going to have a good enough tension for tapestry. If you have the sort of RH loom that only has two beams that turn to take up the warp and cloth, then you are going to struggle with tensioning. I am not a RH loom weaver and I can’t help you with issues of the heddle and sett. This yarn and these projects work best at 6 epi and I don’t think RH looms generally come with a heddle at this sett. If you can accommodate a project 12 inches wide at 6 epi and figure out the heddle (or go without), then you can use a RH loom. Remember that I won’t be able to help you with issues about your loom and it is possible that a course taught by a rigid heddle weaver might be better for you. Consider looking at the teaching of Liz Gipson at Yarnworker.

Can I download the videos?

None of the videos in my online classes are downloadable so you’ll need an internet connection to watch them. The extensive PDFs are downloadable along with the cartoons and project plans.

Can I get an ATA discount for this class?

Because this class is sold by Gist and not by me, the American Tapestry Alliance member discount code will not work.