Fixing Shedding Issues in Tapestry Weaving
or…
"WHY won’t it weave and how do I fix it?"
Shed:
(n.) the space between upper and lower warp yarns through which the weft is woven; (v) to divide warp yarns to create such a space.
Shed:
(v.) to lose a covering by natural process; to cause to flow
Let’s shed our issues with tapestry sheds!
Join me for this fun online course with live workshop components. The live components are listed below. They’re both recorded in case you can’t attend one or both of them.
Saturday, March 30th, 2024. 10 am MT on Zoom. This meeting will last 1.5-2 hours and we will go over all the main content for the class. Line up your time zone HERE.
Thursday April 11, 2024. 2 pm MT on Zoom. Q&A session. This session will be one hour and we’ll tackle whatever questions you’ve had from your homework or the first session. Line up your time zone HERE.
About the workshop
If you are a newer tapestry weaver or perhaps even if you’ve been working in this medium for awhile, you may find that the shapes you want to weave next to each other are “in the wrong shed”. It can be frustrating to try to fix this problem and if you don’t, you’ll most likely see the warp peeking through at the edges of your shapes.
There are a few reasons for shedding problems as you weave and I’ll show you how you end up in the “it doesn’t weave!” pickle and then how to fix it in various situations. We’ll start by briefly reviewing terminology and how meet and separate works and then I’ll show you how to fix shedding problems first as we weave straight across in a line, and then for various kinds of built-up shapes.
You’ll get a technical handout you can download and refer to and at the end of the first session, I’ll challenge you to practice some specific exercises. The next week we’ll have a second session where we’ll go over more examples, you can ask your questions, and you’ll have an opportunity to share what you’re working on.
Some people may want to have a loom ready and weave along with me as I demonstrate these things. Most will want to watch the demonstrations closely and then practice when we are not online. Either is fine.
Workshop communication: We will be using my online course platform, Pathwright, to communicate during the course. This is also where you’ll find the recordings and other information after the workshop is finished. You have access for as long as you want it. You can also use the platform to communicate with other students about shedding issues now and in the future. You can find all your courses at this link: https://rebeccamezoff.pathwright.com/library/. The Fixing Your Sheds class is at this specific link: https://rebeccamezoff.pathwright.com/library/fixing-your-sheds-in-tapestry-weaving-175105/477651/path/
Pricing
The online course and workshop is $49
“This was such an inspirational class and opened up my Ah ha moment. Amazing! ”
knowledge required
This class is for people who have some experience with tapestry weaving. I am assuming you can warp your loom and that you know what I mean when I say “meet and separate” and “shed”. (I will review those terms briefly just so we’re all on the same page!) If you’ve taken a class from me, you’re ready. Introduction to Tapestry Weaving is a good starter if you haven’t done any tapestry weaving at all.
Preparation
The material for this workshop will be on Pathwright, the platform I use for my larger online courses. After you register, you’ll find preparation materials there so you can get ready for the weaving experience. I recommend setting aside 15 minutes to look through the materials before the live workshop starts.
The Pathwright platform will be the place you can upload photos and questions after the first session especially if you want me to address them in the second class session.
Materials
The first live meeting will be fairly fast-paced and will include several video clips. You are welcome to have a warped loom handy for this meeting if you want to try something along with me. I think most people will spend more time with the homework and practicing on the loom after the live event. There is more information about materials in the course.
Homework
At the end of the live session I will give you a handout with exercises you can work through to practice various shedding challenges. I recommend spending some time trying the exercises and bringing your triumphs and challenges to the second class meeting.
Please upload photos of your work to the class platform before the second session if at all possible. If you have a specific question about something and you have a great photo of the issue, I am quite likely to use your photo and question as I talk about solutions. It really helps everyone else if I can show a photo of what the question is when we talk about how to fix it. If I have enough time I can set up a demo to show you how to work with the issue, so make sure to give me a little lead time to make all that come together.
The homework could be done in as little as 30 minutes or you might decide to weave some larger samples and take a few hours. If this issue with shedding is confusing for you, set aside more time before the second meeting to practice!
Thoughts from past students of this workshop
“This was a great workshop. It really helped me figure out where I was having shedding problems and gave really concrete methods of addressing the issues. Thank you so much.”
“This was a major help to me—maybe the most important was how to “read” my weaving at the turns—It was obvious when you showed it with the close-ups, but I hadn’t figured it out on my own. My only knowledge of handling shedding problems was “whenever adding a new shape/color, must have 2 butterflies.” I have now learned other options.... And, I found the closeups in “real life” showing how to determine the right direction for starting a yarn between 2 shapes very helpful.
I very much enjoyed the Q&A and your allowing questions that were not specifically on shedding.
Thank you very much for this workshop—I found it very worthwhile.”
“This workshop was very enlightening. I have been moving away from mostly weaving geometric designs and line by line weaving into graphic designs. As I am weaving more shapes, knowing how to fill- in and be in the correct shed was a problem. Now I have a better understanding of why preplanning where and how a shape is to be finished off so I can correctly fill-in the adjoining area is clearer. The mixture of your presentations-videos, real-time demonstrations was so helpful. Your handouts are always of great value. I can’t tell you how many times I have them next to my loom when I get stuck. Now I know where to go in your book for additional help as well. I enjoyed this short workshop style focus on a specific topic and hope you offer more. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge and experience.”
“I LOVED the “fixing the shed” class. Well worth it.”