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| My second sample |
Last week I wove my second tapestry weaving sample.
It didn't go too well. The problems started as soon as I wove the first few wefts because the warp thread wasn't strong enough and it snapped. I had to keep tightening the right hand warp and, as I wove, the weft on the right hand side got thinner and thinner. The weft on the left hand was fine.
Anyway, I couldn't complete the piece because, by the time I reached the top the warp was shrinking too much. Lesson learned: make sure the warp yarn is strong!
This piece is all about experimenting with different yarns including metallic thread and silk. The weft from the green section up to the top of the piece is all silk thread, hand dyed by me, left over from embroidery projects. As it is space dyed it gives the tapestry a depth that uniformly dyed yarn doesn't have. Also, silk has a natural lustre to the fibres which I love.
I need a lot more practice at circles and shapes - hopefully I will be able to get an even weave eventually. You can follow my weaving journey on Pinterest too.Jo X
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| My first finished sample |
I have finished my first weaving sample.
I thought I would have a try at weaving circles - they came out bigger than I thought they would. The cream coloured one turned out the best. After the first one (on the left) I realised that I needed to make the sides of the circle longer so that it would keep its shape and not look squashed. After that I wove a row of soumak before moving onto straight lines.
Below the circles I attempted to weave a blend of beige, cream and brown lines but I made a bit of a pig's ear of it (weaving three colours under electric light wasn't such a good idea) so I tried it again after the circles by using only two colours (rust and cream). Definitely an improvement. My final band has been to practice shapes with a wavy background of a slightly thicker yarn.
I can't begin to tell you how therapeutic this has been so far - it really takes all my concentration. This has to be good for the soul!
I've cut the sample from the frame and woven all the ends into the back. My next sample will be straight lines because I need to practice getting the selvedge even - it's quite lumpy and bumpy.
Jo X
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| My first sample |
I have taken up tapestry weaving.
Whilst on holiday I visited Woolfest at Cockermouth and re-ignited my love of all things textile. When I studied textie design (many years ago) I did a short course on handweaving at The Handweavers Studio in Walthamstow and I absolutely loved it. But printmaking dominated my studies and I abandoned constructed textiles in favour of surface decoration.
I am amazed at how much I remember from that short course as I embark on the first of a series of samples I am going to make in order to practice and re-learn the techniques of tapestry weaving. This first sample shows plain weave, a soumak, blending colours, pick and pick, stripes and curves. I can already see that the warp is bulking out at the sides (!) because I am not puling the weft firmly around the end warps. (This is because I am trying to avoid pulling the weft too tight and distorting the warp)
I have a very long way to go before I am a confident weaver - I am waiting for the lovely weaver Chrissie Freeth to start teaching so that I can become an improver rather than a beginner - but it is such a therapeutic activity. I shall be keeping a weaving diary here on my blog so that I can chart my progress.
Jo X
