Tapestry weaving is something I like to do just sometimes, when the mood takes me. Well, the mood did take me recently and I decided to follow one of my favourite themes that I haven't really explored yet - House on a hill, by the sea.
I wanted to do just small tapestries, as I planned on doing several variations on the one theme, and as a tapestry is a time investment, I thought the smaller, the better. I also have a soft spot for little things.
I warped my Sampleit loom with Ashford tapestry cotton, which is my go to tapestry warp. I used a 7.5 dent reed because that is the only size I have for the Sampleit, but a 10 - 12.5 dent reed would be preferable.
Each tapestry measures approximately 3.5" X 4".
Tapestry 1 was woven with scraps from my stash bag. My very messy, tangly stash bag! It has smaller pieces or balls of all sorts of yarns from past projects, but mostly fingering to worsted weight.
Incorporated into this piece are pieces of wool, cotton, bamboo, silk, alpaca and some unidentified freebie from long ago.
For Tapestry 2 I was going for a "twilight" look, so I chose a limited colour palette of greens, blues, greys and muted colours.
Tapestry 3 was woven entirely with 8/2 size weaving thread in cotton and cottolin. I also chose a muted colour palette for this one.
It ended up being my favourite of the three, I like the look of the finer yarn and details. It took a good deal longer to weave due to the thin yarn, but it was so relaxing, I didn't mind at all!
I plan to do a couple more little tapestries on this warp, but they will have to wait until I have a bit more time.
I wanted to do just small tapestries, as I planned on doing several variations on the one theme, and as a tapestry is a time investment, I thought the smaller, the better. I also have a soft spot for little things.
I warped my Sampleit loom with Ashford tapestry cotton, which is my go to tapestry warp. I used a 7.5 dent reed because that is the only size I have for the Sampleit, but a 10 - 12.5 dent reed would be preferable.
Each tapestry measures approximately 3.5" X 4".
Incorporated into this piece are pieces of wool, cotton, bamboo, silk, alpaca and some unidentified freebie from long ago.
For Tapestry 2 I was going for a "twilight" look, so I chose a limited colour palette of greens, blues, greys and muted colours.
Tapestry 3 was woven entirely with 8/2 size weaving thread in cotton and cottolin. I also chose a muted colour palette for this one.
It ended up being my favourite of the three, I like the look of the finer yarn and details. It took a good deal longer to weave due to the thin yarn, but it was so relaxing, I didn't mind at all!
I plan to do a couple more little tapestries on this warp, but they will have to wait until I have a bit more time.
*This is an affiliate link, which means that if you click this link and buy the book, I will receive a small commission. I only recommend books I have actually read and love.
A book that really helped me get started with tapestry is Tapestry Weaving by Kirsten Glasbrook. It is not a highly detailed book, which I think makes it great for beginners. She shows the basic techniques, gives projects for you to try and then later there are examples of her own work in a gallery. I have had this book for years and still refer back to it for information and inspiration.
I also have an Introduction to Tapestry online class, which is currently only available to members and is a great place to start out.
Also, in this Youtube video, I discuss why tapestry can be done on a rigid heddle loom, but why it's not entirely ideal.
I hope you enjoyed this post, Happy Weaving!
9 comments:
On Instagram I allready saw these beautiful houses, but it is nice to see them again and with some explanation. I really can't choose which one is my favorite, they are all three gorcious!🌷
Can’t wait to see them hung on a wall!
Thank you, Marjan 😊
Rachil, I haven't decided on exactly how I'll mount them yet, but I have some ideas to try 😊
Hi Kelly, This probably isn't the best place to ask this question, but I couldn't find another way to contact you. A couple of months ago I bought an Ashford rigid heddle loom after watching one of your youtube videos and determining that was the one you had. It has a 24-inch weaving width. I also bought a frame. My question is: when you warp your loom do you take it off the stand and place it on a table to warp it, or are you able to warp it while it's on the stand? Any tips or where to go for information would be very much appreciated.
I was wondering if using 2 heddles would give more tension for tapestry on an RHL?
Hi Maureen,
For longer warps, I take the loom off the stand and clamp it to my dining room table. For shorter warps, I leave it on the stand. I do have a very short membership class on how to warp while seated, it's not hard to do, especially for a narrower warp.
Hi Diane,
No, 2 heddles increases the sett, but not the tension.
Thank you, Kelly.
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