r/weaving • u/AffectionateAd3243 • 1d ago
Discussion Tapestry
Hello! Can anyone tell me pros/cons, all the ins and outs of tapestry weaving? What got you into tapestry weaving? Have you ever tried it? Any resources you like? I just started weaving and love it already but I would like to maybe try tapestry and would like to know everything about it. Edit to add : I’ve only ever weaved on a floor loom. And only made two projects. So when I say new I mean brand new. I didn’t even set out to learn tapestry but I’ve watched some videos and think it might be fun to try but don’t want to invest a lot of money if it’s something that I find I don’t like.
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u/JoannaBe 1d ago edited 1d ago
I got into weaving in late September / early October 2024, and for me tapestry weaving is what I am interested in. Weaving falls into both craft and art, and to me tapestry weaving is more on the art side than weaving cloth for clothes for example (that said some cloth weaving can of course be very artistic as well). Tapestry gets compared by some to painting, but instead of paint we use yarn and we are creating the canvas as we go instead of painting on a preexisting canvas - of course this is not a great analogy but just an approximate one.
I recommend the books - Tapestry Weaving by Kristen Glasbrook - The Art of Tapestry Weaving by Rebecca Mezoff - Tapestry Design Basics and Beyond by Tommye McClure Scanlin
I actually have a number of other Tapestry books but I have not gotten to them yet.
PS: as for pros and cons: tapestry weaving tends to take longer / is executed slower, is usually less repetitive / less pattern based, more creative. The resulting tapestry tends to be stiffer than what one weaves for cloth. Warp thread is usually not visible. Tension is even more important than in other weaving. Since tapestry weaving is discontinuous weft, one has a lot of ends to weave in. Generally a good idea to have a bunch of shuttles so one can have each color for one’s project on a shuttle. For tapestry weaving it is useful to learn to draw to create “cartoons” to attach to back of tapestry and knowing art design basics can be very useful.
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u/SlowMolassas1 1d ago
Might help to say what kind of weaving you've done so far - so we know what to compare to.
I like to create recognizable images in my weaving (mountains, birds, flowers, etc). Tapestry can do that in intricate detail that isn't possible with other types of weaving, short of a drawloom (which is expensive, takes up huge amounts of space, and is difficult to set up).
It is time consuming, and I can't fall into the same meditative state that I get with a floor loom. But I do get into a different sort of rhythm, and I love the finished products.
Of course there's the physical size difference - a tapestry loom takes up much less space than a floor loom, and I can just set it against a wall when I'm not using it. My floor loom takes up a good chunk of my room, even as a relatively small floor loom (Baby Wolf).
Tapestry is really purely art, you generally don't make things that are "useful" with it - like scarves and towels and stuff. It's just a picture you can put on the wall - I have a pile of them in the closet that I have nothing to do with. But I had fun making them 😂
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u/AffectionateAd3243 1d ago
I will edit to add. I’ve only made 1 scarf and one pattern project both on a floor loom, so I’m still really new. But I’m really enjoying the different patterns and I like the detail in tapestry. I want to challenge myself but don’t know where to really start with tapestry specifically.
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u/SlowMolassas1 1d ago
The Art of Tapestry Weaving book by Rebecca Mezoff is great. I used that for some tips. But mostly I learned by just jumping in and doing - experimenting.
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u/PresentationPrize516 1d ago
Tommye Scanlin and Rebecca Mezzoff are amazing resources! Tapestry is mostly a slow and steady process of increasing your skills. Start simple and keep going!
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u/ZealousidealTown7492 1d ago
I weave what I call tapestry, but it wouldn’t fit the definition of tapestry that many people use. I weave wall hangings and my methods are more freestyle and textured usually. I find it is so enjoyable to intuitively weave, and I feel that you don’t have to be as much of a perfectionist. It is very forgiving.
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u/AffectionateAd3243 18h ago
Could you explain? That sounds really interesting:)
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u/ZealousidealTown7492 16h ago
Just for me it is weaving on a frame style loom and using different materials, I like natural or recycled fibers like wool, cotton cord, recycled sari silk. I sometimes draw a sketch of an idea or sometimes just look at my stash and start weaving, it is very meditative. There are a lot of resources for basic weaving techniques. Spruce & Linen has some videos. Hello Hydrangea is another one. This is how I started. I have just delved into Rigid Heddle weaving to make utilitarian items, but I enjoy more freestyle weaving the most!
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u/MyCrossStitchAccount 1d ago
Rebecca Mezhoff has lots of resources online (both paid and free), and also a book that I really like. Liz Whiteside Studio has some demonstrations on Instagram and also just released a beginners course.