Tapestry Doodle #14 (in progress); Hand Woven Tapestry; Hand Spun Wool (undyed) warp and weft; 2.5" x 2.5"
After writing last week's post I put an image of one of the tapestry doodles on Instagram to let people know that the post was here and in the comments, an amazing tapestry weaver from Australia, Rachel Hine, asked me "Why?"
Tapestry Doodle #12; Hand Woven Tapestry; Hand Spun Woowarp and weft; lichen dye; 2.5" x 2.5"
"Why, weave in the ends", she asked, "when the work is never going to be viewed from the back?"
You can read her whole query, and then my response, HERE,
but I've also posted some photos below,
and of course have since found more to say...
You can read her whole query, and then my response, HERE,
but I've also posted some photos below,
and of course have since found more to say...
Oh, Those Blue Dots ; Hand Woven Tapestry, Hand Stitching, wool, natural dye, wire, pebbles
The most elemental reason for weaving in my ends is that it pleases me.
I like how it looks, I like how it feels, and I like how the cloth behaves.
The technique makes it possible to get tapestries off the wall as these photos show,
and into books as you can see HERE (this is a short video showing the turning pages of "Casting Off").
I like how it looks, I like how it feels, and I like how the cloth behaves.
The technique makes it possible to get tapestries off the wall as these photos show,
and into books as you can see HERE (this is a short video showing the turning pages of "Casting Off").
Rising Circles; Hand Woven Tapestry, wool warp and weft; Natural Dye; wool, wire, wood; 27" x 12' x 5"
There is also the notion of dust and insect protection--
no enticing forests of ends in which set up camp.
Two sided tapestries (and I use the word advisedly as I am well aware that the two sides are NOT identical), can not only hang away from the wall, they can potentially BE a wall.
Not that I've done this, but it's an idea that awaits.
They use less yarn.
no enticing forests of ends in which set up camp.
Two sided tapestries (and I use the word advisedly as I am well aware that the two sides are NOT identical), can not only hang away from the wall, they can potentially BE a wall.
Not that I've done this, but it's an idea that awaits.
They use less yarn.
Walking The Walk; Hand Woven Tapestry, Hand Stitching, wool, natural dye, steel wire, stone 13" x 10" x 6"
I can, of course, see why one might NOT want to do it:
Weaving in a million ends on a complex tapestry might seem like a time consuming proposition.
Like any new skill, it could be awkward for a time.
It can be handy to have a length of yarn in just the right color waiting at the back to be pulled up and used for a new shape.
It has also not escaped my notice that when I show early work (made before I began weaving in the ends), viewers tend to be mightily impressed by the back view.
"You used ALL Those different pieces of yarn! WOW."
And sometimes a person wants to impress her viewers,
if not with the content of the imagery, then at least with the labor involved...
Weaving in a million ends on a complex tapestry might seem like a time consuming proposition.
Like any new skill, it could be awkward for a time.
It can be handy to have a length of yarn in just the right color waiting at the back to be pulled up and used for a new shape.
It has also not escaped my notice that when I show early work (made before I began weaving in the ends), viewers tend to be mightily impressed by the back view.
"You used ALL Those different pieces of yarn! WOW."
And sometimes a person wants to impress her viewers,
if not with the content of the imagery, then at least with the labor involved...
Jane's Picnic 2: Drink; Hand Woven Tapestry; Wool warp and weft; natural dye; 48" x 40"
And as I mentioned in the Instagram exchange, I also wonder how much it has to do with the ease with which one could 'mistake' a tapestry for a rug, or some other functional object-- and how leaving ends on the back makes it clear that one should most definitely NOT use this textile for a dog bed, even if it looks like a carpet-- dog, fringe and all...
Oddly, one of the things I like most about working in tapestry is that many of my pieces could, indeed, be used for rugs, or blankets, or chair covers, or spend a century or so as frost protection for espaliered fruit trees as were the Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries (now at the Cloisters in New York City)-- then be washed, dried, pressed and hung on the wall for the century after that. Not that such a thing would be ideal, but it pleases me that it is possible.
Tapestries are flexible and resilient, kind of like people.
Oddly, one of the things I like most about working in tapestry is that many of my pieces could, indeed, be used for rugs, or blankets, or chair covers, or spend a century or so as frost protection for espaliered fruit trees as were the Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries (now at the Cloisters in New York City)-- then be washed, dried, pressed and hung on the wall for the century after that. Not that such a thing would be ideal, but it pleases me that it is possible.
Tapestries are flexible and resilient, kind of like people.
Warming Up Hand Woven Tapestry, Hand Stitching, wool, natural dye, wire, wood; 12" x 12" x 10"
After over 20 years of weaving in ends, I cannot imagine NOT doing it,
but, alas, the technique does not seem to be too popular.
Happily however, as this is my blog, I get to keep mentioning it now and again,
just in case someone wants to give it a try.
but, alas, the technique does not seem to be too popular.
Happily however, as this is my blog, I get to keep mentioning it now and again,
just in case someone wants to give it a try.
Comic Diary, 26 January 2018. Pen and Ink on paper; Watercolor.
And in the meantime, I'd love to hear some other perspectives --strong opinions pro or con, or whatever thoughts come to mind.
The Instagram exchange with Rachel was invigorating but too short.
Tapestry, after all, is a vehicle for expression,
a structure that allows us to explore our psyches with yarn and shape and color,
a means of uniting ideas and substance and it can even keep us warm.
It is a medium not a set of rules,
strong enough to take whatever we ask of it,
even when we disagree.
The Instagram exchange with Rachel was invigorating but too short.
Tapestry, after all, is a vehicle for expression,
a structure that allows us to explore our psyches with yarn and shape and color,
a means of uniting ideas and substance and it can even keep us warm.
It is a medium not a set of rules,
strong enough to take whatever we ask of it,
even when we disagree.
