Tapestry group challenge

Some members of our small group that meets regularly have taken up a challenge, proposed by one of our members. The challenge was issued in response to our enjoyment of having participated in the Johnston Collection Christmas exhibition last year. We were commenting on the focus it gave us last year and how we need to maintain the enthusiasm.

Now 9 of us are working towards making small tapestries that are going to be put together to make one larger image. A photo of autumn leaves was divided up into 9 sections and we all have a section each to do.
We can use any hitching on method we like but we are all using seine twine 12. That is as far as the instructions go, really. We are free to choose the warp sett that best suits our interpretation, using the seine twine 12, and our colour interpretation is up to us too.

Today we brought along what we had done. Three members have finished theirs (and it was a challenge for at least one person to do that large a warp) and the rest of us have made various amounts of progress.

Doing part of a photo means that you are not trying to reproduce an actual image, you have a more abstract piece to work on. I have found that very freeing. I know, intellectually, that they are parts of leaves but I am working on just parts that have different amounts of light and shade and it is easier to ignore the larger picture. 

I also know that we will not all be interpreting the colours the same way, that we weave differently and that the parts may not all match up perfectly - and it doesn't matter! It is part of the fun.

Two finished pieces and one still on the loom.

Two that go side by side.

Another two side by side.

It was quite exciting to see pieces laid together as they appear in the photo and see the image appearing.

We are working from a small cut-out piece of the original photo, a larger colour printed photocopy (which has printed out slightly different colours from the photo) and a black and white master at the exact size for weaving. It really is aptly called a challenge, to meld those three sources.

I am enjoying it greatly! And it is making me weave.
Thanks Pat, great idea.