Our local tapestry group also has a theme - Building. Although it is not due for months, ideas have been floating around in my head, and my visual diary/picture collection.
I met with Joy Smith (a member of our local group and one of my teachers when I was at RMIT) to have a discussion about my weaving (and its problems), how to develop some of my ideas and generally to have a lovely afternoon tea. She helped with ideas for better technical weaving but also for developing more doable designs. So much to think about.
I would like to just start weaving a piece to improve my technique but I find it hard to work that way. I think I may have to use my theme pieces as my practice and if they are not successful, I don't have to put them in. After all, I did two for last year's theme (Circles and Squares) and only put one in.
The one I didn't put in. I've noticed that it has a similar problem to the one I am currently working on - bulges where I have straight edges. But the problem with the current work is worse, maybe because it has single warp wraps also (images to come - perhaps). Joy gave me a good tip about the wrapping. It seems obvious now but I didn't do it at the time - sew it up as you go, build up one side of the tapestry, then do the wrap and sew it every 3 passes. I have done the wrap independently of the weaving and it has too many wraps, hence the bulging (well, that is part of the reason for the bulge).
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This is the one I put in - it is based on an optical illusion. You can see the circles if you squint. Actually, now that I look at it, this one has a lot of straight lines too. If I remember correctly, I used less wool for the orange bits, the vertical ones at least, and that helped with the bulging. I don't think that is the best way to solve the problem but it worked for me at the time.
The themes and group challenges are great for motivating me, giving me a focus and actually making me develop a design and work out how to weave it. Thanks to all those who put in so much work with the online groups. I belong to a few, and they often have very interesting discussions.
The themes and group challenges are great for motivating me, giving me a focus and actually making me develop a design and work out how to weave it. Thanks to all those who put in so much work with the online groups. I belong to a few, and they often have very interesting discussions.
Joy also gave me the courage to have a go at fixing the very untidy plaiting I did on my little piece that I did in France a couple of years ago. So I will have to do that, after the warp has had a chance to uncrimp (if there is such a word).
Note that I don't have an image of the very wobbly top edge, I couldn't bear to photograph it.
The problem might be that I didn't hitch off tightly enough, as well as my loose plaiting.
Maybe I can use this in our Building exhibition - if we actually get around to putting it on - and if I can fix up the plaiting.
It was so good to talk to a mentor about the problems I am having (it would be better to call it 'the learning I am doing'). The online groups are good and the people on them are very generous with their advice but there is nothing to compare with sitting with a person, or group, and talking specifically about issues and having the tapestry there for reference.
Joy mentioned that she had entered some works into the British Tapestry Group's current exhibition - Tapestry Mischief. She said that there were pictures on their Facebook page.
Go here to see them. Beautiful. And you don't have to be on Facebook to see them.
2 comments:
Hello from Marck and Maus in Marck's kitchen.
Hello Marck and Maus. I assume you are having much different weather from us! We are having the summer that didn't happen when you visited.
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