Tying up loose ends from Arrowmont...and moving on

The last day at the Arrowmont class, Friday, was a whirlwind of activity in the class. Each finished off the tapestry sampler as a small hanging, including making a display background and attaching the weaving to that. We used a simple method of cutting foam core board (a couple of pieces used together as one for more sturdiness), covering it with a thin layer of quilt batting and then a neutral cotton flannel fabric. The fabric was stapled into place at the back, trimming and tucking in the edges neatly. The tapestry was then stitched onto the mounting board, around the edges using a sewing thread to blend with the tapestry and a curved needle to do the stitching.

This mounting method is one adapted from that shown in a workshop years ago by Archie and Susan... (and, yes, Gerda, that's one more mark for Archie's name! Gerda started making hash marks to show each time I'd used his name throughout the week.)



There are several methods for displaying tapestry given in an ATA online article at this link. And, when I checked up with Kathy Spoering's blog after I got home yesterday I saw that she's just posted a great tutorial at her blog about mounting a small tapestry. The link to that is here.

With all of the flurry of final activity, packing up the studio and moving it out by 5:30 on Friday, then jumping in the car and driving for a quick session of pet and woods walk therapy at Sapphire, I didn't post on our last class day. So those last day photos are here.



Phyllis completed the sampler, cut it off and rewarped for a wider width on her loom before she had to leave on Thursday afternoon. Her weaving was a beautiful example of the effect of small and bright focal point within a larger field of darker values. The bright yellow reminded us of a doorway with warm light drawing us in.

Gerda warped her wood frame loom, made heddles on Friday and was happily weaving the header by the end of the day...getting ready for her next tapestry to be done when she's back home again.

Jennifer is stitching her tapestry onto her mounting board and here's the finished piece below.  The tapestry really turned into a wonderful journey on the warp, suggesting a resolution of image to her along the way.  The colorful doorway or window through which other world of reality can be seen was woven eccentrically so that the edge projects out of the piece there.

Jennifer's finished tapestry

Gerda's finished tapestry

Gerda used yarns she'd brought with her, many collected by her mother through the years.  Gerda's very involved with knitting afghans for Afghans and also doing quilts to send in relief efforts to other countries.  She's done hundreds of both by now and has knitting with her everywhere she goes.

All in all, now with the week completed I feel the class was successful. I'm happy to have had the time at Arrowmont to introduced two new budding tapestry weavers to the challenges and joys of the process.  I'm also glad to have helped the other weaver with whom I've worked before be able to move more steps along her way toward mastering tapestry.  That weaver gave me a quote that I'll be using in the future: "Life's a mystery, not a puzzle."  Thank you for that, Phyllis!