I'll be picking up more yarn next week but have enough to begin. I'm trying a combination of inking on and following the cartoon... I haven't inked on in many years but want to keep the fiddlehead stems as close to the design as I can so though that would be the way. I've found on this large loom that I can hang my design across the top so I can refer to it as I make color choices.
I'm using rare earth magnets for the first time to help hold the cartoon in place--learned about these from Rita L. and Diane H. at the Sutherland workshop Pat & I taught last fall. So far, no slipping of the cartoon. I'll stitch it in place if I begin the have trouble with it. Main challenge right now is to keep my needles that I'm stitching the slits with from leaping onto the magnets!
More as this progresses... right now, time to go home for the day.
I love your cartoon! And it makes me laugh because I just posted a question on the tapestry list about borders....to border or not to border! They seem to be less popular than they were 10 years ago, and I was debating whether to use them on some new small pieces....or not?
ReplyDeleteJan, I use borders quite a lot. And I don't give a *#*@* whether they're popular or not!! Your pieces in which you've used borders are stellar. Don't worry about whether things will be seen by the masses as popular -- just do what you want to. My rejections in the last three ATB shows tells me that... the pieces I've submitted were the best I can do, and I've got to do what I feel strongly about (which those pieces were) and not worry about what others think.
ReplyDeleteHi Tommye
ReplyDeleteAs always your work is great and your blogs very helpful and informative. I find that by placing a magnet in a strategic area of the tapestry, I can attache that needle to the designated magnet to keep it out of the way. That way I don't have needles and threads dangling and getting twisted, especially when I transport my work to our weekly tapestry group meetings.
Thanks for the tip, Diane! Rather than avoiding the magnets with the needles I can make them work to keep them from dangling... what a great idea. Thank you, too, for suggesting them. I can't remember how you said you learned about them... how was that?
ReplyDeleteIt was quite interesting to realize (after placing about the 4th one by r-e-a-c-h-i-n-g around to the back of the wide tapestry that I could put the two together near the edge and slide them over to where I wanted them by sliding the front one... a definite DUH moment for me.
How lovely to see your fiddleheads. Caz planted some next to my outdoor loom a couple of days ago, so I will get to follow progress in two directions, as it were.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with your comment about 'doing what you want to'; it is the only way to make authentic work with integrity.
I will look out for these rare earth magnets. I have been using a small size tagging gun, but the yarns do sometimes snag.
Thanks for your nice thought, LouLou! So good to hear from you and I'm enjoying watching what's happening with the outdoor loom at your blog.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've used these magnets (be sure, if you get them, that your doggy doesn't accidently ingest--they can prove fatal, it seems! All kinds of warnings on the packaging about not having them around children or even people with pace makers)
These came in a pkg. of 10, 5/16" diameter x 5/64" thick.