On and on it goes... where (when) it stops, nobody knows!

This tapestry is kicking my butt.  It should have been "easy" and it should have been "quick"--or at least as easy and quick as any tapestry ever is, especially one with a coarse sett (6 epi) and multiple weft strands (4-6).  As I mentioned in the last post, I started this in November with every intention of making it through within about four months.  March or April, I thought.  I'll have plenty of time to complete this tapestry and get another large one on the loom.

I could begin to list the things that have kept me from keeping to my self-imposed schedule of four months for weaving--but I won't.

Here's where it stands now.  It's about 14" from the top at the highest part.  60" wide.  Let's see, that's 14" x 60" = 840" square inches that remain in the weaving part of this tapestry.  At least that much... and actually a bit more since the lowest part is around 16" from the top.  How many square inches can I weave in a day?  Around six to eight, depending on complexity and how long I'll sit there doing it.

The end of the tapestry is showing at the top edge of the cartoon as it hangs, draped over the rod you see behind the warp threads.

In the last post I mentioned that I was having a lot of "what-ifs" that were distracting me from weaving on this piece.  Those what-ifs are quite interesting and are leading in paths I haven't followed before with tapestry... and may be leading to new directions to explore for awhile.  They are so engaging that I'm using time investigating them when I really should be attending to this neglected piece.

I still have a goal to include this tapestry in the upcoming exhibit at Piedmont College in September-October.  So I really, really, really, really need to put the "what-ifs" aside for a few more weeks.  I'll be back to them--I will!  And I'll describe those distractions in future post(s).

Oh... another diversion coming up right away to take me away from this tapestry is the American Tapestry Alliance retreat/workshop at Milwaukee. More about that is also at this link.  I'm looking forward to seeing folks I only get together with about every two years or so.  Lots of fiber exhibits will be in Milwaukee, as well, in conjunction with the Handweavers Guild of America conference called Convergence. 

Catching up with the big one...

I'm still weaving away on the large tapestry that's been on the loom since late November.  It has been a really hard one to weave.  Not difficult to weave, just hard to find (make) time to do it!  Distractions, what-ifs, and multiple other things have kept me from putting myself at the loom bench and weaving.  But my resolution now is ... DO IT! 

Here's where I left it last night: 

I hope to have a few more inches woven by the end of the day.  If those pesky what-ifs will leave me alone for awhile.

Obsession.

Tapestry weaving is an obsession for me.  I spend much of my day with either weaving tapestry, thinking about weaving tapestry, teaching others about weaving tapestry, reading about weaving tapestry, talking to others about weaving tapestry.

Therefore, in the past weeks since the last post I've been doing just that!  I'll show some of the things I've been doing relating to those tapestry obsessions sometime soon.  Maybe today if I can find a break in the weaving of tapestry.

Happy July 1 and the beginning of the next six months of the year to each and all!  Tapestry diary unrolled from the loom today to review the past six months:

July, August, September, October, November, December... here I come!