more to share in 2010--happy (almost) NEW YEAR!

The new year is rapidly approaching, like a blank warp waiting to be woven.

My best wishes to all for health, happiness and lots of time to be creative in whatever way makes you happy! And I hope tapestry weaving will be one of those ways.
Tommye

It will be good to get this going. Like Terri, I am hoping to keep studying with Tommye. How could you not want to at every given opportunity?

Life and other interest compete for my tapestry time, but I have managed to do a couple of tapestries in the last month or two. Here is a link to my blog to see them. You probably have already seen them but... in an effort to post here. :)

http://laurenfinley.wordpress.com/page/2/

http://laurenfinley.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/in-sheeps-clothing/

Looking forward to hearing what you are weaving

Hi All,
We had our phone line taken down by a delivery truck and were without internet or landline phone service for a bit. I've seen Tommye's invitation to get back to sharing and that sounds wonderful to me.
I am beginning to work on a tapestry and mangaged to have a small hill in the tapestry. Finally, I unwove it and went back to the twined base and straightened it out. You would think that would be obvious wouldn't you? At any rate, one challenge corrected and now to see if I can actually get some tapestry woven.
Terri

Let's start this up seriously, gang... what say?!

I'm quite interested to make this a forum for sharing tips and ideas about tapestry. You were all eager to join when we began and I was, too. I let the ball drop, didn't I, when I didn't keep posting regularly!! But a few of you faithfully kept up the dialog ever so ofter--THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Now, I'd like to open this up to others who are on the learning journey about tapestry; what do you say? I've already made it an open blog so anyone can read it but haven't announced it anywhere--I think one or more of you may have mentioned it to others and that's great. But I'm going to make it more visible by posting about it to both the tapestry list that Kathe Todd-Hooker owns and Weavolution. Those of you who have been students of mine in the recent past are authors to this post--meaning you can create new posts at anytime you want to but you can't add to the side bar or make overall changes to the format of the blog--I'm the blog administrator and can do that. If you want to have anything added, please just let me know and I'll be happy to try to oblige.

I would like to add others as authors, as well. Maybe those who are recommended by you, me or others from the tapestry list, ATA, Tapestry Weavers South, etc. In other words, folks as authors who have an abiding interest in the making of handwoven tapestry, whether beginner, intermediate or more advanced in their skill level.

I'd like to do this for two reasons--one, of course, being to keep in touch with all of the wonderful people who've been in classes with me. Another is that I'm finding blogging an extremely useful way to share images with each other--rather than through e-mail attachments. If you don't want design or finished tapestry works on the web in a public way, please don't post them. If you do post your design/tapestry works, please state your copyright note about it. However, I think there are lots of tips, tricks, techniques that we can share with others that will add to the ongoing development of us all as tapestry makers.

So... let's get this car on the road!
Here's a link to my own blog posting about the finishing of my most recent tapestry to get us started: http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2009/11/tapestry-finishing-process.html

Hello Terri and Jennifer!
Glad to see you posting.
I'm only checking in occasionally but maybe it's time to crank this blog back up for some meaty sharing... what do you think?
Tommye

Hi Jennifer,
I really enjoyed your blog about warping your new loom! All that reminds me of when I first tried to warp my floor loom. I think the warping process is what makes the frame loom so appealing to me. I heard from Noel that she is shipping the yarn I ordered and I'm looking forward to seeing it. I have a tapestry attempt planned for the frame loom using this yarn. If it looks like a tapestry as I weave, I will post it when I get some progress made.

Terri

What Peavey is up to!

Hey Terry!  Looking forward to seeing what you will do with that yarn.  Me - I'm up to a new-to-me loom and an unconventional project with bamboo and nylon.  Check it out at:

http://jenniferpeavey.blogspot.com/2009/11/leclerc-warping-part-2.html
http://jenniferpeavey.blogspot.com/2009/11/leclerc-warping-part-1.html

Hello,
I just got vavgarn samples. It makes me think of all of you. I was going to use embroidery thread, but my husband said he thought the wool was much richer looking. What are all of you doing these days?
Terri Bryson

Dovecot Studios - A Rich Tapestry

Weavers Douglas Grierson and Jonathan Cleaver provide perspectives on the history and current state of tapestry, while Dovecot director David Weir talks about the Edinburgh studio's illustrious past and the need for public funding.

http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/server.php?show=nav.561

http://www.dovecotstudios.co.uk/index.htm

NY Times article--Navajo Rugs

Hope everyone's doing well! I saw this in the NY Times online tonight and though I'd send the link:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/travel/escapes/12Amer.html

Take a look, if you get a chance!
Tommye

Trying to post

Hi All,
I'm new at this and I am trying learn to post to the Tapestry Share Blog. This is a test. I want to share that I did get to the Rameses Wissa-Wassef Tapestry Center when we were in Egypt. I purchased a wool and a cotton tapestry. It this works, I'll try to write more about it and post pix of the tapestries.

Terri

WeaveZine

You all may have already found this, but I'll share in case you have not. I've just discovered WeaveZine - an online magazine for weavers. The link is:

http://www.weavezine.com/

Mounted first tapestry

I've just finished mounting my first tapestry on foam core board and am so pleased to have completed it. What are the rest of you working on?

Note from Lisa and news from Tommye

Greetings--I wanted to post this note from Lisa although I think you got it in your e-mails. Don't give up trying to post, Lisa!
I'm sorry that I didn't realize Jon was going to be giving the presentation at CHG. I've been out of town for what seems like weeks and was still on the road on Saturday--if that's when the meeting was. Yes, Jon's work is incredible. I'd love to visit his studio again.

Hello Everyone-

I was trying to figure out how to post and gave up. I haven't thought of anything amazing to say yet, but I was blown away by this weekend's Chattahoochee Handweavers' Guild's program by John Eric Riis. Jo-Marie, Nancy, Terri, and Janice were all there (Nancy had her birds from our class for show and tell and they were mounted and looked amazing!! Thanks for bringing them!!). John Eric Riis' work was so different - I really want to visit his studio. Is anyone else interested? It would probably be better to wait for his things to return from Korea. But, if he would let us in, that would be so great! I didn't know people could do that kind of stuff with tapestry. He spoke highly of you, Tommye, and he agreed that you are one of the nicest people on earth! Incidentally, I loved your rya that's going to Winston-Salem!

I hope all of you are doing well - I miss getting together to weave!

Lisa

On another matter... several of the Tapestry Weavers South members are going to visit Sylvia Heyden at her home and studio next week. I'm not sure if there's a limit to numbers who she's willing to see but can find out, if anyone's interested in joining in.

And, Lisa... thanks for mentioning the rya I sent to the Piedmont Craftsmen exhibit in Winston-Salem. It was a challenge to make myself work in something other than tapestry--but have wanted to do something with rya (other than sampling for my class demos) for some time. Now... got that out of my system for awhile!

My latest diversion was my trip to Vermont to have a tutorial with Bhakti Ziek. That was just an amazing experience (wrote about it on my blog) and one that may lead to interesting conversations between those who are weaving plain weave, weft-faced tapestry and those who choose complex woven imagery methods, like hand jacquard.

OK... enough for now! Another deadline looms :)) !

cutting foam core board

Hi, Everyone. I've just made my first attempt at cutting foam core board and made something of a mess. I used a utility knife and it's possible the blade wasn't as sharp as it should be. Any of you have any suggestions for getting a good, clean cut? I'll be using this for mounting my small tapestry piece, so it may not be important to get a clean cut, since I'll be covering the board with batting and background cloth. I'll appreciate any and all ideas about this.

Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!

I'm eager to see your wedge weave that you just posted recently in person! Will Mark be at the July Craft Guild Fair? And will you be with him? And, if so, which day--I won't be doing a demo but will most likely be at the Fair for a day.

Here's what I've been doing this week--posted at my blog at this link. And, more about that at my teacher, Bhakti Ziek's blog.

What an amazing experience for me!! Just spending time with such an legend in the weaving world--Bhakti Ziek--and being able to bounce ideas back and forth was almost more than I can take in. I'm certainly not giving up tapestry--in the sense that it's plain weave, weft-faced, discontinuous weft weaving--with this experience. But to have the opportunity to see and develop clearer understanding about the TC-1 loom, and the process of designing for it that Bhakti and Alice Schlein have developed is such a pleasure.

Wedge Weave - Jennifer

I am presently in the middle of a wedge weave piece. I found I was doing too much planning and thinking. I'm relatively new to weaving, so I realized I was thinking too much about weaving and really need to practice weaving. I also find that the process of weaving is simply a great way for me to rejuvenate. So a couple of months ago, I decide to just weave and a geometric wedge weave become the piece. I still have the others ideas and other looms, but this allows me to not get bogged down in details. What I'm finding though is that it's all I'm doing!!!

Here's the latest progress on it. The final piece is planned to be 8" x 36" and I'm about half was through it. I know it doesn't look it from the picture, but I am working on a pipe loom that is warped continuously, so there is as much on the back of the loom as on the front right now!

What I like most about the piece is the blended areas where one can truly see the weaving is on an angle. Otherwise I think the solid color make a solid block while the blended has ..... movement? Maybe, it's also nice to have the blocks of color alternate between solid and blended. In any case, I'm enjoying it.

What's up with y'all?!

I'm eager to see your postings of new (or continuing) tapestries!! My tapestry diary for 2009 continues--I mentioned it in my blog yesterday. That's all the tapestry I'm doing right now--too many distractions and other obligations since we last saw each other have kept me from tapestry work. I've got two more weeks of distractions and obligations coming up, then I'll be settling down at the studio for awhile (I think!).

Jennifer had an interesting link to a TED.com talk by Elizabeth Gilbert posted at her blog. I'd viewed the talk earlier and it's a definite "must see!"

And, just to let you know--I've confirmed dates for my Penland teaching for next summer. I'm on the schedule for July 24-August 10. That's a 2 1/2 week class. The 2010 summer dates and classes are still in the planning stages so aren't published yet but look for it soon! Unfortunately, it is right at the time of Convergence's end and the ATA events are scheduled as a post-Convergence happening, although I don't know the exact dates for the ATA things right yet--just that they'll happen after Convergence. I still might try to get there the week before Penland for a chance to see the exhibits but am not at all sure that will happen--long trip for a short time!

By the way, are you familiar with this postcard exhibit? Lyn Hart mentioned it in her recent blog post. You might be interested in creating a tapestry postcard to submit.

So, here's wishing all of you well... and hoping to see what you're up to!

Tommye

New blogger joins us...

I've invited Jennifer Peavey to become an author to our Tapestry Share blog. I met Jennifer last July when I was demonstrating tapestry at the Southern Highland Craft Guild summer fair in Asheville. She was intrigued with the pipe loom I was using and later in the fall took my tapestry class at Arrowmont. Here's a link from my blog last October in which Jennifer and the other class members are shown: http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2008/10/lots-of-accomplishments-today.html

She's since then built a couple of Archie pipe looms and taken a wedge weave class with Connie Lippert. She also has a blog up and running... here's a link to that-- http://jenniferpeavey.blogspot.com/

Welcome, Jennifer! And I hope you and all the other blog authors will begin to post whenever you have time. I'd love to see what's going on in your tapestry lives!

Tommye

Good Earth Day morning to all of you!

As my first celebration of Earth Day, I've just opened up our blog "Tapestry Share" for public viewing. The five of you who were with me for the recent CHG class are authors to the blog--if you want to be--and can also add posts and photos. I'm the blog administrator and can add to the side bar (web links and other gadgets). If there's anything you'd like to have there, please send it along to me and I'll be happy to put it there.

OK... so how does making our blog public celebrate Earth Day!? Well, maybe it doesn't really but seemed appropriate. Spring is in full bloom; Earth Day seems to be a time to stop and reflect about the precious nature of life. Of course, how we humans either contribute to or harm the vitality of the world in which we live is to be considered. But I like to use it as a day of reflection about the kind of life that I live in the world, as well. Part of my way of living is to share what I do. Since I don't do much except weaving that's what I have to share! So... back to celebrating Earth Day!

Here are a few photos of past tapestries in which I acknowledged, as best I could, a small bit of my continuing gratitude to the Earth for giving life to us all. I hope to be seeing and reading about your continuing journeys in tapestry very soon!

How are things going with everyone?

New growth is springing up all around here in north Georgia. I hope everyone weathered the storms of last week without damage. We saw a bit of hail, lots of lightening and heavy rain but all was OK.

If any of you read my blog you'll know that my tapestry making is at a lull right now. I've got several loose ends that I'm tying up before I can really concentrate on tapestry again. I continue to work on my year-long tapestry diary but that only takes about five minutes to do each day. I'm also working on a piece on my floor loom, a weft-faced piece but not tapestry. I'm combining fabric strips (cut from handwoven fabric that I've had around for years--bits from yardage I used to weave way back in the 1980s) with weft scraps from past tapestries. I'm also adding rya to the piece. The weaving is for an upcoming Piedmont Craftsmen exhibit about recycling and for it I thought I'd recycle some of my own weaving and yarn ends as my contribution to the show.

My teaching at NGCSU is also coming to an end. Next Wednesday, the 22nd, will be final critique day. I'm looking forward to my "re-retirement" from the university so I can really concentrate on my studio time and also my short classes. My next scheduled class at the Folk School is in early August. The Penland class for next summer isn't scheduled yet but I'll be glad to get up there for a couple of weeks in 2010.

And, now... a question for you. I wonder if you'd mind if I open this blog up for public viewing. It would make it much easier to open, for one thing, since you wouldn't have to sign in through your google account to read it. I would also like to continue to have past students (you and others, as well) as authors of the blog, as now. But no one else... others could read it and make comments but not post.

Let me know what you think about that.

OK... let's see what today brings! Judith Krone and Lynn Pollard are coming to NGCSU this morning to help Jo-Marie Karst and me with our AVL loom. It's been disassembled for about five years now, as the weaving studio has gone through several moves of location. Before I leave my teaching duties at the university, one of my goals is to have this loom operational again. Wish us luck! Send us good electronic vibes!!

Tommye

The Greek Girl Who Became a Boy

Hi Fellow Weavers,

(Although I am not sure I am a weaver yet!) Here is one my last two tapestries, actually I should say 3 because this is the 2nd version of this Greek Youth. I will not be sharing the first version!!He was done from a photo of a girl but thought (s)he looked more masculine than the photo. And the girl was so very pretty too. Oh, well. Reminds me of the poor baby in 1985 who suffered from the malfunctioning circumciser at Northside... I was pregnant at the time and prayed for a girl because of that story! Boy, girl, tapestry. I used a lazy line in the blue! Can you see it?

Here is the last one I have done using only one strand of wool. The Greek Youth used 2. I think I like one better, I have a hard time keeping more than 1 taut. I only had to take her head off once but am a little disappointed at the results. I though she would look fabulous but I find her a little boring. I am thinking of my next one, think I will crib some designs by Seguay (spelling?) from the New York Public Library website. If you haven't been there to see their digital image library, you need to go. It is wonderful. It was the souce for both of these people but no way would you be able to recongnize them.

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?topic=all

Thanks Tommye, for your encouragement. You must be the best teacher ever. I know your college students will miss you!

Lauren

you go, girl (Lauren!)

Lauren...the new tapestry looks very good! About the short ends your husband brought home--those would be PERFECT for rya knots. That's a pile technique that's done as the piece is woven. The knot is similar to what's used for latch hook but you'd create the "canvas" as you weave. There are several passes of weaving between rows of knots. It's described in several books or I can show you more about it. That small out-of-print book called Step by Step Weaving shows the method (that's the book from which I printed the continuous warping diagram). Peter Collingwood's book, Techniques of Rug Weaving also shows how to do it.

Tommye

Hi all,

Are you still weaving? If you couldn't figure out what the last weaving I did was... it was a bumblebee on a flower. Organic shapes were right, Tommye. Thanks for your comments.

Here is another finished tapestry. If I left out the red I would say it was a lemon, the shape turned out to be fairly good for a lemon. Remember, I am still learning. I bought some wool at a local yarn shop in Kennesaw, worsted weight. I think the wool does much better than the cotton but I need the economy to pick back up so that I may go buy a large amount of various hues and shades because there just are not enough colors to choose from. I still don't understand yarn and weights and am afraid to buy off the internet. These were from the Brown Sheep Co. and they smell heavenly. I keep sniffing them.

My husband brought home these yarn snippets the interior design dept. at his office was throwing out. Great value gradation but only 4" long and not a wonderful feel to them. Any suggestions as to what can be done with them? Or should I just toss them out?

Lauren

Hi ya'll,

I have still at it. Here is my latest tapestry. First question for you - can you tell what it is? It is about 6" square and the weft is 3 strands of perle cotton so that I could mix colors. Still need a little practice on that.



Tommye, I am finding I having trouble getting the initial weft hitch (when I add a new strand) it won't hold tight. Is this because it is slippery cotton or maybe I am not doing something right? Is this where you would stitch it down whilst you go? Just wondering.

Tapestry Yarn from Norsk Fjord

I got in my first order of tapestry yarn from Norsk Fjord today. It's really scrumptious.

First Tapestry

I've already shared this photo with everyone in our group but decided to post it here to learn how to upload to a blog. I hope we'll all be able to get together for a tapestry update soon.

Hello--Let's have a blog together!

Greetings!

I'm starting this blog to see if we can use it as a means of communication about our tapestry learning experiences--both successes and challenges. I'm inviting the five of you from the CHG tapestry class first. Later I'd like to include other former students from classes I've taught at John C. Campbell Folk School and Arrowmont. I think this might be a way that we can show and share through words and photos and have these archived so we can easily find something again (I have trouble keeping up with attachments sent to e-mails!).

I'd like to keep this as a private blog, open only to those whom I invite. If you're interested in participating, follow the instructions that blogspot will send you. You'll have to have a google account (free) to access but that's easy to do... just follow the directions you're given in the invitation e-mail.

Once you've begun to access the blog, I'll change the settings to make each of you an author so you can post both entries and photos. At any time you can make comments to a blog posting.

OK... so let's start with a graduation photo from the end of our CHG class.



Send photos to me of your finished work and/or work in progress and I'll upload them until I've changed the permissions settings so you can also be an author on this blog and can post them yourself.

Here's wishing happy tapestry making to you!
Tommye