Susan Iverson--a video

Here's a wonderful video about Susan Iverson's series of tapestries.  It's very inspiring to see how she has found the word "no" to be such a rich source of visual imagery--as well as causing the meaning of the word to really be thought of in new ways.

Fringeless--an upcoming online class produced by Rebecca Mezoff

Rebecca Mezoff is soon launching an online class about four selvedge weaving, called Fringeless: Four Selvedge Warping, featuring Sarah Swett.  I know it will be quite informative and also inspirational.  I don't have an investment in this venture--just excitement to see it happen!

For those who don't know, four selvedge warping allows for a piece to be woven without ends of warp at top and bottom.  Four selvedge warping is an ancient technique but the method has been revived in the past couple of decades to make it accessible to contemporary tapestry weavers.

I first learned of this way of warping from Susan Martin Maffei and I've used her method several times for small tapestries.  Susan has provided a pdf with diagrams of her set up online.   I wrote about my adventure with this in a 2011 blog post here at Tapestry Share. And here are a few of the eighteen or so small landscapes I did then.  These are between about 2" wide x 8" high to 3" x 4":

Since then I've woven a few more with the method that Sarah shows at her blog and that she'll be describing in the online class. 

Michael Rohde and Sarah Swett have made a few modifications to Susan's method; here's a link to Sarah's blog post describing the way she does it.  The way of warping and weaving with the set up is not exactly like that used by Navajo weavers although with the same end result--no tails of warps to deal with.

I'm sure with this new information about the method that Sarah and Rebecca will be sharing there will be many more fringeless tapestries in the world!  I know I'll be setting up my loom for a few soon.

Mary Hambidge documentary

Mary Crovatt Hambidge is a name known by some and, I think, should be by others who are interested in art, weaving, and a life dedicated to the pursuit of creativity.  Mary Hambidge was quite a force to be reckoned with in her day and her influence is still felt through her legacy of the Hambidge Center in Rabun County, Georgia.

Photo from Hal Jacobs' documentary

 Hal Jacobs, a documentary filmmaker, produced a video about Mary Hambidge that was released last year, showing first at film festivals and in several private viewings.  Our Penland Concentration class was fortunate to have one of the early private viewings last year and Jessica Green, a weaver who was one of those featured in the film, visited the class at the time.

Hal has now made the video available online.  Here's the link to that.  I hope seeing this will give you insight into how one small woman could have such an impact on the lives of many, even after all of these years.

Books about Weaving, Spinning, Knitting and other Fiber Things for Children

The new year is well on its way now.  I'm busy in my studio, weaving and preparing for an exhibit coming up soon in an arts and learning center. The center has a family day where books that relate to the art works being shown are part of the activities for children.  I had a few titles of children's books about weaving in mind but not many so I turned to a couple of Facebook groups for suggestions.  I posted my question around 7 a.m. this morning and by noon I had twenty seven titles to put on my list (and the list keeps growing as others chime in with new suggestions!)  When social media works in good ways it's amazing.  Many thanks to those folks from the Weaving and the Tapestry groups on Facebook for their generosity in helping to compile this list!

Here's what I've assembled, in no particular order.  I didn't link these to any particular site because I don't want to promote one source rather than another, but if you do a search for the title and the author you'll find what you're looking for.  One person also mentioned she thought most of the titles were in her weaving guild's library--so that's always somewhere to check!

If you have other suggestions, please comment to add those! One of the Facebook friends mentioned you might see which of these books are available from nearby libraries by checking the large network of library content and services at WorldCat.
 

Books for Children about Weaving, Spinning, Knitting and Other Fiber Arts

The Goat in the Rug, Charles L. Blood, Martin Link, Nancy Winslow Parker

Weaving the Rainbow, George Ella Lyon

Annie and the Old One, Miska Miles

Kids Weaving-Projects for All Ages, Sarah Swett

Weaving with Children, Ute Fischer

The Spider Weaver: A Legend of Kente Cloth, Margaret Musgrove, Julia Cairns

Abuela’s Weave, Omar S. Castañeda, Enrique O. Sanchez

A New Coat for Anna, Harriet Ziefert

Songs from the Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns to Weave, Monty Roessel

Charlie Needs a Cloak, Tomie dePaola

Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift, Nikki Grimes

The Eyes of the Weaver: Los Ojos del Tejedor, Cristina Ortega

Angela Weaves a Dream: The Story of a Young Maya Artist, Michele Sola

Wild Rose’s Weaving, Ginger Churchill

You Can Weave! Projects for Young Weavers, Kathleen Monaghan, Hermon Joyner

Agatha’s Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story, Carmen Agra Deedy

How a Shirt Grew in the Field, Marguerita Rudolph

Wollbur, Leslie Helakoski

The Mitten String, Jennifer Rosner

Extra Yarn, Mac Barnett

Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois, Amy Novesky

Cat Knit, Jacob Grant

Therese Makes a Tapestry, Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs

Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool, Teri Sloat

The Magic Shuttle, Deborah Lerrme Goodman

Amasa Walker’s Splendid Garment, Emily Chetkowski

Something from Nothing, Phoebe Gilman

Börja Väv! (Begin to Weave!), Nina Bäckman, Annika Elmqist, Tina Ingell, Bengt Arne Ingell

A Symphony for the Sheep, C.M. Millen, Mary Azarian

Unraveling Fibers, Patricia A. Keeler and Francis X. McCall, Jr.

Master Weaver from Ghana, Gilbert "Bobbo" Ahiagble and Louise Meyer

Kids Knit! Simple Steps to Nifty Projects, Sarah Bradberry

Finger Knitting Fun: 28 Cute, Clever, and Creative Projects for Kids, Vickie Howell

more suggestions:
Pelle's New Suit, Else Beskow
A Tale of the Navajo: the Magic Weaver of Rugs, Jerrie Oughton, illustrated by Lisa Deimimi

Tapestry Diary--a Personal Journey

Tapestry Diary for 2017 is approaching the end.

I guess some of you know that I have been doing what I've come to call "tapestry diaries" for several years now.  As others begin to think about trying out the idea for themselves, sometimes questions come up.  For instance, "How do I do it?"  Well, my answer to that is, "Anyway you want to!"

Yes, I know it's a bit daunting to think of making a commitment that you're not sure you can or will want to continue.  Will you feel like a failure if you give up on doing a daily bit of weaving after trying it for awhile?  You certainly don't want to set yourself up for that!

I will tell you that my experience with doing the daily weaving exercise since 2008 has been in almost equal parts: fun, engaging, challenging, boring, tiring, frustrating, rewarding, exciting, pleasing, time-consuming, tedious, absorbing, demanding, fulfilling, productive.... in fact, think of any synonym to describe something with which one becomes involves and that probably would apply to how I've felt about my tapestry diary work at times.

All of that said, let me tell you about a few of my self-imposed rules for the first of the tapestry diaries I made in May of 2008.  First of all, giving myself a few rules to follow was helpful.   My rules are my own and I've given myself some guidelines each year, always changing them a bit to make it more interesting.  Having some guidelines for daily work, I've found, helps me to move into the activity quickly and without having to do too much (or any) thinking about what to do.

So... here's what I decided to do during my first experience of daily practice when I committed to one month in 2008.

1. I decided to use only yarns from past tapestry remains (I have lots and lots of those).
2. I decided on the size to weave for each day.  For that month, I'd set up a 4" wide warp of 8 epi, long enough to weave just a bit over an inch high across that width each day.
3. I decided to end each day's weaving with a pass of black to give a linear separation.
4. I also decided to make a "weaverly" marking of the date throughout the month.  For instance, on the 1st day, I wove one vertical bar of contrasting color.  That idea was pretty easy for the first part of the month but once the days began to build up, I had to become more creative in how to show the number of the day.  Pick and pick became my friend, as well as hatching to give distinct lines of difference!

And that was pretty much it, as far as rules of the game for May 2008.

I really didn't know if I'd have the discipline to stick with the activity for a whole month.  That may seem like a silly thing to say for someone who weaves other tapestries that may take up to six months or more to complete!  But the though of not having a plan, no cartoon, nothing to give me guidelines other than my few self-imposed rules seemed to be very challenging.

But, I did it!  And at the end of the month I was so happy that I'd done what I set out to do.  I decided to try it for a year and see if I could accomplish that.  However, I waited until the start of 2009 to begin since, in my mind, having a January 1 to December 31 time frame made the most sense.

I've described more about the tapestry diary work at my other blog.  Here's a link from 2012 that will give other earlier links.  I also wrote about the daily practice in the Summer 2017 issue of Handweavers Guild of America publication,  Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot.  The article, "Time Warp and Weft: A Celebration of the Passage of Time through Weaving," included the work of Janet Austin, Geri Forkner, Janette Meetze, Rebecca Mezoff, and Kathy Spoering, as well as mine.  We exhibited our time celebration weaving together in a couple of shows.

I'm writing more fully about my tapestry diary experiences since 2008 through 2018 now and will publish that somewhere, either here or at my other blog, sometime in the future.  I'm also teaching a workshop for the Weavers of Orlando in February, 2018 with "Weaving the Days of Our Lives" as the title of the session.  You can find out more about that here.

In the meantime, have a go at it--and have fun!  I'd love to hear more about your experiences with this amazing way of marking the days of our lives through tapestry weaving.
  

Warp for 2018 Tapestry Diary is prepared and ready for January 1, 2018 to roll around!

American Tapestry Alliance video

Here's a link to a recently compiled and released video by American Tapestry Alliance.  It gives a brief overview of historical tapestries and shows a bit about the designing and weaving of tapestry.  At the end, there are many contemporary tapestries shown.

https://youtu.be/m_IcWSZySBU

I've added the YouTube link at the left margin in the links of interest.  It's hard to keep up with everything that's out there in cyberspace where you can find interesting and inspiring things about tapestry!  My list gives only a few of them.  American Tapestry Alliance's website includes a listing of links and I'm sure it will grow.  That link is also at the left margin--and here.

There's nothing like seeing tapestries in person.  But books, catalogs of exhibits, magazines--and the ever expanding online resources are, in some ways, the next best thing.

Enjoy the viewing!

New Year--New Post and fresh start for Tapestry Share

This is a detail of a tapestry I have in underway as the New Year begins.

Greetings to everyone in 2017!  Yes, Tapestry Share--my blog about learning, teaching and sharing is still here.  Although I haven't added a post in a l-o-n-g time I check in periodically to see if any of the other blog authors have.  Terri Bryson has been good about sharing ideas... like in the last post--thanks for doing that, Terri!

So... here's a refresher about what this blog is about.  It's something I started a few years ago in the hopes that some of the students I've had in classes and others among the tapestry weaving community could have a place to share their learning and teaching adventures.

I've made several posts about tapestry techniques and also with suggestions about yarn choices, finishing methods, and other things.  I try to keep a link list to those in the side margin so they're easier to find.  I've also noted classes, blogs, websites and other things from several tapestry teachers.

There's lots of information on the web for tapestry.  One of the valuable places to start your internet search for tapestry information is at the link list on the American Tapestry Alliance website.  There's always room for improvement in anyone's skills and knowledge and much, maybe most, of that improvement comes with experience.  I think it's good to see what's out there, try some things that resonate with one's working process--and also explore things that may be unfamiliar.

As far as teaching adventures go, I'll be on one very soon when Bhakti Ziek and I co-teach at Penland School of Crafts for Spring Concentration.  Our class is called Weaving: a Dialogue and we hope it will indeed be that for everyone who'll be there with us.  The class is full and it seems to be made up of a variety of experience levels--which is just great.  Here's the description we provided for the class:

Tommye Scanlin, tapestry weaver, and Bhakti Ziek, jacquard expert, will team teach the Spring 2017 at Penland. The class will focus on image making and story telling in weaving, and will be open to weavers and artists of all types and at any level. Both instructors are former college professors and have extensive knowledge of weaving in all its forms. This is a chance to participate in a studio where advanced weavers as well as novices are encouraged to learn from each other as they explore woven structures for ways to make images. Work will be done on tapestry looms and/or floor looms. Everything (almost!) possible in a "weaverly" way will be explored.

Here's to a successful New Year of tapestry to everyone!  I hope to be sharing more about my own adventures in tapestry teaching and learning in 2017.

Tapestry Study Group at Chattahoochee Handwweavers Guild 23 June 2016 Loom Day

On June 23 our Tapestry Study Group shared some unusual looms that some members of the group were weaving on.

The most unique loom was shared by Susan Flowers.  She had been at the beach and didn't have a loom to weave on.  She went to the office supply store and purchased a wire basket  that us usually used to keep papers together on a desk.  She warped it and began weaving.  She also has a nice little storage area under the tapestry. In the pictures: Susan with her loom and then a close up of the loom.

A small galvanized pipe loom--with nods to Archie Brennan and Sarah Swett

It's been a LONG time since I've posted to Tapestry Share!  I'll try to update in a more timely way in the future.

As Spring begins here in north Georgia, USA, I want share a version of a pipe loom that I've recently made using 1/4" diameter galvanized pipe.  The design is based on the Archie Brennan standing pipe looms as seen in diagrams he graciously posts at his website and that are also at the American Tapestry Alliance website in the Educational Articles.  I also took inspiration from Sarah Swett's blog in which she described many pipe loom options.

This loom is small and is sitting beside my computer right now on a small folding table.

 It's 6" wide and 24" tall +/-.  Here's the loom:

Here's the basic parts list for both a frame without the extensions that I've called leash hanger, and the option of adding the extensions.  The only other things needed that I didn't put in this list are a couple of dowels--one to hold the open shed and the other to extend from side to side across the leash hangers.  Of course, warp and weft!

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Small Galvanized Pipe Loom

Parts needed:

6 – ¼” diameter threaded pipe (called nipple), 6” long each

4 – ¼” diameter threaded nipple, 4” long each

2 – ¼” diameter threaded nipple, 1” long each

4 – Elbows to fit the ¼” threaded pipes

4 – Tees to fit the ¼” threaded pipes

2 – Caps for the ¼” threaded pipes

2 – Threaded rods, 12” x ¼” diameter

4 – Wingnuts to fit the threaded rod

Optional parts—to make leash hanger:

2 – ¼” Tees for the top of the loom

2 – ¼” Street Elbows to fit the ¼” Tees

2 – ¼” threaded nipple, 5” long each (leash hanger)

2 – Caps for the ¼” leash hanger

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The frame of the loom is built with the 6 pieces of 6” long nipple. 

The top has two Elbows joining three of the 6” pieces into a U-shape. 

Optional—use two Tees here instead, for the 5” leash hanger extension.  Screw the Street Elbows to the top Tees, then the 5” nipple to extend forward.  Put the caps on the leash hanger.

The bottom has two Tees joining the three remaining 6” pieces into another U-shape.

The two 1” long nipples screw into the bottom Tees.

Screw two more Tees on the other end of the 1” pieces.

Put the 4” nipple at either end of the bottom Tees, placing an Elbow on one end and a cap on the other end. 

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Oh... by the way, the tapestry from the last post ... that I was hemming?  Here it is finished.  It's now living in a new home, as a gift from a husband to a wife.  I think they're enjoying it.

Finishing Tapestry with Hem or Turn-back

Once upon a time someone asked me about hems or turn-backs as finishing steps for tapestry.  I delayed answering because at the time I hadn't been using that method for finishing very often.  However, in the last year I've done turn-backs with several pieces.  I photographed the steps I took on the last one (the landscape shown in the previous post) and so here's my take on using a hem or turn-back.

When doing the hem or turn-back I use a suggestion from Barbara Heller and weave several slits across the width of the piece so that the turn-back area won't pull in at the edges.  I usually make the slits 3" to  8" across, more or less, depending on the width of the whole piece.  On the 19" wide landscape I made two slits at each edge as I wove the 1" wide turn-back (on a larger piece I make that a bit wider):

Above is the piece laid out on the grid board.  Weft ends have been trimmed and the piece has been steam pressed (I didn't block* it, just gave it a pressing using steam in the iron and a dampened press cloth on top).  The turn-backs were finger pressed down and T-pinned, then steam pressed and left overnight.

Next, I basted the turn-back using regular sewing thread and a big running stitch, removing the T-pins as I did that:

 

Once both sides were basted, I stitched down the turn-back using a tapestry needle and a tiny stitch that caught only a little of the weft at the back of the tapestry.  Since this piece will be mounted onto a fabric covered board I don't need the turn-back tacked down more than that.

The white thread in the big running stitches is the basting thread that is to be removed at the end.  I'm stitching down the turn-back using a double strand of the same yarn as used in the weft.  You can see that I'm only catching a bit of the weft and then coming through near the edge of the turn-back.  The stitches are about 1/4" apart.  Other times I have used a regular sewing thread to stitch down the turn-back instead of weft.

Finished turn-backs on both top and bottom; I've trimmed the warp ends a bit more and left them about 3/4" long:

Soon I'll post about the next finishing steps for this piece.  It will be much like what I've shown before when I've mounted small tapestries on a fabric covered board as described in this post.

*Kathy Spoering wrote a great post about blocking at her blog--find it at this link.  I don't always block tapestries but when I do I use her suggestions.

Many = One (weft color, that is)

I'm approaching the top of a tapestry that's 19" wide x 14" high, sett at 8 epi with 12/12 cotton seine twine.  As you see, it's a landscape and it's based on a drawing I made a couple of summers ago.  The area of land includes foreground with shallow field and a couple of trees that cast a deep shadow across the ground, a deeper middle ground that has a mass of foliage across the width as well as a small hill in a bit of distance, and then background with mountain ridge in more distance.  Cumulus clouds are building up above the mountains.   Blue sky is all across the top for about 1" above the top of the highest cloud.

You'll notice that the foreground and middle ground areas had many wefts making up the shapes.  Fewer shapes were used to create the mountains and the clouds.  However, I tried to break up wefts throughout the tapestry so that selvedges wouldn't begin to pull in once there were less wefts in play in any of the areas.

That's the reason the blue sky is being woven with so many separate wefts (twenty of them, in fact) -- even thought the entire sky is of the same color.  I wanted to keep the weft from beginning to draw the warps together and creating width problems at the top.  Seeing the top of a tapestry narrow as the end is approaching is a common problem (nightmare? headache?) faced by many tapestry weavers.  And it's usually caused by having fewer wefts at work across the width.  And/or by speeding up the weaving because the end is in sight!

Simple weft-faced plain weave--always a challenge!

 

Happy New Year--wishing you many tapestry adventures in 2015!

Yes, it's been months and months since I've posted to this blog.  I hope something useful is included in the postings and the various links I have at the left margin even though I haven't posted new information lately.  In the upcoming year I plan to post more often with tips, hints, strategies I've found in my own practice of tapestry making.  And I want to continue to share about the work of others as they teach, guide, instruct and in numerous ways become inspirations about the joy of tapestry.

Therefore, here's my first share for 2015:

http://rebeccamezoff.blogspot.com/2015/01/online-tapestry-weaving-class-all.html

This is a link to information about Rebecca Mezoff's online tapestry class.  The next one starts TOMORROW, January 5.  I don't know if it's too late to enroll but I'm sure you could inquire with Rebecca at the contact she's included in her post.

In whatever way and with whomever you choose to study tapestry, may your wefts never tangle and your warps never break! And may beautiful tapestries flow out of your hands forever.

Tissart Tapestry Loom Warping--One Method

I'm posting this step-by-step description for one of the ways I've used for the Tissart tapestry loom.  By the way, the Tissart loom is no longer manufactured by Leclerc Looms but they sometimes are to be found through resale of used looms.  

I've used this method with other upright tapestry looms, as well.  If you weave on floor looms you'll recognize that this is a variation of what's called "front to back" warping where the reed is sleyed, the heddles threaded, and then the warp beamed.  I've also used a "back to front" process for warping the upright tapestry looms in which either I use the reed to rough sley the warp and then beam, or use a raddle to space the warp as it's beamed.

Feel free to use and adapt as best fits your needs.  Please, if you use these instructions specifically, note the source!

Threading the Tissart Tapestry Loom

Instructions developed by Tommye McClure Scanlin

            I’ve had a Tissart loom since 1988 and have warped it many times using several methods, including the instructions that came with the loom.  I’ve found this method to be a good one.  Of course, it isn’t the only way one can proceed—whatever works for someone is the “best” way! 

The instructions below describe sleying the reed, followed by threading the heddles and tying on the ends to the apron rod on the warp beam.  The warp is then beamed and next tied on at the front apron rod for the final tensioning.   When beaming, I use either flat lattice strips between layers or roll corrugated cardboard wound between each revolution of the warp beam.

1.  Make warp chain(s) and put in a tie at the cross.  I usually have no more than about 100 warp ends per chain so the bundles will be small enough to easily tension when beaming.

2.  Unhook the beater from the springs holding up it at the sides.  This allows the bottom part of the beater to rest on the breast beam.  Put the correct dent reed into the beater.

3.  Sit comfortably and have a good light nearby.  Before beginning to sley, loosely wind the warp chains around the breast beam (or, alternatively, sit on them) so the warp won’t slip too far forward when pulling ends through the dents.  

Leah's holding the cross for sleying in this photo.  The warp chain is wrapped a couple of times around the lower beam to hold it secure as the sleying takes place.

Allow about 20” from the point where the cross is placed and the end of the warp that is pointed toward the reed and heddles.  I hold the cross in my fingers, since I make each warp group fairly small, but one can also place the cross sticks into the warp cross and sleyed from those.   If using cross sticks be sure they’re tied together about 1” apart and also tied to the loom so they won’t slip out on one side or the other. Just do which ever seems most comfortable for you and then proceed to sley the reed. 

If you'd rather use cross sticks, slip them in place...

then secure them at top and bottom so they're about 1" apart.

Leah's measuring from center to right to begin sleying.

Sleying begins.

After sleying, tie groups in slip knots as a security measure while getting ready for the next steps... don't want any warps to fall out!

4.  After sleying, re-hook the springs to the beater assembly so the reed with sleyed warp in place is higher and nearer the heddles.  

5.  Releasing the warp beam brake, bring the warp beam bar or rod up and over the top beam toward the front of the loom, placing it to hang within about 6-8” from the top of the heddles.   Make sure the rod lashed to the apron rod is straight and horizontal.  You'll want the ends of the warp to be long enough to reach a couple of inches above the bar:

Leah makes sure the warp extends long enough to be tied to the warp beam bar.

6.  Move half the number of heddles needed for the warp to the center and begin threading (I’m right handed and move from the right side to the left so half heddle group is pushed to the center right).  

Leah's counting and moving heddles to the center.

Moving from right to left I pick up each warp from its place in the reed, thread it, and then tie it with a good, firm knot onto the warp apron rod that is hanging over the top beam.  This process continues until all warp ends are both threaded and tied on. *  At this point, the loose wrapping of warp chain around the breast beam may have to be loosened a bit to extend the warp ends long enough to tie on at the warp beam rod.  However, I still keep the warp under some tension so the ends won’t be pulling forward too much while tying them to the warp beam rod.  This sounds tedious but actually isn’t!

*Alternatively, one can thread 1” worth of ends and then make a firm overhand knot with those.  Tie this knot around the warp apron rod as a group.

Tying on in 1" groups (the first couple at the right are tied individually)

Leah decided she preferred to tie on individual ends as they were threaded rather than the 1" groups.

7.  To beam, unwrap the warp, shake it out each bundle, pull/ping, etc.  Turn the warp beam handle to roll until the rod is back over the top beam and attached to the warp beam, then stop and pull down on each group of the warp firmly.  When the rod begins to roll onto the warp beam insert corrugated roll paper or the first of lattice strips.  I usually set up a rhythm of turning the warp beam handle to roll up a complete revolution, then go to the front to pull down firmly at each warp bunch, shaking and pinging if necessary to loosen any tangling. 

8.  If using lattice strips for most of the warp, after starting the warp with a few inches of corrugated paper, I then wind with molding or lattice strips, about four to eight per turn.  I usually lay the stick on top of the warp beam, hold it with one hand while turning the crank with the other until it’s secured with the warp.  It’s a bit tricky to wind on by yourself using wood strips but can be done.

Leah's adding corrugated paper to the warp beam.

9.  The beaming is completed when the warp ends are about even with the lower beam.

The bar attached to the cloth beam is held up by temporarily tying it onto the loom (the warp ends are tied with slip knots to keep them out of the way until ready to tie onto the bar).

10.  To tie onto the front apron rod, take 1” groups, splitting these in half to wrap around the rod and tie with a half-knot.  For instance, if using 8 epi, then 8 ends are in each group tied on.  I begin tying with the center-most group, then a group on the extreme side, then the group on the opposite side.  These initial three ties will hold the tie-on rod up.  Going back to the center, tie a group immediately to the left or right of that first tie.  Then, work alternately from the center group out to either side, to tie on all groups with half-knots. 

11.  When all bouts are tied with half-knot then go back to the middle, pull both tails up toward the reed firmly and complete with a slip knot or a bow knot.  Next, move alternately from the middle to either side, pulling and tightening and comparing, by feel, to the previously tied group.  I pull firmly when tying on but before beginning to weave I tighten to the weaving tension (quite tight) with the forward take-up motion lever that hangs from the front cloth beam.  You may want to put band-aids on your fingers before beginning the tensioning step since you’ll probably rub blisters on your fingers if you don’t!

Leah checks the tension of the warp after she's tied it on and made the final bow of the knot.

12.  After tying on I weave in lattice strips (or in the photo example, strips of plastic blinds) in alternating sheds to advance the tie-on rod all the way to the cloth beam.  I like to get the rod to the cloth beam before beginning the "good" part of the weaving.  I've found that this will give a good, firm base on which to begin.  Yes, it's more loom waste but if you're going to working on a piece for weeks or months, don't you want the advantage of the best possible start?! 

Looking into the loom to see the tie-on bar has now wound down to the cloth beam.

I beat these with the beater, beating after each shed change.  When the rod and tie-on knots touch the cloth beam I weave in about 1-2” of scrap yarn at the top of the strips, beating with the beater firmly.  Finally, before beginning the “good” part of the weaving, I weave a header of about ½” using the same twine the warp is made of.  This should spread the sett of the warp to exactly what you want.  Once all that’s in place, double check for the warp spacing and the weaving is ready to begin. **

**If using half-hitches to secure the ends do this now.

The photos of the process are of one of the weaving students at the University of North Georgia--thanks for being the model and craftsperson, Leah!