Intro to Tapestry Weaving, Level 1

Course Description

Curious about how tapestries are made and ready to try your hand at pictorial weaving?  This most ancient form of textile creation is rich with history and invitation for creative expression.  Master weaver Laura Berlage will take you on a multi-week journey into the magical world of tapestry, where you will learn to transform warp and weft into a peaceful sunset landscape, measuring approximately 10×10 inches.  Starting with a simple frame loom, focus will be given to establishing good tapestry technique and learning the process for horizontal and angled forms—beginning with foundational geometrics and building into more naturalistic forms.  Fundamentals of cartoon creation and shading will also be covered.  Unlock the mystery of how tapestry is made and add these skills to your expressions in fiber. Beginner friendly.

Kit Details

Level 1 kit includes:

• 18×18 inch wood frame loom (ready to assemble) with nails
• Stick shed dowel
• Plastic hand comb
• Set of large-eye tatting needles
• Wool weft yarn from my farm’s sheep
• Cotton warp
• Printed cartoon (design)
• Introductory handout with links and passwords to pre-recorded video tutorials
• Detailed PDF photo essay documenting the process (typically sent electronically to students by the host organization)

Students will also want to provide:

• Sharp scissors
• Tapestry needles
• Tape measure
• Sharpie pen
• Wood glue and a hammer for loom assembly
• Binder clip

Why Tapestry Weaving? 

The tapestry weaving tradition is ancient and diverse, and the magic of making pictures with yarn still grabs us today.  It is amazing how a few materials and simple tools can be used to render a wide array of design and images.  It’s a magical process I love sharing with students!

My Tapestry Pedagogy

My journey into the world of tapestry weaving began at age 13 through mentorship with master weaver Fran Potter.  The journey has continued since, including the worlds of Navajo, Flemish, Aubusson, Rutevev, Billedvev, and other genres of tapestry weaving.  I bring this multi-cultural approach to my tapestry teaching, helping students learn which types of techniques come from which cultures and why they were created.  You can take a deeper dive via my studio blog post:

https://erindaletapestrystudio.com/tapestry/building-a-tapestry-pedagogy/

Learning Outcomes

Students will have the opportunity to learn:

• Essential tapestry terminology
• Warping a simple frame loom (instructions will be available ahead of class for students to make their own loom from furring strips if they don’t already have one)
• Warp and weft yarn choices for success: essential do’s and don’ts
• Using tapestry tools effectively and how different cultures have created different tapestry tools
• Tapestry weaving techniques, including: horizontal bars and lines, basic coal mining and soumak technique, broken and stepped lines, working angles at different pitches, and creating compound angles for naturalistic forms.
• How to use a cartoon and interpreting the design in pictorial tapestry.
• Ideas and techniques for finishing and displaying your piece.

Students are welcome to submit questions and images of their project via email to Laura for help, troubleshooting, and checkins. Stitch on!