Tapestry weaving starting points???

[Trekky]

Hello all,

As part of a distance learning thing I'm doing I need to learn how to tapestry weave.  Does any one have any suggestions for books / websites that are useful for the beginner?

Thanks for you help!

Trekky 

[minowisbitt8lo]

you could try "The complete encyclopedia of Needlework" by Therese de Dillmont.  It has a really good chapter on tapestry

[textilejnkie]

The best all around book that I use all the time and my mom has used every time she teaches a new weaver over the past 20 years is Learning to Weave by Deborah Chandler.

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Weave-Deborah-Chandler/dp/159668139X/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267558187&sr=8-9

Beyond that, I usually find someone to talk to.  The best advice for you is to contact your local weaver's guild.  Someone there can help you out, and weaving is often best taught by someone not from a book.

[KyaStar]

Are you a Beginner beginner?   O.o  I'm not sure what to tell you, but

 I just found this video and it shows some nice basics on some of the different, and very basic things you'll want to know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbtKnvc_9No&feature=related 

A couple of things it does not cover is what to do with the ends of a piece of yarn (just weave it in, and that small spot will get doubled up, but then the end will be secure, don't leave it on the edge... unless that goes will your design I suppose) and that you don't have to interconnect colors that are next to each other and I will create a cool slit.  (It doesn't cover sumac either. Sumac creates texture, but not as much as pile weave, or as they call rya.)

YouTube is a gold mine of videos--use it.  As for books, they can be useful, but you can't ask a book a question and get a clear answer all the time.  If you can find someone that weaves that's the best--but I suppose that's why you're asking here.  Books can get expensive, so check out what your library has. My town's one room library had over 20 books on crochet when I decided I finally needed to learn how.  (I didn't look, but I did see a couple weaving books as well so I'm sure any average library would have a few).

Also, look at other weavings to get ideas. ^_^



...of course this topic was posted October 27, 2009. (just noticing)

O.o  Well, I guess I'll leave this post in case anyone else wants to see the useful video I found, but I hope you managed to learn everything you needed to. 

[Trekky]

Hello

Thanks for your reply.  I'm definately still learning!  Weaving in the ends sounds like a good idea, mine just stick out the sides, which annoys me as I think I'll have to sew them all on to the back at some point

The first 2 tapestry weavings I did I managed to lose quite a bit of width as I went along, I think I was gradually weaving tighter & tighter!  I currently have one on the loom, and I'm measuring as I go along to hopefully remind myself not to pull the weft through!

Cool video!

Thanks

Trekky

[KyaStar]

to help with the tightness, make sure to weave with an angle (It's litterally called the weavers angle).  I can't find a diagram but it's really simple.  Instead of going across the warp at 90 degree angles, make it more like 135 (or 45 depending how you look at it) degree angles.  Once you get all of your yarn across, just push it up, and that will not pull in. ^_^  That's the magic of the weavers angle.  (Although, I don't think 45 degrees is right, I seems like too much, but then again I've always been good about my sides saying parallel.  There is no set number that I'm aware of.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgezMcjfvUE&feature=related (This video is super basic, but it talks about what to do with ends and the angle, so it could be worth a glance.)