Mercer County Artists 2019

Happy dance in the studio, the tiny tapestry was accepted into this year's exhibit.

If you're local, come to the reception,  Wednesday May 22, 5-7.30, in the Gallery at Mercer County Community College, aka MCCC.

It's very exciting that my new art form got a warm reception right away, first piece out of the house, first tryout.

I tried out another which didn't get in, so I had to go pick it up today, high winds, pounding rain, long walk from parking lot to building and back. Now outfitted in dry clothes, and about to have a celebratory pot of tea.

Two tiny tapestries done

I'll take them off the loom tomorrow and steam them before figuring out a presentation, probably a box frame. Each is 5 in x 2.5.

Quite happy with the technical improvement I'm getting.

No titles yet. If you have ideas, please speak up.

Today's card weaving

As you see, I chronicle my learning curve, complete with bloopers, this being a full transparency blog.

Art is about learning, and I think it's fair to show it in progress, not just hide the struggles and hair tearing, and just show the best. Exhibits are for showing your best, but studio posts are about the hard bits.

The last card weaving was a struggle. As you saw from the wobbly product. The current one has mysteries in it, but is a big improvement.

Yesterday involved hours of getting the cards wrongly threaded, dealing with several rats nests of  consequences, and being so worried that I might be losing my ability to do this at all, that at least I hadn't set fire to a cathedral was a thought that crossed my mind. I can say that, now that we know it's fixable. The cathedral, that is. My card weaving still a maybe.

Anyway I started all over this morning from scratch, rethreaded,  and it went very much better. As you see.

I tried a numbering idea, thanks to Mittens, after a turn, thimble on numeral one, then pass, beat. Until the four numerals were covered with thimbles,  then move the thimbles over,  ready to the other turn column, and go from there.  Again a four forward, four back pattern till I get the hang of it.

I probably still made a few slips on turning, because the design changes twice! But I still think it's pretty creditable. It's my own design, and turns out to have two sides, great surprise.

At this point, the bookmark is my learning mechanism, enough warp to contend with for now.  Plenty of scope for improvement.

The tiny tapestries are moving on nicely, two floors down from the card weaving maelstrom. So there's that. And I have a grest design ideas for my next four selvedge tapestry, so I have to get on with that improved jig.

Aside from that, Mrs Lincoln, nothing going on in the studio.

Tiny tapestry done, new loom assembled

So the tiny tapestry is done, 5.5"x 2"

 and I noted some technical issues with using the s hooks. They worked a treat with keeping an even warp and tension.

However,  as you see, when using this fine floss, the nearest you can weave to the hooks still leaves loops at the end.

So I had to try weaving through them after the tapestry was off the loom.  I turned the loom so that the working area was flat on the worktop, the support hanging down in front of me. This was great for bringing the work near enough for close stitching. Another benefit of building your own tools.

There's another way to go, using paperclips instead of s hooks, so for fine thread, maybe that's next time's idea. You need to weave tight up to the warp ends for four selvedge work.

Meanwhile, I'm happy with the improvement over my previous work.

And here comes the new loom. Tensioning device in place. Ready for action. This is the same loom, but I replaced the sides as you see.

The short pieces at the top of the sides had  rounded feet on them from a previous incarnation, which were firmly in place. So I wielded a giant pipe wrench and got them off. Slip joint pliers would have done it, but they were two floors down. You go to work with the tools at hand.

Tiny tapestry on its way

I'm quite liking how this is going. Instead of gold, I decided copper metallic thread would work with the colors.

Once this is done and off the loom, I'm going to put a series of finishing nails top and bottom, for easier warping.

I'm thinking of the next piece, maybe a different color range, and maybe gold will get in there.

But meanwhile more decisions on this one. It's about three quarters done. It's helpful to look at it through the camera, surprising what you learn that way.

Tiny tapestry under way

I warped up a set of embroiderers' stretcher bars, using some cotton crochet, I think, thread. Warping  is like framing: you don't have to like it, you just have to do it.

The bars are 8in square, interior 7in square. I warped up an area within which I'm working a tapestry 4.4 in by 2.75 in,

which, alert readers will have noted, is a golden rectangle. The golden ratio is a great help to design, since the proportions already work. I may not use the shed sticks you see improvised there. Long needle probably working fine.

So here we are. I spun up some yarn already, and found some spun red alpaca, I think, and used that first, along with variegated floss.

Anyway, the color scheme is in the hot part of the spectrum, with some white to be spun in. And who knows, a bit of gold or silver might happen.

I'm thinking of a series of three. Or these little works might become book covers. We'll see what emerges. The original concept is never what happens in the doing, so you have to hang loose and observe as much as design.

And now my brain has asked for a break, specifying pot of tea and a Barbara Pym.