I grew up in New Mexico so it always feels like coming home when we decide to come south for a little vacation. We’re back for the week spending some time with family and friends and watching the snow storms roll across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I packed the car with a small selection of little looms, fleece, yarn, and a couple spindles for a week in northern New Mexico. Thus far I’ve finished a piece I started in Georgia and have warped a few more looms with some vague ideas what the next tapestry diary piece will be on one of them. I thought I’d share a few things I’m messing around with for fun this week.
The first thing I finished was the little wedge weave tapestry diary piece. I had spent some time trying to replicate the color of a particular door at Lillian E. Smith Center during my artist residency. I had some fleece about the right color and made some yarn that matched the door fairly closely. This particular door is one that Tommye Scanlin takes photos of when she is artist in residence at the center. Tommye was at LES for a few days when I was there and this place is very linked with her in my mind. That week I also visited with Connie Lippert who is a master of wedge weave. I wanted to try out a few things she showed me in her studio and decided to mix the technique with the door-colored yarn as a tribute to both of these wonderful tapestry weavers: Tommye and Connie.
The red door at Lillian E. Smith Center, Georgia
As I worked on the last 2/3rds of the piece in Northern New Mexico, it felt more and more like an image of the Rio Grande Gorge. I suppose place has a great deal to do with how we express ourselves and New Mexico is a powerful force in my life. The beginning of the piece was woven in Georgia and I chose a palette of colors that were all the same value. The deep greens and browns are hardly distinguishable from the red and this was very unsatisfying to me. So when I sat down to finish it this week, I immediately started making the values lighter and more varied.
Four selvedge tapestry weaving, Rebecca Mezoff
The Red Door in process before I started adding lighter values
One of the pictures above shows all the weaversbazaar colors I brought with me. I also brought a selection of fleece and my trusty flick carder. I wish I’d grabbed the hand cards which would make the spinning a little easier and quicker, but for small bits of tapestry yarn, the flick carder works (at least on the long-staple wool I have with me). I realized I have four looms and two spindles and though that seems a bit extravagant, I’m having fun with them. The pipe loom is what I’m doing the four selvedge weaving on and I’ll warp it up again tomorrow for another try at the wedge weave.* I’m also going to play with some handspun I’ve been collecting bits of.
I like the little weaving now. Value matters so much.
The Red Door in process, four selvedge tapestry weaving
As you can see in the photo above, this wedge weave was woven on a four selvedge warp. This is still my favorite technique for making my small tapestry diary pieces. (As an aside, Sarah Swett and I teach you how to do this in our online class Fringeless which is on a huge discount for one day next week. A day I’m calling Fyber Monday, December 2nd. Use the code AllFourSides for 25% off.***) I am warping the little pipe loom up again tonight for another try at this.
Rebecca Mezoff, The Red Door, 2.25 x 3.25 inches, wool, cotton, four selvedge “Fringeless” tapestry weaving
I can fit all of this stuff in one of those foldable 12 x 12 inch boxes with cut-out handles you can get at Target and the like. I think if I can fit all the tools and yarn in that much space, it isn’t too much. We won’t talk about the extra (very squishable) bag of fleece or the knitting bag. They don’t count toward the total in my rather self-serving way of looking at it. When I have to leave my clothes at home to accommodate the yarn, then I’ll know I’ve gone too far.
Fiber tools I tend to take on trips including three different looms, two spindles, my trusty tool kit and some fleece.
Spinning fun.
Handspun and a header started on the little arched loom**
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the USA. I am so grateful that I have a job that allows me to take trips and spend some time messing around with fiber. I’m grateful for my family and for the snow that is blowing in right now and for the hot tub that I do not have to maintain but can enjoy later tonight while the snow falls. Gratitude is the most important practice. I hope you have your own gratitudes today, small or large. Also, spend a little time messing around with fiber just for fun.
*I am certainly no expert at wedge weave and no, I don’t teach it anywhere. I’ve enjoyed reading Connie Lippert’s biography lately and she showed me some tricks when I visited her earlier this month. I realize that my technique here is not precise, but it is close enough that this piece is flat. I loved the tiny scalloped edges and want to play with that effect a little more dramatically at this small size.
**Because someone will ask, you can find out more about the looms pictured here in THIS blog post.
***All my other online classes are also on sale on Cyber Monday, December 2nd, for 15% off. Use code FyberMonday