Sarah Swett and I had a fun time talking to all of you on YouTube as we discussed tapestry weaving, Fringeless four-selvedge warping, and not nearly enough about our dogs, though we were reminded to bring them into the mix! The recording of the chat is below and I’ve included some “show notes” below that.
Spending time with people who are deeply passionate about making, materials, and playing with ideas is invigorating to me and that is why people like Sarah are part of my world. We talked about many things mostly in the realm of tapestry weaving. We talked about the value of limitations and how important playing is to learning and growing.
Part of my mission in teaching tapestry weaving is to remind people that though this is an art tradition with a lot of history behind it, there are no tapestry police. You can make whatever artwork you want and utilize any fiber techniques you want to get there. Sarah is a fantastic idea of someone who uses the techniques of tapestry to experiment with all sorts of fiber ideas. Enjoy the chat and if you want to join the class which is full of more Sarah wisdom with some nuggets from me as well, there is a discount code in the video that is good a bit longer for 20% off.
If you get the blog via email you can visit my YouTube channel to watch the video HERE.
“Show” notes
Sarah C. Swett, Rough Copy 4: Receipt, 82 x 24 inches, wool, natural dyes
More information about the Fringeless course can be found HERE.
Sarah showed one of her Rough Copy pieces, The Receipt at about minute 14 in the video and I wanted to include a photo of the whole tapestry (at right or below on mobile).
Sarah’s world can be found on her website at https://www.afieldguidetoneedlework.com/. You’ll want to go there to sign up for her newsletter, The Gusset.
You can sign up for Rebecca’s Tapestry Picks newsletter HERE.
We talked about making jigs and tried to allay your fears about making one yourself. The PVC cutter I was talking about is pictured below. It is a very simple tool and not hard to use. Since the live chat, Magpie Woodworks has added PVC jigs to their store. They also make copper pipe looms, so if you want to purchase a Fringeless set up instead of making one from the course directions, you can find those HERE.
Simple PVC pipe cutter. Note that this one only cuts up to 1.25 inch PVC pipe so if you’re using bigger pipe than that for a loom, then you’d want a different size. For jigs, I use 1/4 inch PVC pipe and I’ve been buying the stuff they use for sprinkler systems which is slightly thinner and less expensive.
Questions we missed
There were some questions we either didn’t get to or I missed in the live event that we’ll answer here.
One viewer asked, “Knowing that processes and tools develop over time, wondering, would you recommend any changes in the process for warping fringeless or changes to the pipe loom design since the class?”
I think this is an excellent question and I’m sorry I missed it during the broadcast! One change that Sarah mentioned during the broadcast was how she made her PVC loom. For myself, the pipe looms are so simple and work so well that I wouldn’t change them. I love a simple copper pipe loom or if I want it to stand on a table, a galvanized pipe loom with feet. The Fringeless process overall is a fairly simple concept and I don’t think I would change anything about it even after many years of practicing it. The way we presented it in the course is the way I still do it. But of course things could shift at some point and if so, we’ll probably make note of it in the class.
Christine asked, “What are the pros and cons of using handspun wool warp with Fringeless?”
Wool is great! If you are spinning a warp that is 2-ply and balanced, that probably will work better, but both Sarah and I have used Brown Sheep singles wool warp and it works fine. As Sarah talked about in the video, a singles warp tends to bias and the corners of your tapestry will want to curl up. If you’re using a long staple fleece and spinning it firmly there shouldn’t be any problems. Any materials have their trade-offs, so experimentation is recommended. We discuss materials and warp choices a lot in the Fringeless course, so feel free to ask there for more details!
Suzana asked, “Funny -- I'm considering a later-life (55) career change to OT in part because of the healing through movement I find in weaving. Is that crazy?”
Rebecca says: Nope! Not at all crazy. I have met so many weavers who are OTs over the years and the profession of occupational therapy started with weaving. Age is just a number.
R Hale asked, “So I was thinking about using twine/nylon waste which I’ve picked from the beach. They are left by behind by fishermen and harmful to wildlife. However, as a beginner it will be interesting.”
That might be very interesting! I can see this being used for weft. I’m not sure using it for supplemental warp will work unless you can find a lot of it that is the same size, but it is definitely worth playing with! You do not need to use flyline backing for your supplemental warp either. (I believe flyline backing is nylon and it is a woven strand. It is NOT fishing line itself.) You can use cotton seine twine or other strong cotton for your supplemental warps.
Pamela asked, “Do you need that much distance between the actual warp and supplemental warp 2.”
I think this is a fantastic question and I think what Pamela is asking is how long does the loom need to be (my apologies if that isn’t right). This is another question I wish I’d seen during the live broadcast. Loom length is all about having a wonderfully easy warp to weave on. The shorter the warp, the harder it is to weave. So while you could have a four-selvedge warp with only 5 or so inches of the second supplemental warp above the tapestry warp, it will be a lot harder to weave on than a longer warp. Sarah says in the class that she likes to have 12-18 inches of free space above the top of the tapestry warp and in my experience, it is a lovely way to weave. This blog post talks more about why a longer loom is easier to weave on. https://rebeccamezoff.com/blog/2021/5/27/questions-from-the-book-ease-of-weaving-and-loom-length
DL asked what the supplemental warp was. It is flyline backing which is used for fly fishing. Flyline backing is a strong woven strand. Most yarns are twisted. The woven strand doesn’t tend to gather twist and behaves itself better as supplemental warps. Cotton seine twine works fine as supplemental warp as well but it isn’t as reusable as flyline backing is.
Pamela asked, “Have either of you used the cactus loom. It produces a fringe less tapestry.”
Yes, I have used the C. Cactus Flower loom. It is a wonderful loom and indeed it is made as a simple way to do the Navajo-style four-selvedge warping. That isn’t what this method is. The point of Fringeless is that you have a shed the whole time you’re weaving. It makes the weaving so much easier not to have the shed get smaller and smaller and then disappear the more you’re weaving.
PVC jig held into a Mirrix Big Sister loom (16 inches wide)
RN asked, “Plz talk about the dowel length relative to the various loom sizes? I've used add'l side blocks to adjust jig width. But one could also have a set of various dowels specific to each loom. correct?”
Absolutely. It can be helpful for the jig to fill the whole width of the loom but it does not have to. The images we showed in the talk are like that, but there are lots of examples in the class especially with the PVC jig where the jig just sits in the middle of the loom. It just has to be secured in there and I either use blue tape, big rubber bands, velcro strips, or tie them in.
Penny asked, “Are your videos on how to use a Mirrix loom for fringeless within the Fringeless class?”
Yes they are!
Besty asked, “Can you use the warp as doubled AND single to double the warps per inch in the same tapestry?”
Yes. The little house tapestry Sarah showed had the warps split just when she was doing the steps at the top of the house. You can split the warps for double the sett for a particular area. You lose the long open warp if you’re splitting the warps so I only use it for small areas, but you can have a doubled sett with this warping method.
There were so many kind comments during the broadcast and afterwards. Thank you to all of you who came, to those of you who have joined us for the class, and for all of you interested in learning this warping technique or who just want to be involved in the tapestry community!
“The fringeless class is so worth it. I felt empowered after creating my own pipe loom.”
“I absolutely loved taking this class!! They are both great teachers and you can tell that they love what they are doing.”
“I have definitely found my people!!! You two are hilarious!!!!!”
Thank you Emily!!! This made our day to be honest.
Do you have more questions about the online class? Please leave them in the comments! And don’t forget there is a discount code for 20% off this class that will expire this fall. You have access to the class and can ask questions for as long as you want to so it is a wonderful long-term resource.