Tapestry Loom Weaving

Weaving on a Tapestry Loom

Tapestry looms are typically frames that allow for yarns to be stretched across their length, and in a fixed length. A weaver can freely weave in and out of the yarns creating more freeform structures and pushing down yarns with a comb. Tapestry looms (and the resulting tapestries) can range in size. This video shows an example of tapestry weaving on a large loom. Tapestry weaving tends to be the most free-hand weaving processes, and tapestry weavers often freely integrate different materials, colors, etc in non-rectangular shapes. These tapestries often exist as artful wall hangings and rugs. Sheila Hick's collection of tapestries in the book Weaving as Metaphor show a large extend of the possibilities of working in this way. Tapestry looms can also be made from ad-hoc materials such as sticks or even eyelashes. The Met offers a nice tutorial on how historical tapestries were made.

Drafting For a Tapestry Loom:

Typically, tapestry weaving involves more complex and hand-involved stitches, and so the drafts often show more than overs and unders, but also show places where you put colors, wrap yarns around eachother, etc. The conventions for this are hard for me to find. When weaving repeating patterns on a tapestry, people often follow the same conventions as a frame draft. This page offers a nice process of interpreting a pattern step by step.