With Spring, new life and new students

Fetneh, Gert, Diane, Marion are the first 4 people who are our daytime tapestry weavers.

What a wonderful week. In the spring session like daffodils, I have welcomed a growing number of tapestry students! This is such a great joy for me. I had been concerned about how few people were interested in tapestry for the last while.  They are interested, curious and engaged.

Michele, Madeleine, Maxime and Delia.

I am also very delighted to see that cultural diversity is playing out in the tapestry weaving group as well as the fabric weaving classes. Through weaving we deepen our connection to each other by learning about the weaving practices that arise in their own cultural heritage. Through weaving we begin a discussion , our conversation the strand that weaves us together in friendship.

The cultural mosaic is one of the themes for the international tapestry project. New shapes arive from all over the world weekly for Fate, Destiny and Self Determination tapestry project. It's still not too late to participate, either by weaving a shape or coming to 255 Royal York Road, 2nd Floor, Room 30, Toronto on any of these dates that are remaining listed below between 10am to 9pm. A new schedule will be available in September.

MONDAY      WEDNESDAYApril 22                        
April 29          April 24
May 6             May 1
May 13           May 8
May 27           May 55
June 3            May 22

This week I am featuring Stephnie (not a typo) Cantoni from Perth Australia. She did an awesome job of documenting her process and it is a great educational resource on how to create a shape, which, if you have tried tapestry weaving, is challenging because of the limitations and constraints of the technique.

She received her shapes by email and had to reduce the size to the specified dimensions: no side to exceed 10cm or 4". Stephnie choose to do 2 shapes.

Design for shape 2.

 Selecting pure hues from the colour wheel, primary, secondary and/or tertiary colours.

 

Starting shape one. What's interesting about Stephnie's approach is that she lay in a pass of sewing thread, then used that sewing thread to secure the edges of the tapestry so that they would not sag where the weaving was not supported.

 

 Shape 1 done and starting shape 2.

 

To create a thin diagonal line in tapestry Stephnie used what she calls a flying shuttle technique. The picture says a thousand words.

Shape 2 proceeding

The weaving process completed for shape 1 and 2.

The completed shapes on the front.....

 

....and on the back.

Check out Ixchel Suarez's two person exhibit at the Burlington Art Centre from April 20 - June 2. Opening is this Sunday. Go to http://www.thebac.ca/ to learn more.