A Sense of Scale in Tapestry

I googled “scale in tapestry” before starting this post and was amazed to find search results like this.

Google search for “Scale in Tapestry”

I think you get the idea. Not much out there that I could find written about Scale in Tapestry. I even - for amusement, really, put the question through chatGPT to see what would come up and it was pretty much as I expected - with a few key corrections. The biggest misconception being the crux of this post.

Does it take longer to weave larger?

You tell me. I can say from my experience, when I weave larger pieces, time seems to fly by unnoticed. Not so, when I work with small looms and weavings. I find myself counting the inches I can weave within a designated amount of time. Much like I used to count how many rows of knitting I could do in a half hour to gauge how many I needed to get to the bind off.

But that doesn’t answer the question, does it. As in many things, it depends. On how intricate the design is. How thick the materials are (AI did get some of this right). And what techniques are used.

Materials do matter

It would be interesting (but monotonous) to test the theory. Weave the same design small and then again large. IF you’re that committed to a definitive answer- which I’m not. Obviously, if you used the same materials (warp and weft) it would take longer- I don’t think anyone could argue that. But what if you wove the same image adjusting the warp and weft size to fit the scale- that’s the question to answer.

Techniques?

I think not so much. If we’re really answering the question of whether it takes longer to weave larger, the entire tapestry would need to be woven in the same manner for comparison - so same techniques.

Looms?

Yes. The loom does enter into the time element. Whether it’s a small hand-held loom using needles to weave with or a larger loom with a system to speed things along (like a shedding device, foot treadles).

But again, if we kept the same variables would it take longer…

I have heard Joan Baxter say on more than one occasion that large tapestries are in easier in some ways and don’t take any more time. And recently, Rebecca Mezoff said “Tapestry is a LOT slower if you're weaving tiny things. I LOVE weaving larger tapestries. Part of that is because I get somewhere a lot faster than (when) I'm fussing with little looms and lots of tiny color areas. I'm at heart a large format weaver and I don't think enough students consider how fantastic it is to weave larger things...”

There you have it, from an artist who weaves both - small and large.

To quote the chatbot… “Large tapestries often require many months, or even years, to complete, depending on their complexity. Weavers must exercise patience, focus, and endurance to sustain their commitment to a long-term project. In contrast, small tapestries can be completed relatively quickly, making them suitable for experimentation, practice, or more frequent production.”

I don’t think I’d choose those words to describe my experience when weaving a large project, but then maybe I haven’t woven one large enough to make me feel like an athlete when I finish. I gotta say, hitting the finish line (cutting off the loom) is pretty sweet, though.

But does it matter?

Well, this is where it gets deep. Because we’re talking about TIME. Time (as in physical measuring of time with the clock) definitely matters if you’re on a deadline. But what about the other ways we experience time. Our own personal perception of time. Maybe that’s better left for another blog post another day.

In the end, it’s all about what weaving what feels good, isn’t it?

Do you weave small or large tapestries? Or both? Have a preference of one or the other? I’d love to hear - leave a comment below if you feel like sharing.