Tapestry Weaving in Progress

Progress thus far…

This week I’m sharing my progress on a weaving I’ve been working on. I showed the beginnings of it last week and the planning for the cartoon in another post.

I’ve been researching Soumak techniques for the past couple of years and recently started teaching an online course called the Many Faces of Soumak. This course is what inspired the techniques I’m using in this tapestry. It incorporates some of my favorite textures and methods: Double and Vertical Soumak.

This is also my first attempt to bring together isolated techniques I’ve used in previous weavings into one piece. I have no idea at this point if it will be successful or not. You can see the obvious use of Vertical Soumak in the mycelium running through the ground area. The other technique I plan to incorporate will be the blending as I’ve done in my Prairie Songs weavings. Still working out the colors for that section.

A section from “Prairie Songs”

The techniques in the bark are various forms of Double Soumak. I did try to stick to my original cartoon, but one section deviated from the plan- and I let it be. Sometimes my fingers know what to do quicker than my mind.

One of my favorite textures in the double category is the one I used for the roots of the tree.

Here’s a short clip from the class content of the technique.

It looks quite different in the video with the thick bundle of yarns than the finer bundle in the weaving. That’s just another one of the aspects of Soumak I love. The appearance can change dramatically depending on the materials. Part of why I called the course The Many Faces of Soumak!