NATURAL LIFE TAPESTRIES PATCH

View of the back of a tapestry being woven on a low-warp loomīecause the colored wefts entirely cover the warps, the figurative design they've built up will be visible on the front and back of the tapestry. Then they are knotted in place, their loose ends snipped off or tucked in, and another color is introduced with a different weft thread this is why these are called 'discontinuous wefts.' The image below illustrates the complex array of colored weft threads partly woven onto the warp, hanging down and attached to wooden spools (or 'shuttles') visible on the reverse of a tapestry during weaving.

NATURAL LIFE TAPESTRIES PATCH

Wefts don't weave in and out across all the warps-they are only introduced where the design demands a patch of that particular color. In other words, the weft threads are the colors which gradually build up to form a tapestry's picture. Think of the warps like a blank canvas and the wefts like strokes of paint on that canvas. A tapestry is made by repeatedly weaving the horizontal (weft) threads over and under the vertical (warp) threads, then squishing (or tamping) those horizontal threads down so they are very close together, thus completely hiding the vertical threads from view.Īlthough you cannot see them in a finished tapestry, the vertical warp threads are vital components of each piece-they are the backbone of every tapestry, and provide the support for the weft threads. The wefts are actually a collection of lots of separate pieces of wool or silk threads, all in different colors. The vertical threads are known as warps, and the horizontal threads are known as wefts. Think of a tapestry as a grid composed of threads that are fixed on a large frame (known as a loom). Let's break it down: At its core, tapestry-weaving is a matter of simple math. If you are shaking your head in confusion while mouthing the words 'weft' and 'warp,' we understand.

Simply weave the warp and weft threads together, and voila-you have a tapestry! It's just that easy! Or not. In the face of all this tapestry confusion, how can you determine what exactly is a tapestry? We here at #tapestrytuesday assembled a short explanation to help you to understand what, in fact, makes a tapestry a tapestry!īy definition, a tapestry is a weft-faced plain weave with discontinuous wefts that conceal all of its warps. Adding to the confusion is the fact that tapestries may seem to resemble other types of artwork such as paintings on canvas, murals, large drawings, or printed fabrics. Tapestries-particularly European tapestries woven prior to the twentieth century-are relatively rare, and therefore not the types of art usually viewed on a daily basis so, when we do finally see a tapestry, it may be challenging to identify and understand. If you have ever had this experience, you're not alone. the wall label says it's a tapestry! A tapestry? You immediately begin trying to identify the specimen set before you: it's a fabric. You are walking through a museum, your mind lost in thought (your feet perhaps aching ever so slightly), when suddenly you look up and see a fascinating object. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Francis L.

Boreas and Orithyia from a set of scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses, designed ca.

Natural life tapestries