I have damaged an elbow so I am unable to weave on my floor looms, but I have been given the go-ahead to do weaving that does not envolve pulling on a beater so I am resuming my attempts at tapestry.  I am working on a copper frame loom (Archie Brennan's design) and am working through the samplers in both Nancy Harvey and Kirsten Glasbrook books.  I have a couple of questions:

Do weavers prefer bobbins over butterfly's to carry the weft, and what are the reasons for these preferences?

If you use bobbins, do you prefer all wood vs. brass tipped?

Do you use hand-held tapestry beaters, or do you beat with fingers or bobbins?

Thanks for any information you can pass on.

Comments

Tue, 01/01/2013 - 22:01

tommye scanlin

About bobbins vs. butterflies... both are equally fine to use for tapestry. It depends on many things as to the weft carrying method you use. For instance, if you use Gobelin-style bobbins (whether wood or brass tipped) you can both carry the weft through the shed and then pack it into place with the bobbin tip. It becomes a smooth move to do it that way after you learn about how to manipulate the bobbin through the shed -- and not feel like you're all thumbs while doing it! The brass tip bobbins are more expensive than the wooden tipped one. Most of the brass tipped ones I have are from John Moss, a woodworker in Clarkesville, Georgia, USA. I also have wooden ones in several sizes. About hand-held beaters; I don't use them much although I have several. Since I use the bobbins and pack with them, I don't need to use a beater. However, many people like to use hand-held beaters--again, preference of working style and what feels comfortable. About butterflies, Rebecca Mezoff has put a video on her blog about winding butterflies and it's quite instructive. She's also got another video about an interlocking method at her blog. She allowed me to post links to her blog from one of mine (Tapestry Share)... here's the link to that, if you want to take a look at Rebecca's videos. http://tapestryshare.blogspot.com Hope you have a happy new year with tapestry weaving! Tommye
Wed, 01/02/2013 - 16:51

theresasc

for all of your insights.  Your blog is a very nice place to get lost in for awhile, so much great information.  I have gotten the majority of my weaving knowledge from books and reading on-line, so its great to add another source of both information and inspiration.

Wed, 01/02/2013 - 17:07

tommye scanlin

These are both wonderful resources.  Additionally, there are several video (now DVDs) for tapestry.  Nancy Harvey produced several a number of years ago.  Also, Archie Brennan and Susan Maffei have a several DVD set that is an amazing resource.  You can find info about Archie & Susan's DVD on their website... just search for Archie Brennan.  I think Yarn Barn in Kansas has the Nancy Harvey DVDs.