I am a proud new owner of of a Mirrix, I love it. However, I am having problems attaching the cartoon. The space between the tapestry and the back/continuous warp is very narrow. It's hard to get my hand in between the two warps to sew the cartoon, or to hold the cartoon to ink the warp. Are there some tricks and tips that you can share?

Comments

tommye scanlin

Hi Cathie...

Try using clothes pins or hem clips (money clips are similar--flat, thin, long metal clips) to hold the bottom edge of the cartoon in place at first.  Make the cartoon paper, whether mylar, tracing paper, or other paper, longer at both ends than the actual design you'll be weaving... that gives you an area to anchor with stitching below and an few inches at the top for the cartoon to be held up with a string that I'll describe shortly.

After you've attached the bottom with the clips, then put either your hand behind the cartoon (between the warp layers) or, if too narrow to press your hand flat against the cartoon behind, use a yard stick to press the cartoon paper close to the front part of the warp... put it through so that it's at the front of the side support on one side, goes behind the cartoon, then out at the front of the opposite side support.

Use a curved needle... tie a sewing thread or quilting thread to it, and begin your stitching.  The curved needle will poke through the cartoon and you'll be able to manipulate it back to the front without having to have your hand in the back.  I pull against the thread, holding it taunt as the next stitch is taken, making big running stitches across.  I tie the last one to itself at the front to hold it.

To hold up the top of the cartoon, make an X configuration of scrap warp thread, that will go behind the cartoon to help hold it up in place.  I'll try to post something to Tapestry Share about this later on, photos of what I'm trying to describe.  

Hope some of this helps!

Tommye

 

Artistry

Thanks Tommye ! The trick of the yard stick I think is really going to help. I kept feeling like I needed another set of hands. The curved needle too, makes a lot of sense. I think you've solved the problem!