For the past four months or so, I have been bombarded with the idea of tapestry looming. From finding cheap mass-produced woven pieces at Marshall’s to an artist popping up on my Instagram - it seemed to be following me everywhere. So obviously my curiosity peaked.

At first, I found how-to videos on Youtube, but it was not much help since I did not have a loom to even attempt on. My search for one on Google was hopeless and confusing - since I had no idea what I was looking for. However, Google did help me find a local loom studio that does classes!

The Loom Studio is located in the Westend of Toronto and run by textile artist Johana Cordero. They offer several tapestry classes, usually running about once a month. I chose “Intro to Tapestry 1” which is a 6-hour course, and costs about $135.00 plus tax. I did not know what to expect since I never did any type of weaving before, but I was excited to learn a new skill that I could maybe introduce into my practice.

So yesterday was my class. The studio was small, there was one large table waiting for us, with tabletop looms and their necessary tools. Johana and her assistant greeted us upon entry. We were told to pick about 5 bundles of yarn in any colour or thickness we wanted from several bins. There were only four of us in the class, which was great for one on one help and clear communication. Johana demonstrated how to create the warp (the vertical thread on the loom), and several different weaving techniques throughout the day. I cannot remember the name of all of them, but my favourites were creating fringe and simple one loop weaving.

The day went by fast, I made a lot of mistakes and at one point knotted a bunch of yarn together by accident. I did not know what I was doing for most of it, but I enjoyed it. When I was weaving I was off in my own little world - until I messed up the pattern, and had to figure out which thread I skipped.

Overall I am happy I took a class for this new medium, instead of learning it on my own through Youtube. There were a lot of frustrating parts when attempting several techniques which would have probably turned me off from this practice if I was just doing it alone. My final tapestry is about 9” x 13” in size, and I have already purchased the large size loom kit from Johana to continue learning this technique. I am excited about incorporating this new skill into my practice, and already have several ideas as I write this blog…but for now you can check out the pictures of my final piece from yesterday.

Have you tried tapestry looming? And if so, what did you think of the experience? I would love to find other weavers in my community so we can share our knowledge and ideas.

SARAH ZANCHETTA

SARAH ZANCHETTA

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I Took A Looming Class