THE PLANNING BEGINS

This photo will become my next tapestry. You can read about the image here. I love the way the photo is out of focus but it is causing many headaches in the planning of the tapestry. The whole image has a yellow cast over it so the colours are difficult to match. I decided that I would buy the wool from the V.T.W. instead of my usual practice of dyeing my own. After looking through my sample box I have discovered that the colours I need are not available, so this week has been spent dyeing samples.

The image on the computer screen is much sharper than any of the prints that I have had made from the photo. Each different place that I have the photo printed gives me a different colourway. Some copies are more detailed than others so I am going to have to decide on which one I like the best and go from there. I have been dyeing my samples with a grey that I have made from a large percentage of yellow, some red and black, to try to get the yellow look that I want. I had begun weaving a sample with a very dark navy mixed with the wools but we decided that that was not working and I would have to dye the colours rather than try to mix them. This tapestry will be woven on a number 18 seine twine which is a very coarse set for me, but will be much faster to weave, well you can always hope! I have started tracing the cartoon but it is difficult to get good detail so I think that the slow approach is the best. I sit down and work on it for about 15 minutes then leave it for a while before I go back to it. It is easy to get impatient and make mistakes that you pay for later. This cartoon is going to be my map for many long hours. This is the first time that I have used a photo for a tapestry design. I often take photos but then draw, or most often paint from them, so this is also a new learning curve for me. I don't want the tapestry to be a slavish copy of the photo.

This is my design for the 'Tapestry Blues' challenge, chillies from my garden. The deadline is getting close and I have barley started.

I spent a few days last week working on this tapestry but I am finding it very difficult to see. I can't see to sew up the slits or count the turns, it is so fine. I am getting new glasses and they should be here by the end of next week. To get this tapestry finished by the deadline I won't be doing much apart from weaving. But at least I should be able to see it!