Most of us tapestry weavers use a cartoon, ie a blueprint outlining the main colour areas, which sits behind the weaving so that we can keep track of the shapes. Often the lines in the cartoon are transferred onto the warp threads, making it look even more like it is just a matter of filling in the blanks.

 

Jean Lurcat, Tout feu, tout flamme, 1963

In fact, many of the famous French studios use just this method, with a number for each area. They are executing a design created by someone else. They have an extensive range of thousands of colours, and a weaver will make up numerous bobbins with, say, number 344 dark blue, 1673 grey, and all the others they need, before starting to weave. They use only wool and only a certain weight and type, making for a uniform surface. To me this would be a tedious process, with little decision making, and only the need to keep tension correct.

 

detail of Migration

For me and most of the other weavers who both design and weave, the maquette for the tapestry and the resulting cartoon (a blow-up of the design) is only the starting point. The big decisions have indeed been made, the general shape and placement of shapes and colours decided. But numerous further decisions are yet to happen.

One colour area that is blue might be broken down into a large number of shades, one a light bluey-green, another a darker indigo, etc. Maybe a different material would enliven a certain area. Setting light-absorbing wool against shinier linen adds interest. A thicker or thinner yarn adds texture. Creating a given colour can happen in different ways by blending materials together.

The tapestry will develop as the weaver learns about it and its possibilities as they go along. It is tedious to have to undo a section already woven, so of course we try to avoid mistakes, but sometimes it doesn’t work and we have to undo a bit. But whatever happens, the finished tapestry will be the result of numerous small decisions made during the course of weaving. Whether it is successful will depend on skill, creativity and perseverance.