The Art of Tapestry Weaving: A Complete Guide to Mastering the Techniques for Making Images with Yarn
The Art of Tapestry Weaving: A Complete Guide to Mastering the Techniques for Making Images with Yarn book cover

The Art of Tapestry Weaving: A Complete Guide to Mastering the Techniques for Making Images with Yarn

Hardcover – November 3, 2020

Price
$17.94
Format
Hardcover
Pages
320
Publisher
Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1635861358
Dimensions
8.63 x 1 x 10.38 inches
Weight
2.6 pounds

Description

“It is rare that a book comes along that covers a subject with such depth as this one does. You can tell the author knows her subject deep down, has spent years honing her skills, and is an enthusiastic and generous teacher. The Art of Tapestry Weaving will endure because it is thorough, covers any question a student of tapestry might have, provides in-depth information, and has clear illustrations. It inspires.” xa0 — Jane Patrick, creative director, Schacht Spindle Company “The Art of Tapestry Weaving is equal parts passion and precision. The depth and detail Rebecca Mezoff brings to teaching the craft of tapestry weaving guarantees you will need no other book to learn the essential skills. The breadth and joy she brings to teaching the art of tapestry assures the growth of your ability, creativity and excitement at the loom for a long, long time.” xa0— Jillian Moreno, fiber arts teacher, and author of Yarnitecture: A Knitter's Guide to Spinning: Building Exactly the Yarn You Want “With knowledge, common sense, andxa0an encouraging manner, Rebecca intelligentlyxa0guides us through the processxa0ofxa0tapestryxa0weaving.xa0The illustrations in this newxa0“must-have” book will inspire andxa0informxa0tapestryxa0weavers of all levels. I wasxa0especially excited to see the beautiful andxa0informative chapters on yarn choices and colorxa0theory — two areas that, as a weaver, I amxa0constantly considering.” —xa0Susan Iverson,u200b presidentu200b of the Americanxa0Tapestryxa0Allianceu200b and professor emerita, Virginia Commonwealth University xa0 “Noted educator Rebeccaxa0Mezoff wants you to fallxa0in love withxa0tapestryxa0weaving. She walks youxa0through the process, explainingxa0every nuance inxa0precise, clear imagery and language, anticipatingxa0any pitfall along the way, so you can have a smoothxa0journey from novice to expert. This book will sit byxa0your loom as friend and mentor;xa0it isxa0destined to bexa0a classic.”xa0 —Bhaktixa0Ziek,xa0weavingxa0teacher, artist,xa0and writeru200b u200b “This book brings to its reader the gentle, easy, and highlyxa0informative way of teaching for which Rebecca is wellxa0known. Most importantly, nothing is assumed, andxa0technical terms are used only afterxa0they havexa0beenxa0painlessly explained. I wishxa0I’dxa0had such a book when Ixa0was learningxa0tapestry.” —xa0Michaelxa0F. Rohde, tapestryxa0artistu200b and former president of the American Tapestry Alliance xa0 “Oh, how I wish I’d had Rebeccaxa0Mezoff’s The Artxa0ofxa0Tapestryxa0Weaving when I began learningxa0aboutxa0tapestryxa0over thirty years ago! Back then, Ixa0started out on a self-teaching adventure to learn thexa0basics of the technique — with lots of questionsxa0and few places to find answers. With clear textxa0and beautiful illustrations, Rebecca’s book is axa0perfect solution to the ‘I want to doxa0tapestryxa0andxa0don’t have a teacher!’ dilemma many of us stillxa0find ourselves in today.” —xa0u200bTommye McClure Scanlin, professor emerita, University of North Georgia, and director of the American Tapestry Alliance xa0u200b “Rebecca Mezoff has proven herself to be a worthy successor to her mentor, James Koehler, in her weaving, her teaching, and her writing. The Art of Tapestry Weaving is an impressively comprehensive resource on tapestry, presented in the friendly and accessible voice that students of Rebecca have come to know and love. This book is bound to become a classic in its field.” – Jennifer Moore, author of Thexa0Weaver’s Studio: Doubleweave “The act of taking what we see in our mind’s eye and recreating it on the loom fulfills a deep human need for expression, joy, and solace. With a clear, calm, knowledgeable voice, Rebecca has created an invaluable guide to learning what makes a tapestry a tapestry and how to make one yourself.”xa0 — Liz Gipson, owner of Yarnworker School of Weaving and author of Handwoven Home "Rebecca’s words and images resonate with the weaver inside all of us. Throughout this engaging and inspiring book Rebecca draws you into her world ofxa0fiber andxa0form. And in the manner of all great teachers, she gently takes your hand and leads you through this tapestry journeyxa0from which there is no turning back." — Claudia Chase, President andxa0Founder of Mirrix Looms “I can think of no clearer voice than Rebecca’s to contribute to the timeless story of tapestry making. This book will launch a new generation of tapestry artists and inspire all makers of contemporary cloth. I can not wait to see the impact!” — Maryxa0Zicafoose, tapestry weaver, author of Ikat: The Essential Guide to Weaving Resist-Dyed Cloth, American Tapestryxa0Alliance co-director emeritus "The fiber arts are perennially popular, but weaving is not as widely practiced, and tapestry weaving is a specific subset that may appear even more impenetrable. To be sure, tapestry weaving is a particular art form with lots of jargon and is not as easy for a beginner to pick up as, say, knitting or crochet. Tapestry weaving looms come in several varieties, each with its own benefits, and it may be difficult for a beginner to know how to choose even the most basic equipment to start with. The advantage of this book is that it lays out all the details and techniques in an almost curricular way, so that readers feel as though they are taking a class taught by a master. A historical overview includes the many cultures in which tapestry weaving is traditional, and provides readers with a grounding in the art form and significant artists. The high level of detail in the explanations of everything from equipment to materials to techniques makes this book a must-have for the aspiring tapestry weaver." — Booklist A Guided Journey from Yarn to Art Celebrated teacher Rebecca Mezoff explores the best methods of creating beautiful tapestries, highlighting how modern makers are breathing new life into this ancient art of woven images. With clear, in-depth instruction and photos for each step, Mezoff walks you through the process from selecting good yarns to mounting finished works for display. Her detailed guidance on how to choose and warp a loom, weave stripes and curves, mix yarns to create illusions with color, and more make this comprehensive volume an invaluable reference for weavers of all levels. - Learn warping techniques for popular tapestry looms - Master weft tension - Adjust the steepness of woven angles and steps - Create vertical curves, circles, and outlines - Discover design inspiration from dozens of modern artist-weavers Rebecca Mezoff is the author of The Art of Tapestry Weaving . An award-winning weaver and nationally known teacher of tapestry weaving, shexa0reaches thousands of students annually through her online courses, popular self-styled weaving retreats, and in-person workshops at Penland School of Craft, Convergence, and Red Alder Fiber Arts. Mezoffxa0has been weaving tapestriesxa0for 15 years and her articles on the subject have appeared in the American Tapestry Alliance , Spin Off , Handwoven , and Fiber Art Now . She lives in Colorado. 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Features & Highlights

  • Put aside those preconceptions of dusty, medieval tapestries hanging on castle walls! Tapestry weaving has a whole new look, and fiber enthusiasts of all levels are eager to try their hand at creating images with yarn. Rebecca Mezoff, a renowned teacher of contemporary tapestry weaving, shares her techniques in this in-depth guide to every aspect of the process, from developing a color palette to selecting yarn, warping the loom, and weaving the image. Crafters can choose from inexpensive tabletop and hand-held looms to larger floor looms. Detailed step-by-step photos and inspiring examples from a range of weaver-artists make this a one-stop resource for tapestry weaving how-to.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(379)
★★★★
25%
(158)
★★★
15%
(95)
★★
7%
(44)
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(-45)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Marvelous Resource

True confessions: I am a student and big fan of the author Rebecca Mezoff. For years I tried to learn Tapestry weaving from older tapestry books, and always quit in discouragement. When I found Rebecca’s online classes her truly skilled way of presenting information was the key to allowing me to learn to weave tapestry. 
Rebecca has distilled the essence of her courses into this comprehensive 300 page book. It is a beautiful book with over 500 photographs of tapestries and techniques. The first 100 pages are everything a newbie could need to choose a loom and yarn and tools, understand color and get set up to weave. The next 200 pages are technique based; clear enough for a beginner but also packed with hints for those of us who are experienced weavers. The book is beautiful to look at, fun to read and informative to study. I am working my way through the technique chapters now. 
Any tapestry weaver can benefit from this comprehensive and marvelous guide.
25 people found this helpful
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Who is the intended audience?

This is a puzzling book. Although, I believe, it's aimed at beginner weavers, the first several chapters have an overload of information about many different kinds of looms, all kinds of yarns and their characteristics, some color theory, comprehensive terminology, and some discussion about things like weaving from the front or back, or dying your own yarn, which seem more appropriate to more advanced weavers. It's a lot to throw at someone with no experience.
I would equate it with walking into your first violin lesson and having the teacher tell you all about the history of the violin, various price ranges of violins, and what rosin and strings to buy, when you just liked the sound of the violin and wanted to get a feel for what it might take to learn how to play. If you are completely new to weaving, there are better books out there, like “Tapestry Weaving” by Kirsten Glasbrook or “Tapestry Weaving A Comprehensive Study Guide” by Nancy Harvey. Having been weaving for only 5 or so years I remember well how confusing it can be at the beginning. If you've done some weaving, however, the amount of information makes this book a good reference source. The author does finally, in chapter 6, get to actual weaving techniques, that are clear and sequential and progress to cover a lot of standard techniques, but you'd have to sift through and absorb quite a bit of text before that to be successful at the weaving. I actually bought the book because with a title like “The Art of Tapestry Weaving” I thought it would delve more into design elements, but the focus seems to be more on general information and the craft of weaving.
19 people found this helpful
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Amazing!

I have taken all of Rebecca's online classes and was expecting the book to be a compilation from the classes. The book is an entirely different experience and is equally as great as her online classes. After reading the first half of the book I was so impressed that I had to stop and write this review. I am so impressed with the clearly written text and illustrations. There is absolutely nothing left to guesswork. I have never come across a "how to" book like this. Congratulation Rebecca, this is a wonderful addition to Tapestry Weaving.
14 people found this helpful
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A Tapestry Weaver's Companion

A substantial tapestry maker's book that somehow bridges the gap between engaging "newbies" and providing an easy to use reference for experienced weavers. The colors, text, and photos are clear and appealing. A gem of a book from the best beginning tapestry teacher out there, Rebecca Mezoff. This is a gift for those of us who have yearned to take her online classes. For more advanced techniques and "outside the box" weaving, I would continue with Kathe Todd Hooker's books: Line In Tapestry and Shaped Tapestry.
9 people found this helpful
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A Wonderful wonderful book

I have been looking for a guide on weaving that really breaks down steps, terminology and history with clear images and examples for years. This book is an essential guide for all learners. Most books are project based and geared towards Pinterest like wall hangings ( nothing wrong with that). This book is not that. It is packed with information that would take years and many many workshops to compile. At this price it is a bargain. I anticipate this book becoming an absolute staple for the weavers shelf. I highly recommend this book for everyone interested in tapestry weaving.
9 people found this helpful
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The kindle version is ruined by ads for a third party website.

I purchased the kindle version. Every time I open it an ad for a non-Amazon ebook website comes up and you cannot continue with the book until you click through the website numerous times. It's incredibly intrusive and does not stop after the first time you go o to the book. It's almost unusable for this reason. I wish I could return it for a refund
8 people found this helpful
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FANTASTIC!

This remarkable book is wonderfully in depth with clear examples. One of the best tapestry technique books I've ever seen!
6 people found this helpful
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A book I will refer to over and over again.

I am a fairly experienced weaver, who had never woven tapestry before. I jumped into my first tapestry project and had so many questions! I kept googling for answers, and most often Rebecca Mezoff's informative blog posts had the answer I needed. So I jumped on this book when I saw it was available. I can tell in my beginning tapestry project the point where I got this book and my work improved so much after that.
Excellent information, clearly presented, great photos and illustrations. Well written, and well indexed also, if a technique from elsewhere in the book is mentioned, the page number is right there. I'm currently working my way through some samples to learn tapestry techniques and am very impressed on the way each new technique builds on what went before. I have another tapestry book that has samplers in it, but I end up referring to this book to really understand the details and nuances. I feel that Rebecca is sharing skills that will take me further on my tapestry journey. I want to say this book will have a permanent place on my bookshelf, but for now it is permanently at hand as I explore this amazing medium.
5 people found this helpful
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307 Pages of Wonderful

Oh my gosh, Rebecca! This book is absolutely beautiful. And heavy! I have taken several of your online classes and this book is going to be a wonderful addition to my weaving studies. You’ve gone above and beyond with your book just like you do on your classes. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge in such a wonderful and beautiful book.
4 people found this helpful
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Clear comprehensive and beautifully illustrated guide to tapestry weaving!

I was so excited to receive my copy of The Art of Tapestry Weaving in the mail this week. I have enjoyed Rebecca's excellent online weaving classes, blog and vlogs for several years now and have eagerly anticipated her technique book. Rebecca has once again offered her passion, clarity, and first-rate teaching skills to the weaving community with this beautiful and accessible publication.
3 people found this helpful