the tapestry technique

 
 
Tapestry is neither the restoration of armchairs, nor jacquard weaving, nor needlework or embroidery, nor a printed sheet hanging on the wall. It is not easy to find your way around as this term has so many meanings !
 
Tapestry is a specific weaving technique where the "weft" (coloured threads which constitute the pattern, often in wool) completely covers the "warp" thread (unbleached cotton or wool threads stretched perpendicular to the weft and which constitute the "skeleton" of the tapestry). It is a decorative piece woven on a loom.
It is by the hand of the tapestry weaver, who will build the patterns and design, that the tapestry is created. The craftsman will not go back and forth on his loom repeatedly, but use a small wooden tool, lined with threads (often wool), to build the patterns and designs of his tapestry, like a mason will build a wall: piece by piece, from start to finish.
It is a calm work in appearance but which constantly solicits the logic and the technicality of the one who practices it.
 
There are two types of tapestry techniques, depending on the orientation of the warp thread: the high-warp (on a vertical loom) and the low-warp (on a horizontal loom). It is impossible to differentiate the technique used on the finished piece. I practice high-warp tapestry weaving, on a large manual loom, using the traditional technique practiced for centuries at the Manufacture des Gobelins, in Paris.
Tapestry is today a rare skill that brings together a few artisans around the world, whether in factories, mainly in France, Australia, Scotland and on the African continent, or in small workshops. independent.
 
It is a unique technique, which requires the hand of man, and a lot (a lot!) of time : its rendering cannot be imitated by technological advances. This is what makes it rich and unique.
A technique that goes against the current of contemporary times, it nevertheless has all its meaning in a Western society that is rediscovering the joy of making objects with its hands, the importance of valuing the know-how that has been transmitted to us for centuries. and centuries.
 
 
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