Why Small Hangings Suit Tapestry So Well

Tapestry weaving works differently from most cloth weaving. Instead of throwing a single weft from selvedge to selvedge and letting the fabric build itself, you work colour by colour, shape by shape, one row at a time. The weft is packed down until it hides the warp completely, so what you see is pure weft — pure colour. Nothing is cut until the piece comes off the loom, which means you can change your mind halfway through and simply carry on from where you are.

That way of working makes a small wall hanging — say 15cm by 25cm, or the size of a generous postcard — the ideal place to learn and to play. You need very little yarn, so it is a brilliant way to use up odds and ends. You can finish a piece in a weekend or two. And because the stakes are low, you can be bold with colour in a way you might not risk on a metre of cloth.

Setting Up a Simple Frame

You do not need a floor loom. A wooden frame loom, an old picture frame with panel pins knocked in at regular intervals, or even a sturdy canvas stretcher will do. String the warp from top to bottom with a strong, low-stretch yarn — cotton seine twine or linen is traditional and lasts well.

• Sett: around four to six warp ends per inch (roughly two per centimetre) suits most small hangings worked in worsted or aran-weight wool. Finer yarns can go closer; bulky ones need more room.
• Tension: firm and even, like a drum skin but not so tight the frame bows. Uneven tension shows up as wavy edges later.
• Width: warp up a little wider and taller than the finished piece, because tapestry draws in at the sides and you will want room for a turned hem.

Wind your weft onto tapestry bobbins, or simply make butterflies by winding yarn around your fingers. Either keeps the yarn manageable and stops it tangling as you work across.

Building Shapes Row by Row

Start with plain weave: pass the weft over one warp end, under the next, and back again, alternating each row. Do not pull the weft tight. Instead, lay it in a shallow arch — weavers call it bubbling — so that when you beat it down with a fork, the yarn has somewhere to go. Pull it flat and the sides will pinch inwards.

Beat gently and often. The goal is a firm, flat surface where the weft sits like little bricks, with no warp peeping through and no gaps between rows. If the warp shows, your weft is too thin or your beating too light.

To build a shape — a hill, a leaf, a stripe that tapers — you simply stop and start the weft at the right warp end. Work in steps of one or two warp ends for a clean diagonal, and keep a notebook beside you so you can mirror the angle on the other side.

Joining Colours Cleanly

Where two colours meet, you have choices, and each gives a different look.

• Slits: leave the two wefts unjoined and a small gap opens between them. Fine for short joins, but long slits weaken the fabric.
• Interlocking: the two wefts loop around each other at the boundary as they change direction. This gives a crisp vertical line, ideal for architectural shapes and stripes.
• Dovetail: the two wefts turn around the same warp end on alternate rows, producing a slightly softer, stepped join.
• Hatching: alternate two colours row by row within the same area to blend them. Worked loosely, it reads as a soft gradient from a distance.
• Soumak: wrap the weft around the warp ends to create a raised, braided line — useful for outlines, stems and texture.

For fringed edges and fluffy textures, rya knots are worth learning. They use up short lengths of leftover yarn beautifully.

Playing with Leftovers and Colour

Gather your oddments and sort them into two piles: light and dark. Then arrange them by hue within each pile. Choose five to seven colours you actually like together, plus one accent that surprises you. Small tapestries are forgiving — a colour that feels wrong in the hand often settles down once it sits beside its neighbours.

Sketch a simple cartoon on paper and pin it behind the warp if you want to follow a design. Alternatively, work freehand and let the rows decide. Because each colour change costs you only a few centimetres of yarn, this is the place to test that strange mustard, that muddy green, that inherited pink. Keep a note of what you used; you will want the recipe later.

Finishing and Hanging

When the weaving is done, secure the bottom edge with hemstitch, working in groups of three or four warp ends, or with simple overhand knots tied close to the weaving. Cut the piece from the frame, leaving generous tails.

Thread each tail onto a blunt needle and darn it back into the weaving itself, following the path of a weft row. Trim the ends only after they are woven in. Turn the top edge to the back and stitch it down, or fold both ends over and slip stitch. Press the piece face down on a thick towel with a warm iron and plenty of steam — never press the right side directly, or you will flatten the texture you worked so hard to build.

To hang it, slip a dowel, a slim copper rod or a piece of weathered driftwood through the top channel. Add a cord, a brass ring, or a simple loop of waxed linen. A blanket-stitched or lightly fringed edge finishes the sides neatly.

Above all, keep the first one. Small tapestries chart your progress faster than anything else, and a row of them along a wall — each one a little braver than the last — is its own quiet exhibition.