Weaving Tiny Tapestries on the Thumbelina loom

The other day, a friend mentioned to me that she has been checking my blog and was concerned that I haven’t been posting lately.

Well, one of the reasons is because I have been working night and day for months,  on a new little loom that I have designed- the Thumbelina.

(I also have been working on a ton of other things, and will definitely get around to blogging about them soon)

One of the things that has really captured my imagination with the Thumbelina loom is weaving tapestries on her.

Weaving very tiny Tapestries has some challenges- working my way to achieving a ‘thumbnail’ image that reads clearly what my intentions are can be tricky, and is  a fascinating process.

I am utterly hooked by working on such a small scale- I love the sketching process, and then am always surprised by how the weaving and then the embroidering afterwards makes the tiny tapestry so engaging.

Because of the immediacy of weaving at such a small scale, it is the perfect way to weave tapestry diaries.

Tapestry diaries are usually woven in small units of a larger tapestry, as a reflection of the day to day life of the weaver.

Weaving Thumbelina tapestry diaries is kind of a reverse… I am weaving tiny tapestries that I will then be attaching to a larger piece to make them part of  a cohesive unit.

Tiny Tapestry Diary pieces woven on the Thumbelina loom.

The first 3 tapestry diaries that I have woven have been meditations on my life this May….

Nature in her abundance (apple blossom beauties),

Tiny Tapestry Diary of May apple tree flowers woven on the Thumbelina loom.

Nature in her ferocious destroyer aspect-

terrible fires (and my prayers for rain),

Tiny Tapestry Diary of a prayer for rain woven on the Thumbelina loom.

and a response to a marvelous dream that I want to remember

(the fairy door).

Tiny Tapestry Diary of a Fairy Door to remember a lovely dream, woven on the Thumbelina loom.

I made a video that shows more of the process of weaving the raindrop tapestry:

I am loving weaving tapestry diaries again.    Joy!

I introduced the Thumbelina loom here: LINK

Thumbelina is available from Dewberry Ridge Looms: (I designed and made the prototype, but Gary and Donna have the engineering skills to produce and ship them all over the world.  They are great at that and I am not.  I am good at designing, so that’s what I stick to 🙂  )  LINK TO ORDER THUMBELINA LOOM

Thumbelina Li'l Weaver