V&A

Embroidery

	Brief history					Making a tapestry
	Resources

Making the tapestry

Juliet Griffin is an expert in the recreation of 15th century tapestry, concentrating on using the right materials, equipment, designs and techniques for the period. She has no formal training but learns from texts and the examination of extant medieval tapestries. This cushion cover is based on motifs from the tapestry series known as the Lady and the Unicorn, currently in the Cluny Museum in Paris.
		Juliet weaving tapestry, in medieval costume

Setting up the weaving

Tapestry is woven on a frame or loom, depending on the size of the piece planned. For this small scale tapestry the warp threads are stretched around the frame vertically. The tapestry is woven sideways and back to front, both for ease of weaving and to minimise slits to make the finished piece as strong as possible. In the finished piece, the warp threads lie horizontally. The warp threads in this are undyed wool, and as in all tapestry they will be covered completely with the coloured weft threads. Some northern workshops used linen for the warp threads.


The weaving starts a few inches from the bottom of the loom.

Preparing the design

The outline of the pattern is usually drawn onto the warp threads, traced from the cartoon. When inking the threads, the mark must go all around the thread as the warp twists during weaving and the mark may disappear on to the other side of the tapestry.

A quill pen is used to mark the pattern onto the threads.

Extending each mark all the way around the thread.

Weaving

The wool used in weaving is wound on a small bobbin or a kept in a little bundle known as a butterfly, which hangs down when not in use. A different bobbin or butterfly is used for each new area of colour.

The weft is threaded under alternate warp threads.

The wool is left slightly loose, in an arc.

It is then beaten down to lie flat against the previous row. If the weft was not woven slightly loosely, the tension would make the tapestry grow progressively narrower.

The next row of weave goes under the other alternate warp threads.

The weaving is built up row by row, changing bobbins/butterflies as each new patch of colour is reached. In some areas the weaver can weave ahead, but must make sure not to weave so far that the other areas cannot be inserted and incorporated.

Threads are not tied off at the end, but are left hanging. These can still be seen on the reverse of medieval tapestries.

Mistakes can be unpicked and extra threads can be inserted into already woven sections using the appropriate coloured yarn threaded in a thick needle. The simplest part of the pattern to weave is the rust-coloured background.
		Reverse of detail of Boar and Bear Hunt tapestry, T.204-1957

TECHNIQUE FOCUS

Double weft interlock

To make a narrow band of colour, one thread wide, the weaver must use a technique called double weft interlock where two colours are woven around each other to leave only a narrow line showing on the front of the tapestry, such as these flower stems.

A number of other techniques were used by medieval tapestry weavers, but Juliet did not need to use them at this point of the weaving.

If working full time on this tapestry, Juliet estimates that it would take about two weeks to complete this cushion cover.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

Very little equipment is needed other than the frame. Bobbins were probably used, and Juliet also uses little bundles of wool. Snips are essential for cutting threads, and a beater (a small smooth stick sharpened at one end) is needed to beat down the threads to a tight weave.

Wool was used for most tapestries, though some include silks and even gold or silver thread for the most luxurious details.

Real gold thread.

Dye

Most of the wools Juliet uses are natural dyed, including madder root for the rust red background.
For more information on medieval dyes, click here.
Back to top

Text search: