Catherine Labhart

Tapestries

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What are Tapestries?

Catherine Labhart
Brunnmattstrasse 16, CH 6048 Horw
Switzerland
Phone: +41 41 340 04 24

As a signature, most of my tapestries bear a small slit in the weave. This is my adaptation of a rule observed by Navajo weavers to ensure that the weaver's soul does not get trapped in the weave. With tapestry weaving being such a slow project, allowing for so much time to hang on to all kinds of thoughts, I am glad to rely on this emotional way out. Read more...

Presently on my loom:
Exercises ?

Tapestries are woven pictures. Warp ends are usually strung vertically and kept under great tension. They are tightly spun and rather thick. Wefts often consist of several thin threads which may differ in color. They are woven in one by one and by hand, traditionally in such a way as to completely cover the warp. Thus, tapestries are weft-faced weaving, unlike cloth weaving, where both the warp and the weft threads may be visible. Weft threads in tapestries are typically discontinuous, i.e. they cover only part of the breadth of the weave. This allows for different colors being woven in side by side. As successive wefts (vertically above one another) may also differ in color, this opens up almost unlimited possibilities to play with colors and shades and to reach effects reminiscent of pointillism in painting. Because of the ways the weft threads can blend together in three dimensions, tapestry allows for an intricate interplay of color and light, which can be further heightened by changing the angle of viewing the work, or by employing weft-materials other than the traditional wool.

Impressum | Design by Martin Kohler (snabela.ch)

© Catherine Labhart 2015

Unless otherwise stated, the photographs were taken by Catherine or Thomas Labhart