Tapestry Making Techniques

Tapestry Making Techniques

There is a certain art in making tapestries. And in so doing there are various techniques involved in the creation of this unique work of art. To some, a tapestry may just be some piece of textile. But for the trained eye, every tapestry involves many types of creativity and imagination while it is being made. It has a certain artistry truly unique in its own art form. With this in mind, a tapestry becomes no more an ordinary commodity but a special form of artistic creation.

There are many ways in which a tapestry can be made. There are certain techniques involved in manipulating threads and color and combine them to produce quite interesting images and patterns that make them really unique. And making tapestries not only involves using the imagination and creativity but also a higher level of skill working with the material, which is textile.

There are many techniques involved in the creation of tapestries and rugs. The most notable of this is how the threads that make up the whole tapestry is placed and woven together. The techniques usually vary from where the tapestry is being made or where it originally came from.

There are some forms of tapestries that are made using a flat woven technique. Some of these techniques include brocading and embroidery. Tapestries coming from Turkey as well as some Caucasian and Turkish influenced British creations make use of the technique using what is called the Turkish knot. This is also known as the ghiordes or the symmetrical knot.

There is also another technique called the Persian knot which is typical of tapestries found in Central Asian, Indian and even Chinese tapestries. This technique produces more knots per square inch compared to the Turkish knot, thereby providing more detail and a more defined pattern. This is also known as the sameh or the asymmetric knot technique.

There is also a technique called the Spanish knot that employs the use of knots looped around single alternate warps. This enables the horizontal and vertical lines of the tapestry to become slightly rough and the diagonals smooth. This technique is usually employed in the production of Spanish carpets.

There is also another ancient technique called the Jufti knot in the production of older tapestries. This technique involves covering four warp threads in order to make a coarse weave. Rugs of this sort are usually found in 19th century and 20th Century Eastern Iran.

In choosing good tapestries, having some idea on the techniques involved in the making of such textile works of art would help give a collector the valuable knowledge of knowing the origins of a certain valuable tapestry. And in collecting such decorative tapestries also involves taking very good care of them, especially the more valuable and older types of textiles.

Carefully hanging these valuable artistic tapestries is also important to make sure that they are not damaged in the process. And since quite a number may have a weighty issue especially for those that are larger and thicker, special means of hanging them would be required.

Using simple nails can sometimes be inadequate for such magnificent tapestries hung on walls.