Jun 25, 20212 min read

Activity #4: Weaving With Nature

Tapestry weaving was a well-known art/craft form in Medieval (1000’s to 1400’s) and Tudor (1400’s – 1600’s) England. Tapestries were intricately woven designs of wool and silk threads and yarns that resembled rugs. They were usually large and often made in a series that told a story from the Bible or from English history. The tapestry that hangs in Agecroft’s Great Hall is called “The Wolf Hunt”. Can you guess what the image on it might be? Look for it when you visit Agecroft and see if your guess is correct!

Tapestries took a long time to make and were expensive to own. They were not used on the floor as we use area rugs today. Tapestries in Tudor England were used to decorate tables and hung on walls for both decoration and to keep rooms warm. Many designs showed outdoor scenes with lots of flowers and plants.

Look for your supplies for Day 3, Activity #4 so that you can create your own weaving from nature. You will need plants and flowers, leaves and sticks from outside. You might even be lucky enough to find a feather!

Steps:

Head outside and start collecting items to weave. Bring these items inside and think about the design you want to create. Do you want all of the same type of flower toward one side of your weaving? Do you want to weave with just green items? These are your own personal artistic choices to make.
Measure and cut slits about ½” long and 1” apart into both short ends of your cardboard. This is your weaving frame.
Tape one end of the yarn to the back of your frame near one of the bottom slits. Slide the yarn through this slit and around to the front of the frame. Wind the yarn from back to front through each slit and around the entire frame. When you are done winding, tape the end of the yarn to the back of the frame. The string should be tight without causing the cardboard to bend.

4. Starting on the left side of your frame, weave one natural item through the yarn, moving under the first line of yarn, over the next, under, then over, until you have no more yarn left to weave into. *You can weave from the top down or the bottom up.

5. Continue this way with more natural items until you reach the right side of the frame, or until you feel that your artwork is finished. Send us photos of your tapestry!