Process Review: Fresno Canyon Small Tapestry
- By Karen
- November 26, 2019
- 15 Comments
The Park ranger had told Steve and me that if we were willing to drive six more rugged miles we would witness a spectacular overview of the Fresno Canyon that few people get to see. This is an opportunity we wouldn’t dare miss. And the park ranger was right. Oh, what a view! From this high point above the valley the view is phenomenal! I welled up with emotion as I looked over the glorious beauty of God’s creation.
The memory of that scene is in this small tapestry. Most of my small-tapestry weaving happens when we travel, where we make even more memories, which I store up in my heart. I pull from these stored treasures to weave tapestries that reawaken the fond memories.











May your memories become treasures.
Thankful for you! Happy Thanksgiving,
Karen
15 Comments
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Wary Weaving
- By Karen
- November 19, 2019
- 3 Comments
Sugar Pie has been waiting in the wings. Now, his nose wriggles up to the fell line. The day that Ari and Lucia went with me to visit my neighbor, their attention went to the cute furry thing in the rabbit hutch. At first, the bunny was wary, but before long, Sugar Pie was nibbling carrot slivers from Lucia’s hand.

Now, I’m the wary one. The rabbit will make or break this tapestry. I made notes when I wove the rabbit on a narrow sample warp several weeks ago. With careful review of my notes, I am inching forward, giving attention to value contrasts that shape and define the animal. The good news is that when I reach the end of Sugar Pie’s soft, furry back, I will be at the tapestry’s finish line.


In trying times, our senses are heightened. Will we flourish, or merely squeak by? In all the confusion, where is clarity? In the chaos, where do we find calm? The Lord extends an open hand. The open hand is an invitation. Come and taste. Trust. Find deep satisfaction that reaches the soul. Courageously inch up to the greatest challenge of your life.
May you step into a worthwhile challenge.
With you,
Karen
3 Comments
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Amen
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Thank you so much for your words of wisdom today. The lord is with us all and loves and encourages. May your day be blessed with joy.
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Most Unusual Tapestry Tool
- By Karen
- October 29, 2019
- 10 Comments
Suddenly, I am able to see the tapestry on the loom from a distant vantage point. Aha! I can see that the left shoulder of Lucia is nicely defined, and that her shoulder appears to be in front of the turquoise rabbit hutch. What I am not able to discern up close becomes crystal clear from a distance. I have an unusual tool in the basket at my loom bench that gives me this advantage. Binoculars! I use them whenever I want to get a better sense of the overall context, color, and definition of what I am weaving in the tapestry. By peering through the WRONG side of the binoculars I am able to view the tapestry as if from a great distance. It is just the help I need to keep pursuing this mystery of weaving wool butterflies on a linen warp to make a recognizable, memorable image.





May you gain the perspective you need.
Blessings,
Karen
10 Comments
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Great discovery, Karen! Who would have thought it? Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Ingenious!!
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What pretty colors. I can’t wait to see it completed.
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Wow, this piece will certainly be a labour of love! How rewarding it will be to finish.
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Yarn Is My Paint
- By Karen
- October 15, 2019
- 4 Comments
The best thing about weaving a pictorial tapestry? Having a cartoon to follow, with row-by-row definition. This Siblings tapestry has its joys and challenges. It is a joy to weave Ari’s hair, as if I get to comb his locks into place. At the same time, it’s a challenge to see up close what can only be recognized at a distance. Lucia’s shirt is a joy to weave because of the bright colors and distinct shading. But what a challenge to get the right value of turquoise for the leg of the rabbit hutch in relation to the value of orange in Lucia’s left shoulder.


The yarn is my paint. I make decisions and adjustments as I see how the colors interact. Under the warp, of course, is my cartoon with all the details—outline, hues, value changes. That cartoon is constant, unchanging, and reassuring. It’s the key to this whole process.


In the joys and challenges we face, we make decisions based on what we see. Take a look below the surface. Look through the warp to see the cartoon. True love is in the details. Jesus instructs and guides through his love. Constant, unchanging, and reassuring. It makes perfect sense to follow the Maker’s cartoon.

May you grow in love.
With joy,
Karen
4 Comments
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I admire your patience…and very much so, your talent.
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Good morning Karen,
You are an artist nose to toes. To do the weaving that you do requires a working skill of the craft. No matter how much I tried, the skill to make music from the viola was not possible because the craft was beyond my physical ability. As much as the mind desires, without the craftsmanship foundation to describe creativity, nothing happens. Mathematics, so necessary with science and engineering and business. Color theory with the visual. Mechanical understanding of the instrument, viola or loom or CNC or human body.
You are constantly sharing as you explore the craft of weaving. Your craftsmanship is honed to the best it can be. With that, the blessing of being an artist occurred. It is like running barefoot in a field as a child with no cares… Just the freedom of no boundaries.
God has blessed you with being a textile artist and you have extended that to the world with your blog.
Praise God. Thank you Karen.
Nannette
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Biggest Challenge of Weaving a Pictorial Tapestry
- By Karen
- September 17, 2019
- 10 Comments
Lucia grasps Ari’s plump wrist as they bravely inch a step closer to the rabbit hutch. For them, it’s a step of faith. Sugar Pie, the bunny, is wide-eyed at their approach. You’ll see the bunny later in the weaving of this pictorial tapestry.


It is a huge challenge to work on one element, like the hands, while not being able to see it in the context of the whole picture. The row-by-row weaving is an act of faith. I peer through the wrong end of the binoculars, and stand on a chair to take pictures. And I’m reassured about the outcome. It’s not blind faith. It’s a series of carefully reasoned and thought-out steps.

We see only a small slice of life at a time. Where do my day-to-day threads fit in the context of the big picture of a lifetime? Grace is amazing! Grace is unearned good favor. Grace is a final tapestry that makes sense of all the wanderings. Grace is good favor extended by God to all who trust Jesus. So, with God’s grace we walk by faith, with carefully reasoned and thought-out steps. And we extend grace at every opportunity, holding the wrist of our fellow adventurer to walk by faith together.

Grace is amazing.
May your life make a difference.
Grace,
Karen
10 Comments
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So beautifully said, Karen! I love the way you reflect your faith through the creativity of your mind and heart and hands.! And your efforts reflect so much faith…as this project requires! But do be careful, standing on a chair! I have a friend who just took a tapestry weaving class and is enamored! I have shared your website with her…and I know she will appreciate your progress! Love to read how you weave your faith into these messages! Thanks so much! 🙂
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That’s coming along beautifully!
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This is going to be fabulous! I can’t wait to see more.
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Can’t wait to see the finished product, it’s going to be awesome I know.
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Hi Karen,
Use it or lose it. Stand on the table too!!
More inspiration!
Adorable chubby wrists and hands. Gorge grandma. Gorge.
Drove through 2 hours lake Michigan fog today. Muted colors. The bright colors of your weaving are welcome.
This is beautiful, Karen! Such a creative way to display.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Beth
Hi Beth, Thank you! I like the way Steve designed it so that the tapestry almost floats in the frame.
Have a great Thanksgiving,
Karen
Awesome,Karen! What a wonderful way to use the talents God has given you to display His glorious creation! And, I agree with how perfect this great way is to display it. Love your photos. How about one with your smiling face in it sometime? 🙂
Hi Lynn! It’s fun to weave scenes like this. I’m so thankful for Steve’s constant encouragement.
Sure thing, I can put my smiling face on here. 🙂 Thanks, that’s a good request.
Love,
Karen
Beautiful!! Good design with the gift of color. I hope your heart sings with memory every time you look at it.
Happy thanksgiving!
Nannette
Hello Nannette, Yes, my heart sings with the pleasant memory, and it’s right where I can see it often.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours,
Karen
Happy Thanksgiving, Karen to you and your family!
What a blessing that you and Steve are able to meld your talents together to create such beauty.
Hi Annie, I’m fortunate to have someone to share interests with. It’s a blessing, indeed.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Karen
Wow. What amazing textile shorthand, Karen. It’s all there, even for someone who hasn’t been there. I can almost smell the wonderful Texas blend of hot dust and baking evergreens perfuming the air and sense the vastness of the landscape. Just lovely.
Am I correct in thinking Steve’s frames make it possible to change out your tapestries? Do you rotate them to prevent sun damage?
Hi Joanna, You sure have a great description for someone who hasn’t been there!
Steve’s frame is not made for changing it out. I’m not sure any two of my tapestries are exactly the same size. Not many been mounted or framed. This frame has a sawtooth picture hanger on the back, and just hangs on a nail on the wall. This one is hanging on a wall that doesn’t get direct sun.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Karen
And a happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too. We have so much to be thankful for despite the crazy state the world is in.
Very nice, Karen and Steve! You’re two very talented people. Hope you will enjoy a lovely Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you, D’Anne! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family, as well!
Karen
Hi Karen,
I don’t know if you noticed: In the picture of your tapestry on the cement patio in front of your Casita, your tapestry seems to have a moon landscape in a dark sky. I had to take a long second look to realize that what I thought was a moon was in fact the tire to the Casita!
Great work! Your talent to recreate beautiful landscapes is definitely a blessing! You must take after our (heavenly) Father for your creative skills.
Linda
Hi Linda, I missed the moon landscape until you pointed it out. Interesting illusion!
Thanks for your sweet compliment.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Karen