DIY Wall weaving

I’m so thrilled to introduce you to another new contributor to Lars, Kathryn Godwin of Studio Cultivate, whose work I’ve admired for sometime (did you ever see this project or this one? So good!). Kathryn is an installation artist and stylist and spent a number of years doing beautiful installations for Anthropologie. I’m pleased to have her here on Lars.

The beauty and tactility of weavings and wall tapestries have always been fascinating, my love of it grew when I learned of Sheila Hicks in school. With the renewal of it’s popularity with the craft movement, I was reminded of the latch and hook rugs we use to make as kids. Understanding many may not have the time, patience or space to invest in even a mini loom to be worth while for a full weaving, this DIY helps combine the latch and hook idea with the soft organic cascades of a yarn tapestry.

Photography by Laura Sumrak  |  Project and tutorial by Kathryn Godwin of Studio Cultivate 

See the full tutorial below!

• macrame hoop
• scissors
• yarn (in 3-4 colors)
• hot glue gun
• latch hook canvas
• tapestry needly

1. Choose a macrame hoop size preferred for the spot you plan to display your finished piece! We used a 10 inch ring.
2. Lay the hoop over the latch hook canvas and trim to fit the width of the lower part of hoop- ours was about 9 inch wide by 6 inch tall.
3. Thread a 2 feet length of yarn through a tapestry needle and stitch around the hoop, sewing it to the canvas.
4. We worked with several lengths of yarn to begin the tapestry, the lower pieces averaged 15-20 inches in length. Cutting a handful of lengths all at once helps to streamline the process.
5. Starting with the bottom corners, fold your yarn in half and pull the loop through the canvas. Pull the ends of the yarn through the loop and pull taught, so the loop slides down to the canvas.
6. Continue to repeat step 5, working your way across and up in the canvas in a stair-step fashion.
7. Begin to alternate and focusing on organic patches of color. As you work your way up the hoop, begin to shorten the yarn lengths, midway up we shortened ours to 8 inch and then to 6 inches long.
8. Once you get to the canvas closest to the hoop, it may be helpful to use the needle to poke the yarn through the holes, as it starts to get tight to work with.
9. Upon filling all the canvas, we did one last layer of looped yarn around the hoop and canvas.
10. It’s not absolutely necessary, but just to be sure nothing gets pulled over time, we flipped our wall tapestry over and did a light of hot glue around all the edges to make sure the canvas or yarn would come loose.
11. While the the piece is facing down, use scissors to trim the remaining canvas down to the hoop.
    This can be interpreted into any size, from a mini 3 inch macrame hoop to even a 36 inch dowel rod. Hang this in an entry, over your bed, or clustered with a gallery wall of frames to mix it up! The yarn colors you chose will set the mood for the calming or bright and energizing tone you want to create.