Essential Materials for Weaving Tapestries with a Loom

Discover the materials you need to create tapestries on a loom, with Diana Cunha

Textile artist and founder of Oficina 166, Diana Cunha (@dianacunha), delights clients around the world by combining ancestral techniques to create contemporary designs. She’s also always on the lookout for new materials, trends and designs to mix languages and styles.

In this video, Diana demonstrates the types of needles, yarns and materials she uses to weave her designs on a loom.

Don’t miss it:

Wooden needle
This needle is used on looms that measure over 1 meter wide, to create large-scale pieces.

Plastic needle
This is a versatile needle that’s hard to break. But you need to buy one with a larger head to be able to use it with thicker threads.

Curved needle
This is Diana’s favorite needle. One end is curved to facilitate the process of passing the needle through the threads.

Shuttle
This is a kind of giant needle around which you wrap your yarn.

Comb
The comb is important to pack down the piece you’re working on, bringing the yarns you’ve woven together and applying pressure to make them firm.

Scissors
You have to have a good pair of scissors. Remember they shouldn’t be either too small or too big. Medium sized, very sharp scissors, capable of cutting various types of thread will be your greatest weaving ally.

Bamboo yarn
This natural fiber is very soft and used in pieces that need to be cushiony and satiny. It’s also easy to find.

Linen
Linen has a finer and rougher feel. This natural fiber can be used to firm up your work.

Linen, silk and cotton blend
This blend is relatively common as it is both firm and soft, and can be used in a range of designs.

Cord
There are various kinds of cord, which is made up of several threads woven together. You can find it in thicknesses ranging from 5 mm, to 12 mm to 23 mm, etc. Choose the right size for your design.

Cotton
Cotton is normally used to crochet, but finer cotton is great for weaving, because of its soft and satiny finish.

Wool
Wool is another extremely versatile natural fiber available in a range of thicknesses. It’s outstanding for rapidly building up your designs, the thicker the yarn, the faster your tapestry comes to life.

Brushed wool
Brushed wool is looser and tends to be dyed in several colors. This allows you to create large-scale works or to customize thickness. It gives you greater creative flexibility, especially thanks to the diverse range of colors available.

Lamb’s wool
This delicate, fine material is ideal for creating a cloud effect, thanks to its little loose threads. However, it also forces you to work more slowly and requires more patience.

Enjoy these tips? If you want to learn how to create unique woven designs from scratch, don’t miss Dianha Cunha’s online course: Introduction to Frame Loom Tapestry.

English version by @studiogaunt

You may be interested in:

- Weaving Tutorial: How to Mount a Circular Loom.
- What is Flat Weaving?
- What is Tapestry? The Definitive Crochet Technique