I’ve been working on finishing tapestries this week. I had no idea there were so many piling up for the job! Some weren’t even cleaned up or blocked; just tucked away in my drawer.

I have a wonderful old card catalog I inherited from my father that’s got those nice deep - and long - drawers at the top; perfect for stowing lots of weavings (among other things)!

I had already cleaned up the back side of most of these tapestries, so it was just a matter of turning back the hem, giving them all a shot of steam, and stitching down the warp threads. I don’t know why but this stitching down of the warp threads always holds me up. Well, next to the actual mounting, that is.

Time to knuckle down and do it.

After cutting off the loom and letting the tapestry rest a few days (or weeks…or months!), these are the steps I use.

1. Clean up the back side. This is a personal preference. I fall somewhere in between leaving the tails hanging (a respectable length, of course) and sewing them in. I love the look of sewing the ends in and sometimes I will do that if the weaving structure and materials allow. Most often I tie little knots bundling small groups together close to the surface of the weaving.

I should add that I’m far from “meticulous” as I weave. I weave from the front and allow my ends to hang off the back to be dealt with later. I do know several ways to weave them in as I go, but this is the method that works best for me. Maybe I’m just being lazy. But when I’m weaving, I just want to weave. And there’s something I actually like about sitting down and cleaning up the back side.

2. Steam the hem down (if there is one) and lightly steam the back side of the entire tapestry. I lay a cloth on the surface and give the entire surface healthy bits of steam. I should note that my weavings are primarily wool weft and cotton warp with occasional other fibers mixed in. If I were to have any areas with rayon or a fiber that wilts with steam, I would need to go light on - or avoid altogether- the steaming in those areas.

3. Stitch down the warp threads. I use sewing thread to tack down groups of the warp ends together. I didn’t always do this, but I think I got it from an article by Tommye Scanlin (sorry- couldn’t find the direct link again).

4. Cover the stitching with twill tape. If it’s a small piece I’m going to mount I admit to not always doing this step. It does give a nice clean look to the back, though.

5. If I’m getting the piece ready for a show, I will go ahead and prepare it for hanging.

This is where I get bogged down with decisions so I often put this step off until there is an actual need to do it. My smaller weavings are usually mounted. I’ve been using stretcher bars and covering them with felt and cloth in the past.

But first, so many questions!:

What size should my frame be?
How thick should it be?
How much space do I want around the edges?
Colored background or neutral?
Should I frame the “frame” like a shadow box?
and more…

I’m leaning towards actual frames for some of my smaller pieces - along with the mounting. Feeling a need for a more finished look than I’ve been getting with only the mounting.

And I’m also exploring other methods of finishing altogether. Maybe one where the warp actually shows, maybe even painted, or the mounted backing adds an extension to the weaving. Still percolating on that.

Sooo…I leave the mounting to another day, another post.

For lots more ideas on finishing tapestries, do a quick search on the American Tapestry Alliance website. As usual, you’ll find a gold mine of information!

Update: I should have added that the Damascus Fiber Arts School has a webinar coming up on Thursday, September 3rd by Molly Elkind on 3 Ways to Mount Small Tapestries. See you there?

Do you have a favorite finishing method?

An edging you’re fond of?

Let me know- or leave a comment below.

On Finishing Tapestries