Put aside those preconceptions of dusty, medieval tapestries hanging on castle walls! Tapestry weaving has a whole new look, and fiber enthusiasts of all levels are eager to try their hand at creating images with yarn. Rebecca Mezoff, a renowned teacher of contemporary tapestry weaving, shares her techniques in this in-depth guide to every aspect of the process, from developing a color palette to selecting yarn, warping the loom, and weaving the image. Crafters can choose from inexpensive tabletop and hand-held looms to larger floor looms. Detailed step-by-step photos and inspiring examples from a range of weaver-artists make this a one-stop resource for tapestry weaving how-to.

Once ideas and images come to mind, the next step in weaving your tapestry-interpreting these into effective compositions-may be challenging. Learn here, in ways that relate specifically to tapestry art, the design basics you need to make your best work. Renowned master weaver Scanlin offers more than 60 step-by-step "explorations" that lead you from understanding design concepts in your head to using them on your loom. Be inspired to explore "weavable" ways to manage line, shape, color, texture, emphasis, balance, rhythm, and more for results that bring your tapestries to a new level. In Part 1, dive into the fundamentals of design. Parts 2 and 3 hold explorations-exercises with a tapestry twist. Part 4 teaches ways to turn designs into cartoons. A resource treasure trove offers ideas for finishing tapestries (essential to the design's completeness), helpful templates, glossaries, and other core information to carry forward on your creative path.