Weaving & Tapestry

  • Learn More About Weaving & Tapestry

    Weaving is an ancient art; archeologists have found tapestries dating back thousands of years, from the Romans and Greeks to the ancient Egyptians and Incas.


    A tapestry artist weaves horizontal threads (weft) between a plane of vertical threads (warp) into a work of art. It’s a craft for the patient: Some intricate tapestries can take a year or more to produce!

    Throughout tapestry’s history, wool has been used for its strength, silk for its luminosity, and gold and silver for their demonstration of wealth. Today, yarn is a popular weaving material that can be colored with pigments and dyes at a fiber mill or at home.


    Spin your own yarn in your own colors using batts or roving.


    Floss and thread are most used in embroidery work such as cross-stitching but can be woven as well.


    Use canvas as a framework for a wall-hanging tapestry.

    Shops on Etsy offer a variety of tools to make your weaving and tapestry experience simple, fun—even therapeutic. Here are some popular tools to consider:


    • The loom is the main tool for a textile artist. It acts as a giant frame to hold your warp threads in place. An array of other warping tools is available if you don’t want to work with a loom.
    • Heddles attach to the loom to keep warp threads evenly spaced and taut. Use a heddle hook to hook threads between the narrow spaces on your heddle when setting up warp threads.
    • Shuttles hold fibers like a spool that passes back and forth between the warp layers. The most popular is the boat shuttle, with optional narrow or rounded ends.
    • Cone holders hold spools of yarn and other fibers as storage or to unwind in a controlled manner. Some are small enough to hold bobbins of thread for a display of colorful options.
    • Needle threaders save time and turn a frustrating game of precision into a quick setup for working with your needle.
    • Ball winders are a fast, convenient way to collect loose yarn. Swifts are like a friend standing beside you, feeding yarn to you slowly as you work.
    • Weaving cards employ an ancient technique to create thin, decorative weaves, such as straps for wrists or bags.
    • Pom pom makers turn fur or fibers into fun pom poms to top hats or sew onto boots or mittens.
    • Clamp a loom to the table or anchor a warping stick. Niddy noddies not only win “best name in textiles” but also make skeins from your handspun yarn.
    • Nostepinnes—or yarn wands—are wooden rods around which to spool your fibers. They make yarn portable and create a ball that won’t change the twist in the yarn when used.
    • If you’re a beginner, consider a kit and how to package to ease into the craft.