Sarah Swett’s children’s book on tapestry weaving is available from Harry N. Abrams publisher, your local IndieBound bookstore, on Amazon and other places books are sold.http://www.indiebound.org/shapeimage_1_link_0

Copyright Sarah Swett

A detail of An Turas

This tapestry was inspired by Irish music, sport and Celtic culture. It is made of handspun wool, including Romney, Scotish Blackface and a rare Galway breed. Dyes include madder root, walnut, indigo and tansy.

Weaving Basra was inspired by a poem attributed to a 7th century Sufi woman, Rabi’a of Basra. The wool is handspun Romney. The indigo, deep red and gold are Turkish naturally-dyed yarn. To read more about Weaving Basra, click on this link to Orion Magazine for an essay I wrote while weaving this tapestry, which entwines poetry, politics and prayer. http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/131/shapeimage_2_link_0

A detail of a mosque in Weaving Basra.

Weaving Basra

This striking tapestry is the work of a friend and master weaver in Moscow, Idaho, Sarah Swett. Sarah taught me how to make my first knots and shared with me techniques for natural dyes. To view more of her work visit: Sarah-swett.com .http://www.sarah-swett.com/shapeimage_3_link_0

My tapestries are inspired by places I have lived and traveled. Often I bring home natural dye materials and sheep wool from locals I meet and incorporate them into my weavings. Sometimes I work from a cartoon placed behind the warp, as shown below in Fiddle and Hurley Sticks. Other times I weave without one.



An Turas depicts the Utah desert. It is made of handspun Romney and Navajo Churro wool. Natural dyes include indigo, rabbit brush and mineral pigments.

An Turas ~ Pilgrimage

Fiddle and Hurley Sticks