Back when I was primarily working on Handwoven, when Easy Weaving with Little Looms was a side project, we put together an issue for which we needed a tapestry project. We needed somebody who could create something small, accessible, and also, ideally, wearable. Somebody suggested we contact Sarah Neubert, and boy howdy, am I glad we did! She designed for us a sweet and clever little cuff bracelet.
This bracelet could have been simply striped, but instead, Sarah used the opportunity to showcase the meet-and-separate technique. With meet-and-separate, two weft yarns enter from opposite sides of the shed, meet, and then return without overlapping. (I like to think of it as a brief kiss as opposed to the weft-wrapped hug that comes from clasped weft.) The meet-and-separate technique is perfect for this project because it’s so small scale any slits left in the tapestry aren’t noticeable.
If you’re thinking of weaving tapestry but don’t know where to start, this project is perfect. You don’t need an actual tapestry loom, just a frame (although a tapestry loom does make things easier)—don’t worry, warping instructions are included! This bracelet project is also a great way to practice selvedges as well as the aforementioned meet-and-separate technique. Even better, once you’re done, you’ve got a sampler you can wear!
The amount of thought Sarah put into this simple little project really showcases her ability as a teacher to think like a student. Not only is her cuff bracelet beautiful and clever, but it’s also approachable and completely doable for even the newest of weavers. Her attention to color and patterning is exquisite—even though this project is six-almost-seven years old, it’s still just as attractive now as then.
Sarah Neubert designed her bracelet in a classic design and color palette.
I’ve wanted to take a class from Sarah for years, holding out hope that she’d travel to my neck of the country. When I found out Sarah would be teaching at our Weave Together with Handwoven weaving retreat, I might have shrieked just a little. When I heard what classes she was teaching—Non-Traditional Wefts, Textural Weaving, and Visible Mending—I got even more excited. Sarah’s work is astounding. She’s very much an artistic weaver who wields whatever medium she’s working with (yarn, dried plants, roving, etc.) with incredible skill. Her works are often in neutrals, relying on the texture of the yarn and weave structure to create something that makes you want to reach out and say, “Ooooh, may I touch?” (Want to see for yourself? Check out Sarah’s Instagram!)
In honor of Sarah teaching, I thought it would be fun to share her tapestry project with the Little Looms audience. While I know some of you may have seen it already in the pages of Handwoven, chances are it’s new to more than a few of you!
Click here to visit the library and get the free PDF for Sarah’s Tapestry Cuff Bracelet. Weave it as-is or use it to showcase your favorite weaving techniques, in miniature. And if you’d like to have the opportunity to take a class from Sarah herself, you can find out more about Weave Together with Handwoven here.
Happy Weaving!
Christina