BLENNZ - Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ

The Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ (BLENNZ) is a school that is made up of a national network of educational services for children and young people who are blind, deafblind or have low vision in New Zealand. It was wonderful to have this group visit our tapestry and help them to enjoy the weaving experience despite the fact they were sight-impaired or couldn't see at all.

Ngarangi had a go at weaving
 with Naoko on hand to assist.

 Alanya, with the assistance of Elly

Emil had a go on one of the mini-looms.

Natalie is completely blind.

 Elly guided Rachel's hands so she
could feel the process of weaving

 It was very humbling to observe.

Thank you for the priviledge of meeting and encouraging you

 to have a go at weaving and adding your stitches to the tapestry. 

You are an important part of the community 

and we appreciated your visit!

We're nearly at the top of the mountain..

We are nearly at the top of the mountain...not far to go!

And the W in WHANGAREI is almost finished, too.

 I snapped this photo of Naoko working on the mountain.... 

It got too tall to work on it sitting down! 

Time to roll the tapestry on.

~o0o~

SATURDAY 7th NOVEMBER

Kim Underwood worked alongside Naoko for an hour or so.

He said it was really calming and therapeutic for him.

 He has been living in the U'K for the past 13 years

 but has come back toNew Zealand to spend time with
family after learning that he has terminal cancer.
~o0o~

THURSDAY 12th NOVEMBER

German tourist, Nina Wissmann had a go at weaving.

Travelling companion and friend, Elizabeth Benedikter
chatted to Ellie, one of our hostesses while Nina
completed a few rows of weaving on a leaf.
 She thought that the tapestry was amazing!
~o0o~

October 2015 update

Another month has galloped by so thought 

it was time to do another update...

We are getting closer and closer to the finish line!

The left-hand side of the tapestry.

The "W" of Whangarei is nearly complete...

.......the centre, showing work on the sun...

...and the right-hand side of the tapestry.

Naoko working on the W and the Kauri tree.

~LABOUR WEEKEND~

 Dawn Abowat (at rear) is originally from South Africa and now lives here in
Whangarei along with Jaime-Lee Rowe (in red) who moved up from Christchurch.

~Saturday 31st October~

Judy Lamb from Maungakaramea works on the leaves of the
pohutukawa tree while Naoko weaves on the Kauri tree on the left.

I like to make people smile!
Judy said she had been in a couple years ago and thought is was time to come back and check on the progress. Thanks for coming back and weaving a few more rows.

6th September 2015 - New Zealand Father's Day

 Father's Day brought lots of people into Mokaba, the cafe 

next to The BACH and then many would wander around

the Art Gallery stopping to see the Whangarei Community 

Tapestry Project.  It was a busy day for our two hostesses!

Naoko and Jill were on hand to help visitors have a
go at weaving and to explain the process to them.

Linda Etwell has a go at weaving while Jill,

(back) one of our volunteer weaver's, explains

 tapestry weaving to one of Linda and her 

husband's international students who is staying 

with them while studying here in New Zealand.

Trinidad Wendt (above) is from Chile and said the

 tapestry project was amazing and was glad she had 

the opportunity to have a go at some weaving. 

She said the Spanish name for tapestry is "Telar"

Naoko, our Tapestry Master watches Krystal

Wang from China as she weaves a few rows.

Krystal is 16 and at High School. She plays

piano and viola and is a very good musician.

Krystal,s Mum, Lilly (also from China) had a 

go at weaving too and loved the design.

~o00o~

It's always great to see men having a go at weaving. 

Traditionally,it was the men who worked on a tapestry. 

Women spun the wool (and probably a tale or two!) 

Ralph Laing from Auckland was up in Whangarei for 

The Northland performing Arts Competition. While

his daughter was competing in the dance section, he

and his son, Alex had some Father/Son bonding time.

Alex Laing (18) is a first year Auckland University 

Architecture student. He is very much into "the Arts"

(according to his Mum) and both he and his dad thought

 the weaving was very relaxing and therapeutic. Alex's

Mum said she had tried weaving years ago and after 

today was thinking about getting a loom now.

~o00o~

There's always lots of interest from visitors so great to have

two hostesses available to explain the tapestry project to them.

Eve Potter (10) was with her family for Father's Day

at Mokaba Cafe and came over to see what we were

doing while they were finishing their drinks.She really 

enjoyed having a go at weaving and was very good at it!

Eve went and told her brother, Will (12) and sister, Grace (8)

to come see the weaving and both had a go, as well. Will 

attends Huanui College and both Eve and Grace go to

 school at Glenbervie.

~o00o~

With The Northland Performing Arts Competition 

on at The Forum North it wasn't long before we 

saw some dancers.

Hannah Thorne (13) is from Auckland and a tap dancer

with the Bay School of Dance, in Brown's Bay.

Sister Lucy Thorne (12)  is also a tap dancer and thought 

the tapestry was amazing. At the back, home-stay student

from Germany, Anna op de Hipt (15) weaves under the 

watchful eye of Naoko, Master Weaver.

Friend of Hannah and Anna, Brooke (15) is a

jazz ballet dancer and up for the competitions too.

She thought the tapestry was great and loved

 having a go at weaving on the tapestry.

~o00o~

Another August update...

~Sunday 16th august 2015~

As you can see work on the tapestry is coming along

and we are now almost at the centre of the sun!

We have had lots of visitors coming in to view the tapestry

and as I've said before, it's always nice to hear comments 

from people about returning to see where we are up to 

and some will point out which area they did a little

 weaving when they last visited.

 It's been a while since any photos have been

 taken of people working on the tapestry...

 Katie Wells from Tikipunga doing a few rows of weaving.

 Katie with her Mum, Lydia from Russell.

 The left-hand side of the tapestry..

..and the right-hand side.

We sleep, but the loom of life never stops, 

and the pattern which was weaving 

when the sun went down is weaving

 when it comes up in the morning.

                                                              Henry Ward Beecher

August 2015 Update

~August 2015~

 Many different shades and colours of wool are being

 woven into the Whangarei Community Tapestry. 

 Each colour is wound onto a separate bobbin and presently 

there is fifty-five bobbins being used to weave all the

 different shades and colours!

Each colour is woven back and forth to form the shapes 

in the design. Sometimes, only one colour is used to form

a solid colour but sometimes more than one colour is used

Shading in tapestry weaving is carried out by a hatching

 process which is most simply explained by a diagram

 There's lots of different terms and techniques in 

tapestry...too many to explain here so I'll post some 

links for readers to investigate at their own leisure.

  When the bobbin is not in use, it is secured with a half

 hitch knot. In process of making; the loop is passed

 from the finger on to the bobbin; it will unwind as

 wanted and yet hold firm whilst hanging down.

Glossary of Weaving Terms

Beater: Frame holding the reed, used to beat the weft threads in place.
Cartoon: A drawing in full size used as a "map" for the weaver.
Cloth beam: A beam in the back, below the warp beam, that rotates and holds the woven tapestry.
Dent: Narrow spaces in the reed that hold the warp threads in place.
Heddles: Loops held by the shaft with eyes for threading the warp through: in conjunction with the treadles they enable the warp to open and close and bind the weave.
High-warp loom: A loom with the warp set on a vertical plane.
Loom: A structure made to hold a warp in position for weaving.
Reed: A comb with both sides closed which sits in the beater below the heddles.
Shaft: A frame, with heddles, which moves to form sheds.
Shed: The opening created on a loom where the weft passes.
Slit tapestry: A tapestry technique, leaving slits where two colors meet.
Treadles: Foot pedals used to move the shafts to open and close the sheds.
Warp: Threads running the length of the loom, across which threads are woven.
Warping mill: A four corner frame that rotates and arranges the threads into the correct length of the warp, and produces the right amount of warp threads for the width of the tapestry.
Weft: The threads which are woven under and over the warp threads, building the design in the tapestry.

You can learn more about the history and techniques

 of tapestry weaving HERE and HERE