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The Studio works to commission for private and corporate clients, using traditional Gobelin techniques to weave tapestries and Kelim techniques for rugs. It uses one of three main approaches:
Following the Studio's successful tender, the design is developed in close consultation with the client. The client produces a design brief or an artist would produce a painting for interpretation. The designer would then produce initial designs. Once the artwork is approved, a black-and-white scale line drawing, called a cartoon, is drawn. This becomes a guide from which the weavers translate. The loom is then prepared to the appropriate warp setting, producing as fine or coarse an appearance as the design dictates. The Studio dyes all of its own yarn according to the colour palette. It is now that the weaving begins. Depending on the size of the tapestry, this part of the process can take months or even years. During this time, the client visits the Studio to see the tapestry's progress at first hand. The Studio marque, the castle, is woven into the selvedge of each tapestry, along with the date and the initials of each weaver who has worked on the piece. Once the weaving is complete, the client often attends the cutting off ceremony, and cuts the tapestry from the loom. Because the tapestry is wound around the beam of the loom as it is woven, this is an exciting part of the process as not even the weavers have seen the tapestry in its entirety until this point. The final part of the process is called 'blocking', where the tapestry is prepared for finishing. A webbing tape is sewn to the edges of the reverse of the tapestry and it is now ready for hanging. |
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