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Original design by Marianne Vigander.

About the Tapestry Project

• The Design

• Tapestry Defined

• The Materials Used

• The Weavers

• Weaving the Tapestry

• Sponsors of the Tapestry Project.  Their financial support made this project possible.

• For more information contact Marti Fleischer.  Her wonderful idea is becoming a reality!

• The Volunteer Weavers. They have given hundreds of hours of their time to complete the tapestry.  

THE TAPESTRY PROJECT:  The Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization (SCSO) is sponsoring this project to weave a tapestry that will be given to Oak Ridge's sister city, Naka machi, Japan for installation in a public building. SCSO hopes to continue this project in subsequent years to provide a tapestry for Obninsk, Russia (Oak Ridge's other sister city) and one for Oak Ridge as well. Our community tapestry will be woven on a beautiful 6' solid cherry Fireside tapestry loom that has been set in the foyer of the Oak Ridge Public Library. Loom set up took place in April 2001 and weaving is expected to take many months.  [back to page index]

THE DESIGN:  Design for the tapestry was created by Marianne Vigander of Norris, who used a sunflower image (the city flower of Naka machi), superimposed with hands of various colors to represent friendship between the two cities. The names of Naka machi and Oak Ridge will be woven into the corners of the tapestry. It will be a colorful 4'x4' tapestry with green base, blue sky and a bright yellow sunflower.  [back to page index]

TAPESTRY DEFINED:  The most common form of weaving is performed on a horizontal loom using a shuttle as the vehicle in which the yarn passes from one side of the weaving to the other. It may encompass plain weave or any one of hundreds of complicated patterns. Traditional tapestry is woven only in plain weave which means that the weft (horizontal yarns) pass over one warp (vertical twine) and under the next. Tapestry is a weft-faced fabric meaning the weft completely covers the warp. The Oak Ridge tapestry is being woven using butterflies as the method of controlling the yarn. The design is marked directly on the warp. Each color or design area is woven independently of the others and requires a separate set of weft threads; this is known as discontinuous weft.  [back to page index]

MATERIALS USED:  The weft will include two strands of two ply colored woolen yarns. These yarns are woven onto a base of white cotton warp that runs vertically on the loom.  [back to page index]

THE WEAVERS:  It is necessary for those weaving the tapestry to have a basic knowledge of tapestry weaving. A short series of classes were arranged for anyone interested in participating Each volunteer weaver has committed himself/herself to a specific time period each week to spend weaving at the loom. We hope that library patrons will enjoy these demonstrations of the weaving process.  [back to page index]

WEAVING THE TAPESTRY:  Community tapestries are being woven all over the world. It is fortunate that Oak Ridge will be able to join in the enriching experience of creating a thing of beauty in a public venue that is visible to everyone in the community. Others who have taken part in this experience believe that there is a bonding within the community as people visit the tapestry and watch its slow progress.  [back to page index]