What role does Magnolia play in the creation of the tapestries for the Magnolia Tapestry Project? Are the tapestries woven in-house?
Working with the weavers, we begin by selecting the 8 or 10 weft threads (color, composition and weight). These threads are woven in all accessible combinations to create over 3,000 possible color swatches. We then select a minimum of 250 colors (and a maximum of 510 colors) that will make up the weaving palette(s) from those available swatches. Using a computer and spectrometer, we create and organize an electronic lookup table based on the weave structure and color of the swatches. Next, we develop a digital weave file that, when woven, tests the accuracy of our projected set of colors. Once an accurate color table is achieved, we can prepare an electronic weave file of the actual image to be editioned. Working with the artist, we translate an image (or multiple collaged images) into the colors available to a specific palette of a set of threads. Once the electronic file is ready, we send it to a small, family-owned mill near Bruges in Belgium. There the looms are prepped with the co
