Khumba Puja - Mounting Finished Panels

I have finished most of the panels and started mounting them; this is far from finished but I wanted to get this stage documented

This has been a real challenge....as each piece on the loom is just one piece in the jigsaw, it has been difficult to focus on the detail within each piece AND keep the continuity to the adjacent pieces in my head at the same time. Its 1.3m wide and, in the flesh, the glacier/ice fall really stands out from the mountain.

The panels: woven individually on the loom, each is 20cm wide and different lengths - 2 or 3 make up each vertical panel. The are woven on 4 shafts on an asymetric twill threading. I have chosen a fringed edge as I want each panel to remain seperate in appearance when mounted. The treadling is varied to produce diffferent textures throughout the piece but its predominantly a twill/basket weave. The yarn is wool (DK) and I have woven-in, carded, unspun wool fibres to produce the tapestry and textures I need. All the colours are from the natural colour of different breeds of sheep, and the white is a beautiful ultra-fine alpaca. By slight variations in the treadling (being able to change the face of the weaving on the computer is a great flexibility for this), the fibres are woven in tight or very loose to produce the varying textures and fluffiness.There are 16 panels and they are mounted on a wire mesh which has been moulded to produce the contoured backdrop. Each panel has been sewn onto the mesh.

The Mounting
The panels are mounted on a wire mesh which has been shaped to provide a countour appearance as each panel is sewn onto the mesh - the photo has flattened this, but the whole piece varies by over 50mm in height and this accentuates the effect of the cliffs and the 'flow' of the glacier down the mountain.

From here on........
Once mounted it will be held within a frame and the foreground part (the pole and Puja ceremony flags) can be added.....way to go!