We have had this tapestry project on the loom for a large chunk of 2019 and it was time to finish it up to start the new year fresh with an empty loom. Let's take a look at the steps you need to take after you're all done weaving your work of art. There is a little extra work to do to ensure that your finished piece is going to last and look its best.

If you haven't already done so, make sure that all of your work ends up as close to a straight line across the top as you can get. 

Weave 6 passes of plain weave across the top, this will help keep the top in a nice line and keep your more detailed work secure. Before you cut your yarn from this plain weave, measure out a length of yarn that is 4 times the width of your piece. This is going to be the yarn we use to do our hemstitch across the top. 

Count your warp threads and decide how you want to bundle them in the hemstitch. I will be doing 3 in this example but you could do however many works for you from 2-5. To being your hemstitch, attach the tail of yarn you just cut to a tapestry needle, go under the first 3 (or however many you're bundling) warp threads (you might need to go over the first one depending on where you left off in the previous pass). 

Pull the yarn over the three warp threads, and wrap it around to the back. 

Poke the tapestry needle up from the other side 3 picks down from the top. 

Pass the needle under the next 3 warp threads.

Pass the needle over these 3 warp threads, then around to the back, bring it up under the 3rd pick down. 

Continue in this manner across the entire warp. When you get to the last bundle, tie it for and weave your tail in before trimming it off. 

Cut your warp to remove your project from the loom. Make sure you leave enough warp ends so you can weave them in later. 

Now it's time to tuck in a bunch of ends! Tuck in all of the ends you left along the way of your piece. You don't need to do anything fancy, just follow an existing pick of the same color, then trim them off. 

To finish your warp ends, tie two of them together in a knot. 

Using a tapestry needle, thread the two tied off warp ends along the back of your work, do this for all of the warp threads on the bottom

Because I used the hemstitch to finish the top of the tapestry, I just placed my dowel rod to hang the tapestry across these top warp threads, I took the bundles of thread, laid them over the down, and tucked them into the back of the weft picks for 4 picks. Then I tied off the ends in pairs of two. This is how my tapestry is attached to it's hanging rod.