"I'm not happy if I'm not making something with my hands." The process of tapestry weaving is a long and intricate one, and Gano has been tweaking her technique for more than 41 years.

It is a tapestry that is made up of all kinds of different things – hopes, joys, dreams, disappointments, and sorrows – each of these (and many more) have a unique and special function to perform.

She discovered tapestry weaving in 2017 and has been weaving nearly every day since. Places she has taught include the Currier Museum of Art, the League of NH Craftsmen, and the former Twiggs Gallery.

Tapestry's low point came a year ago when its application (a three-inch-thick document) was rejected. "On the day we found out we didn't get it, it was like somebody died," Pepper said.

The brocaded patterns in the tapestry — stylized birds and flowers — are woven with threads made up of 960 spider silk lines. Peers says they never broke a single strand, yet the tapestry is ...