Method of Construction

Constructed by: Evangeline M Heiliger '00

This was an intense project. It took about three hours to set up the loom the first time I tried. After that, the weaving was easy. I started by designing a pattern for the starter, for which the weft of the starter would become the warp of the warp- woven piece. After card weaving the starter, I sewed it to the top beam, and separated the threads into front and back threads. This is the natural shed. I then tied the thread to weights (Some were clay, others were rocks I found outside). At this point, the back weights needed to be tied to the heddle rod to create the counter-shed. When thread is woven through the shed, it is beaten into place with a thin board or stick, called a "sword beater". Then the shed is lowered, and the process repeated. The ends of the weaving were often woven into a finishing band, and the remaining ands knotted and fringed for good measure.

Resources

Crockett, Candace. "Cardweaving". Loveland: Interweave Press, 1991

Broudy, Eric. "The Book of Looms". Hanover: Brown University Press, 1979.

Hoffman, Marta. "The Warp-Weighted Loom". Oslo: Hestholms Boktrykkeri

A.s, 1964

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