Episode 25: Historical Weaving
When you think of weaving in colonial times, do you imagine a farm wife sitting by the fire, weaving on her home loom? Come learn the truth about weaving in early America from noted weaver and historian, Marje Thompson. Then we talk with Fireside Fiberarts a modern-day loom manufacturer who uses custom wood carvings to bring old-world charm to their looms. In the end essay, “Finishing Matters,” I talk about a little problem I’m having with my weaving, and the reason I envy eighteenth-century weavers.
Resources
Musical Guest
“Colonial Williamsburg” by Tris McCall
Sponsor for Episode 21
Download Episode 25: Historical Weaving
Resources
- Hem-stitching instructions
- Boston Weaver’s Guild
- Complex Weavers: Early Weaving Books and Manuscripts Study Group
- Fireside Looms
Musical Guest
“Colonial Williamsburg” by Tris McCall
Sponsor for Episode 21
Download Episode 25: Historical Weaving
posted by Syne Mitchell at 7:01 PM
6 Comments:
Your high degree of warpitude is what keeps me coming back for more:)One of the best things about weaving is one can never know it all. I appreciate the continued high quality information appealing to all skill levels.
Twisting fringe is not so horrible -- I promise this link is work-safe, yea, verily unto Lacis in Berkeley, who sell a battery-operated thingamabob that twists 3 or 4 hanks, and then backspins the entirety to ply those twists.
http://www.lacis.com/catalog/search.php
Beyond that? Yeah, I have about 4 inches of hem needlewoven back in to a color-gamp piece that came off the loom last summer. sigh...
O bebother and confustify Certain Forms of webcoding!
Here's an only slightly better link:
http://lacis.com/catalog/catalog.html
-- poke on the "Cord and rope-making" link on the navigation portion, to see these fringe-twisters.
My comment has to do with your comments, Syne, on how fast weaving is.
I agree that once the warp is wound and beamed, the heddles are threaded, the reed sleyed, the warp tied on and any mistakes corrected, weaving is pretty fast. However, getting the loom dressed takes time. While I know this is certainly not your intention, I think we do our art a disservice by describing weaving as a fast way to make something.
Compare weaving to knitting where one essentially picks up needles with a cone of yarn and is off and running.
Sarah
Bonnie:
I'm glad I'm not too warped for you!
Ru:
Thanks for the link!
Sass:
I recently taught a beginning weaving class (using the rigid-heddle loom) and one thing I heard my students say over and over again is: "I can't believe I finished a whole scarf in one day!"
Compared to knitting, weaving IS way faster. You get to finish a whole row with every pick.
I agree, this doesn't come for free, you have to pay your dues by warping the loom. But once you've done that, the weaving is faster. That and the fact that economies of scale comes into play. Winding and beaming a 10-yard warp is only a titch more work that winding and beaming a 2-yard warp, with five times as much weaving.
I'm afraid I don't understand how pointing out this advantage of weaving does the craft a disservice. Does pointing out that knitting is cheaper and more portable, do that craft a disservice? Both arts have their strengths and weaknesses. And I enjoy both. :>
Syne
Hi Syne,
Your "fear of finishing" leaves me astounded - you seem so fearless about things that would leave me shaking in my boots! :D
Just keep my mantra in mind: It isn't finished until it's wet finished. Remember that what you cut off the loom isn't even called "fabric" yet, but merely a "web"! Much like a potter has to consign their bisque to the fire, weavers have to consign their webs to the magic in the water.....
Cheers,
Laura Fry
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