Handloom Construction and Use
A Practical Guide for the Non-Expert
Written and Illustrated By Joan Koster. Published and Distributed by: Volunteers in Technical Assistance, Inc. VITA 1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 500 Arlington, Virgnia 22209 USA Tel: 703/276-1800 . Fax: 703/243-1865 Internet: pr-info@vita.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- 1 Which Loom to Build?
- Fibers: Choice and Preparation
- What Products to Weave?
- The Looms
- Table I
- Table II
- Table III
- 3 The Simple Frame Loom
- Materials Needed
- Construction
- How to Weave on a Frame Loom
- Variations of the Simple Frame Loom
- How to Weave on a Pegged Loom
- 4 The Inkle Loom
- Materials Needed
- Construction
- Set Up the Loom for Weaving
- How to Weave on an Inkle Loom
- Steps in Weaving
- 5 The Foot-powered Loom
- Pit Loom Version
- Materials Needed
- Construction
- Free-Standing Loom Version
- Materials Needed
- Construction
- The Moveable Parts for Both Loom Designs
- Warp the Foot-Powered Loom
- How to Weave on a Foot-Powered Loom
- Steps in Weaving on Both Looms
- 6 The Weaver's Tools
- The Beater
- The Raddle
- The Shuttles
- The Skeiner
- The Skein Winder
- The Stretcher
- The Warping Board for a Foot-Powered Loom
- 7 Weaves, Patterns and Finishing Touches
- Planning the Fabric
- Keeping Records
- Facings
- warp-faced weave
- weft-faced weave
- balanced weave
- Color Pattern Weaves
- Tapestry Weave
- Knotted Weaves
- Finishing Touches
Introduction
With inexpensive machine-made cloth increasingly available almost everywhere, it seems likely that fewer and fewer people will be interested in producing their own cloth. As a result, handweaving may be in danger of becoming a neglected craft. Yet there are many advantages to handweaving--particularly in the home and on a cottage industry basis.
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Weaving can be done in one's spare time using free or inexpensive fibres available locally, and simple, efficient looms can be built from local materials at little cost. Therefore, as long as the loom and fibres cost little, the finished cloth requires an investment in time rather than money.
There are other advantages as well. Handwoven cloth is often sturdier and longer wearing than manufactured cloth. It can be designed to meet special needs: sacks can be made in a size and shape that is easily carried and stored; mats and rugs can be made to fit individual rooms.
A simple loom made from local materials.
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Loomed products can provide extra cash income, especially for agricultural or herding families. Such products can be sold locally to people unable to weave their own cloth, to the tourist trade, or for export. Cloth and cloth products are relatively easy to store and ship, and they suffer little spoilage if cared for properly.
Because people all over the world have been weaving since the very earliest times, there are many styles and varieties of looms. This is a book about building and using some of these. Three types of looms, including two variations of a foot-powered loom, are presented here. The book gives 1) detailed directions for building each kind of loom, 2) the advantages and disadvantages of each, and 3) instructions for weaving.
The most basic design for a loom is the simple frame loom. This loom has been used throughout the world by people as widely separated as American Indians and the villagers of Upper Volta. Foot-powered looms--sometimes called multiple harness looms--are those on which the weaver operates foot pedals to shift moveable parts of the loom, making it possible to weave more quickly and easily. Most foot-powered looms operate the same way but differ in the design of the frame that holds the loom. One version of this loom, called a pit loom, sits in a pit dug for the weaver's feet and the foot pedals. The pit loom described here, which is similar to looms used in Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, and northern India, can be supported by being attached to a wall or suspended from the ceiling. The free-standing loom, on the other hand, has its own supporting frame and a raised bench for the weaver. The free-standing loom depicted in this manual is like those used in Greece, the Balkans, Turkey, Iran, northern Europe and colonial America.
Read this manual carefully before deciding which loom to build. The manual has been written to assist with thinking about the questions which must be answered before a loom is built. For example:
-- What types of fibres are available and how much do they
cost?
-- What product or articles will be woven?
-- If the handwoven article is to be sold, is there a market?
-- If the articles are to be sold, can they be made and sold
quickly enough to make the effort worthwhile?
-- What materials are available for building the loom?
Once these factors--construction materials, purpose, fibres, and so on--have been considered, it will be much easier to decide which loom can or should be constructed.
This manual first describes briefly a range of fibres which can be used and then presents a brief summary of each of the types of loom, the construction materials needed and the products best produced. As a guide to the potential loom builder, the looms are then compared with each other in terms of all these factors. The first chapter provides a very good framework for making decisions concerning which loom is best for a given purpose. Chapter 2 is an illustrated dictionary of basic terms used by a weaver and throughout this manuscript.
Directions for construction and use of each type of loom are covered in Chapters 3, 4 and 5. Chapter 1 includes information on choosing, treating and spinning fibres. Other sections cover types of weaves and finishings, and weaver's tools. An annotated list of references is also included.
