Band weaving refers to the hand production of narrow woven fabric. This fabric may be called tape, band, inkle, strap, belt, back strap, trim, and more. It can be accomplished on a variety of types of looms, including inkle, band, tape, backstrap, and

rigid heddle A heddle or heald is an integral part of a loom. Each thread in the Warp (weaving), warp passes through a heddle,"Weaving." ''The Encyclopædia Britannica''. 11th ed. 1911. which is used to separate the warp threads for the passage of the we ...

looms. Hole and slot heddles are also designed to weave bands. Depending on which loom is used, the material could be warp-faced or a balanced weave.

Types of band weaving

Inkle

Inkle weaving is a type of warp-faced

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

where the

shed A shed is typically a simple, single-storey (though some sheds may have two or more stories and or a loft) roofed structure, often used for storage, for hobby, hobbies, or as a workshop, and typically serving as outbuilding, such as in a bac ...

is created by manually raising or lowering the

warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a D ...

yarns, some of which are held in place by fixed

heddle A heddle or heald is an integral part of a loom. Each thread in the warp passes through a heddle,"Weaving." ''The Encyclopædia Britannica''. 11th ed. 1911. which is used to separate the warp threads for the passage of the weft."Heddle." '' ...

s. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the term ''inkle'' has several meanings, the first of which is "A kind of linen tape, formerly much used for various purposes." The derivation of the word is uncertain. Inkle weaving is commonly used for narrow work such as trims, straps and belts. Inkle weaving is done on a loom known as an inkle loom. One key element that differentiates inkle looms from other band looms is that a continuous warp is required.

History

A table-top inkle loom was patented by Mr. Gilmore of Stockton, CA in the 1930s but inkle looms and weaving predate this by centuries. Inkle weaving was referred to 3 times in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

: in ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

(Act III, Scene I),''

Pericles, Prince of Tyre ''Pericles, Prince of Tyre'' is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio. It was p ...

(Act V), and in

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

(Act IV, Scene IV). Jonathan Swift mentioned inkle weavers in his '' Polite Conversations''.

Equipment

Inkle looms are constructed as floor-standing and table-top models. The loom is characterized by a wooden framework upon which

dowel The dowel is a cylindrical shape made of wood, plastic, or metal. In its original manufactured form, a dowel is long and called a ''dowel rod'', which are often cut into shorter ''dowel pins''. Dowels are commonly used as structural reinforceme ...

s have been fastened. These dowels will hold the warp threads when the loom has been dressed. One of the

s, or a paddle, is constructed so that its position can be adjusted. This tensioning device will be taken in as weaving commences and the warp threads become shorter. Additional equipment includes yarn for the warp and weft, yarn or thread for forming heddles and a shuttle to hold the weft.

Process

The inkle loom is threaded with warp threads according to the weaver's design, alternating between yarn that can be raised and lowered and yarn that is secured in place through the use of the heddles. The raising and lowering of these warp threads creates the

through which the weft thread will be carried on a shuttle. The weaver should make one pass with the shuttle with each opening of a shed through the raising and lowering of threads. Kobieta podczas tkania

There are other more advanced techniques in which, instead of merely allowing warp threads to alternate in their up or down positions, individual threads are brought to the surface to form what is called a "pick up" pattern. One side of the band will show the exposed surfaces of warp threads while, on the other side of the pattern, the weft thread will be visible. Using a supplemental weft thread that will come up over the top of certain warp threads, brocaded designs can also be worked into the inkle band. An inkle loom is also useful in the practice of

tablet weaving Tablet weaving (often card weaving in the United States) is a weaving technique where ''tablets'' or ''cards'' are used to create the Shed (weaving), shed through which the weft is passed. As the materials and tools are relatively cheap and ea ...

for its added portability. The warp is threaded onto the loom as in inkle weaving, but weaving cards are used instead of alternating between free-hanging and heddle-secured yarn.

Tape

History

Handwoven tape was very important in Europe starting in the 1500s. This need for tape was also evident in the US, from the colonial period to the mid-1900s. It was used to tie and tie up clothing such as hosiery, tie pockets to garments, serve as candle wicks, ties for grain and feed bags, and other household uses. Many farm households had tape looms, which may well have been built by a family member.

Equipment

Because tape looms in their heyday were not mass produced, they took a wide variety of forms, most designed to be easily portable. There were types that were indicative of a certain geographic area. In Scandinavia, paddle-like hole and slot heddles were common, they were also found in colonial America. The earliest form of these rigid heddles is as a part of a backstrap set-up. This form of weaving has been used in Africa, South America, and Mexico. Box looms housing a rigid heddle were found in colonial America and in England in particular.

Band uses

Bands can be used as bookmarks, trim, belts, cords for jewelry, bag straps and more. Re-enactors use woven tape for garment ties and

drawstring A drawstring (draw string, draw-string) is a string, rope or lace used to " draw" ( gather, or shorten) fabric or other material. Ends of a drawstring are often terminated with a sheath called an aglet. The ends may be tied to hold the drawstr ...

s, as well as other uses such as tying bundles. Inkle bands are quite strong and can be used in applications where a flat band is desired. Popular modern uses are guitar and camera straps, or, for particularly narrow bands, colorful shoelaces. Traditionally, inkle bands also served as belts and

reins Reins are used to direct a horse (or other animal) when riding or driving. They are attached to a bridle's bit or noseband and are made of leather, nylon, or other materials. Reins are used to give subtle commands or cues—also known as rei ...

References

External links

* Weaving on an Inkle Loo
http://www.weavezine.com/content/weaving-inkle-loom
{{Authority control Weaving

Types of band weaving

Inkle

History

Equipment

Process

Tape

History

Equipment

Band uses

See also

References

Further reading

External links