A 17th century tablet-woven braid
Jul. 15th, 2009 02:37 pm![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
holyschist posting in ![[community profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tabletweavingI'm currently working on recreating braids on 16th and 17th century clothing.
Last night I figured out the first early 17th century tablet-woven braid in Kölner Patrizier- und Bürgerkleidung des 17. Jahrhunderts. Die Kostümsammlung Hüpsch im Hessischen Landesmuseum Darmstadt (specifically, the braid on the first doublet on this page, which is also no. 18 on pages 84-85 in Patterns of Fashion; it's dated to 1615-1620, and has a shape very similar to late 16th century doublets). The book has a diagram and turning instructions, but the turning instructions were slightly incorrect and the diagram showed the S and Z warping backwards from how it's usually indicated.
I worked it up in heavy crochet cotton so I could see what I was doing, and didn't use an extra-heavy thread for the middle (the blue thread in my sample). Between all the threads being the same weight and me not having a shuttle to beat down tightly (or very good tension, since I was sitting on the ground with the other end tied to a camp chair), my braid is less compressed and looks elongated, but the structure is correct. I am very excited about this!
Sorry my photos are lousy; I'll take better ones when I have more samples worked up with instructions:
This pattern requires 7 cards, threaded as follows:
* indicates a thin thread
T indicates a thick thread (thin blue in my sample)
Nothing indicates an EMPTY HOLE
You then turn in the following sequence, passing the weft through between turns. All turns are 1/4 turns away from your body ("forward"):
1. 2 2 1 1 1 2 2
2. 2 2 1 0 1 2 2
Repeat. This builds up quite a bit of twist, so I'm thinking of trying to do it with bobbins and fishing weights; it would work okay on a loom with rollers, although you'd have to unwarp and untwist periodically. It would be very tricky on an inkle loom.
Last night I figured out the first early 17th century tablet-woven braid in Kölner Patrizier- und Bürgerkleidung des 17. Jahrhunderts. Die Kostümsammlung Hüpsch im Hessischen Landesmuseum Darmstadt (specifically, the braid on the first doublet on this page, which is also no. 18 on pages 84-85 in Patterns of Fashion; it's dated to 1615-1620, and has a shape very similar to late 16th century doublets). The book has a diagram and turning instructions, but the turning instructions were slightly incorrect and the diagram showed the S and Z warping backwards from how it's usually indicated.
I worked it up in heavy crochet cotton so I could see what I was doing, and didn't use an extra-heavy thread for the middle (the blue thread in my sample). Between all the threads being the same weight and me not having a shuttle to beat down tightly (or very good tension, since I was sitting on the ground with the other end tied to a camp chair), my braid is less compressed and looks elongated, but the structure is correct. I am very excited about this!
Sorry my photos are lousy; I'll take better ones when I have more samples worked up with instructions:
This pattern requires 7 cards, threaded as follows:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A * * * T * * * B * * C * * * * * * * D * * Z S Z S Z S Z
* indicates a thin thread
T indicates a thick thread (thin blue in my sample)
Nothing indicates an EMPTY HOLE
You then turn in the following sequence, passing the weft through between turns. All turns are 1/4 turns away from your body ("forward"):
1. 2 2 1 1 1 2 2
2. 2 2 1 0 1 2 2
Repeat. This builds up quite a bit of twist, so I'm thinking of trying to do it with bobbins and fishing weights; it would work okay on a loom with rollers, although you'd have to unwarp and untwist periodically. It would be very tricky on an inkle loom.
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Date: 2009-10-02 05:38 pm (UTC)Tablet weaving is really fascinating and fun! I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Please feel free to post about your projects here.