Month: October 2023

Our Project

Tablet Weaving

Let’s start off with a brief introduction to what tablet-weaving actually is. Tablet-weaving produces patterned, decorative bands which can be used to decorate the edges of existing clothing, such as the ends of sleeves, or as selvedge edges for garments on standing looms. It’s a type of weaving that requires less space and resources than other traditional methods, such as a standing loom. Today, tablet weaving is performed by hobbyists and experimental archaeologists alike, and was a popular form of textile production throughout the medieval period.

Several tablet-woven bands. Image credit: Catherine, (2023) http://www.tabletweavingintheoryandpractice.co.uk/

Tablet weaving uses a set of tablets, or cards, that come in a variety of sizes. The tablets have four holes, one in each corner, which are labeled A, B, C, and D. The weft threads are threaded through these holes, and the turning of the cards creates the shed in which the warp threads are inserted. The patterns visible in tablet woven textiles are created both by the way the cards are threaded – that is, which colour of thread is put into which hole – and the way the cards are turned.

A set of tablets in the process of being theaded.

Tablet weaving can be done on a small loom, but the technique we are using is called the ‘back-strap’ method – where one end of the warp threads are attached to something like a door handle or the leg of a chair, and the other end is tied to a belt around the weaver’s waist.

The Process

The first step of our project is the first step of nearly any textile project: picking a pattern! There are many, many options out there, with varying ranges of size, colours, cards, and difficulty. In choosing our patterns we considered things like using patterns which were historical reproductions of extant tablet bands, how many colours of thread we wanted to use, and the number of cards.

An example of a tablet weaving pattern. Image credit: The Dutch Tailorette.

After you choose a pattern comes a step which can be very fun but also very hard if you are indecisive like us – picking our colours! 

After you choose your threads, make sure you have enough cards for your chosen pattern. If you don’t, extras can be made out of things like playing cards, thin cardboard, or cardstock, using a hole-punch to create the holes. 

Once the desired number of cards is obtained, the warp threads need to be cut to length and threaded into the cards following the pattern. Your warp threads can be any length, depending on how long you want your tablet-woven band to be. 

After that, it’s just following the pattern until the band is complete – essentially, until it’s as long as you want it to be! Once the bands are completed, we will reflect on how the project went as a group, including what we learned, what we might have done differently, and how our bands turned out. 

Our Questions

We have four major questions we hope to answer through the course of our project.

  1. What is it like to produce tablet-woven textiles and what does this tell us about textile production in the medieval ages?
  2. How much variety can tablet-weaving produce with the use of a similiar number of cards and a consistent colourway?
  3. Is the variety seen in tablet-weaving caused by different methods of warping or weaving?
  4. How does the level of knowledge/skills of the artisan affect the final product?

Supplies

Tablet weaving is a fairly accessible craft in that not that many supplies are needed, and it’s fairly easy to get the things you do need. Firstly, each of our group members will require a set of weaving tablets. We were lucky enough to be lent two sets of tablets already, so all we have to do is make another set (as well as some extras). In order to do this, we will utilize a piece of cardstock or thin cardboard – whichever is on hand –  and cut it to size, rounding the corners and punching a hole in each corner to match the existing paper tablets.

Each person will also require access to a belt, either from their wardrobe or made out of a piece of lacing – really anything you can tie around your waist and then fasten your warp threads to will do. Each member will also need access to a shuttle for weaving, which can be made out of cardstock or popsicle sticks depending on the materials available to the group.

Finally, the group will need access to two to three colors of yarn for weaving. Weaving yarn can be purchased locally from Knotty by Nature Fibre Arts for $14-$16 dollars a cone. As a group, we decided to forgo complete historical accuracy for materials more easily accessible and cost-efficient, and therefore decided on using cotton thread. Overall, supplies should cost approximately $30-$50 in total and are easily accessible locally.

Shelf of weaving cotton at Knotty By Nature. Image Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy3rUifxPz9/

In Conclusion

In completing this project, we hope to gain a better understanding of what tablet-weaving may have felt like for medieval artisans, taking into consideration the conditions that may alter our modern experience of this craft.

In the course of reproducing a historical pattern, each member of the group will document their reconstruction, sharing update posts along the way that highlight their struggles and successes.

Experiential archaeology is as much about the journey as it is about the end result, so welcome aboard if you’re along for the ride! It should be a fun one.

Supplies

Gathering materials has been a crucial step in the creation of goods throughout history.

In order for us to begin work on our experimental archeology project we needed to start by gathering the necessary supplies.

Before we began our search we decided that there were a few factors which needed to be considered during our hunt for supplies. Firstly, It was important to everyone in our group that the materials were accessible. In this case, material accessibility meant that the materials were available locally, being easily accessible by bus, and that the materials were of a reasonable cost. Considering this, It was important to the group that as many of the necessary materials as possible were borrowed or made out of recycled material. Not only does this support the groups desire for accessibility, keeping costs low, this also ensures the projects sustainability, avoiding unnecessary consumption of materials which would be used for a single project. Considering our focus on accessibility and sustainability there were instances in which we chose to forgo complete historical accuracy. Instead we chose to focus on the functionality of our chosen materials, aiming for materials that would function like their historic counterparts, without feeling like it was strictly necessary to gather completely accurate materials. We felt that this was the right decision for this project as it is practically impossible to achieve complete historic accuracy, especially given the time constraints for this project.

Considering these factors we began our search for supplies.

Necessary Supplies

There were a few supplies which were necessary for us to gather before we began our project. These supplies included; weaving tablets, a shuttle, a belt, and, most importantly, 2-3 colors of yarn.

Weaving Tablets, Shuttles, and belts

We were able to gather a variety of weaving tablets for this project. Two of these sets were borrowed, one made out of wood, and the other out of paper, and a third set was constructed out of a thick sheet of cardstock. The shuttles were also constructed out of a piece of cardstock. Finally, the belts were similarly constructed out of recycled materials, being made of pieces of ribbon and lacing.

Wooden weaving tablets in the process of being threaded with a fine brown and cream yarn.

Weaving Material: The Yarn

The yarn was the most difficult of the supplies to gather as It was time consuming to find something suitable for our project which was available locally.

Beehive Wool Shop
Image of the interior of the Beehive Wool Shop in Victoria, BC, including a variety of colorful yarns. of the interior of

We started our search at the Beehive wool shop as they are located in downtown Victoria and provide a range of yarns made out of natural materials.

There were quite a few lovely options for wool, silk, and linen fibers which would have provided us with historically accurate materials for our project. This being said, the majority of these fibers were either too thick for weaving or extremely expensive. This is because this shop caters to knitters and crocheters, thus the products in store are not produced with weaving in mind. Considering this we were forced to look elsewhere for our yarn.

Knotty by Nature Fibre Arts
Image of the interior of the Knotty by Nature Fibre Arts store in Victoria, BC, including a variety of colorful cones of weaving yarns.

After some online research we found Knotty by Nature Fibre Arts was a local store that sold a variety of weaving yarns. Although the store seems to primarily house dyed wool roving, used for spinning, and knitting yarns there was a small collection of weaving yarn available, with the majority of the collection being 100% cotton. Although cotton is not particularly historically accurate we decided that this yarn fit our requirements best as it was still a natural fiber and was the right size for our project while also being in the right price point. Considering this, we met up at the store and picked out our colors as a group, picking out three matching yarns in a bright green and more neutral brown and beige.

The weaving yarns we chose as a group, being held by each group member.

Finally we were ready to weave!