Tablet Woven Band

lgrader
Sat, 19 Nov 2022 20:07:35 +0000
Dress Accessories, Object Reconstructions, dress accessories, weaving

Tablet or card weaving is an ancient method of creating thin, strong bands of fabric decorated with designs and patterns. In Scandinavia, evidence of tablet weaving dates back to the Iron Age, with tablet woven pieces being used in loom weaving. The tablet piece would be placed at the top of the loom with the long weft strings being used as the weft strings of the fabric, giving the final woven piece a distinct border on one edge. The earliest weaving cards found in Scandinavia date from 850 CE. Card weaving is still used today to create decorations for traditional costumes in Eastern Europe, and the technique has changed very little since ancient times. Tablet woven bands were an important part of the Anglo-Saxon dress. Bands were used on both the peplos (overgown) and the undergown as decorative edges and cuffs. Cuffs were often woven with intricate designs as opposed to the plainer peplos edges and were double faced, meaning there was a visible pattern on both sides of the weaving. Archaeological evidence also supports the theory that tablet woven borders were used to fine linen trim veils worn by women.

For this project, I attempted to recreate tablet weaving using cotton threads, ten cardboard tablets, and a wooden shuttle to hold the weft thread. Woolen and silk threads are more traditional, however both had their impracticalities for me. Traditional wool is coarse and sticks to itself, making it less than ideal for a beginner’s project and silk is quite expensive. For the project, I set up ten cards with four holes each, giving me a total of 40 weft threads. I attempted to weave in several designs including stripes, chevrons, and diamonds. The act of attempting to recreate a particular item in the same manner as the Anglo-Saxons provided insight into their lives in a way that is far more tangible than reading about it. Through the act of weaving it, I was able to feel the process of making these bands which was quite different than reading about it in the books. It also gave me insight into the value of items during the era given the amount of time and energy put into weaving a small sample.

Tablet weaving in process next to finished tablet woven band.

Historic Tablet Weaving from Sweden. Image from Cloth and Clothing in Anglo Saxon England by Penelope Walton Rogers.