My Latest Tape Weaving

Graduate school interferes with what's really important--sewing, knitting, weaving, tatting, etc. I have actually been crafting here and there, but rarely sharing pictures on my blog. I realized that I never shared these pictures of tape that I wove last year, so here they are! I have woven more tapes recently, but have not taken pictures yet. All of these tapes are made with 16/2 linen thread.

This green and white one is about half an inch wide. It's not copied from or inspired by an original.




Next, here's a brown, orange, and tan tape. It is inspired by one in the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center. The original red cotton with white and blue linen used as apron ties. It is item 1916.01.05, online at http://schwenkfelder.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/83534E81-6AF2-4CAE-ADE0-332276277360.




This red, white, and blue tape is copied from a Schwenkfelder tape; catalog number  2006.14.09 at http://schwenkfelder.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/9684426B-4797-4733-89B0-989347788956. The original was part cotton and had a brown weft. My copy is all linen with a blue weft.




This black and gold tape was not copied or inspired by an original. It is about 3/8" wide.



These plain white and plain red tapes were not copied or inspired by originals, but there are several plain white tapes in the Schwenkfelder collection. I have also heard that red tape was a popular color for garters, but I don't remember the original source that my informant read to me.






And finally, my favorite is this blue and white tape that I copied from one in the Williamsburg collection. It is a short scrap on a set of patchwork pockets. The pockets were on display a few months ago in the DeWitt Wallace Museum in Williamsburg. The label says "Pockets to tie around waist, America, 1780-1810, Cottons, Museum Purchase, 1983-371, 1-2." I have not been able to find this piece in the online collections. The original is actually light blue, but I didn't have the right color thread when I made this copy. However, I now have some light blue and it's strung up on my loom right now. It's going slowly but surely and is a nice break from studies. I am also working on making my tension better because I was weaving super fast before and not always getting an even width. My new method is tedious, but when weaving wide tapes (wider than maybe 8 warp threads), I really need to be methodical to keep the width consistent. It's going so much slower now and I'm not sure if it's worth it, but I will learn as I practice.



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