Basic Tablet Weaving

History, Materials, Techniques

Colin Severne, OL

Class at the Collegium Caidis, September 2000

History: The origin of tablet weaving is obscure. Nobody knows exactly where or when it started, although there are several pieces as early as the sixth century B. C. which were almost certainly tablet-woven. It is known for a fact that the technique was widespread throughout Europe and parts of Asia during the SCA’s period, and was used for a variety of narrow-band woven textiles. These bands could be used for belts, straps, animal girths, laces, and garment trims. They vary from simple and utilitarian to elaborate and highly decorated, with the finest examples being decorated with pictures and letters, and worked with silk and gold brocade. See the attached photocopies for a more thorough historical listing.Tablets were historically made of a variety of materials, including horn, antler, leather, bone, and card (paper).

Materials:Tablet weaving can be done with almost any fiber (yarn, string, thread, rope – I usually prefer “yarn” although I usually weave with thread-sized stuff) which is used for other fabric use. The best fibers for tablet weaving are smooth, even-textured, and strong. The tablets will tend to catch on any fiber which is rough or nubbly, and yarns which are hairy or textured can catch in the shed-making process. Within the SCA’s period, tablet weaving was done with silk, wool, linen, and hair, and blends of these. Gold, silver, and copper were all used for decorative brocading. In modern use, I often substitute cotton for linen, although I know that the real linen has a much smoother and finer feel, because the cotton is cheaper and more readily available. I also occasionally use synthetics in place of silk for ribbons and finer bands. Modern metallic yarns containing colored aluminum, mylar, or lurex can be substituted for the precious metal brocading fibers, and some of them (especially the Kreinik Japan gold and silver) do a very good job of mimicking their precious counterparts.Tablets can be made from a variety of modern materials. Bar coasters make good serviceable tablets, although they wear out more quickly than many other types. I have had the best luck myself with sheet polystyrene, which is sold as “PlasTruct,” and used by model-makers to create models of buildings. It is a thin sheet of gray plastic, and can be drilled, cut with scissors or saw, sanded, and marked with markers. Quilting template plastic is also workable, as are more historical materials such as wood, horn, bone, antler (tiny tablets!) and leather. Tablets are also available for purchase made out of many of these materials. Lacis (lacis.com, or 510-843-7178) offers the small plastic tablets which we will use for the class, $10 for a pack of 25.

Techniques:

The tablets which you will get for the class are pre-warped. Warping is typically considered to be the most tedious part of the weaving process, although there are several shortcuts which can make it faster and more pleasant. Warping:In order to do a threaded-in design, one where the design is created by the threading, and each tablet has a unique configuration of threads, you will have to individually measure and tie each warp thread. I have found that the easiest way to do this is to string the tablets onto an inkle loom or similar frame as you go; trying to measure all the warp threads and then warp the loom (as you would with a floor loom) can be very difficult because it is hard to keep the tension even. If you are doing a single-color design, or a design which has a consistent threading pattern, you can make a fast circular warp. This is the technique that I use for almost every one of my woven bands, because it cuts down so significantly on the time required. To begin the circular warp, place the balls of yarn in bowls or jars so that they will not roll all over the floor. Holding the entire pack of cards in one hand, or as many as will be warped in one section, push a crochet hook through the holes in one corner of the entire pack and grab hold of the thread for that corner, and pull it through. Repeat this until all four holes are threaded. Tie all four ends into a knot. Tie this knot to a secure post of your loom or other support, and take the tablets in hand. Pass around the warp path, dropping one tablet at the shed area, and trailing yarn behind your hand. This makes more sense as you do it, than it does to read it. Travel around the warp path again, dropping one more tablet in the shed area. Repeat this until you have run out of tablets. For the last one, you will need to hold the yarns with your fingers. Once you get back to where you tied off to begin with, tie the ends (all four at once) to the beginning threads, and you have a circular warp.

Weaving: Once all the tablets have been warped, it is time to start weaving. First, check to make sure that none of the tablets have flipped over in the process – this can cause you trouble later on. Also make sure that none of the tablets are tangled with their neighbors. Pull the tablets into a neat pack (like a deck of cards) with your fingers. Push this pack up the warp and pull it down, to make sure that everything is sliding smoothly. Turn it one quarter turn forward (to keep the forward and backward turns straight, visualize a bicycle wheel). This will tell you if any threads have been crossed over. Starting on: Thread your shuttle. If you do not have a belt shuttle, you can make a good imitation by folding a couple of pieces of typing paper together in half three or four times, until they form a nice stiff piece, and cutting a half-moon notch out of each end. I prefer a shuttle of heavy hardwood, because it beats the warp very effectively. Alternatively, you can make an impromptu beater out of a kitchen knife, small spatula, bone folder, or other cooperative tool. Because of the warp-faced nature of tablet weaving, beating combs are not effective. Take your threaded shuttle, and pass it through the shed space from right to left, leaving behind a trail of thread. Leave about half a foot hanging out, to start with – you can adjust this later, as you become more experienced. Turn the entire pack of tablets one quarter-turn forward. Beat the warp, and pass the shuttle back through the shed from left to right, leaving a loop large enough to put your shuttle through. Turn the tablets again, beat, and pass through again from right to left, leaving another loop. Turn the tablets one quarter turn forward (or back, as indicated by the pattern) and pass the shuttle through again. This time, put the shuttle through the loop on the left side, and pull the original tail through the loop on the right side, and pull both the shuttle and the tail end until they snug down to the warp. This takes some practice to perfect, but makes a very sturdy start to your weaving which will never unravel. Weaving: Follow your pattern to get the correct combination of forward and backward turning, passing the shuttle after each turn of the cards. To finish off, you will basically reverse the maneuver you used to start on, except that there will be only one loop, and you will need to work the extra thread through to the shuttle side. To help control the tension, make sure that you pull evenly on the shuttle thread with each pass. It may help you to pinch the threads at the end opposite where you are pulling; this will make for a more even edge. The main thing to do for an even edge is practice; with practice, the evenness and regularity of your weaving will improve.

Working with the pre-warped tablets:

In order to get everyone started quickly, this class will begin with pre-warped tablets. These have been prepared using the circular warping technique, with two black threads and two white threads per tablet. This warp can produce a variety of patterns, from simple bars and stripes, to brocaded or double-faced designs. To start on, secure the pre-warped tablets on your inkle loom or other tensioning frame. DO NOT UNTIE THE TABLETS UNTIL THEY ARE UNDER TENSION. If you need extra length, you can tie a length of cloth tape to either end of the warp. Tension your warp as desired, and THEN untie the tablets to begin weaving.