Weaving Lesson

Weaving

Group: Decorate our Tipi

 Station: Split Stick Weaves

Station: Sound, Storage and Tie weaves (CD’s Cardboard and Wire)

Station: Dying with nature

Today’s Lesson

 Some people argue weaving is the oldest surviving craft- and like many other art forms it can be dated back to Neolithic times!

I personally believe that weaving can be considered a craft and an art because it is both functional and design oriented. 

Weaving does not just use fabric, but can be done with reeds, wood, paper and even metal.

Weaving may be done by hand or by machine. These machines are called looms and they can be as small as your hands or as large as an entire room!

There are two very important parts of the weaving process-

            The warp is the material that runs lengthwise and that is fastened down

            The weft is the material that is wrapped over and under the warp

History 

There is evidence that weaving dates back to at least 7000 BCE where fabrics and weaving tools were found in Egyptian tombs. 

Wall painting in the tomb of Khnum-hotpe at Beni Hasan (about I9oo B.c.)

See the large loom to to the left? Many Egyptians wore wool and linen fabrics created on looms.

In Ancient China, the art of silk weaving was a closely guarded secret for thousands of years. They used the thin fibers from silk worm cocoons and weaved them into beautiful silk garments.

The art of weaving evolved around the world. Below is a European painting that depicts the multiple stages of making cloth.

 14^th century painting, by Italian artist, Boccaccio. Title: Concerning Famous Women.

 

 At the bottom, the women are carding the wool, which means they are cleaning the wool of impurities. At the top right, the woman is spinning the wool- which makes strands and on the left a woman weaving the wool strands into a unified cloth on a loom.

Artist Unknown  Saddle or Child's Wearing Blanket  -1850

The Navajo people are famous for their beautiful woven rugs and blankets. They learned to weave from the Pueblo Indians and have been mastering the art every since. Their weavings are highly sought after for their beauty and rarity.

Today, we have looms that can weave very intricate patterns with hardly any assistance from a human hand