Weaving involves interlacing two sets of fibers called the warp and weft at right angles using a loom. Fibers used can include cotton, hemp, hair, roots, raffia, wool or fur. The warp runs lengthwise on the loom while the weft goes through the warp. Looms hold the warp in place and can be made of wood or other materials. Weaving has been used for over 5000 years to create clothing, rugs, baskets and tapestries. Early civilizations wove shelters and supplies for survival, while later cultures used weaving for artistic, social and religious purposes. Weaving methods and uses have evolved with history but remain an important craft today.

1. Weaving

2. • Weaving: A method in which 2 sets of fibers are
interlaced using weft and warp at right angles on
a loom.
• Fibers: materials such as cotton, hemp, hair,
roots, raffia, wool or fur that can be used to
create a rope or strand to weave with.

3. Warp is the set of
lengthwise fibers
that are held in
tension on a
loom.
Weft is the set of
fibers that go
through the
warp.

4. Looms
• Loom: A tool used to
hold warp threads so
weft fibers can be
woven.
Looms can be made
from anything that can
provide anchors for
warp threads, but
traditionally they are
made of wood.

7. Things that are traditionally woven…
• Clothing
• Rugs
• Baskets
• Tapestries

8. History of Weaving
• Woven fabrics have been dated as far back as
5000BC.
• Weaving is one of the oldest forms of arts and
crafts, but it didn’t begin as a hobby.
• Early civilizations needed it to provide clothing
and shelter in order to survive

11. • Close up of
weft and warp
of roof

12. History of Weaving
• In early civilization, people were nomads.
• They needed homes that they knew would be
temporary, but were still secure.
• They used the resources they found in nature to
weave what supplies they could.
• They also wove walls, doors, rugs and hammocks.

13. Early Woven Clothing
• Once people began to settle and clothing started
being made for more than simply survival
purposes, it began being created to
• Show Power
• Frighten the Enemy
• Social Approval or Social Status
• How does this compare to modern society?

14. History of Weaving
• The Paleolithic Age –
– 2.6 million years ago
– The Paleolithic Age describes a time when we
know man existed, but no written history is
documented.
– There is some evidence that people during this
time used methods of weaving with leaf fibers.
Their work was sturdy enough to last 2.6 million
years.
– -No evidence of looms

15. History of Weaving
• Egypt – 3600BC
– Flax was the fiber mainly used.
– Flax is a plant that is very fibrous
and can be spun, dyed and knotted.
– Egyptians used it to create linen,
very common to the linens we have
today.
– Ancient Egyptians were settled
enough as a society and created
arts and crafts for leisure and trade.
– Noble profession
– Some even earned a living
becoming masters of weaving and
artistry.
– Looms were used.

16. History of Weaving
• Weaving in Ancient Egypt

17. History of Weaving
• Biblical Times – 2000BC
– As Ancient Egypt began to fall, the Hebrews began
to take rise.
– Their fiber of choice was wool.
– Looms were used and required 2 people to
operate.
– Weavers during this time were not artisans. They
were often children or slaves.

18. History of Weaving
• The Islamic World – 700AD
– Looms were becoming widespread.
– Became more advanced with the addition of
pedals to help operate the machine.
– It was a skilled trade instead of a slave trade.
– Reason for advancement:
• Islamic religion required “the faithful” to be covered
from neck to ankle.
• This increased the demand for fabric.
• They needed the highly used machines to be easier to
operate.

19. Traditional Islamic Clothing

20. Traditional Islamic Clothing

21. Traditional Islamic Clothing

22. History of Weaving
• Medieval Europe – 800sAD
– “A weaver” was a skilled occupation
– It was a craft and provided trade that could be
bought and sold
– Tapestries were popular during this time.
– Predominant fibers were
• Wool – For royalty or people of class
• Linen – For the middleclass
• Nettlecloth – For the lower class

23. History of Weaving
• American Colonies 1500-1800
– Colonial America was heavily reliant on Great Britain.
– Britain wanted the colonies to begin producing their
own raw materials (live of the land)
– The Wool Act of 1699 restricted the export of Colonial
Wool
– The colonists began using cotton and flax to create
linens (Who else used flax?)
– This is the beginning of the cotton gin.
– Cotton production is still a huge cash crop for the
areas of the colonies and the south today.

24. History of Weaving
• Industrial Revolution 1760-1840
– The development of water power, coal and
machine tools changed society
– The importance of the craftsman declined and
began to be replaced by machines.
– Fabrics could be imported from around the world,
and machines replaced looms to create complex
and intricate fabrics.

25. History of Weaving
• Arts and Crafts movement – 1860-1930
– Movement against mechanization and advocate
the return to traditional craftsmanship and simple
forms.
– Weaving was a huge part of this movement with
the return of hand weaving and traditional looms.
– It became a hobby of leisure

26. Weaving Today
• Weaving today is considered a “Fine Art”
– Untraditional materials are experimented with
– It is commonly combined with sculpture

31. Smithsonian 40 under 40
….Meet Olek AKA Crotched Olek

32. Olek
• Born in 1978 in Poland
• Olek is a
contemporary artist
who works in the field
of weavingparticularly
crocheting.
• She uses existing
objects and dresses it
in her hand-woven
crochet.

34. The bull outside of the stock exchange
in New York

37. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=why4wCKUsc&list=TLs7Uvg4Jt_ayn64zocJL4u8304upvADnt