- Name: Lady Ana Kendra Webster
- Project Title: Tablet Woven Bands
- Location: Riding of Ravensbridge
- EK Wiki: https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/wiki/Ana_Kendra_Webster
- Blog: https://silvermander.wordpress.com/
Various tablet woven bands from the Iron Age through Medieval Times. All bands are either copied or inspired by extant pieces.
Single color, or monochrome, tablet woven bands were common in the early days of tablet weaving. The Philip Swabia belt, better known as the Nomine belt, dates back to the 11th-12th century. Many belts of this kind were woven in silk so the sheen shows the produced pattern.
Early in the Bronze Age, all the way through Medieval Times, lozenges or diamonds were a common motif. They are simple, easy to weave and can be quite striking.
- Cambridge/Anglo-Saxon Diamonds: Early Anglo-Saxon burials (5th–7th centuries) often contain “broken diamond twill” fabrics. This wasn’t just a surface motif but a structural weave where the diagonal lines of the twill reverse to create a diamond-shaped texture in the cloth itself.
- Kaupang Band (c. 800 AD): Found in the Viking trade center of Kaupang, Norway, these finds often feature intricate tablet-woven bands. Diamond patterns in this era were frequently created using silk and silver or gold threads (brocading), signifying high status. (Below)
- Mammen Style (10th Century): The Mammen find from Denmark (often associated with Finnish or broader Nordic styles through trade) is famous for its “power” embroidery. While the Mammen axe is known for its foliage and birds, the textiles from the same grave include complex wool and silk work where geometric motifs like diamonds provided a structured border.
- Finnish Diamonds (12th Century/Late Iron Age): In Finland, traditional dress (like that found in Eura or Tuukkala) utilized heavy bronze spiral decorations (appliques) and tablet weaving. The 1200s marked a peak in the use of geometric “diamond” shapes in both the weave of the apron strings and the arrangement of bronze coils on the hems
One of the most famous bands known was discovered in the famous Oseberg Viking Burial Ship.
- Two women were buried in this ship in 834ad and it was discovered in 1905.
- It held the first tablet weaving loom and many bands, this narrow one being the most recognized.
- The original was woven in silk and is 0.5cm wide.
The Oseberg Burial Ship is a vital source for textile history because the waterlogged, anaerobic conditions of the mound preserved organic materials that usually rot away.
Documentation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fYNFs9fEcCslb9ELmEwpAP6SdDdgxwLmgsvid2Yadvk/edit?usp=sharing