Chelles de Bathilde is a tablet-woven band, found in the grave of St. Bathilde who died in 680 CE in Burgundy, now France.
This band uses a technique called floatwork, in which to get the pattern you see, has the color strand remain on the surface of the band (or “floats”) without tiedowns. Unlike most other bands, this pattern is completely reversible with the opposite colors shown on the back of the band. It would be difficult to tell which side was the top of the band if you were not familiar with the original piece. This can be seen in the picture above, where the middle portion of the band is actually showing you the reverse side.
I re-created the pattern for this band after looking at two visual sources, and zooming in really closely on the computer. Since there were some similarities to problematic symbols, I modified a few portions of the band, still keeping the feeling of the motifs, but altering the patterns to be more sensitive.
I wove the band in silk, in the colors blue, red, and yellow, same as in the original band. The cards are threaded with two red strands in opposite corners, one yellow and one blue. The pattern uses 44 pattern cards, and 3 border cards per side, with a total of 50 cards wide.
To find out more information on the band and my process, please read the additional information linked below. I also have it posted on my website, with my modified pattern available for download. https://www.arabellademere.com/2021/01/10/bathilde-de-chelles-band/
Full documentation and more photos can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MPdVGXZC34P101kFL3BXrrTv4MevZeWEzWzOccd2Bg4/edit?usp=sharing
As always, please contact me should you have any questions, or comments. 162744@members.eastkingdom.org
Wonderful work and thank you for the links to your documentation and pattern.
You are quite welcome! Thank you for looking at my work and leaving me a message! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
This is just so gorgeous, and I love all the information too! Thank you so much for sharing your art!
Thank you! Also, thank you for providing such a great way to display our artwork!
Your work continues to amaze me! Thank you for sharing your patterns and documentation. Your keen eye and willingness to experiment are what brings these ancient methods to life and are quite inspiring.
Thank you for your kind words! I’m happy to provide information for other weavers, and hopefully make these more advanced projects seem more manageable, and possible to achieve.
I’ve never understood how tablet weaving works, but you’ve mastered it. This is an amazing piece of work.
Thank you so much! To be quite honest, my first attempt at tablet weaving ended up in the garbage. It took a few tries before I started getting the hang of it. It’s not necessarily the easiest artform, but it starts making more sense once you understand the mechanics. If you are interested in trying, let me know!
This is super! You clearly have a deep understanding of the mechanics involved here in order to not only reproduce, but also modify and adapt the patterns.
Thank you! Being able to modify an existing pattern is helpful in today’s world. Even though my pattern is written on the computer, nothing beats hands on experimentation and proof of concept.
The intricacy here is breath-taking! I love the Snartemo V and Chelles comparison chart in your documentation — very interesting!
Thank you! I plan on adding a third piece to the comparison once this one is completed. Yet another time period and culture, using floatwork!
I am again in awe of your talent madam! Gorgeous work.
I am humbled by your words. Thank you!
The intricacy of the weave is stunning, I really like the colors too. Thank you for entering.
Thank you so much! I am happy to contribute.
Whoa, this is lovely! What a wonderful addition it will make to any attire graced by it. You do splendid work!
Thank you very much for your kind words, and for commenting on my work.
This is tablet-weaving at an advanced level. There’s more to this than meets the eye, and you have clearly mastered the challenging mechanics of the process. And I admire your ability to adapt pattern elements, while still staying true to the underlying aesthetic. I hope you are proud of this – it’s a wondrous band indeed.
This was so beautifully done. I appreciated your process and scholarship. I especially love your drawing upon the knowledge of others as well as your consideration of the weavers process in the past. Very well done.
This is such a stunning piece – I am in awe of your skill, patience, and hard work. Beautifully done!
This is crazy cool! The colors and patterns are spectacular. Thank you so much for sharing all your research and hard work.
Wow, this is gorgeous! So intricate, and the beautifully-colored silk really makes the details pop. I also appreciate your pattern modification, and the excellent documentation. I’m a raw beginner at weaving, but I aspire to someday do a complicated tablet weave like this. Thank you for sharing it with us!
You are an inspiration to me!! This is just… Mindblowing – astounding – stunning…
To be so well versed in the mechanics and techniques of tablet weaving, you can take an exsisting pattern with a (modern problem) element and change/adapt it without loosing any of the period aestheitc, is just magic!! LOL
Thank you for sharing this and your knowledge with us all. ❤