Sarah le Payller — A Tablet Weaving Study

• Name: THLady Sarah le Payller
• Project: A Tablet Weaving Study
• Location: Shire of Hartshorn-Dale
• East Kingdom Wiki Link: https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/wiki/Sarah_le_Payller
• Category: Fiber arts/weaving

GOALS

Goals: To better understand how tablet weaving works, rather than just being able to follow a pattern.

I am learning how to tablet weave through both instruction from friends and Lady Elewys’ very detailed “Weave Along With Elewys” blog. I can follow a pattern: I have made an Oseberg and a Ladoga band. But while I could follow the pattern, I did not really understand what I was doing.

METHOD

I took 12 cards, four colors of thread, and my inkle loom, and I warped my loom. I chose the four different colors so that there would be high contrast between each one, so I could better understand how each thread behaved in the weave. I used a fifth color (white) for my weft thread.

DISCOVERIES

• The thread that is moving from the top to the bottom is what will be visible in the weave.
o Forward (away): This is the back top thread.
o Backward (towards): This is the front top thread.

• Flipping or reversing the cards have identical effects on the woven band. They can be used interchangeably.

• The weft thread is barely visible as little dots on the side of the finished band. This is another difference from Inkle weaving, where the weft is clearly visible on the side but also overlaps slightly onto the front and back of the band. This is a very useful discovery, because sometimes Tablet Weaving results in little gaps in the warp that leaves the weft thread visible. Knowing the weft thread will barely be seen on the sides means I can pick a weft thread that will best match where the gaps will be, so it is less obvious.

• The little gap occurs when there is a difference in threading (S vs Z) and when you reverse the direction you are turning the cards.

• The threading (S vs Z) gives the threads a little lean to one side or the other. If all the cards are threaded the same, the whole band will get a distinct twist. If one side of the band is S and the other side Z, this will also give puckers and dips when you reverse the cards.
o Having a couple of oppositely threaded cards on each half of the band is enough to stabilize it, though.

Additional Documentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RP31nvVna7tL9KyBMYQzQC9iAtrYT57M/view?usp=sharing