Waxing poetic about the forgotten genius of medieval women while I warp a tablet weave to make a new strap for my mandolin. Believe it or not, my mandolin and fiddle pursuits were not borne of medieval novel research…I’m apparently just a walking cliché.
A bit of lingo for the peeps new to weaving: The warp refers to the vertical threads under tension on a loom. Weft is the thread that is passed horizontally between gaps or “sheds” opened between the warp threads, creating an interlocking weave. In tablet weaving the shed is opened by turning the cards, resulting in two warp threads held to the front of the weave, and two to the back on each pick (or horizontal pass of the weft). Most cloth is weft-facing, meaning that the weft comprises the main visible threads creating the patterns. In warp-facing weaves like this band, the warp are the visible threads in the pattern, the weft mainly serving to provide structure between each row.
Tablet or card weaving is a style of warp-facing band weaving dating back thousands of years in Egypt, Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Iceland. Tablets made of wood or bone were threaded in either left or right facing directions with various colors of thread, then turned backward or forward to open different sheds through which the weft was passed. The pattern variations weavers could create with this style of weaving were endless, resulting in bands that were both beautifully intricate and incredibly strong. Medieval weavers calculated by hand (or in their heads) the required length of the warp strands, the order and direction to thread each card, and which directions each card must be turned in order to achieve the desired effect, quite a feat of advanced math skills and three-dimensional visualization, especially at a time when formal education for women largely did not exist. Tablet woven bands from this period would have been used for everything from handles and straps, to bridles and reins for horses, to belts and edging on clothing, tents, and other textiles.
Stay tuned for a video of the weaving process (and more medieval-inspired fiber ramblings) to come soon!
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Post-script that shouldn’t be necessary in the Year of Our Lord 2025, but apparently is:
I write and talk a lot about the forgotten industries and histories of women in the late Iron Age and early medieval periods. After some comments I’ve received on other platforms when posting about women and fiber arts, I feel the need clarify that trans women and their histories are never excluded when I refer to the women of the past. We may have had different names for ourselves throughout history, but queer and trans people have always existed. Much like women and their contributions, trans people of all stripes have been silenced and erased from histories of the human past. I enjoy searching for hidden stories and giving them a new life, and trans and gender-nonconforming folks will always be included in that. If that means some people may choose not to engage with my work, so be it. Much love, SPJ
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