weaving overshot redesigning the tradition quotation

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Weaving rag rugs is an immensely satisfying process that enables you to use cast-off remnants of fabric - and a favorite old shirt or two - to make something beautiful and functional for your home. In this book, you"ll explore the fascinating history of rag weaving, learn how to weave a basic rag rug, master some of the most popular traditional designs, and experiment with contemporary techniques for weaving and embellishing rugs. Filled with scores of colour photographs of rugs by more than 40 artists from around the world, this book is a delight for weavers and non-weavers alike.

Weaving with rags developed out of genuine necessity centuries ago, when cloth was so highly treasured that it was often unwoven in order to reuse the thread. Although fabric is now commonly available at very low cost, weaving rag rugs remains an especially satisfying process. Transforming fabric remnants and old articles of clothing into beautiful, functional rugs yields a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, and it instills a sense of connection with history and tradition.

The basics of rag rug weaving have remained the same over the years, but the materials, designs, weave patterns, and color combinations have changed significantly. Today"s weavers have access to an abundant array of warp and weft materials, with a wide variety of fiber content, color, and pattern. There are few-if any-limitations on what you might incorporate into your design: plastic shopping bags, bread wrappers, nylon stockings, and industrial castoffs have all been included.

In this book, you"ll find the old and the new, traditional designs and contemporary approaches. Starting with a basic, plain-weave rug, it describes the materials and tools you"ll need, how to prepare your warp and weft, how to dress the loom, and how to weave with a rag weft. Then you"ll learn how to make more complex designs: stripes and plaids, block patterns, reversible designs, inlay motifs, tufted weaves, and many other variations. Applications of surface design techniques, such as immersion dyeing, screen printing, and painting with textile inks, are also explored. In the chapter on design, you"ll be guided through the process of choosing colors and deciding upon compositions for your rugs. You"ll also find several options for finishing your rug, from traditional braided fringe to a crisp, clean Damascus edge.

Once you feel comfortable with the basic techniques, you"ll want to sample the rag rug projects. There are a dozen in total, ranging in style from a subtle gradation of stripes to a vibrant tapestry inlay. You"ll find seaside motifs and square blocks, pale pastels and brilliant jewel tones. There is even a double weaving project chenille "caterpillars" are woven first, and these become the weft in a wonderfully textured chair pad. Each project is described in complete detail and accompanied by a weaving draft.

Throughout the book are full-color photographs of works by more than 40 artists from a dozen countries around the world. These images, together with how-to photography and detailed illustrations, will instruct you and inspire you to sample new directions in your weaving. A fascinating history of rag weaving complements this glorious collection of contemporary rugs.

The origin of the technique itself may have started in Persia and spread to other parts of the world, according to the author, Hans E. Wulff, of The Traditional Crafts of Persia. However, it is all relatively obscured by history. In The Key to Weavingby Mary E. Black, she mentioned that one weaver, who was unable to find a legitimate definition of the technique thought that the name “overshot” was a derivative of the idea that “the last thread of one pattern block overshoots the first thread of the next pattern block.” I personally think it is because the pattern weft overshoots the ground warp and weft webbing.

Overshot gained popularity and a place in history during the turn of the 19th century in North America for coverlets. Coverlets are woven bedcovers, often placed as the topmost covering on the bed. A quote that I feel strengthens the craftsmanship and labor that goes into weaving an overshot coverlet is from The National Museum of the American Coverlet:

Though, popular in many states during the early to mid 19th centuries, the extensive development of overshot weaving as a form of design and expression was fostered in rural southern Appalachia. It remained a staple of hand-weavers in the region until the early 20th century. In New England, around 1875, the invention of the Jacquard loom, the success of chemical dyes and the evolution of creating milled yarns, changed the look of coverlets entirely. The designs woven in New England textile mills were predominantly pictorial and curvilinear. So, while the weavers of New England set down their shuttles in favor of complex imagery in their textiles, the weavers of Southern Appalachia continued to weave for at least another hundred years using single strand, hand spun, irregular wool yarn that was dyed with vegetable matter, by choice.

Designs were focused on repeating geometric patterns that were created by using a supplementary weft that was typically a dyed woolen yarn over a cotton plain weave background. The designs expressed were often handed down through family members and shared within communities like a good recipe. And each weaver was able to develop their own voice by adjusting the color ways and the treadling arrangements. Predominately, the homestead weavers that gave life and variations to these feats of excellent craftsmanship were women. However, not every home could afford a loom, so the yarn that was spun would have been sent out to be woven by the professional weavers, who were mostly men.

And, due to the nature of design, overshot can be woven on simpler four harness looms. This was a means for many weavers to explore this technique who may not have the financial means to a more complicated loom. With this type of patterning a blanket could be woven in narrower strips and then hand sewn together to cover larger beds. This allowed weavers to create complex patterns that spanned the entirety of the bed.

What makes overshot so incredibly interesting that it was fundamentally a development of American weavers looking to express themselves. Many of the traditional patterns have mysterious names such as “Maltese Cross”, “Liley of the West”, “Blooming Leaf of Mexico” and “Lee’s Surrender”. Although the names are curious, the patterns that were developed from the variations of four simple blocks are incredibly intricate and luxurious.

This is only the tip of the iceberg with regard to the history of this woven structure. If you are interested in learning more about the culture and meaning of overshot, check out these resources!

The National Museum of the American Coverlet- a museum located in Bedford, Pennsylvania that has an extensive collection of traditional and jacquard overshot coverlets. Great information online and they have a “Coverlet College” which is a weekend series of lectures to learn everything about the American coverlet. Check out their website - coverletmuseum.org

Textile Art of Southern Appalachia: The Quiet Work of Women – This was an exhibit that traveled from Lowell, Massachusetts, Morehead, Kentucky, Knoxville, Tennessee, Raleigh, North Carolina, and ended at the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. The exhibit contained a large number of overshot coverlets and the personal histories of those who wove them. I learned of this exhibit through an article written by Kathryn Liebowitz for the 2001, June/July edition of the magazine “Art New England”. The book that accompanied the exhibit, written by Kathleen Curtis Wilson, contains some of the rich history of these weavers and the cloth they created. I have not personally read the book, but it is now on the top of my wish list, so when I do, you will be the first to know about it! The book is called Textile Art of Southern Appalachia: The Quiet Work of Women and I look forward to reading it.

I’m replying to myself as I somehow missed adding text.  I LOVED this episode– the colour exploration was amazing and working with Jane’s silk was a dream.  The shawl (right) is light as a feather and I’m anxious to weave another. The guild just gets better and better.

yes,  the only problem is trying to find a cotton and silk that are a close color match.  I hope that Jane will have more silk dyed to match the cotton 8/2 because the result is amazing!

Thanks Sandra. I find great inspiration in the way Jane layers previous lessons onto the new episode. I discovered I may not have the focus to be a plaid weaver but I’m crazy for the stripe sequences. I particularly liked how the raspberry crosses with this warp. Mary

Maureen Janda – This was my first time with silk.  I found that I really had to watch my PPI and my beating.  I learned not to have the warp too tight.  Also, it was really important to keep the beater in place until you have changed the shed.  I really love the result!

I wash everything I weave.  For those scarves you just them in the sink in warm water with a little dish soap.  Gently like any fine piece of fabric.  Don’t wring them, let them drip dry draped over a rod and then press.  I do this to the silk scarf in Season 1, Episode 10.

Well I really stepped out of my comfort zone with the colors I chose!  Thank you for giving me the courage to do so!  Learned so much in these pieces!

I wanted to weave tea towels for an upcoming wedding shower and as the groom has a Scottish background and I had just finished watching episode 6 I decided to do them in plaid and variations on plaid. I got the thread count for their family plaid from the Scottish Register of Tartans-LochNess 2. ( I didn’t like the look of LochNess 1) I had to adapt it a bit to fit the  tea towel.  One I wove the plaid  in plain weave, then in twill as a traditional tartan would be woven. One I  wove in just the blue so it is just a striped towel. Then I had fun doing  a striping sequence

7 plaid towels.  Well actually 6 plaid, 1 stripe and a wee sample piece called empty the bobbins. I know it’s hard to tell from the pic which towel is which. I’ll try to send a pic when they are hemmed and washed.  It was a fun weave!!!

I am still having fun weaving boucle towels, so there are a few.  I tried a silk scarf this time.  I don’t love it, but I still think it’s kind of cool.  I am definitely trying more things than I ever would have attempted on my own.  I am still a beginner, but am becoming a more confident beginner by being a part of this guild.

Does anyone have any advice or good ideas on how to do the maths when dividing the colours to fit into a particular width?  i.e. I have five different colours that I want to fit into a 38″ wide weave…i know that I don’t want all the colours to be the same width, Fibonacci design..but how to work it easily would be a great help?

There’s so many ways you could approach this with Fibonacci.  Jane’s blog posted today is about Fibonacci & division of space, perfect timing! https://janestaffordtextiles.com/blog/design-for-weavers-fibonacci-division-of-space/

But if you wanted 40″ wide, just as an example and with your last 2″ leftover, you can divide those threads equally between each of the 5 colours and add them to each section, if you’re off by a thread or two, well close is good