overshot rug quotation

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.

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.

Then I (a weaver) went straight to the Techniques and Tips chapter. She answered all my nagging questions about rep weave: how thick is thick and how thin is thin, for example. What thick and thin combinations were suitable for rugs, or throws, or upholstery was enormously helpful-and I felt that I could trust that she was telling me all I needed to know to make successful projects.  Other important things one needs to know were given; such as how to join new thick wefts and how to get lovely selvedges. She tells how to calculate the warp and weft quantities needed depending upon whether you want to make kitchen towels or rugs or many other projects for the home. I could see that she tells what yarns are used for all of the projects–including how much is needed for each color.

There are complete instructions with photographs and drafts for 18 projects. However, the book also gives the specific information you need to change the concept and colors to another type of textile. For example, if a project is for a rug, you would have the information to use the colors and design in a throw instead, if you choose. This gives the weaver the opportunity to use her book as a starting point for creating original designs.

Overshot is a weave structure traditionally used for patterning coverlets. It is wonderful for table runners and placemats and other applications where a decorative fabric can be used. Pillows and throws can be woven using overshot and with the proper yarns and careful planning overshot works well as a tough little scatter rug. If you have never woven overshot before this is a great first time introduction to this weave structure. Students will weave rugs on pre-warped looms. Each student will be able to weave two small rugs. The looms will be threaded to two different overshot patterns. One group will be threaded to Star of Bethlehem and the others to a single Snowballs pattern. You can choose to weave on one loom for both rugs, or trade with another students to weave a rug in a different pattern. Either way you will love your rugs. All materials included with tuition.

Weaving Overshot with Madelyn Van Der Hoogt DVD 92 Minutes From heirloom coverlets to dazzling contemporary household textiles and garments, overshot is one of the handsomest of weave structures. Whether woven in miniature on a towel or largescale in a rug, overshot is striking. In this video, Madelyn van der Hoogt teaches everything you need to know to explore the many faces of overshot. You"ll learn: How to read, weave, and play with overshot drafts Techniques to achieve balanced patterns Why halftones happen, and how you can use them in your designs How to spot and weave overshot in rosefashion and starfashion How to combine overshot threading with other treadlings, with spectacular results Ideas for playing with color and materials Along with Madelyn"s video workshop, this DVD gives you a printable booklet on overshot weaving, complete with planning exercises, reference materials, and overshot projects you can learn from and use. Order your copy of Weaving Overshot today

This exhibit features 26 works by local, national, and international fiber artists who draw inspiration from the Baldishol. They include not only tapestries but clothing, rugs, quilts, fiber sculpture, and more. View a replica of the historic weaving on loan from Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, IA, and admire contemporary textile works inspired by the tapestry.

I create contemporary textiles using the dye pot and the slow and ancient process of hand weaving. I first discovered weaving in the early 1990"s and since that time have primarily focused on weaving tapestries and rugs. I love the bold visual language of weft-face weaves and the tactile pleasure of creating art with my hands.

Sara Okern works out of her home studio in Minnetonka surrounded by ever-multiplying bags of reclaimed material sourced from the Twin Cities" cut and sew industry. She has been weaving rag rugs from designer quilt scrap fabric since 2016 and has been recently challenged by an expanding network of new material sources to explore other textile techniques. Her work can be seen at andasmer.com

I was first drawn to weaving when I found a scrap of an overshot coverlet. The pattern and complexity mesmerized me. Once I taught myself to weave and later became aware of Scandinavian weaving traditions, I was drawn to double harness weaving, both skillbragd and drawloom weaving. I"ve been weaving skillbragd for a few years now, following medical retirement and a return to weaving after a 15-year break. I began with samples, wove some larger pieces, and one other coverlet for an overshot exhibit, FoldUnfold. I love the bold patterns and colors of the Nordic traditions. I enjoy many structures, but keep coming back to skillbragd. I"m a slow weaver these days. It takes me about 6 months to weave and finish a coverlet. I weave skillbragd on my lovely Finnish loom, an older Varpapuu made for Berga, the Savonia.

Mary Logue grew up sewing and embroidering, but found her true textile passion in rug hooking, more than 25 years ago. Most of her rugs are influenced by nature"”the patterns and landscapes, the flora and fauna. Her rugs have been exhibited in the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts show, in addition to many other galleries and museums. She has had three one-woman shows and her rugs have been featured in several books. In 2017 she did a month-long residency at the Textilsetur (Icelandic Textile Center), resulting in a show of her work. Mary currently teaches rug hooking at the Textile Center of Minnesota and North House Folk School.

I have always been attracted to the graphic style of the Baldishol tapestry with its interesting background designs and vibrant colors. Taking my inspiration from the spotted sky of the May section, I wove a bold wool rug with wide stripes in various shades of indigo and circles of red, gold and white. The black and white triangle borders are another element found in the Baldishol. I dyed the wool with natural dyes that may have been used in the original weaving; indigo for blue, madder root for red and birch leaves for gold. The white and black wools are un-dyed natural sheep colors.