Tablet Weaving Workshop 2015

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Cyclingrelf

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Jul 15, 2005
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Penzance, Cornwall
It's past time I ran this course again! I can manage 3 or 4 mornings this moot but I can only make the first week.

This time, I'll sort out students at the morning meetings. If anyone who has already done this course would like to have a go at more complicated designs, come chat to me at the moot. And bring your tablets!

Everything else is same as before :-

I’ve been learning the art of tablet weaving this year, and would be happy to run a course at the bushmoot if people are interested. I can only teach 2 people at a time, but I can run the course 5 times during the moot, so there are 10 places altogether. I’ll supply my tuition for free, but I need to charge for the materials. It will cost £10 per person. Please could you PM me if you’d like to book a place?

What’s included?
12 laminated plastic tablets per person, threads, an instruction sheet to take away, practical tuition – should be enough materials to make at least one band approx. ½ inch wide during the moot and you’ll be able to take the tablets away to make more at home and/or finish the one you start at the moot if you don’t get time to complete it on-site.

woods_man from this forum is manufacturing the tablets for the course, and I've asked him to supply some extra at a special bushmoot discount. If you’d like to purchase extra tablets after completing the course, then there will be a limited quantity available at £7 for 12. (Compare with internet prices from another manufacturer of £16 + £4.95 p&p for 25 similar tablets). Extra tablets are useful to make wider bands and more complicated patterns.

What to expect?
The course will last approximately 3-4 hours.
As in most forms of weaving, setting up the weave takes a lot of time. You will spend about 1-1.5 hours threading the tablets and learning about the concepts. The rest of the time you will weave your band, learn how to make patterns and how to form your own designs. I will be teaching one form of tablet weaving (Double-faced weave), but you can create some complex patterns nevertheless. I have practised my course on my sister, and she was able to produce the weave below – after teaching her the basics in the first few lines of weave, she designed her own pattern for the rest of the weave. I will not be using authentic historical materials, although I'll discuss some of the alternatives during the course.
Relfy's first tablet-woven band in progress
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What is tablet weaving?
A portable form of weaving that doesn’t require cumbersome specialist equipment such as looms or special thread. You can use specialist equipment for tablet weaving, but my interest is in the fact you can weave with minimal equipment, and this is what I’ll be teaching. Tablet weaving is more than 2000 years old and globally widespread. It is used to make strong woven bands. These can be used to form borders as part of weaving larger pieces of cloth (Usually woven on a loom. Although you can weave wide cloth with tablets it isn’t very efficient).

Tablet-woven bands can also be put to use in a variety of ways in their own right
They can be woven using 1 colour or several, un-patterned, patterned or even personalised with writing.
The examples below were all found on google image searches, so I've linked to the websites for your information. All of them are woven using tablets, except in the case of the sandal, which could have been woven on tablets but I don't know what method was actually used.
  • Webbing e.g. for bag or rucksack straps, or in this case a Yemeni dagger strap :)
  • Decorative borders e.g. sewn onto collars, cuffs or hems.
  • Straps for musical instruments such as guitar
  • Personalised Bookmarks
  • Straps for sandals or flip-flops (I couldn't find an example that was definitely woven with tablets online, but the below gives the general idea of woven straps)
  • Camera straps - I reckon the one below has some room for improvement!
  • Dog leads and collars
  • Belts
  • Bracelets
  • Bags
  • Watch straps

Some examples of my own work (they got better as I learned more!) are here
 
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Cyclingrelf

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Jul 15, 2005
1,185
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Penzance, Cornwall
I have a theory that tablet weaving can be as simple or as fiendishly complicated as you want to make it. My friends have been looking at me in disbelief, as they have seen the tablets, and the threads, and suspect fiendish complication.

In order to prove my point, I tried teaching my 5 year old nephew (he has his 6th birthday next weekend) how to tablet weave. Here is a picture of him weaving himself a wristband in his favourite colours (red and blue).
I wasn't sure I could teach someone so young, but he has been very successful in learning the practical techniques. He didn't understand what is going on well enough to deliberately weave his own patterns, so requires constant direction if the pattern needs any changes made to the way the cards are turned. However, he is now capable of weaving a straight-forward band on his own.
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The method was as simple as I could make it, and the 5-year-old proved it works :)

That said, there are some fiendish tablet weaving techniques as well...he can learn them when he's older!

...next week :D

There are now 7 places left.
 

Cyclingrelf

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Mod
Jul 15, 2005
1,185
25
49
Penzance, Cornwall
Thanks Ness, though the pictures I linked are examples off the internet of products you can make with the bands, not products I made myself. I put them up to give an idea of the possibilities for the technique.

I've focused a lot on learning different techniques (such as textured weaving and weaving double layers, or tubes) so have made more samples than products so far (I've only been learning a year), though I have made a few things such as belts and a scarf.

Examples of some of the bands I've made are here: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/album.php?albumid=83. I'll maybe photograph some more and put them up when I get a chance.

The design on the dog collar can be made by modifying the pattern of the rams horn design for which I have got an example of my own work online:
attachment.php

I won't be teaching that particular pattern on the course, as we'll be working with 2 colours per band only (you'll be able to choose your two colours) and basing the bands on double-faced weave. However, I'll give a hand-out to course participants with links to find more patterns to try and giving a quick refresher on the techniques you'll be learning on the course.

If you'd like to try a pattern based on rams horns after the course, I can print a copy of that pattern out for you and you can have a go at the moot? That way, if you get stuck you can still come and ask :) How did you know it's from the Greek area of the world (Anatolian according to the book I've got)? Have you already got some experience with weaving, or is it from another of your interests?

Anyways, 6 places left.
 

Lou

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Feb 16, 2011
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the French Alps
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Those braids are absolutely lovely, (I am loving the ram's horn pattern - such gorgeous colours) I trained as a weaver at college and have to say that it is such a lovely skill to learn and practice - so useful too. Looks like you will be having fun.

Do you dye your yarn with plants?
 

Cyclingrelf

Mod
Mod
Jul 15, 2005
1,185
25
49
Penzance, Cornwall
Hi Tawnyhare, Thanks for the compliment :) I've only dabbled in natural dyes, mostly years ago when I did a bit of spinning. For some reason, most of the stuff I tried turned out a kind of coffee brown! I've currently got some Alkanet root Toddy gave me and some oak galls, so will try those at some point.

The yarns I'll be using for the tablet weaving are all synthetically dyed.
 

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