Weaving a double weave band: tubular or flat?

Weaving a tubular cord on a four shaft loom.

On a four shaft loom the sequence it is easy to weave a tubular band.  For the tubular band there are two layers; woven separately but joined by the weft at each side. 

Layer one is threaded on shafts 1 and 3 to weave plain or warp faced plain weave. Layer two is threaded on shaft 2 and 4. 

The weaving sequence is:

1. Lift shaft 1  and take the shuttle through from left to right
2. Lift shafts 134 and take the shuttle through from right to left.
3. Lift shaft 2 and take the shuttle through from left to right
4. Lift shafts 123 and take the shuttle through from right to left. 

The weft spirals through the warp ends to make a tube. If the width of the band is narrow then the finished band will be a tube.  If there are more warp ends then the finished tube will flatten out and become a flat tubular band. 

Kusti weavers use the same principle to weave their sacred tubular cord.

https://youtu.be/sXr8m4voDfk

https://youtu.be/p1enzWvB8m8

A Tasuki Band

A tasuki band is a long piece of cloth or band which  ties up the sleeves of a kimono or similar garment to ensure that the sleeves are kept out of the way when working. 

Samurai warriors also used a tasuki sash to tie up their long sleeves. These would prove a handicap when using a sword or for archery. 

I first became aware of them when watching a 1962 Kurasawa film - Sanjuro. I was fascinated by the quick automatic movements to tie up their sleeves when a group of young Samuari are about to go into action. 

Tasuki are usually about 230 - 250 cm in length and can be narrow but nowadays are more often about 4 cms in width. Usually they are a single  layer of cloth. 

I wove a tubular tasuki cord.  The cord is made from synthetic yarn, rayon, and is tubular.  Rayon is not the material that I should have used but i was interested in seeing how well it wove as a double cloth. One side is a plain white colour and the other side is stripes of green. Unfortunately I did not put a long enough warp on the loom and the cord is just too short. 

Details of my first Tasuki Cord.

Warp ends in total: 95

Layer one: 47 ends three shades of green acrylic  These are threaded on shafts 1 and 3

Layer two: 48 warp ends of white. These are threaded on shafts 2 and 4. 

Weft: 2 strands of green cotton.

Width: 14 mm

Finished length just under 200 cms   However it needs to be at least 230 cms in length. 

Top layer of warp ends. 

Here is the tubular tasuki cord.

Rayon was a difficult yarn to weave. It is very slippery and I found it hard to keep to an even tension. You can see the ridges of the weaving are uneven. 

Instructions for Tying the Cord.

Here is an elegant way of tying a tasuki cord. 

https://youtu.be/9blUgVEISgE

A more practical approach is shown here.

https://youtu.be/qs6y2gOfQfI?si=IuLBWC9DwpfyzLtC

Kusti weavers use the same principle to weave their sacred tubular cord.

https://youtu.be/sXr8m4voDfk

https://youtu.be/p1enzWvB8m8

It is particularly fascinating to know that narrow tubular bands were also woven in ancient Egypt. I saw a simple narrow tubular band around dating to the 1st century BCE in a museum recently. It was wrapped around a mummy on top of the usual close wrapping bands. It was broken in one area and it was clear that this was a woven tubular band.  It also had a twisted cord inside the tube. I suspect from the way it looked that this twisted group of fibres was added after the tube was woven. The tubular band was wide enough to see this central fibre cord inside which had plenty of room. Perhaps the centre filling was added to make the band firmer.

Happy Weaving.

Susan J Foulkes  Febrary 2025

Vaskinde Heddle from Sweden

The Vaskinde heddle was found in Sweden and dates from the late middle ages   1350 - 1500. It is made from moose antler and is 4.7 by 4.5 cm. It has a delicate decoration.

The original is in the Nordiska Museum in Stockholm and can be viewed here:

https://samlingar.shm.se/object/08C1C4DE-E1A6-4D75-BEF5-866784624914

The original Vaskinde heddle

In Sweden, Martinsson and Eriksson have made a copy which  are as similar to the original as possible in size and shape. Size 5.5 x 5.5 cm made in modern materials.

https://www.m-e.se/handelsbod/band.html

They also publish a small booklet of patterns for the heddle. The booklet has patterns for 13 warp ends and also different variations. number of patterns with 13 threads. The booklet describes sample weavings and shows how to make more variations.

They also make a miniature version of the heddle which is a challenge but lovely to use.  I wove an narrow warp faced band and finished with a tubular section. 

The small version of the heddle

Robin Goatey at thedancinggoats has also made a slightly larger version. 

 https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheDancingGoats

The Vaskinde heddle and shuttle from Robin Goatey.

This is the threading for the wool warp on the larger wooden Vaskinde heddle. Note that the outer two holes are used. the weft is black wool.

The reproductions from Sweden come in different colours.  Here are two with the weaving in progress. 

Two reproduction heddles in plastic.

Weaving a band using the Vaskinde heddle.

Here is a short video.  The Vaskinde heddle is threaded with 11 warp ends and is woven using a backstrap. The warp and weft are 16/2 linen. The weft is white 16/2 linen.

Here is the drawdown showing the threading.

Note that the outer two holes are not used for this band so the threading starts on a slot.

Happy New Year

and, of course, Happy Weaving 

A longer version of the video can be seen on my YouTube channel

https://youtu.be/GGPQlU7TLEIJ 

Susan J Foulkes   January 2026

Weaving without a shuttle.

I have been exploring ways of weaving a narrow band without a shuttle.  There are a number of ways in which this can be achieved. 

Using a butterfly of yarn as the weft carrier.

I made a short YouTube video demonstrating this technique. 

Here is the link:  https://youtu.be/HBhotrWs4-s

I show how to  make a butterfly weft first and then how to use it when weaving a narrow band.  Tensioning is made by hand. This is a technique used by crios weavers on the Aran Islands in the early 20th century.  For  a wider warp the previous weft is beaten in by tugging both layers of warp and takes some practice to get it right!

For a narrow warp, simply inserting the fingers and separating the warp layers is sufficient to beat in the previous weft. It is surprisingly easy to learn. I have tried this using a back strap and in a box loom. 

Taking the weft through and adjusting the previous weft thread. 

The heddle is always raised using the hand holding the weft thread. This enables the free hand to be inserted into the shed and beat the previous weft into place. 

Here is the warp diagram for this woollen band made with 3 ply wool.   The width of the band is 4 - 5 mm. The weft is dark green.

Another way of displaying the pattern is through Seizenn loom pattern editor.  https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/

Here is another video demonstrating how to weave a narrow band with only 6 warp ends and a butterfly of weft. This method is harder as the end of the warp is tensioned by holding it,  not with a backstrap. No shuttle, beater or weft carrier is used. 

Here is the link:  https://youtu.be/BLaA0_JcadM

The warp and weft are double knit cotton.  The width of the band is 7mm. Here the weft is cream so it shows as a dotted pattern on the edge of the band. 

Weaving using a bobbin as a shuttle.

This method uses the weft wound around a bobbin as the weft carrier. Again, the hand holding the bobbin is always used to raise and lower the heddle leaving the other hand free to act as a 'beater' and to take the bobbin through the shed. 

Here is a picture of three different bobbins.  The top is a simple twig.  The middle bobbin came with my Swedish band loom. The longer bobbin is the Aubusson bobbin made by Michael Williams.  All work perfectly as a weft carrier. The twig needs to be smoothed so that it does not catch on the thread.  

Bobbin and Roman style heddle made by Michael Williams

Here is a video demonstrating this technique.  Weaving with a bobbin and a Roman style heddle. This heddle has very narrow slots and small holes. It can be used with 9 or 11 warp ends.

https://youtu.be/RTCsCB6pGos

Here is the finished band. There are 9 warp ends and the weft is white.  I like this pattern - it is like a tiger pattern. The colour order for the warp ends is:

yellow, brown, yellow, yellow, brown, orange, orange,brown, orange.

Drawdown

Completed band

Michael makes beautiful weaving equipment.  His web site is:  https://michael-williams-wood.co.uk/

best wishes for the season. 

Susan J Foulkes   December 2025

Rigid Heddles found aboard ships

The Ashley Book of Knots

 The Ashley Book of Knots is a fountain of fascinating information.  On page 488 he illustrates a small rigid heddle used on board a ship.

The heddle as spaces for 9 warp ends. A shuttle is illustrated but he explains that the weft was usually carried through as a ball or a hank of yarn.  The shuttle illustrated is a netting style shuttle and may also be used but the weft is always beaten in using a sword. He describes a sword as being a flat, pointed sword-like stick.  It was used to open the warp to insert the weft after which the sword was used to  hammer the weft into place. The sword can be inserted after the heddle has been raised or lowered and turned on one edge to keep the shed open for the passage of the weft. 

The advantage of using a ball or hank is that this can be secured so that it does not unravel once it has been passed through the shed. 

Notice that the heddle has a small loop on either side. This is not used in the weaving process but could be used when storing the heddle by passing a loop of yarn through the hole - rather like a key fob. Interestingly, the Roman heddle from Croatia has a single additional hole in one corner and the Roman heddles from South Shields, Lauriacum Enns and Pilismarot also have additional holes at the corners. 

The weaving is weft faced - tapestry weave.  The warp ends are kept parallel both at the far end where they are attached to a rope and at the weaving end. The rigid heddle helps to keep the warp threads spaced. 

I have started to experiment with tapestry weave with some of the Roman heddles. Here is my first attempt with the reproduction of the Roman heddle from Lingenfeld which takes 6 warp ends. 

tapestry weave

The small heddle helps to keep the warp ends at an even distance apart. 

Ashley's illustration of a warp faced band is interesting.  This shows a double weft - that is the weft thread is entered into the shed from both sides.  There is no heddle in use. It appears to be linked to the previous picture of the rigid heddle. Both illustrations have 9 warp ends. 

In fact the final width was probably wider than the one illustrated.  He describes it as a woven or sword mat and the weft was beaten in using a sword - a flat, pointed sword-like stick.

A warp-faced weaving 

The function of the textile produced is that of a horse harness if it was made onshore. On board ship it was used as a way of providing extra padding on a rope, perhaps to protect rigging ropes if they were subject to wear. The name for this type of textile is a strop. 

If this textile is required to pass through a cleat or around a bolt it can be tapered.  This was known as 'shouldering' and could be applied to both sides of the weaving. 

In Red Bay, Labrador, Canada, whaling ships that have sunk have been examined. Many artefacts were excavated and the report details a weaving heddle that was found. 

Red Bay Heddle is in the report by Stephen Davis section 11.2 

The heddle fragments from Red Bay are carved of European white oak. There are two fragments which are abraded from years of deposition.  The full description can be seen in this publication on pages 216 - 219. 

http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/redbay/underwater-archaeology/vol2-eng.pdf

Stephen Davis  reports that ''Comparing the fragments from Red Bay with an intact heddle found on the Mary Rose (1545), it appears that they may represent the fragmented bottom corners of the complete object (Figs. 11.2.4,11.2.5). In addition to those from Red Bay and the Mary Rose, heddle looms and other weaving tools were recovered during excavations of the Studland Bay wreck (ca. 1520-30) and the Trinidad Valencera (1588).'

The Mary Rose which sank in 1545 off the coast of England also has a heddle which is complete. This heddle is described in detail by Maggie Richards in the book Before the Mast Life and Death Aboard the Mary Rose: 4 (Archaeology of the Mary Rose) ed. by Julie Gardiner. This is a two volume set and is very comprehensive ( and weighs 2.9 kilos!) 

The heddle is also known as a fiddle loom because of its shape. The Mary Rose heddle is carved from a single piece of oak and can take 17 warp ends. It is 655 mm tall from the top of the handle to the base. (approx 25.8 inches). 

Amy Leake kindly allowed me to use her photograph of the heddle in the Mary Rose Museum. 

Heddle of oak found on the Mary Rose.

This is an example  of a very large heddle. Over the years I have acquired a variety of heddles of different sizes and materials but I have not come across a heddle this large.  This is the illustration on the catalogue. It is unclear whether the heddle is made from a single piece of wood with one additional batten on the end.  Unfortunately the other side of the heddle cannot be seen in the photograph. it is suggested  that one slat was slightly damaged so the additional piece of wood was fixed to one end. I know that some early American heddles which were also very large were made by sawing down from one edge to form the heddle and then a batten affixed to both sides at the end. This stabilises the wood slats. Combs were made in this way so carpenters would be used to this way of making. 

A reproduction of the Mary Rose heddle

A reproduction of this large heddle has been crafted by Robin Goatey.  https://www.etsy.com/listing/4336577471/sailors-heddle-from-the-wreck-of-the

One of the items that may have been woven is called a strop and were sometimes known as 'sword matting'. This is because to achieve the tightness of the weft a strong beat was required using a 'sword' or batten. 

Here is a picture of a strop. You can see one hanging behind the Mary Rose heddle.

The manufacture of the strop is described in detail by Ashley.  No sword was found on the Mary Rose wreck. 

In the museum the heddle has a caption.

This is unusual as I would have expected the heddle to be held with the handle on the bottom. The end of the heddle with the handle is heavier than the other edge. Used in the way illustrated the heddle would flop when the weaver let go of it. When the handle is on the bottom, the weight of the handle holds the heddle in place on the warp. 

Large heddles were known to early American settlers who brought their weaving traditions with them and made their heddles in the new world.  Evelyn Neher gives illustrations of a number of these wonderful variations of the rigid heddle. (Inkle by E Neher, 1974, page 227.)

This is one variation of a tape loom.  The heddle is made of a plank of wood and held between the knees. It would probably be moved forward and backwards rather than up and down to make the shed. It looks rather uncomfortable to me!

I have an old weaving 'sword' made of oak.  It is one of those implements that has been handed down from weaver to weaver so I have no idea how old it is. I had to smooth the surface to make it useable. It is very weighty.

Rigid heddles were also in use on land and are illustrated in a few books. 

1532

This is an image showing two women weavers using rigid heddles. (see this blog for Friday, 1 July 2016 for further details.)

Some earlier heddles are also known.  Two heddles are from Bergen in Norway ( elk antler and wood) (blog for December 2024).  Robin Goatey has produced a replica of the elk antler heddle in wood.  It is unusual as it has additional holes. The elk antler heddle dates from 1248-1332 and the incomplete wooden heddle dates from 1170- 1198. 

Another heddle is from Vaskinde church in Sweden.  The Vaskinde heddle dates from 1350 - 1500 and is made of moose antler. Here is a replica in action. Note the two loop holes on either side like the drawing of the ship heddle from the Ashley Book of Knots. 

Vaskinde heddle in action -   available from Robin Goatey. 

In Bergen, finds were also made of shuttles and beaters. Five knife beaters were found all made of Juniper wood from the period 1170-1332. Shuttles were also dated to the period. 

It is very interesting exploring the finds of old rigid heddles and trying out the design to see how they operate in practice. 

Susan J Foulkes  September 2025

#Romanrigidheddles

Weaving without a shuttle or beater.

I have been exploring others ways of weaving a narrow band.  I have just uploaded a video about weaving with a butterfly weft.

https://youtu.be/HBhotrWs4-s?si=KUwtb9KqyZ8Hm1jv

However, what about weaving without a shuttle, beater, or a rigid heddle?  I have made a short video to show the process. I used six warp ends because the Roman heddle found in Lingenfeld Germany can only accommodate six warp ends. 

Weaving with 6 warp ends. https://youtu.be/BLaA0_JcadM

Weaving without a shuttle, beater and heddle is known from 19th century Iceland and early 20th century Ireland. The crios belt of the Aran islands is made in this way.  Crios weaving was known as weaving 'on the foot' as one end of the warp was attached to the weavers foot. The other end was held in the hand and the two hands were used to pickup each shed.  

I wove a copy of the Crios belt in the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford

Close up of the Crios belt

You can view the original on the Pitt Rivers online collection.

https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-131617

The Crios has 60 warp ends.  You can see my attempt at weaving it using a circular warp on one of my YouTube videos.  Five ways to weave a crios. 

I found it easier to weave a wider band than these narrow ones which only have 6 warp ends. All the bands are warp faced. 

Using a replica Roman heddle

I decided to explore this method of weaving using a Roman rigid heddle and then trying with no heddle. 

The Roman era heddle from Germany only has three slots and three holes - spaces for 6 warp ends.  I wove narrow bands in chunky wool, 3 ply wool and Dk cotton.  Using only a few warp ends makes the tensioning slightly tricky and I will need to practice more to get an even 'beat'.  The weft thread is placed into position, then the shed is changed and the two layers of warp ends are pulled slightly apart to 'beat' the weft into place. I am using a butterfly of the weft yarn. 

Here is the Crios belt and the three very narrow bands using only 6 warp ends. I found it easier to weave a wider band than these narrow ones.  

Tapestry Band

I have tried using the small Roman heddle from Germany to weave a tapestry band.  Six warp ends was a useful way to trial a narrow tapestry band.  I found that the heddle holds the warp ends at a fixed distance apart.  I used the my first loom.  I was about 8 years old when I was given this loom as a Christmas present. 

My first weaving loom and the beginnings of the tapestry band.

I am exploring many avenues in my research about Roman era heddles for the workshop at the Pitt Rivers Museum in October. There are still a few places left on the Friday workshop.  https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/event/band-weaving-workshop

Happy weaving

Susan J Foulkes  July 2025

Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields, UK

 Arbeia Roman Fort is in South Shields, UK. The site is now a museum. It is here that the Roman heddle was found in the late 19th century. 

The Romans occupied the site from 125 CE. It became a supply base for the Roman frontier and many granaries were built. 

Various buildings in the site have been reconstructed: the gatehouse, barrack blocks and the commanders house.

Reconstructed gate

The barrack blocks were very cramped for the ordinary soldier. 

The barrack block

The barrack housed the centurion and his family at one end.  The soldiers in groups of eight shared two rooms - very cramped indeed. 

Centurions bedroom

In contrast the centurion had more spacious quarters at one end of the block. 

Centurions kitchen.

The large courtyard house was probably the residence of the commanding officer and were very luxurious.

Summer dining room

Commanders courtyard

The last rebuilding of the fort marked the arrival of the a new unit of Tigris bargemen. Arbeia may  mean 'the place of the Arabs'. It is thought to have been  formally known as Lugudunum. By the fifth century it was a srtonghold controlling the northern area. 

It was a fascinating day out as we had not visited the fort for many years.  

The South Shields heddle is now in the Great North Museum in Newcastle. 

reproduction heddle with the actual Roman find.

happy weaving

Susan J Foulkes  may 2025

Making a rigid heddle and shuttle at Northern Bowl

 I have just attended a one day workshop at Northern Bowl - organised by https://www.landofroots.co.uk/

I live within walking distance but I had not heard of this gathering before. However, I found that Amy Leake was running a one day workshop on making a rigid heddle so I signed up.  

https://www.facebook.com/a.woodmungler

I walked to the gathering ( about 45 minutes) and was pleased to see this sign.  

Workshops at the gathering

Once there, I could appreciate the number of workshops on offer - all were filled. It is a very popular event. 

Amy had two tables with a variety of equipment and examples. There were six of us signed up and we were soon drawing and cutting and sanding. Amy demonstrated everything very clearly and was very helpful once were were let loose with the equipment. 

The group were lovely and two of them kept us entertained whilst we were working by singing.

 The cutting of the slots could be achieved on a treadle machine.

Here is a heddle being finished by one of the group. 

Everyone had lunch around an open fire.  Home made bread and soup - very welcome on a cool day.

The gathering tent

In the afternoon, participants whittling wood used this area and were entertained by music. 

Music while you whittle

By the end of the day we had all made a heddle and shuttle and a warp and started to weave.

It was a wonderful  experience.  I will definitely sign up again if there is another workshop. 

The other workshops were also very busy.  Here are a few photos.

Carving a bowl

Pole lathe

There were two areas with pole lathes

Leather bag making

basket weaving

Finally, yes I made my shuttle and heddle.  Here is my heddle and shuttle.  I did not have the confidence to do a cut out design on the top. I thought that I would stop whilst it still looked OK.  I thought that I might decorate it by painting a design once I got home. 

My shuttle and heddle made from Sycamore wood

Here are some of Amy's designs.

Amy's designs

happy weaving

Susan J Foulkes  May 2025