Development of a master class "Weaving belts"

2.1. Study of the history and ritual functions of the belt in human life.

Belt - a strip of fabric, leather or cord of various lengths and widths, designed to encircle clothing, and, as a rule, fastened with a knot, buckle or button.

The name is actually Russian. So in V. Dahl’s dictionary we read: “Belt - (from sing - hug) - a harness, a strip around something; in another way, girdle, girdle, sash.”

The belt has existed since very distant times .

, about which there is convincing archaeological and written evidence. In the 5th century BC. Herodotus recorded a Scythian genealogical legend in the Black Sea region: Hercules left a belt and a bow as an inheritance to his sons. Only one son - Scythian - managed to pull this bow, and the inheritance went to him - the ancestor of the Scythian kings.

Round machine for rugs

Many people like round floor mats rather than rectangular ones. To weave them, you need to use a round loom.

You can make it, for example, from an ordinary plastic hoop. Just make sure that it is not curved, as this will affect the quality of the finished product.

First, the edges are marked around the entire circle. Next, you can drill holes at the marks or drive in nails. Some people simply tie the threads to the rim itself. However, with this technique, the finished rug will not be of very high quality, since poorly secured threads can sag or move out.

If you were not lazy and made normal fasteners for the base, you can start working. To do this, the main threads are pulled radially. The machine begins to resemble a bicycle wheel. Now you can start weaving the rug from the very middle.

As a rule, this machine is operated by hand. Reviews advise using a miniature shuttle or a large needle only when making very thin fabric.

An ancient tradition lives on...

The belt has a very long and rich history. For some types of women's clothing (for example, a sundress), there was no practical need for a belt. But in this case it was worn under a sundress on a shirt, and even on a naked body. This is explained by the fact that the belt in folk beliefs is a symbol of the road, the path through mythical and real obstacles (just like thread, yarn, fiber, rope). The belt, as a part of a person’s clothing that takes the shape of a circle, was often used as a talisman, a magical object that promotes the well-being and good fortune of the one who wears it.

“It’s a sin to walk without a belt,” people said. According to Russian beliefs, walking without a belt was as “sinful” as walking without a cross. In Russian folklore, negative heroes appear without a cross, without a belt. Removing the belt meant joining the other world, evil spirits. The word “unbelt” comes from there, from the depths of centuries. It means to behave incorrectly. Every

A self-respecting Russian man did not allow himself to walk around unbelted, even in a hut.

It was believed that a belted man was afraid of the devil and neither the brownie nor the goblin would touch him. In the everyday life of Russian peasants, the belt was recognized as a talisman in the 19th century, which is also associated with the girdle of a newborn during baptism. The born person received a kind of talisman that accompanied him throughout his life.

Factory machines

If you are wondering how to make a DIY loom, then you are one of those who want to create their own textile products from scratch. To do this, it is not necessary to make the machine yourself. You can buy it.

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There are hundreds of varieties of factory-made looms on sale. Domestic or European manufacturers provide a guarantee for their products, so you can buy machines without fear that they will not be able to work.

Judging by the reviews, among Russian manufacturers the best are looms and Pelsi. The latter specializes in the manufacture of wooden toys.

As for manufacturers from other countries, their products are many times more expensive.

There were many rituals associated with the belt.

With the help of the belt, a connection is established between “one’s own” and “alien” spaces, the old and the new home. So, when moving to a new house, the owner entered first and pulled all family members by the belt.

The young woman, entering her husband's house after the wedding, threw the belt on the stove.

When cattle were first driven into the field, it was customary to spread a belt, usually red, at the gate. When cattle were first driven out to pasture, the cows were driven through a belt-rope. On the eve of the first pasture of the cattle, the housewife wove a belt from 3 linen threads, whispering: “As this braid is woven, so the dear cattle trudges to her yard from track to track, from step to step. Don’t get lost anywhere, neither in dark forests, nor in green meadows, nor in clean fields.”

In the European North, girls often used the belt for fortune telling. When making a wish for the groom, they hung a new woolen belt on the “goddess” and said: “Belt, belt, show me the betrothed train.” Or they tied a lock to their belt at night, locked it and put the key under their head with the words: “Betrothed-mummer, unlock me.” Girls who wanted to get married looked in the forest for two such aspen trees that could be tied with one belt, and if they found them, they believed that their wish would come true.

Belief in the magical significance of the belt also occurred when giving belts during matchmaking and weddings. If the bride gave the belt to the groom, she no longer had the right to change her decision and refuse the groom. Wedding belts were originally red, as if they had magical powers, but then they became ornamented. The belts also served as markings for the wedding ranks (tied over the shoulder) and the entire wedding (attached to the arch of the wedding cart). The following wedding rituals are also known: the bride and groom were tied with a belt, a knot with the bride’s dowry.

The belt was necessarily placed in the coffin; a person was not sent to the next world without the belt. And sometimes they even put on several belts for all occasions in his afterlife.

The belt provided a connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead. They hung it outside the window, believing that it was the way the souls of their ancestors came into the house.

The belt was used in spells against illnesses. A person with a fever went into the forest, found an aspen tree, bowed to it and said: “Aspen, aspen,

take my quagmire, give me health.” After which he tied the aspen with his belt. People believed that it was possible to harm a person by performing various witchcraft actions over his belt.

In Rus', the belt served as a parental blessing and was passed down from generation to generation.

The most common belts were made of linen and wool yarn. Every woman and girl spun wool and linen thread: belts were made from them. Quite early they began to make belts for sale. In the European North, the city of Krasnoborsk became the center of the sash fishery, where up to 6,000 pieces of various belts were produced per year. Belts were also woven for sale in monasteries.

Since ancient times, the belt has been the keeper of the “wicket,” that is, the wallet: weapons were worn on the belt and behind the belt. In addition to the wallet and weapons, a chair, a knife and a bag of tobacco were attached to the belt, and the coachmen tucked the whip or whip into the belt. Women had a pocket attached to their belt, in which keys to closets and chests and treats for children were kept, so over time such a pocket was called “gourmet”. Finally, a belt was worn simply to retain heat.

Traditional
methods for making belts
Homemade methods for making belts are known:

1) on “circles” or “boards”;

2) on a reed (bastard);

3) on the “needle” or “in the bottle”;

4) weaving (half-weaving), etc.

Do-it-yourself spinning machine: how to make it, how to operate it

A loom is a piece of equipment that makes it possible to handcraft beautiful and unique things. These can be rugs, special runners, tapestries, as well as bedspreads for furniture, scarves, bags, and even fabric for coats. It is quite possible to create a weaving loom on your own.

Among the Slavs, the creation of floor carpets, paths, and bedspreads is one of the “grassroots” techniques. At first, this craft was practiced only for the needs of ordinary people. These things did not require a serious level of skill, as required by weaving lace and weaving thin fabrics. And the tools used to create them were the simplest.

In most cases, they wove ordinary paths from unnecessary fabric items that had served their purpose. Strong, dense threads were used as the base, but the transverse ones were strips of fabric. Homespun paths were popular in our country in the nineteenth century.
Sometimes they took flax waste and straw to create rugs. Such things were usually laid out at the very entrance to the huts. To create both, in most cases an old loom made of wood was used.
The workflow is quite easy. Transverse threads are pulled between the stretched threads of the base using the interlacing method. From time to time they will need to be compacted with some reeds, which are similar to combs. They used them to assemble transverse rows into a large canvas.

Rectangular

The easiest way is to create a frame on which you can quickly make a small-format tapestry. In fact, this is an ordinary weaving loom, where all the work is done by the master himself. You can call the frame a hoop , which is easy for the master to work with, since this tool can be carried and installed anywhere.

It is enough just to lay out 2 slats parallel to each other, onto which you need to hammer nails. The warp threads are pulled over them. Weft - transverse threads - are pulled with your own hands using a shuttle.
You can use simple, standard weaving. Then the canvas will turn out to be one color. To do this, we drag the shuttle first under the even threads of the base, then under the odd threads. By changing the color of the weft, you can make cross stripes on things. To create an ornament, you will need more complex weaving. Then the shuttle is passed under the base threads, no longer in a checkerboard arrangement, but depending on what pattern you decide to use.
If you place a printed image under the stretched threads of the base and use several different colors, you can easily make a real picture. These products are called tapestries and require patience, time, and skills from the craftsman.

Round

Hoops for creating products do not always have to be rectangular. To make round carpets you will also need a frame of a suitable shape.

If you take a hoop and pull the base threads so that they intersect in the central zone, you can easily achieve this. In this case, weaving starts from the middle , and the rows will be arranged in a circle, “snail-like”. It is very easy to assemble such a loom yourself. You can even use a special hoop. The shuttle remains the same design.

Stationary

When creating huge canvases, working on a frame is very difficult. And it’s completely impossible to make long special paths. There is no way to work here without a stationary machine.

The drawing gives a simple diagram showing how to make a loom. It provides a horizontal frame onto which the base threads are pulled, and a vertical frame responsible for creating clearance for the passage of the shuttle with the weft thread and the shuttle. All elements are made of wood. Metal fasteners, nails, and rubber gaskets are also .

This special do-it-yourself loom helps create fabric by eliminating the need for the craftsman to pick out the warp threads with his own hands while pulling the cross threads through the weaving process.

What is the operation of the machine? The fact is that the even warp threads are passed into the holes of the vertical frame. First, by moving your foot, this part goes down . As a result, a gap is created between the warp threads, into which the shuttle is passed.

A new row is made by moving the frame up. At the end, the even threads rise, again creating a gap. The weft thread passes through, and a “basket”, checkerboard weave is formed on the material.
The manufacturer compacts the rows with reeds, knocking them into the product. Many machines have power tools to perform this action, which makes the job very easy.
It is important to take into account the need to regulate the tension of the warp threads. For this purpose, screws are used, which the manufacturer has the ability to unscrew or tighten as he chooses.
It is also necessary to take into account the distance between the threads of the base. The ability to adjust it also expands the functionality of the tool.
Creating a loom that has mechanized weft insertion makes the work even easier and helps to improve the quality of things.

Men's and women's belts

All woven belts can be divided into two types: wide and narrow. They are called differently: the first - a sash or girdle; the second - with a belt, hem.

A sash is an accessory of men's outerwear. It was woven from 4 to 15 centimeters wide, with a length equal to two waist circumferences with a margin for low-hanging ends.

Belts were worn by both men and women: men - over a shirt, and women - over a sundress. The width of the belts ranged from 1 to 5 centimeters. The women's belt was supposed to be wider and longer.

Twisted (on a needle) and mesh belts were considered strictly masculine. Children's belts were small, narrow, made using the simplest technique. Each family wove a lot of belts: for everyday wear and for holidays.

Festive belts were woven long, woolen, from threads dyed in bright colors. Everyday belts were simpler; made of linen threads, without tassels. Ritual belts were mostly with patterns woven with red thread. Diamonds, circles, crosses, swastikas, and “pigeons” had the meaning of amulets. They were attributed magical properties. Even in the middle of the 19th century, the ritual of “reading” patterns during the bride’s baptismal viewing was preserved. A knowledgeable elderly woman explained the meaning of each pattern.

Later, the direct magical meaning of the signs was forgotten, but tradition still protected the signs from distortion as “useful”, “good”. “That’s how it was supposed to be”, “That’s how they wove for a long time” - this is how the signs of the grandmother-weaver are usually explained.

Do-it-yourself loom - features, device, types and reviews

Today, a loom in the house is exotic. And some 70-80 years ago every village housewife had one.

In many ways, this is a plus, because it means that the modern standard of living allows everyone to purchase ready-made clothes and fabrics, rather than waste time and effort on making them.

However, modern women (and men) are increasingly interested in this forgotten craft, recreating ancient village weaving looms. Let's find out a little more about the features of these devices, as well as how you can make them yourself at home.

Factory machines

Judging by the reviews, among Russian manufacturers the best are looms and Pelsi. The latter specializes in the manufacture of wooden toys.

As for manufacturers from other countries, their products are many times more expensive.

How to make the simplest machine from thick cardboard

The process of creating fabric itself is not very complicated. If you plan to weave small items like belts, bracelets or napkins, you can make a very simple handloom.

To do this you need a sheet of thick cardboard. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use juice or milk packaging material.

To begin with, take an even rectangle. Next, equal distances are measured along the edges and tiny rectangles are cut out at the top and bottom. All.

Now the warp threads (vertical) are pulled through these holes and secured. An ordinary gypsy needle will act as a shuttle. Using it to stretch horizontal threads between the main threads, you will gradually be able to weave a small piece of fabric.

Of course, on such a primitive machine it will only be possible to weave coarse fabric.

However, most craftswomen who began their creative journey with such a device advise in their reviews not to neglect this machine.

It will be an excellent budget start that will help you get your bearings and understand the process a little. In addition, once you start working on it, you will be able to decide for yourself whether this trade is interesting to you.

Frame type machines

If you've mastered the cardboard jig and are ready for more, it's worth taking up making a frame loom.

It's easy to do. A rectangle or square of the size you need is knocked out of wooden planks. Next, nails are driven evenly into it from above and below. They will serve as fasteners for threads.

Before starting work, a base is stretched between the upper and lower rows of nails. Next, weft threads are passed between these threads.

If the frame is very large, it is worth making a small shuttle for it from a piece of the remaining plank. To do this, you need to sand it well, give it a thin streamlined shape and make grooves along the edges so that it is convenient to wind the thread onto it.

If the frame size is modest, you can use a large gypsy needle.

Please note that for this type of hand loom a reed is already required to ensure that the fabric is dense. This comb can be made from the same wooden plank by cutting holes in it corresponding to the location of the threads on the nails.

If you plan to sew clothes from woven fabric, you can make frames in the shape of patterns for future parts. This way, you won’t have to waste extra material when cutting, which you spent so much effort creating.

Weaving loom for rugs

In addition to clothes, bed linen and towels, our grandmothers wove carpets and bedspreads on their looms. To create such products, the same classical devices were used. However, they are quite bulky. In addition, it takes a lot of time and effort just to thread the machine to start working on carpets.

Therefore, a simpler weaving device, the frame type, is very popular.

As a rule, rugs that are well known to all of us are created on such a machine from scraps of old clothes. You can also use special thick woolen threads.

How to make such a loom with your own hands? Quite simple. It is an improved version of the classic frame. However, it will be larger and longer. As fasteners for the base threads, you will have to use large nails or screws with thick legs and wide heads.

Pay attention to the special detail. You need to place 4 metal loops along the four edges of the machine. They are needed to fix 2 rods. When working on a rug, they will need to be inserted into its edges so that the width of the finished product is uniform.

Round machine for rugs

Many people like round floor mats rather than rectangular ones. To weave them, you need to use a round loom.

You can make it, for example, from an ordinary plastic hoop. Just make sure that it is not curved, as this will affect the quality of the finished product.

If you were not lazy and made normal fasteners for the base, you can start working. To do this, the main threads are pulled radially. The machine begins to resemble a bicycle wheel. Now you can start weaving the rug from the very middle.

As a rule, this machine is operated by hand. Reviews advise using a miniature shuttle or a large needle only when making very thin fabric.

How to make a machine from plywood or wood

If you have enough space to accommodate a full-fledged weaving device, it is worth trying to make a more professional model. Most often they are made from plywood or wood.

There are many ways to make such a device with your own hands.

There should be two rollers at the very beginning and at the end. Threads are wound onto one, and finished fabric is wound onto the other. The ideal option is to make them with bolts or handles with the possibility of fixation.

If your machine does not have a separator that facilitates the slipping of the shuttle, you should first attach not 1, but 2 rollers. One will place the even warp threads, the other will place the odd warp threads.

The last required detail is the reed. It can be made from 2 wooden planks with nails often driven between them.

When threading the machine, the threads will need to be passed between these teeth.

If all this is done correctly, you can get to work.

Machine tools from other scrap materials

In addition to wood and plywood, weaving jigs of the above type can also be made from other materials. For example, from plastic pipes. When making miniature models, ordinary combs or cards are used. A photo of such a machine is presented above.

Also, when making miniature models, ordinary combs or cards are used. And the machine itself can be built from a cardboard box.

If you want to show your creativity even in the way of creating your own loom, go for it! You will succeed.

How to weave fabric at home?

It is recommended for a beginning weaver to start creating with small and easy-to-make items. First, you can make a napkin. You can see what things created in this way look like in the photo above. The pattern on the canvas is obtained by alternating threads of different colors. The process of working on the machine includes the following manipulations:

Distribute the warp threads.
Thread the yarn under the first warp thread and secure it in the cut. There are no strict restrictions on which side to start weaving from. This can be done both on the left and on the right.
Thread the remaining part with a snake through the warp threads.
Having reached the end of the fabric, turn the thread so that the thread on the machine is wrapped in it. Subsequent rows must be woven so that the thread is at the bottom in those areas where it was at the top in the previous row.
Upon completion of work, bend the cuts on the cardboard. Carefully remove the loops, cut them and tie knots.

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Secondary mechanisms

Feeding the base. It is a mechanism that delivers the warp to the weaving area at the required speed and at a suitable constant voltage, pushing it away from the flange tube, also known as the weaving beam.
Positive delivery. A mechanism for controlling the rotation of the beam on a weaving or other fabric-forming machine when the beam is driven mechanically.
Negative feed. A mechanism that controls the rotation of the beam on a weaving or other fabric-forming machine, where the beam is pulled by the frame against a braking force applied to it.
Twisting the thread. It is a mechanism that removes fabric from the weaving area at a constant speed. It ensures that the required spacing is maintained between picks and then rolled onto the cloth roller.
Positive spin. This is a mechanism in which the take-up roller is driven by a gear, shift wheel or pawl to provide the required speed, which allows the distance between the jaws to be determined.

Negative twist. This is a mechanism in which the lifting roller is rotated by a weight or spring, this roller rotates only when the force applied by the weight or spring is greater than the tension of the warp in the fabric. The speed of the grip is controlled by the amount of force applied by the weight or spring and/or the tension of the base.
Auxiliary mechanisms. To obtain high productivity and good quality fabric, additional mechanisms called auxiliary mechanisms are added. Assistive mechanisms are useful, but not entirely necessary.

Read about: natural cellulose bast fibers: natural textiles.

They are listed below:

Deformation protection mechanism. The anti-strain mechanism stops the loom if the shuttle is tied between the top and bottom layers of the shed. Thus, it prevents excessive damage to the warp threads, cross threads and the shuttle
Warp stopping mechanism (mainly in automatic looms). The purpose of weft stopping is to stop the loom when the weft thread breaks or becomes exhausted. This movement helps avoid cracks in the fabric.
Shparutki. The function of the cords is to grab the fabric and hold it at the same width as the weft before it is picked up.
Brake. Braking stops the loom immediately when needed. The weaver uses it to stop the loom to repair broken ends.
Weft stopping mechanism. This is to stop the loom immediately if the warp thread breaks during weaving.

Making a simple weaving device

You can also make a simple mini-device at home, which will serve as a play device for children, and also teach them how to weave. A children's loom will be useful for teaching children the ancient art of weaving. Using such a simple loom, you can make a compact rug that will be useful at home.

Moreover, this device does not require special devices. All you need is thick cardboard, scissors, a hook, a pencil, a fork and yarn. Instead of cardboard, you can use old plywood, chipboard or other rigid base.

The loom operates by threading threads into slits and then weaving. The yarn is made into a cut, and its end is located on the wrong side. Threading the yarn should be done in the form of a snake. The end result is tying the resulting cutouts. On the other side, stripes of threads are also made. One side will be the front side and the other side will be the back side. The front is a completed canvas.

You have to pull the threads smoothly so as not to bend the cardboard. You can use a larger needle for convenience. The number of threads must correspond to the edge being an edge and the transition from row to another row to be made. You can move the threads close to each other using a fork. So, such a loom for children will help you teach your child spinning skills without putting in a lot of effort.

You can tell children how the first looms were spun, and how a homemade device works. After all, getting into weaving is a very interesting activity.

It is difficult to find a needlewoman who would not like to try her hand at weaving at least once, but, alas, not everyone can afford to buy a weaving loom. There is an exit!

Making a machine at home seems to many to be too labor-intensive and time-consuming. We hasten to dispel your doubts and offer a simple and affordable way to make a loom with your own hands.

You will need:

twine or cotton thread
wooden picture frame without a backdrop (the width of the product will depend on its size)
wooden slats (a long wooden dowel, which can be purchased at hardware stores, is best; its length should be no less than the width of the frame)
scissors

Step 1

Woven fabric, as you know, consists of warp threads (running lengthwise) and weft threads (running across them). We will use twine as warp threads. Even if you use some other thread, the main thing to remember is that the warp thread should be strong, not too thick and not too thin.

Tie the end of the thread with a double knot to the lower left corner of the frame, then pass the ball through the frame, throw the thread over the top crossbar, and go down to the bottom.

Step 2

Your movements should resemble a figure eight: each time you go around the top or bottom crossbar, the ball should pass through the frame. Continue pulling the thread, making sure it is evenly and moderately tight, with no slack.

Step 3

The width of your final product depends on both the number of “loops” you create and the size of the frame. On average, you should make at least 10 and no more than 25 “loops”, the distance between them should be 1 cm. Keep in mind that the greater the distance between the threads, the easier it is to work, so it is better for beginners to start with a minimum number of “loops” and maximum distance between them.

When finished, secure the free end with a double knot.

Step 4

Look at your loom from the side - the threads should cross in the middle (if not, it means you didn't follow the figure eight when stretching).

Using a long wooden strip, we will divide the threads into two parts - insert it between the threads, exactly under the place where they cross, and then pull the strip to the top crossbar of the frame.