The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1892-07-27
WEAVING WAS AN ART
IN THE DAYS OF HoMESPUN WoM-
EN- USED TO WORK HARD.


Time Spinning, weaving, Knitting, Net
ting and Embroidering-They Manu-
factured All Their Own Cloth.
In the days Of bomespun four ounces
oflfnt, cotton or n half pound of lock
wool was days stint in spinning,
though clever spinner could easily do
twice as much. Wool was often colored
before spinning-dyed black or red, then
carded with white. The resultant
thread, steel or red mixed, was wonder
fully soft and harmonious in color.
Old silk carefully raveled, then carded
with white wool or cotton, made the silk
mixed that was such a favorite for the
long stockings worn with knee breeches,
as we'll as for homespun gowns. They
were woven in checks, stripes and cloud
ings. One of the prettiest was dice
cloth-a kind of basket weave-of alter
nate white and black or gray threads,
thirteen to the group. II was trouble
some to weave-a thread too many made
a balk in the pattern. Children and
servants had simple checks in blue or
copperas and white. Linseys for winter
wear were gorgeous In green and scar
let and black and blue.
Dyeing was part Of the home work, rs
well as weaving and spinning. From
walnut hulls. bark and root came twen-
ty shades of brown. Green walnuts and
sumach berries gave a beautiful fast
black that did not stain the wearer.
Hickory bark or peach leaves gave
glowing yellow; swamp maple, black
ish purple; sugar maple, light leather
tint, and oak bark, set with copperas, n
handsome grayish color. In fact, a
skilled dyer could get twenty colors
from the woods and fields.
Except for fannels, carpets and
blankets the warp was usually of fax or
cotton. A very pretty carpet had half
the warp of coarse wool doubled-a
strand of green and one of brown. In
weaving when the woof came upper
most a very coarse wool thread was shot
in. When the cotton came up very
fine thread caught and held it almost in
visibly. Beaten up thick the effect was
that of a mossy, clouded Turkey fabric.
Other carpets were woven in stripes or
plain, like webbing, the wooden woof
threads passing over and under the cot
ton warp two at a time:
Size was estimated by the number of
threads that, laid side by side, made
cloth the regulation yard wide. The
cOarsest was 400. From that it went up
and up with hardly limit except that
of the spinners' skill and patience. There
was scarcely anything they couldn't
weave on the looms-jersey and serge,
and cotton and linsey, house linen, bed
linen, blankets and counterpanes. The
counterpane was homespun high water
mark. Woolen ones had usually the
figure in colors skipped up on a white
or blue ground. Those of cotton were
left white and bleached till they dazzled
the eyes. OF some easy patterns q
clever woman could weave eight yards
in a day.
OF honeycomb, huckaback and dia-
mond draper three yards was good
days work, Fancy patterns were more
tedious. The crown of skill and patience
was knotted cloth. The weave was per-
fectly plain, but at intervals of an inch
big soft cord was woven in and pulled
up in little knots all along its length.
Over the body of the cloth they formed
regular diamonds. For the center they
made an elaborate arabesque design.
Down one side of the spread the maker
generally drew them up to shape her
initials, with either the date of making
in roman letters or her husbands name
opposite, to balance her own.
There was room, and to spare. Beds
in those days stood four feet from the
floor. Counterpanes were three yards
by four without the fringe, which was
either woven with dates and initials in
the deep open heading or knitted in
open lozenge pattern to which deep tas-
sells were attached. It fell over val
ance, also homespun, and was either
fringed or edged with netted points at
the bottom.
Weaving was not the sum of house
wifery in that era. The good danes
knew as much of embroidery as their
favored great-granddaughters. One of
them has left behind her monumental
pAoCo VI WOIAs III WHICH Cdu DC IOunQ no
less than nineteen different stitches,
many Of them among the rarest and
most difficult known.
The netting needle and stirrup filled
up many day. The bed was the piece
dc resistance In furnishing then. It was
tall four poster, and, besides counter
pane and valance, had netted curtains
and netted points, edging the long pill
low and bolster cases. Window cur
tains were netted, too, besides edgings
and fringes for all kinds of household
articles. In particular the "toilets"
that fell over the high square bureaus
had often netted fall half a yard deep
around them. In addition, caps, rufies,
purses and tichus were netted. The lat
ter were called dress handkerchiefs, and
folded high about the throat over the
low cut gowns. On them the netter
iavished her choicest art.
Sometimes the mesh was as fine al
most as bobbinet. Melted capes were