The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1908-05-14
GOBELIN TAPESTRY.
How It Is Woven and the Materials
That Are Used.

How 1t Is Woven and the Materials
That Are Used.
The warp or foundation of the
Gobelin tapestry is formed Of a Sc
ries of stout wooden threads, which
are stretched upon the loom and are
fixed in place. The weaver then ap-
plies the wool, which consists of col
ored threads forming the pattern.
Two kinds of tapestry were former
ly made. In the haute lisse tapestry
the warp was stretched vertically
upon the loom, while in the base
hsse it was placed horizontally. At
present only the haute lisse is made
at the Gobelin works. Some of the
looms for this kind of tapestry date
from the time of Louis XIV, but
have been somewhat improved in
more recent times. This type of
loom consists of two horizontal cyl
inders placed about ten feet apart
and held in two uprights forming
frame. The cylinders are mount
ed at the ends in trunnions, which
work in wooden sockets so that the
cylinders can turn freely. The
bearing slides up and down in a
groove in the frame, and the roller
is turned about by means of lever.
AS to length, the looms vary from
twelve to twenty-three feet, accord
ing to the size of the tapestry which
is to be woven. Sometimes several
pieces of narrow tapestry can be
woven upon a single loom of the
larger type.
When mounting the work upon
the loom the weaver first sets up
the warp of vertical threads, and
each thread is given an extra length
of about five feet in excess of the
desired length of the tapestry. The
threads are stretched on the rollers,
putting the extra length on the up
per roller. The threads of the warp
are equally spaced, the standard
spacing allowing about twenty-five
threads to the inch. The tension
upon each of the threads is about
seven pounds, which holds them
well in place. When the warp has
been laid out the weaver passes
one inch glass tube between the
threads so as to separate the uneven
numbered threads on the outside
and the even threads on the inside.
The rod is placed about two feet
above the working point. To carry
out the weaving process the weaver
takes his place at the back of the
loom with the original design in
colors placed behind him. He re-
peats the design by making trac-
ing in ink upon the threads of the
warp, but this is only to give him
the principal points of the design,
and the weaver must be veritable
artist in order to copy faithfully the
painted cartoon upon the canvas.
He is provided with a great number
of spools or shuttles, each contain
ing a different colored thread. As
the work progresses the finished
part of the tapestry is rolled upon
the lower cylinder. In weaving the
larger pieces the worker is almost
entirely concealed from view.
In all the tapestry of the ancient
period the warp consists of wooden
threads, and this seems to be the
best, for other kinds of thread have
been tried without much success.
Cotton thread was substituted in
1850 for the wool, as it was claimed
to be cheaper and less liable to at
tack by insects, but in 1890 the use
of wool was resumed, as the advan-
tages claimed for cotton were not
substantiated in practice, and the
economy was very small. Silk has
also been used, but without any ad-
vantage Scientific American.