Beginning Inkle

Band weaving on an inkle loom produces beautiful strips of cloth. Band, also known as tape, inkle, or backstrap weaving migrated from Europe to the United States between 1650’s and 1800’s. Most households wove their own inkle bands and used them daily. Around 1850 industrialized textile mills took over the band weaving process which in time reduced the weaving of hand woven tapes. Then in the 1930’s Mary Meigs Atwater reintroduced inkle weaving to the American hand weavers.

The tape or inkle band is a narrow strip of weft faced woven fabric. Woven in a simple plain weave structure, this thin stripe of cloth was a very useful practical tool.

Choose your colors, learn how to read a pattern, dress the loom and weave. Included in the workshop are use of loom and tools.