Back to Trades index
	Back to Social Studies Department
	Back to FOMS home

Weaver

 

Teacher note: A number of students contributed to these pages on Colonial times. Each contributed diffferent information or a different perspective. You may find that each article adds to your understanding and research base.

By: Matthew G.

The main tools of a weaver uses are the hand loom, and a spinning wheel to make yarn and cloth the pioneers & workers needed for every day life.

The hand loom was used to weave threads together to make cloth fabrics that can be cut or sown into clothing, blankets. To prevent tangling the wool the pioneers & workers tied the wool in to chains. The pioneers & workers used metal reeds to straiten the wool. There are three main parts of a loom are warp, woof, and shuttle. The warp is the silk wool or cotton weavers use. The woof is the thread or wool the weaver shoots across the warp on a shuttle. The shuttle is the transporter for the woof that is thrown from left to right. One day of weaving produces 25 feet of cloth to make clothing.

The spinning wheel was an essential tool used by the pioneers in every day life. The spinning wheel was used to spin wool. To get the wool the pioneers cut the wool off the sheep they had. The second step is to straiten and clean the wool with spiky metal reeds. The next step was to make the wool in to a rolads you

Colorful yarn hanging to dry

need a good supply of rolads to do a days work of spinning. When enough rolads were ready the pioneers used the spinning wheel. The way the pioneers started the wheel was by using their feet. To keep the wheel going you have to

keep pressing. The three main parts of the wheel are the bobbin, spindle, and flyer. To be a weaver you need a lot of coordination and patience. Young children {mostly girls} learned how to work the wheel by moms or grandmas. To get stronger wool you have to spin two pieces of wool or cotton together to make a strong two ply fabric used for socks or blankets.

Being a pioneer or weaver in the 1600's would be hard work.

BACK TO TOP

This site is created and maintained by Holly Geddes.
Last updated on March 21, 2003