Handwoven Tape

A documentation of the fascinating American history of traditional handwoven tape and its early uses, along with step-by-step instructions for how to make it, and how to use it in contemporary projects.

Narrow bands of woven tape were important to Americans in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, before the days of elastic and zippers. Many Early American households had a tape loom for making the tape needed by the family.

This book documents the fascinating American history of handwoven tape and offers patterns and instructions to enable today's weavers to make it. It also offers a discussion of the people who wove tape, the patterns woven, and the types of looms used, along with over 280 color images.

Also included are step-by-step instructions for setting up a tape loom with warp threads, and an explanation on how to weave your own tape. You can weave tape for similar practical uses as our forebears, or to create one-of-a-kind gifts and decorations like key chains, holiday garlands, or lanyards.