Labour of Love

When this loom was offered to me FREE , and just for the cost of shipping, I jumped at this opportunity. The initial shipping estimate was 75 USD. Cool. I can do this. The loom is a 1970s era Tissart tapestry loom, made by Leclerc. It is a high warp loom, meaning it is a vertical warp loom. It has two shafts controlled by two treadles. The action is a counterbalance action. 

This is the first time I had a loom shipped. The seller made a very sturdy plywood box to protect the loom. I will re-purpose this "coffin" with hinges and a latch and use it with my trailer when I haul things back and forth. The shipping (and crating) wound up being over four times more expensive than I expected, but I think it was a fair price. 

Here is the Tissart in my home and waiting assembly. It is in the dining room, because all other suitable spaces are already taken. I have a very understanding partner. That window faces south and the loom was set up just to the right of the window.

First off all the pieces went out to a shed, where I worked on sanding down and cleaning the wood. This loom may have come from a weaving school, becuase there was a number scribbled onto a front facing piece. And I took rust off the metal parts as much as I could. The seller gave me a whole new set of wire heddles, which is wonderful. I coated the bigger metal things in a rust inhibiting primer. I live in a dry region but the loom did not, in the past. 

Here is the Tissart as I am starting to assemble it. It quickly became apparent that the loom was missing a lot of pieces. So I had to start to get creative. Living on a tight budget, as I do, means reusing, recycling and reducing. 

Here's what I had to improvise or find:

2 steel rods, cut to size

batten hand tree, cut and drilled

2 springs

many nuts and bolts, screws, washers, etc. 

fence strainer puller, eventually replaced with a used Leclerc crank

nylon frame guides

take up motion handle and pawl for this

brake wire circle

reed

2 cloth aprons

tool shelf improvised from household shelves

various cords.

...

So needless to say, free was not FREE anymore. But I am still very happy with the fact that I have been able to rehabilitate an old loom and make a very functional piece. 

And I started out the new decade in fine fashion. I dressed the loom for the very first time. It was easy to do, but still takes time. In the picture you see white vinyl window blinds being used as the pre-header material. Then waste yarn is the garnet and the pinkish stuff. And finally as header there is a half inch of the same linen as I used in the warp. What will be hard to make out is the first row of twining that is on there too. The twining will be part of the project. The headers will eventually all come out and allow for a fringe. Before I start on my tapestry image, one more row of twining remains to be done. 

Currently I have not come up with a name for this loom. Stay tuned for a post about actual weaving about to happen. Happy New Decade!