The handlooming tradition of Sri Lanka dates back more than 5.000 years and is almost about to extinct because there are only a handful of fabric manufactures left in the world which still practice and preserve the traditional old methods of weaving. Our handloomed fabrics are entirely made with the same ancient methods and tools which they have always been made with. Some of the equipment of the handloom manufacture that we work with is several hundred years old and has been used over generations – truly stunning.
Not only is it a true art that takes a lot of practice and time to learn until somebody can properly weave an even fabric without gaps or ripping of yarns, but also the whole preparation phase of aligning the yarns so that they fit into the loom is a very time and skill intense process it self.
A well experienced weaver can weave around 4-5 roll meters of fabric a day and preparing the yarn roll for the loom with the use of only ancient traditional tools and methods takes around 2 days with at least 3 people. A single shirt for example needs around 1,8 roll meters, which makes clear why truly hand loomed fabrics and clothing in our modern world is very precious compared to machine made fabrics especially when fairly traded.
A Brief Overview of the Making Process of Our Handloomed Fabrics
PREPARATION PROCESS
1. Initial Separation: The very first step of the weaving process is to separate the huge yarn rolls from the supplier into a lot of small yarn rolls to be able to align the yarn in a lot of parallel lines for the loom later.
2. Alignment: The many small yarn rolls are placed in a wooden stand from which now a thread from each roll gets pulled through a tiny ridge, which aligns the many threads in equal distances to each other and into specific sized sections.
3. Rolling: After going through the ridge, the yarns are tightly rolled up on a big wooden wheel in specific sized sections.
4. Tightening: From the wooden wheel, everything gets once again even more tightly rolled up on another wooden roll with paper in between each layer so the yarns do not knot and roll off properly while weaving.
5. Threading the Loom: The roll gets into the loom and now every of the countless yarns has to be pulled through each part of the loom with a tiny hook and a lot of patience until it comes out at the large and fine ridge where the weaver is sitting.
6. Tensioning: The yarns are tied around a wood roll at the side of the weaver so the weaved fabrics roll up there and the yarns are under slight tension for the weaving.
WEAVING PROCESS
1. Vertical and Horizontal Yarn: The yarns, which were prepared and threaded through the loom, are the vertical lines of the fabric, which are now combined with a second horizontal yarn of choice.
2. The Boat: The second horizontal yarn also comes in the same small rolls as in the very beginning and is carried in a nice little so-called boat, which is shot in between the vertical yarn rows from left to right by hand by the weaver.
3. Tightening and Fixing: After each shot, the weaver has to pull the long and fine ridge to tighten and fix the new row of yarn and then push the ridge again for the next shot.
4. Pedal Work: While shooting the boat and moving the ridge, the weaver also has to switch pedals with his feet, which lift up every second vertical yarn so the second yarn is woven above and below each yarn to form a fabric.
5. Pattern Creation: If there’s a pattern to be made, the weaver also has to count the shots in order to switch the colours of the second yarn and to create a pattern.
Mahatma Gandhi was a passionated hand weaver and made many analogies with the practice of weaving and life in his literatures.
Hope you enjoyed this article and insight into our making process.
Truth is one, paths are many. – Mahatma Gandhi
Nice post, great project.