Fiber tools: rag and stick shuttles

http://dp.la/api/items/dd1971181d6232a59297233d53d8a7fc

Fiber tools: rag and stick shuttles

unknown

1890/1940

A shuttle carries the weft fiber for a weaver. The warp is strung on to a loom from the back to where the weaver sits in front. A weaver needs at least one shuttle, and may use several, for different colors or for different threads. The two shuttles in the center are stick shuttles, named for their simplicity. A single piece of flattened wood is notched to hold the weft material. In this case the material is "loopers" which were cotton knitted scraps sold cheaply by sock manufacturers. They were often dyed and used by mountain people to make rugs. At top and bottom are open rag shuttles. The top shuttle is wound with loopers. The bottom is a rag shuttle without the dowels connecting the two sides. These shuttles likely date to between 1890 and 1940; their creator is unknown.

1890s

1900s (Decade)

1910s

1920s

1930s

Looms--Appalachian Region, Southern

Weaving--Appalachian Region, Southern

Textiles

North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

http://wcudigitalcollection.cdmhost.com/u?/p4008coll2,5876