When people think of looms, they usually picture large wooden floor looms used to weave wide fabrics such as blankets. Because producing these fabrics required so much labor, large looms were among the first textile tools to be mechanized. Narrow bands, however, remained largely a household product. Virtually every American household once had what is now called a tape loom for weaving bands up to about 2½ inches wide.

Box Tape Looms

The most common type in West Virginia was the box tape loom. These simple wooden boxes ranged from about 15 to 24 inches front to back and 6 to 7 inches wide, with a typical depth of 4 to 5 inches. Some were finely crafted, while others had a rougher finish.

An upright wooden heddle, with holes and slots for the warp, was positioned near the front of the box. A bar or reel near the back held the unwoven warp. The warp had to remain under tension, so most weavers attached the woven end to their apron strings or belt. Some looms had a second tensioned bar near the front of the box, held in place by a cog and pawl. A 6- to 8-inch stick was inserted through the resulting loop and could be tucked into the weaver’s apron string, allowing the woven tape to remain under tension without using the hands. On simpler looms, the woven portion was wrapped around the stick before it was secured to the apron string.

Products Made with Bands

The material used to weave a band depended on its intended use. Before the 19^th century, linen was most common, although hemp was sometimes preferred for its strength and resistance to weather. Wool was used for stocking garters, while those who could afford silk used it for hair ribbons and decorative dress trim. Cotton became commercially available in the early 19^th century and soon replaced linen for many purposes.

These narrow bands were essential to everyday life. Before elastic, Velcro, and zippers, tapes and cords served countless functions in clothing and could be woven flat or round on the same loom.

Women used them for blouse ties; drawstrings for petticoats, skirts, and bloomers; corset or stay cords; bonnet and apron strings; pocket ties; shoelaces; and garters. Men used them for shirt ties, removable neckbands, shoulder-seam reinforcement, suspenders, trouser ties, and stocking garters. Leggings worn over stockings to protect them from brambles and wear were held in place with tape ties. Hats could have an inner tape band to help maintain their shape, an outer hatband, and ties to keep them secure in the wind. Bands and drawstrings were also used for shot pouches and powder horns.

Children’s clothing required many of the same ties and garters, while girls and women used woven ribbons to tie their hair. Before the invention of the safety pin in 1849, woven bands were used to secure babies’ diapers, while sashes held swaddling clothes in place. Bands were even laced across cradles to help keep babies from falling out.

Because many early button materials could not withstand contemporary washing methods, buttons were generally reserved for garments that were rarely washed, such as men’s wool coats and vests. Washable “knot buttons” were made by tying linen tape into knots.

Bands also had countless household and farm uses, from making candle wicks and tying feed sacks to leashing animals and securing wagon covers and tarps. Offices and government officials used narrow tapes to tie bundles of papers together. Red tape was sometimes used to identify important documents, giving rise to the expression “cut through red tape.” The many cords needed to operate large floor looms were also woven on tape looms.

The military had additional uses for woven tape, bands, and webbing. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington ordered thousands of tents for troops. Each tent required tape bindings around the edges, loops for tent pegs, and ties for closing the door flaps. The large quantities needed were not necessarily produced in individual households. Young apprentices working for professional tentmakers and linen weavers wove the material on simple tape looms. Weaving was not exclusively women’s work; men were professional weavers, and people of all ages and genders could weave at home.

Ellen J. Gehret, in Rural Pennsylvania Clothing, suggests that children and grandparents probably did much of the tape weaving. This was likely common, although people of all ages participated when necessary. Children could begin learning at ages five or six simply by watching older family members. They needed only a few basic lessons about keeping the warp tight, controlling the weft, and maintaining even edges. Simple projects such as candle wicks and feed-sack ties provided practice before children moved on to more complicated work.

Tape looms remained in use in some remote rural communities, including Helvetia, into the mid-20th century. Their simplicity made them useful, but they received little attention during the craft revivals of the late 20th century. As a result, knowledge of how to use them was often not passed to later generations.

Knee Looms

Another type of tape loom is now called a knee loom. Instead of securing the heddle in a box, the weaver holds it between the knees. The woven end is attached to an apron band or sash belt with a stick, as with a box loom. The unwoven warp follows a different path, running from the belt through the heddle, around a solid object, and back toward the weaver. Because a knee loom provides little working distance, the warp must be advanced frequently, making a quick, efficient setup important.

Knee looms could be made wider than box looms and may have been particularly useful for products associated with men’s work. Some surviving examples are quite crude and may have been used in barns or other outbuildings, where beams could provide convenient supports. However, there is no clear historical evidence confirming this use.

Many large floor looms have disappeared after being left in outbuildings, where they rotted or their wood was reused, even as firewood. Small tape looms, by contrast, usually remained indoors and were more likely to survive. As they became less necessary, they were stored away in closets or attics. Some were preserved as family heirlooms and occasionally used. As a result, surprisingly large numbers survive today, many in museum collections.