Tape looms were once common household tools used to weave narrow fabric strips, usually no more than 2½ inches wide. West Virginia’s most common type was the small wooden box loom. The bands, made from linen, hemp, wool, silk, or cotton, served many purposes, including clothing ties, shoelaces, garters, diaper fasteners, and household and farm uses. People of all ages wove them, although children and older family members often did much of the work. Another type, the knee loom, held the heddle between the weaver’s knees. Tape looms remained in use in some rural West Virginia communities into the mid-20th century, but modern materials gradually replaced the craft.