tape loom

Tape looms are used to weave narrow, sturdy tapes. Usually not more than an inch wide, and they were woven narrower, tapes were colorful and were an important part of every household. Today where we use buttons, zipper, Velcro and snaps, the Colonial ladies used buttons, pins and tapes.

Although available ready-made from merchants, the tape loom provided an easy method to produce tape at home. Two typical styles of tape looms are the focus of this article. The simplest was a thin board fashioned with small drilled holes and slots.

This type of tape loom was made in a variety of styles often dictated by the creativity of the maker. In studying originals, there is no indication that there was a standard measure for height and width. The loom pictured here is not fully set-up. When prepared for weaving, the weaver deciding on the number of threads needed, there would be a thread for each small hole and slot in the required width.

Terms used in reference to cloth weaving loom