|
Products >>
Burmese Handwoven Scarves, Cross Shoulder traditional bags,
Our Mission Statement
Epoch Renewal’s mission is to provide ways to enhance the acclimation of refugees to their new home in Guilford County, North Carolina while retaining their culture and traditions. Our goals are to improve language skills, understand a new culture, assist with locating employment opportunities, and tutoring school aged children. Supporting acquisition and developing refugee self-reliance will result in improved lifestyles and better living conditions.
We at Epoch Renewal have reproduced the backstrap loom and placed them in some of the homes of the refugees that have resettled here in Greensboro, North Carolina to help preserve a part of their heritage.
What is a Backstrap Loom?
A simple loom which has its roots in ancient civilizations comprising two sticks or bars between which the warps are stretched. One bar is attached to a fixed object and the other to the weaver usually by means of a strap around the back. On traditional looms, the two main sheds are operated by means of a shed roll over which one set of warps pass, and continuous string heddles which encase each of the warps in the other set. The weaver leans back and uses their body weight to tension the loom. To open the shed controlled by the string heddles, the weaver relaxes tension on the warps and raises the heddles. The other shed is usually opened by simply drawing the shed roll toward the weaver. Both simple and complex textiles can be woven on this loom. Width is limited to how far the weaver can reach from side to side to pass the shuttle. Warp faced textiles, often decorated with intricate pick-up patterns woven in complementary and supplementary warp techniques are woven by indigenous peoples today around the world. They produce such things as belts, ponchos, bags, hatbands and carrying cloths. Supplementary weft patterning and brocading is practiced in many regions. Balanced weaves are also possible on the backstrap loom.
|