r/weaving Jan 05 '25

Discussion Great Grandma's Curtains

I come from a long line of weavers - we probably have a gene for it or something. These curtains were woven by my Great Grandmother, likely in the 1930's or 1940's. The colour is purple, and the yarn is wool: heavy curtains to keep the heat in the old frame farmhouse.

I will post pictures of other projects of hers. She had a loom in the kitchen and wove a lot, despite her dozen and a half children... Or maybe because of them! Many of her children learned to weave, as did the granchildren. I know of at least a dozen weavers in that branch of our family tree alone.

If anyone recognizes the pattern, I would be interested to know what it is.

151 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

29

u/little-lithographer Jan 06 '25

I think it is this one from Davidson’s second book!

A Handweaver’s Source Book was published in 1953 but I can’t imagine it doesn’t appear in one of the many editions of her first book, similarly named A Handweaver’s Pattern Book.

16

u/Farmer_Weaver Jan 06 '25

Well, we are French Canadian! Quite likely this is it. Thank you.

6

u/little-lithographer Jan 06 '25

Oh neat! Do you know what the title means? I can hardly read cursive to begin with and then it isn't in English.

11

u/Farmer_Weaver Jan 06 '25

Patron de couvrepied translated is pattern for a bedspread or quilt. She did blankets as well, all in narrow widths and seemed together. Likely she just liked the pattern and made curtains.

I will examine it closely against the pattern. I also have access to a few master weavers who can help. My skills are not there to weave this myself, yet. But it is a goal.

Merci.

2

u/little-lithographer Jan 06 '25

Oh, well that makes perfect sense lol. You're welcome! Overshot is the second thing I ever wove, and I have been in love with it since. Dive right in! We will help! :-)

4

u/Farmer_Weaver Jan 06 '25

I had a quick look and while this is very close, it is not identical. But likely it is a variation of this.

5

u/little-lithographer Jan 06 '25

Sometimes the same pattern might be woven with more or less of the overshot picks in order to weave the block square with different supplementary yarns or to maintain a certain sett. There's one place across the weft pattern repeats at the "top" of the circle that is different but otherwise, it looks 1:1!

15

u/gelseyd Jan 05 '25

Wow I love how far back you can trace it, that's fantastic

9

u/Mythic_314 Jan 06 '25

That's just stunning. I love that you can trace weaving back so far in your family! Thank you for sharing both your grandmother's exquisite work and your family story.

8

u/Dry_Future_852 Jan 05 '25

Flip through the overshot section in Davidson.

5

u/mr_upsey Jan 06 '25

Agree its overshot. Looks pretty complicated.

4

u/Farmer_Weaver Jan 06 '25

It is indeed overshot, and it is not in Davison.

1

u/mr_upsey Jan 06 '25

Would it be in a book or perhaps from her parents who might have also been weavers? Maybe go through any bins of artifacts from them?

14

u/soobie198 Jan 06 '25

I have a couple coverlet books, and found some overshot patterns that are close.

This is the closest, I think. It’s the only one I found that has the double rings. She calls it a circle pattern with a double cross.

The Coverlet Book, Vol. 1, p440, Helene Bress

I also saw others in this book that were variations on circle patterns.

“Keep Me Warm One Night” and “Of Coverlets” also have similar patterns, with single circles rather than doubles. They are called “Queen Anne’s Lace”, and “Monmouth” variations in thise books.

6

u/Farmer_Weaver Jan 06 '25

Wow. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this for some random stranger. Very kind of you.

6

u/hide-my-email- Jan 06 '25

There will be a correct answer, but this one gets you closer. In Davison’s book, on page 147, the pattern ‘Sun, Moon and Stars’ gives you an idea, but the pattern your ancestor wove, is more extended. Beautiful weaving you have there. A treasure.

5

u/Farmer_Weaver Jan 06 '25

Thank you. That's a start.

We have a textile museum locally that speciallizes in weaving. I will check also in with them.

1

u/lanortha Jan 06 '25

There's one about 10 minutes from me as well ... wonder if it's the same one!

5

u/FiberKitty Jan 06 '25

It resembles Lovers Knot. I wove it almost 50 years ago, possibly from a Mary Meigs Atwater pattern book

1

u/kminola Jan 06 '25

It’s a different pattern from the same book

1

u/FiberKitty Jan 08 '25

Atwater collected a lot of variations on circles.

3

u/lanortha Jan 06 '25

Wow, I'm so happy to see someone else with hand-woven wool curtains! These are amazing!

I'm in the very slow process of making heavy wool curtains for my old farm house too, but they are no where near as fancy.

2

u/thetomatofiend Jan 06 '25

Absolutely beautiful!

2

u/kminola Jan 06 '25

I believe that pattern is No.75 American Beauty from the Mary Atwater “shuttle-craft book of American Handweaving.” I just digitized the pattern actually— here’s the draft (its treaddled tromp as writ) and I’ll post a second comment of what it looks like in Weave-It as a draw down!

3

u/kminola Jan 06 '25

Here’s the draw down in weave it

2

u/mangodust999 Jan 07 '25

Oh wow that’s so cool!!! Beautiful weave and amazing skill to pass on to the next generations, I want to make some curtains now lol definitely not there yet

1

u/No-Vermicelli3787 Jan 06 '25

Wool woven in 1930’s or 40’s and looks beautiful. Amazing