Heddle Pulley

Strip weaving is a process using small portable narrow hand looms to produce long strips of cloth, usually of natural fibers, that are sewn together to create larger textiles such as blankets and ritual cloths. As the loom is portable, the weaver can carry the work in progress to the person commissioning the weaving to be sure they are part of and still on board with the process. Heddle-pulleys are used in this kind of loom to ease the movement of heddles and separate the vertical warp threads to allow the shuttle to easily pass through the layers of thread. Placed at the loom’s top, a pair of carved heddle pulleys are carved propitious animals, birds, or other auspicious images that are symbols that attract good luck, ward off evil spirits, and assure the quality of the weaver’s work and comfort the client. African Kuba cloth is made using unique heddle looms as are Burmese textiles. Often, as in Africa and Asia the entire family is involved in hand producing cloth from spinning yarn, coloring, and weaving on the loom.