Tablet: Silk Apprentice's Belt

Materials Used: 

Silk Apprentice's Belt

I wove this belt as a part of my apprenticeship ceremony to Sir Joselin D'Outremer; as my peer is a member of House Oldcastle, my apprentice belt is the traditional blue.  For my new belt for the foreseeable future, I chose to use this opportunity to use luxurious thick gauge silk for my materials. 

The Pattern: 

The pattern is 14th century in origin, and based off of a dress trim detail from a stone carving depiction of the Madonna dated 1322, "Stone of peace that records reconciliation between Senate of Bologna and students." It features a diamond motif; in order to weave a piece that was wide enough for use as a belt, I chose to “double” the pattern by weaving two diamonds. The pattern itself was arranged by Silvia Consolini, an Italian medieval reenactor and living historian. 

Warping: 

In warping my weave, I tie the ends of the warp to a large gage fishing swivel. The swivel helps to dissipate the tension that builds up as you turn the cards forwards and backwards; see my class on how to use the fishing swivels in your weaving. In order to have each card's tension independently adjustable, I tie the opposite warp ends in a taut-line hitch knot.