Weaving Process

HISTORY

In the 1850s, the Amana people emigrated from Germany and brought with them many art and trade skills to establish a new community. They raised sheep on the farm and used their wool to create yarn. The wool was dried, dyed, and spun into yarn. It was then warped and woven to create textiles.

Today, we buy our yarn and do the warping and weaving at our mill in Amana.

MACHINES

CREEL	machine used to make the pattern on the blanket by putting cones of yarn in a specific order
WARPING WHEEL	yarn from the creel is wrapped on the warping wheel to make blankets
LOOM BEAM	used to transfer yarn on the warping wheel to the weave room
SULZER LOOM	a loom that uses a punch card technology created in 1980s to create throw-size blankets
BIG LOOM	a loom that uses digital computer technology to create larger blankets
NAPPER	a machine with metal teeth that draws up the fibers to make blankets soft and fluffy
SERGER & DOUBLE NEEDLE SEWING MACHINE	used by seamstresses to hem the edges of blankets
STRAIGHT STITCH SEWING MACHINE	used to attach the label to the finished blanket

PROCESS

Yarn is warped on the creel. The warp is woven on the loom. Wool rolls are sent out to be washed & fulled. Rolls are napped to make them soft. Rolls are cut into blankets. Blankets are hemmed. The label is attached. The product is finalized.