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
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