This book describes the development of the loom from a crude wooden frame to a sophisticated electronic weaving machine. It introduces common textile terms and techniques and there is a description of primitive looms, such as Greek Tapestry and Navaho blanket weaving. Medieval craft guilds, the domestic system and Yeoman Weavers are dealt with, while handloom weaving is contrasted with the powerloom and the mill system. The authors examine the decorative fabrics such as brocades produced on early Chinese drawlooms and the introduction of Jacquard and dobby weaving in the nineteenth century. The reaction against industrialisation and William Morris's inauguration of the Arts and Crafts movement are discussed in relation to the craft revival of the twentieth century. This book continues the history of looms and weaving beyond the invention of the Northrop automatic to include special woven effects and twentieth-century technological development, including today's computer-based weaving machines.
Anna Benson and Neil Warburton are weavers and textile historians, with an extensive collection of antique hand and power looms.