Lot 20: Sash by: Christine Tolbert

This sash is special because it came to life during the Gunmakers’ Fair at Kempton in late July 2024. That was a weekend of perfect summer weather, with no rain expected, so I was able to set up my floor loom outside under my tent on the midway to weave this sash to donate for the 2025 CLF Auction.
With a warp of linen thread in brown, rust, and dark red, and a tawny brown wool weft, the sash measures a full 5 inches wide and 157 inches long, with several inches of twisted linen fringe at each end.

The linen used for the warp of this sash is some of the finest quality thread available for weavers today and was processed, spun, and dyed in Sweden using environmentally friendly practices that conform to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Handwovens made with this linen are durable, stable in their length, either wet or dry, and have a subtle sheen.

The wool used for the weft is 100% virgin Shetland wool, spun in New Hampshire from a blend of Australian fine wool and sturdy New Zealand wool. This tightly spun yarn has a luster and durability that will become better with use and wear over the lifetime of the piece.

After it was woven, this sash was wet finished and fulled, a process that turns the work into a finished fabric that will neither stretch nor shrink with use and wear. The sash has a twill weave structure and was woven on a four-shaft jack floor loom. This type of loom would have been a common style of floor loom used in the home in 18th-century colonial America.

Meant to be worn twice, wrapped around the waist, this sash will be the perfect complement to your hunting frock, with your favorite hawk and knife tucked in for your next trek in the forest.