Placemats in the Style of Venetian Carpet

 

Venetian Carpet was a type of warp-faced flat-woven carpet popular in the early nineteenth century into the early twentieth century.

Textile names are always tricky. Sometimes they truly do identify where the textile originated from - or where a canny merchant wanted his customers to believe they came from. Names change over time; spelling, translation, or pronunciation errors creep in. Florence Montgomery's book Textiles in America is the best resource if you're interested in American textiles between 1650 and 1750 and have a burning desire to know the difference between say, ducape and duroy.

Venetian carpeting most certainly did not come from Venice. We know it was woven in the United States because we have instructions for it in the pattern book of Silas Burton (1775 - 1827) a weaver who lived and worked in Connecticut. The earliest draft (pattern, or recipe for weaving) in his book is dated 1793. 

Burton refers to his carpets variously as "striped carpeting," "rainbow carpeting," and "shaded striped carpeting," but in at least one instance he does refer to a carpet as "of the Venetian figure."

In all cases, as his drafts make clear, these carpets are composed of stripes. In many cases the stripes include shaded hues, often of red or green. Many of them also featured a "picket fence" effect, achieved by alternating single warp threads in two colors - black and yellow being a very common combination.

In 1804, Andrew S. Norwood was selling Venetian carpeting in his New York City store in full yard widths ("4-4") as well as a 27" width ("3-4" or three quarters of yard) that was suitable for stairs. Stair carpeting seems to have been a common use of Venetian carpet. Lengths could also be sewn together to provide a room-sized rug.

The Evening Post, New York, New York, December 17, 1804, p. 2

During the dreary grey days of late winter I decided that I was getting tired of my placemats, some of which are easily 15 years old, and that it would be cheering to weave some replacements, and also that it would be fun to weave these in the style of Venetian carpets.

However, what with one thing and another, it was the end of May before I was finally ready to dress the loom.

The 13 1/2" wide warp, carefully controlled by the cross and the lease sticks, ready for drawing in.

Each of the 812 ends (threads) is drawn through the correct heddle eye using a special hook.

All drawn in!

The ribbed effect is achieved by using a main weft (crosswise threads) that is eight times thicker than the warp. To reduce bulk at the hems, the ends of each placemat are woven with yarn that's the same thickness as the warp.

I use a loom that probably dates to the early 19th century. Missing parts - the lighter colored wood - were replaced with oak that was originally intended for a wooden boat keel.

Because these early looms are so massive, their weight does the hard work of beating in the weft so the weaver doesn't have to work as hard.

The end is near!

I finished weaving last week and started hemming placemats this week. I used two different colors for the main warp - green, or white. At first I thought I preferred the green warp, but I like the way the white warp forms a sort of picot effect along the sides.

At any rate, I can confirm that having one's boiled egg, toast, and tea in the morning is much cheerier now.

Finally, I have a theory about the "Venetian" moniker. Stripes of bright colors is a pretty good description of venetian glass, particularly of the canes that are cut to make beads.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, May 31, 1823, p. 2

Venetian glass beads from bead paradise web site