CRAFT ENCOMPASSED
February closed out with a coverlet weaving workshop and in preparation it seemed prudent to sample our yarns. For a pattern we turned to the late 18th-century manuscript draftbook of Silas Burton. Five of Burton’s coverlet drafts were made from existing coverlets owned by his neighbors and they’re filled with stories, if you look for them. For a moment, let’s take in the little mystery vignette for three players and a geometric instrument he called,
“A Handsome Double Compass and Large Square Taken From Widow Curtiss’s Coverled 1793.”
The players:
- Burton—Our protagonist, 18 years old in 1793, completing his training as a weaver and compiling a book of patterns for his future career.
- Widow Curtiss—A woman with a coverlet. Hazy character. (There were a lot of Curtiss’s in Burton’s hometown and tracking her down will take some time.)
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The Weaver of the Coverlet. Shadowy mystery figure. It's possible that Widow Curtiss is The Weaver, but in the book Burton records written weaving drafts he received from men, and weaving drafts he made from coverlets owned by women. Stratford, Connecticut, the setting of the scene, had several male weavers and it may be that coverlet weaving was primarily their domain at the time.
Our roles cast, we turn our attention to the geometric instrument. Double Compass. Not double circle, double ring, or double wheel. Compass. Geometric weaving patterns made use of the compass to create curvilinear forms, and the same tool was used to mark out the spacing of heddles on loom shafts. What better name for the circles in the design?
The compass was also an essential tool for the housewright, governing the proportions of structures and ornament. Did those same builders rely on the compass when building looms? Playing around with our 18th century loom from Boxford, Massachusetts gives a resounding, “MAYBE?!” There’s more to investigate here.
For a compass to work, one leg stays anchored in place so the other leg may travel. In craft, Marshfield is a center point for a compass whose arc swings wide enough to encircle an international community of weavers. We hope a grounding here will help you to make your own mark, in whatever shape you please.
On behalf of our Board, we're glad you're part of this circle,
Justin Squizzero
Director
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