Learning to weave country cloth

Since my experience with Navajo weaving lessons last year was so positive, I looked for opportunities to learn a Sierra Leone craft. It turns out that there is traditional weaver that teaches right around the corner from my hotel.

Bangalie learned weaving from his father when he was growing up in Kabala in the northern part of the country. He weaves on the traditional loom but uses different types of thread or yarn depending on what he is planning to make with the cloth. The shirt he is wearing is a traditional style. He also made cloth used to make the flip flops he has on.

Although weavers now often use purchased yarn or thread, you can still find “country thread” hand spun from local cotton.

Here is some country thread Bangalie recently obtained from Bo. The darker color is made by smoking the thread – I’m not sure how that works.

Bangalie taught me that the loom is made up of two heddles that look like this:

These heddles pull down alternating threads via the foot pedals so the shuttle can be passed through. The doubled thread of the warp is strung through the heddles and the beater one row at a time.

Setting up the loom is time consuming and tedious. Here’s mine once I finished.

As you look at the next few pictures imagine me weaving with an audience of guys providing ongoing commentary.

Check out my new “slippers” as flip flops are called here. I got them from Bangalie.

My first finished project!