Coverlet Fringe
This page is dedicated to my documentation of woven fringe found
on early coverlets and my woven coverlet fringe.
The fringe on an early coverlet is an important design element. It
frames the coverlet on the two sides and the bottom. Because the coverlet
is a functional bedcovering there is no fringe at the top. The fringe is purely
a decorative element, which adds interest and beauty to the coverlet. As
the Pennsylvania Germans would say: “It is just for nice.”
I have not found any instructions concerning weaving early fringe in
19th century literature about coverlets. Therefore, I will share with you what
I have learned. I welcome you to share with me coverlet fringes you have found and/or fringe you have woven.
on early coverlets and my woven coverlet fringe.
The fringe on an early coverlet is an important design element. It
frames the coverlet on the two sides and the bottom. Because the coverlet
is a functional bedcovering there is no fringe at the top. The fringe is purely
a decorative element, which adds interest and beauty to the coverlet. As
the Pennsylvania Germans would say: “It is just for nice.”
I have not found any instructions concerning weaving early fringe in
19th century literature about coverlets. Therefore, I will share with you what
I have learned. I welcome you to share with me coverlet fringes you have found and/or fringe you have woven.
Coverlet Fringe, Part One: Warp & Weft Fringe
Click on the above underlined title to read my first article in a series of
articles about coverlet fringe.
This article, written for the Complex Weavers Early American Coverlets
& Counterpanes Study Group, describes fringe woven with the coverlet via the
warp and the weft. I have also included instructions about adding wool fringe in
the bottom hem of a coverlet. On the left is a small coverlet I wove, which
illustrates the use of wool weft fringe on the sides and my applied wool fringe at
the bottom.