THE MANIPULATIONS OF THE MECHANICS OF THEJACQUARD LOOM TO WEAVE INDIGENOUSNIGERIAN DESIGNS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the working system of the Jacquard loom and to introduce the indigenous Nigerian designs into the Jacquard weaving system, thereby reviving the design qualities of Jacquard materials woven in Nigeria, by replacing the stylized floral designs with traditional motifs. The study was limited to the furnishing fabrics produced in Universal Textile Industries Limited, Kano. In studying the problems of Nigerian Jacquard weaving designs, the researchers had to be the Jacquard designers. As the designers, the researchers have to center this study on the introduction of Nigerian mural and cap designs into the Jacquard weaving system.  The Jacquard machine is a special mechanism situated over a hand or power loom and is called a Jacquard head-motion. The Jacquard machine weaves fabrics with patterns, motifs or weave that exceeds the capacity of a harness loom. The designs woven on a Jacquard loom are constructed on graph paper and the designs are transferred to the weaving cards according to the graph paper design. A hole is punched the card where a squire on the graph paper is crossed (or marked). The holes are punched in row of eight to correspond to the block of eight squares on the graph paper design, representing warp ends on the loom. Traditional Nigerian indigenous designs could be woven successfully on the Jacquard loom. These traditional-designs would not only substitute for the imported foreign designs, but provided that the right machinery is used, could also be exported, conveying traditional Nigerian indigenous designs in woven Jacquard fabrics.