How do you build a loom from a pile of boards that is not only faster, but can also weave fabrics 1.60 metres wide? For our first training module at the University of Education in Winneba, we invited 15 weavers to learn this skill. At our side: Andreas Möller, developer of the loom and the weaving method FLYING8, the name is derived from “flying shuttle” and the number of shafts: 8. For more than 40 years, the craftsman from Hamburg has been shaking up the national and international weaving scene by helping to preserve the craft with his easy-to-build and inexpensive looms. And by opening up new career prospects for weavers in developing countries in particular.
“MY LOOMS CAN BE BUILT ANYWHERE WHERE THERE ARE ROOF BATTENS, A SAW, A HAMMER AND NAILS. DIY AND LOW-BUDGET. THE FLYING8 WEAVING METHOD ENABLES A WEAVER TO WEAVE QUICKLY, EASILY AND WITH GOOD POSTURE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WEAVING PROCESS.”
Andreas Möller
Ghana is still a country of weavers, but only a few can make a living from it. It is therefore necessary to take the craft to a new level in terms of speed and market orientation. In contrast to conventional models, our looms are easy to set up, effortless to operate and simple to repair. They can also produce much wider fabrics.
However, our training module was not only of interest to weavers; students from the “Fashion and Textile Education” department also took part. In order to be able to afford their studies, many of them work part-time as tailors or designers. Being able to weave on a self-built loom also expands their professional portfolio and makes them more resilient.
In a second module, skills are to be developed, own patterns designed and hand-woven fabrics printed. The university setting is ideal for this. We can try things out, experiment and grow in a protected environment. In addition, we are already establishing contacts with African fashion designers and local textile manufacturers in order to sound out and satisfy the existing demand for hand-woven and much broader fabrics. Here, too, the aim is to secure livelihoods and create jobs.