Tablet weaving - gold brocade

I've just begun my latest large commission, a tablet woven band based on the Anglo Saxon burials at Taplow. The band will not be an attempt at a true reconstruction, primarily because some assumptions have to be made with regards to the ground weave and the limitations of modern materials. It will, however, be a band based on available research and using the correct techniques.

The ground weave is a fine wool, hand-dyed with weld and indigo to create a nice green. The brocade weft is gilt plate - a flat metal strip as opposed to metal wraped around a core. The design is based on the analysis of the gold remaining in the ground, as shown in Cloth and Clothing - Early Anglo-Saxon England AD 450-700 (Penelope Walton Rogers).

I decided to use my very large inkle loom to warp this band, as opposed to my tablet weaving loom. Normally, I would work silk brocade by weighting the warp threads, but I am conscious of the fine wool breaking if it hangs for a long period of time (and as brocade is time-consuming for even the smallest band, that really is an issue!) My other concern was the use of the flat plate when winding any finished weave around a beam to move the weaving on. The flat plate marks so easily - imagine a piece of tin foil - the slightly thicker type - that is very similar to the plate. By using the inkle loom, the whole of the band can remain relatively flat and avoid most types of marking.

Tablet weaving - especially brocade, doesn't always work on an inkle loom. It really depends upon how much space you have for the tablets to turn. Because this is a large loom and I use very small tablets, it does work. But using the 'standard' of either doesn't usually, so if anyone fancies trying it, do a test first!

The picture is of the first piece of weaving - the flash if off so the picture is fairly dark, but the gold shines much better here (it looks black if the flash is on!)