ቁሳቁስ ጥበብ
አማርኛ

Ethiopian weaving

ጥበብTibeb

How is tibeb made? From cotton to cloth.

A step-by-step look at how handwoven cotton cloth and its colourful border are made, from a cotton boll to a finished netela.

See the stepsWhat is tibeb?

What is tibeb?ጥበብ ምንድን ነው?

Tibeb is the colourful decoration woven along the edge of handwoven cotton cloth.

Tibeb is the colourful, patterned border of Ethiopian handwoven cotton cloth, such as the netela, the gabi and the habesha kemis. It is not sewn on afterwards: it is woven into the cloth itself, on the same loom.

Spinning is traditionally done by women, and weaving by men, known as ሸማኔ (shemane). Border patterns differ from place to place, and many people can tell where a cloth comes from by its tibeb.

The parts of a woven cloth

ክፍሎች

The plain white body, the coloured border and the fringe are all made from the same threads, on the same loom.

One end of a handwoven cotton netela, folded and lying on a wooden board: plain weave with a firm edge down each side, a tibeb border of green, gold, red and blue stripes framing a row of diamonds, and a fringe of twisted warp ends knotted at their tips. A linen tester stands on the cloth, its lens showing the warp and weft crossing over and under. A shuttle and a drop spindle with its cop of thread lie beside it. Point at the figure, or at a part in the list, to see that part. The arrow keys step through the parts, Space takes it apart or puts it together, and Escape puts it back.

  1. The ድር (warp) runs the length of the cloth; the ማግ (weft) passes across it, over one thread and under the next.

  2. Where the weft turns back at each side, it forms a firm edge that will not unravel.

  3. Bands of coloured stripes framing a row of diamonds, crosses or other motifs.

  4. The loose ends of the warp, twisted and knotted so the cloth stays finished.

What goes into the cloth

ግብዓቶች

  • Cotton

    ጥጥ

    Soft white fibre from the cotton plant, the raw material for every thread.

  • Drop spindle

    እንዝርት

    A weighted stick that twists cotton fibres into thread as it spins.

  • Pit loom

    መሸመኛ

    A wooden loom set over a shallow pit, worked with two foot pedals.

  • Coloured thread

    ባለ ቀለም ክር

    Dyed thread, used only for the tibeb border.

How the cloth is made, step by step

አሠራር

Follow the cotton from the field to the finished cloth.

  1. ፩Step 1

    Pick the cotton

    ጥጥ መልቀም

    Cotton bolls are picked, and the seeds are pulled out by hand.

  2. ፪Step 2

    Fluff the cotton

    መንደፍ

    The cotton is struck with the string of a bow-shaped tool until the fibres are loose and airy, ready to spin.

  3. ፫Step 3

    Spin the thread

    መፍተል

    Women draw out the fibres and twist them into thread on a drop spindle, winding it on as it turns.

  4. ፬Step 4

    Set up the warp

    ድር መዘርጋት

    Long threads are stretched side by side on the loom. These run the full length of the cloth.

  5. ፭Step 5

    Weave

    መሸመን

    The weaver sits at the edge of the pit, pressing the foot pedals to lift alternate warp threads and throwing the shuttle across, row after row.

  6. ፮Step 6

    Weave in the tibeb

    ጥበቡን መሥራት

    Near the end of the cloth, coloured threads are picked in by hand between the white ones, building the border's pattern row by row.

  7. ፯Step 7

    Knot the fringe

    ዘርፉን መቋጠር

    The cloth is cut from the loom, and the loose warp ends are twisted and knotted into a fringe. It is ready to wear.

Where you'll see tibeb

አለባበስ

  • Netela

    ነጠላ

    A light, thin shawl worn over the shoulders or head, often to church and on holidays.

  • Gabi

    ጋቢ

    A thick wrap of several layers, worn on cold mornings and used as a blanket at night.

  • Habesha kemis

    የሀበሻ ቀሚስ

    A long dress with tibeb running down the front and around the hem, worn for weddings and celebrations.

Next object

Clay

Mitad · ምጣድ

The wide clay plate that injera is baked on, with its domed lid.

How it's made →