Four-Shuttle Cloth

Four-Shuttle Cloth

　　　　Four-Shuttle Cloth is a type of traditional handwoven fabric widely popular in Shijiting Town and Kongzhuang area of Shahe.

　　In the early Qing Dynasty, the weaving technique of Four-Shuttle Cloth was introduced to the Shahe Shijiting and Kongzhuang regions. During this period, weaving production gradually began using simple tools, and after further historical development, combined tools were introduced, though the process remained entirely handwoven.

　　The entire production process of Shahe Four-Shuttle Cloth is done manually, using various colored warp and weft threads to weave more than 20 different patterns, typically including large and small dots, jujube flowers, unbreakable lines, and others. It is called Four-Shuttle Cloth because four shuttles are used during the weaving process to distinguish the arrangement of the warp threads. As a representative folk handicraft, it once participated in the Asian Folk Art Exhibition held in Japan on behalf of Hebei Province.

　　The traditional production steps of Shahe Four-Shuttle Cloth include: cotton fiber carding, rolling, spindle twisting, winding, boiling, dyeing the threads, reeling, twisting, and other processes. The tools used include a cotton gin, cotton fluffer, spinning wheel, winding tool, spinning wheel, twisting tool, reel, warp beam, warp stick, shuttles, and the loom itself.

　　The patterns and colors of Shahe Four-Shuttle Cloth are bright and diverse, featuring everything from large and small dots, jujube flowers, and raised dots to designs with narrative themes such as the Treasure Lantern, Pomegranate in Full Bloom, Fairy Scattering Flowers, and Ants Climbing the Mountain. The fabric can be made into clothing, quilt covers, sofa covers, towels, pillowcases, and aprons for daily use.

　　In the past, local women all knew how to weave, but now many have not spun or woven for at least 20 years. Even fewer young women are learning the craft, and with the damage or loss of many weaving tools, this traditional handicraft skill is at risk of being lost.