How the Jacquard Loom Works

Contrary to the terminology, the Jacquard loom is not actually a loom itself; it’s a box that goes on top of a loom that determines which weft yarns show in the weave and which weft yarns do not.

Before the Jacquard mechanism, each weft yarn would have to be pulled by hand, making intricate patterns a very arduous and tedious task, and requiring at least two people.

Jacquard’s mechanism removed the need for manually choosing each yarn through the use of punch cards.

Below is a video on exactly how this brilliant mechanism works:

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• Selvedge Denim Explained

• History of the Loom

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