Gimp
SOFT TOOLS / Winding
Making a gimp cord is a technique in which a core of yarns is winded and covered with other yarns or threads. Gimp has, unlike twined rope, no functional application, but is rather used for decoration and aesthetic purposes. Synonyms are gymp, guimpe, guipures or crètes.
This type of round cord is a bit sturdy and stiff, and it gives a nice curve when it is used for embroidery and sewing. Thanks to this property it is mostly used in passementerie, or the craft of making trimmings, edgings, tassels, rosettes and fringes which are used to decorate clothing or furnishing.
At Soft Connection Lab, we decided to integrate this technique as it could be a sustainable way to assemble short fibers or leftover materials. Working manually, experiments can be easily done.
Roots
Gimp finds its origins in the 15th and 16th centuries. It’s a narrow round trim used for sewing and embroidery. Originally it was made of silk, cotton and metallic yarn. It’s used in dresses and military suits, but also in interior accessories.
The term gimp also has a link with lacemaking. It refers to the thread that is used to outline the lace pattern. This thread is thicker than the yarns used for making the lace. Gimp is the thread that forms the outline of the design.
Nowadays, the term gimp sometimes refers to the plastic thread used in the knotting and plaiting craft scoubidou.
Traditional applications
Passementerie
Gimp is often used in passementerie. Passementerie is a term used to describe a range of decorative trimmings such as fringes, cords and braids. Because of its stiffness, gimp lends itself easily in trimmings, tassels and macarons.
Embroidery
Watch & Learn
Making a gimp cord is a technique in which yarns are wrapped around a core. Sometimes this technique is also known as turning gimp, referring to the turning movement the yarns make getting this kind of rope. Gimp can be done manually or with the help of a machine.
Traditionally the core was made of different cotton yarns as it gave a stiffness to the gimp. If you use a softer yarn as a core, it gives a more soft and smooth gimp cord. Depending on the wanted thickness, you can add more yarns to the core. An even and regular yarn used as a core, gives an even and regular gimp. Irregular yarns as a core lead to irregular gimp cords.
MACHINE MADE
Firstly, an overspinning wheel – also called molette or gimp wheel – is used to make gimp using a machine. While one side of the yarns for the core was knotted at the wheel, the other side was attached to a flexible turning hook. The yarns need to be under tension. If you need a lot of gimp, you obviously need a very large room or hall to do this.
Turning the wheel made the core turning around. The yarns that cover the core were fixed on a bracket attached to a belt that the manufacturer wore on his body. By walking from one side to the other side, slowly covering the whole length, the core could be covered step by step. It required experience to keep a proper tension to get an even and proper gimp.
Until 2011, the Brussels passement company De Backer – which was founded in 1896 – was one of the few still active passementerie companies in Belgium. The company mainly manufactured passements for furniture, interior fabrics and military purposes. This film shows how gimping is done.
Today, the few companies that still produce mechanical gimp in Belgium use an even faster production method. The covering yarns are put on a bobbin, which rotates at high speed around the soul that is pulled upwards.
MANUALLY MADE
Done manually it’s a simple movement of wrapping yarns around another material. The advantage is that you can work experimentally with whatever material that works for you. Although this is not the best option If you want an even result.
In the TextielMuseum in Tilburg you can still find an overspinning wheel. Designers and artists who want to use the machines for their project can apply and work at the museum. Soft Connection Lab explored how to create giant gimp yarns at the museum. The yarns for the core were stretched between the wheel and a rotating hook and were put under tension. Afterwards, the soul was covered with different layers of yarn.
If you’re inventive, you can also use household tools to make gimp. During a workshop for students from the textile department of Luca School of Arts in Ghent, Soft Connection Lab just used two drills. These drills connected the core yarns. By turning them in the same direction on the same speed, it was possible to experiment with gimp making.
