Hessian (Burlap): Jute Yarn Woven Plain on a Handloom

Hessian, or burlap, is the coarse, strong cloth of jute that sacks, sandbags and the backs of carpets are made of. Early Indian weavers made jute cloth with hand-spinning wheels and handlooms, before the Dundee and Bengal mills. Here the jute singles are woven plain on a rigid heddle loom, the same way as our cotton cloth, only far coarser. The picture: empty coffee sacks of jute hessian.