This style of tape loom was used into the 19th century. By 1800, fabric and notions were produced in water-powered mills in New England and were affordable, but some women and girls preferred to hand-weave simpler items such as “tape.”  It was used for items such as hatbands, apron strings, and garters. The weaver threaded long warp threads through the slots and holes in the loom and secured them at one end to something such as a table leg or a chair.  She held the loom between her knees and raised and lowered the other ends of the warp to create a space through which to pass a shuttle containing the weft thread.