#tablet weaves

Accessory belts: tablet weaves from Hallstatt

For the manufacture of braids, tablet weaving may have been practised. This is a method which requires the use of bone or wood plates perforated with two or more holes close to the edge to control the positioning and spacing of the warp. The technique was widely used in Scandinavia during the pre-Roman Iron Age and also during the Roman period in Britain, but the only indisputable evidence of earlier use in this country is a group of triangular weaving tablets found in Iron Age contexts at Wookey Hole, Somerset. In spite of lack of direct archaeological evidence the process was probably common. -- Barry Cunliffe, 2005: Iron Age Communities in Britain (Fourth edition)

I'm sure by now everyone has long lost hope that this day would eventually come, but ha! Surprise! It took me only half a year 😂. Accessory belts for your sims, in 5 designs based on the actual finds from the Hallstatt mines.

Do textiles worn by those ancient Hallstatt inhabitants tell us anything about what their alleged relatives wore over half a millennium later, hundreds of kilometres away? I have my doubts, but it's still the best approximation I can make. So - here we are.

My tremendous thanks go to Dr. Karina Grömer who not only has done a ton of research on the actual Hallstatt textiles, tablet weaves included, but also is kind enough to continuously share her finds and excitement on her Instagram. The 4th and 5th design wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for her posts!

And now back to TS4.

5 designs, each in 20 swatches, for all age groups. Here modelled by a headless child.

The toddler and infant versions are cut shorter, so that your little ones wouldn't be tripping over all the time ;).

Polycount: some 3K for LOD0, less for lower ones. Mostly because of the tassels.

Each belt comes in two versions. One is found under bracelets (takes texture space of BOTH bracelets, even if it's technically assigned only to one, so don't try to wear any!). The other (and that was the og version) - under gloves, and takes some of the top space, which means it might conflict with some tops or full body outfits. Won't conflict with my own upcoming dress(es) though, I made sure of that.

The glove versions are of sliiiightly higher quality than the bracelet versions... If you use a magnifying glass.

5 designs x 2 versions x 4 age groups = 40 packages. No worries, they're merged ;). Also, the younger ages' versions take their textures from the adult ones, so it's only 30 MB for all 40 of them altogether! But, that also means even if you unmerge, you mustn't delete the AF versions or the corresponding younger edits will be missing textures.

HQ compatible, but they look pretty dope without it too, if I may say so myself (I use the hq switch and forget to turn it on half of the time 😅).

They have both bump and specular maps, which means they're fake-3D and shiiiinyyyy (those things were usually made of silk - no way they wouldn't have sparkled!). They're also extremely detailed. I documented the process of making the belts HERE and HERE, if you're any interested; in short, I made those textures in Blender, from scratch, and I must confess I absolutely love the result. It's definitely one of my favourite me-made things ever. Just take a look at those close-ups!

Oh, and in contrary to real-life tablet weaves, those also have the added benefit of being double-sided. Magic 🤯

Hope you'll love them as much as I do. Enjoy and let me know if there are any problems! (I think everything is fine at last, but I thought the same the last five times I was about to publish them too, so... You know, with 40 packages shit can happen.)