Jacquard weaving and the loom attachment required for it were both named after the French inventor and Merchant, Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752-1834). The Jacquard loom is among the most important inventions in the history of weaving because it made it possible to mass produce pattern weaving. He first formed the idea for his loom in 1790 but the French Revolution cut his work short. There is no specific Jacquard loom; it is a control mechanism that can be added to any loom to automate the pattern weaving. The Jacquard loom attachment can be used to make knitwear as well as a variety of textiles, including tapestries At first, the Jacquard machines were mechanical with the design stored in a series of punched cards similar to Bouchon’s invention. The Jacquard mechanism was generally small and could only independently control a few warp ends, requiring several repeats across the width of the loom. Larger or multiple machines allowed the weaver greater control and fewer repeats, so larger design could be woven across the width of the loom. Mechanical Jacquard looms are best for larger batches of fabric. This is because as a general rule, the greater control you have over the warp, the greater the expense of the loom. Additionally, these mechanical looms are more expensive to maintain and require a greater level of skill. Finally, these looms do not work as quickly, making it a more time-consuming way to produce fabric and wall tapestries.