Weaving Tips and How To's

In this blog post, Karla Stille explores one possible adaptation of her Endless Options Mug Rugs. By winding a longer warp and re-sleying the loom, weavers can explore weaving a modified Rep-Weave table runner on the same warp as their mugs. 

Inlay is a weaving technique that utilizes a base (or ground/tabby) weft and an inlay (or supplemental) weft. The base weft travels from selvedge to selvedge, while the inlay weft travels only where the weaver desires. This creates unique designs that draw the viewer's attention to specific areas of the cloth. In this blog post, we will explore a few of the many options available for weaving Inlay.

Hand-manipulated techniques are a fantastic way to add variation to your weaving. The techniques can be used on either rigid heddle or multi-shaft looms, and make excellent decorative borders, center motifs, or can be interspersed throughout to add special texture and visual interest. This blog post provides step-by-step tutorials on several different lace techniques, and Gist patterns where they are used. 

If I could only weave only one thing going forward, it may be towels. These humble rectangles offer so many options! From fingertip to bath sheets and every size in between, you can make exactly what you need to get the job done. In this blog post, I'll cover standard towel dimensions and provide a range of sample Gist projects for you to explore. 

Beautiful weaving can be crafted by incorporating multiple colors in the weft. When weaving multiple picks with a single yarn before switching to another, many weavers opt to cut the weft yarn before transitioning. But when the yarns change with each pick or at small intervals, it is more practical to keep all the weft yarns connected to the weaving. In this blog, Carolyn Heacock shares tips for successfully carrying two and three yarns up the selvedge in a way that creates structurally sound, beautiful selvedges.

This article is part two in a series about lace weaves — a magical way of interlacing threads and using skips and floats to create shape, pattern, and space. In this blog, learn about Bronson and Swedish Lace weaves, and things to consider when choosing which style may be best suited to your project.

Weaving is full of many magical transformations of yarn, color, and structure. One of the most exciting transformations that can be done with plain string and four shafts has to be lace weaves. In this blog series, we’ll examine several of the more common loom-controlled lace weaves.

There's nothing like a beautifully set table, and as weavers we can put our personal stamp on the dining linens – from design to size. Generally, larger indicates more formal, but your handwovens should fit your table and your needs. Here are some Gist table linen projects, and suggested standard size ranges for designing your own.

A “blanket” can range from a very small “lovey” to a throw for a king-size bed, and everything in between. Googling “blanket sizes” yields a dizzying array of options, which means you can pick what works best for you! This blog post goes over some general size ranges for different projects to design your own, as well as a few Gist patterns that fit the bill. 

The finished dimension of any handwoven depends on so many things – your loom width, fiber, the weaving structure and, perhaps most importantly, the ultimate use and your personal preference! As weavers, we can, within reason, create exactly the size we need based on what it will be used for. If you are thinking about weaving some floor coverings, these standard commercial dimensions are a terrific place to start. 

Loom maintenance can go a long way in preventing mistakes, supporting equipment longevity, and ensuring that your most important tool is running smoothly (which in turn means that weaving is smooth and fun, too!). In this article, Amanda shares a short checklist of things she likes to do every few months to care for her loom. 

Deflection in weaving happens when (intentional) floats curve around areas of plain weave, and doubleweave is the weaving of two layers of fabric simultaneously. Combining the curves of deflection and the layers of doubleweave creates deflected doubleweave, a common technique in shaft-loom weaving. But with two heddles and, in some cases, two pick-up sticks, the humble rigid heddle loom can also create this stunning structure.