Whidbey Weavers’ School :: Day Four


  •   Posted on: 2022-01-31
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  • Weaving

***Originally published September 3, 2015***

Today we started off class with a slideshow that showed all the different weaving structures that exist.


Madelyn has told us on a number of occasions that the number of weave structures that exist is finite, and that while it feels like there are a million different kinds of patterns on all the different looms when we go into the studio side of the building, that that really is all of them. That is reassuring news.

To demonstrate this, she passed out a collection of woven samples. When you look closely, you see that they all have the same design represented, but in some of them, that pattern shows up in white lace, while others have blue and white contrasting foregrounds and backgrounds, some are twill, some are overshot, etc.

Though the pattern remains the same, each of the blocks used could be made by choosing a different weave structure from this page, to create all the different effects:

Not only do the possibilities seem endless (though again, we are reminded that they are not!), it’s so exciting to know that you can just settle in to the ones you like, and even mix and match them.


Then in the afternoon, I worked on this red and orange shadow weave project:


And then one I had really been looking forward to, this rainbow twill:


One thing I’ve figured out so far is that I prefer the projects that only use 1 shuttle, as opposed to 2 different colors being passed back and forth, and the fact that you can still make 1-shuttle projects just as elaborate by relying on the pattern you use, and the colors you warp with, rather than weaving with 2 colors at once, which is exactly what’s going on here:

I can’t wait until I’m able to set up the warp for a project like this on my own!

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