Search for articles in published issues of WEFT Magazine. You can search by any or all of the options: author, word(s) in the title, word(s) in the description, issue topic, or article topics. Note that the article topics search will show results of articles that fit ALL of the selected topics.
Click the article title to open the single entry for that article (which makes it easier to read the description). Click the issue topic to find that issue in the WEFT shop.
Total Records Found: 70, showing 25 per page
A twill scarf like a hug using a handpainted warp on 8- or 12-shafts
Justin explains and teaches how to warp with multiple ends using historical method that he says may be tricky to pick up and can seem overwhelming at first. You might try it and want to go right back to winding with one end at a time. Learning a new skill can be hard, but once it clicks, you’ll save time and wear and tear on your body and join centuries of weavers from around the globe.
Justin, like pretty much every handweaver in the US today, was taught to insert packing between layers of warp, and he dutifully obeyed for hist first eighteen years of weaving. But as a studen of history and weaving, he’s found no mention of historical packing but instead a common technique for beaming a warp that doesn’t require any.
A step-by-step guide to warping back to front (just like Jane)
What is the best way to warp a loom? That’s an awesome question with many possible answers. We all learn to warp a loom from our very first weaving teacher, whether that be an in-person instructor, a book, or someone on the World Wide Web. Sometimes those experiences are great, and other times they leave us totally overwhelmed and in need of a stiff drink. Jane talks us through many many ways to warp a loom and encourages us all to find the way that works for us.
Yes, a warp can live forever and Madelyn shows you how in this step-by-step guide to tieing on a new warp to your old warp. Need a new threading? She cheekily suggests that you get a new loom.
This is a common instruction in many weaving projects and patterns, and one we often follow blindly. After all, if the instructions say so, there must be a reason to do so, right? Well, let’s talk a bit about floating selvedges, what they are, their advantages and disadvantages, and when they should and shouldn’t be added.
Threading a loom is one of the most exacting steps in the weaving process. It requires focus, patience, and a keen eye for detail. We all know scoring that trifecta isn’t always possible! This article covers identifying and fixing threading errors along with best practices to avoid them!
This stunning project uses supplemental warps but more than that, Deb explains her simple and fool-proof system for using a supplemental warp. She talks about when and how to weight it, how to know if you’re using too much or too little weight, how to winde and beam the warp, and how to thread (sitting at the front or the back). She gives basic rules and troubleshoots the process and finally, you get to weave a gorgeous turned monk’s belt pillow.
Sleying errors are some of the most demoralizing things that can go wrong while dressing a loom. As you’re weaving your header, finally getting ready to start your project after all the work of warping, beaming, and threading, you notice ends sleyed in the wrong order, or the wrong number in a dent. Now instead of throwing a shuttle, you have to stop, sigh deeply, and dig your sley hook back out. Luckily, sleying errors are often easy to fix. Here’s how to move past them to the weaving part of weaving as painlessly as possible. This article covers identifying and fixing sleying order errors denting errors, and missed threads.
A step-by-step photo guide to warping your loom front to back
Laura Fry explains what a warping valet is and why it could change your weaving life.
If we are going to weave on a table or floor loom, we need some way of measuring the warp threads so they are all the same length, under tension or not. The most common options are warping boards and warping mills. Let’s delve into what they are, their advantages and disadvantages, and which one is perfect for you.
Susans prefers warping back to front with a raddle, and she’s tried loads of methods to help her wind on warps over the years. Some worked OK, some not so great, and some were just messy (like using water bottles). Nearly everything she tried had issues that appeared while weaving – broken threads, tangles, uneven warp tension. Her current favorite is easy to use and produces perfect results consistently: athletic weights, attached after the warp ends are through the raddle. This article explains exactly how to use this method and why it works so well!
The shifting ratios of gradient warps make for stunning results, but the amount of effort required to wind them can be prohibitive, not to mention prone to error. The good news is that symmetrical gradients are ideal candidates for folded warps: you’ll save half the effort of all those color changes, plus the gradient will be symmetrical even if you miscount the number of ends in a stripe or get – ahem! – creative with the blending ratios. This stunning project will walk you through creating a folded warp (f2b or b2f) and you’ll create a gorgeous gradient towl.
Do you ever avoid projects with lots of stripes because of all the color changes? Have you ever missed or miscounted a stripe – or, worse yet, run out of yarn before finishing a warp – making your warp unintentionally asymmetrical? Do you want to speed up the process of winding a warp in the first place? If you answered yes to any of the above, then folded warps are for you!
Weaving temples are instantly recognizable tools valued by weavers throughout history and across cultures. Old as the hills and infinite in variety, temples have been immortalized in the medieval stained glass of Chartres Cathedral and Van Gogh’s paintings of Nuenen weavers at work in the 1880s. These days, new temples can be purchased easily online so that devotees might have in their collection one of every possible size, while avid connoisseurs scour antique shops and old barns for vintage examples. Wondering what all the fuss is about? This article discusses what a temple does, how (and when) to use it (step-by-step), and what to do if your temple causes distress!
Have you ever considered how the heddles on your loom affect your weaving? Often as new weavers we get a loom and are simply happy to use whatever came with it. However, the type of heddle on your loom can make both the threading process and your weaving either pleasant and simple, or difficult and frustrating. It’s important to have heddles that are suited to your loom, your materials, and you. This article covers: heddle types, which heddles work on which looms, managing your heddles, adding heddles, and division and balance.
A step-by-step photo guide to warping your loom back to front
We are talking about sett here. Sett relates to the number of ends per inch, compared to the number of picks per inch, in a woven cloth. If they have the same number, the cloth has a balanced sett, and if they are different, it has an unbalanced sett.
The difference in sett affects not only the appearance of the fabric, but also the handle and drape of a cloth. A balanced sett will give a flexible handle and drape. The further you move toward an unbalanced sett, the stiffer and less flexible the handle generally becomes.
Janet delves into weft beating and warp sett, weft take-up length (and how to figure it out), threading plans, selvedges, and leaves you with far fewer questions about balance in cloth!
In weaving, “denting” refers to the process of placing threads (or yarns) into the reed, a comb-like tool that is a part of the beater and helps maintain the spacing of the warp threads (density) on the loom. A reed has slots called dents and comes in a variety of dents per inch (most commonly 5, 6, 8, 10, 12) or dents per 10 cm (30/10, 40/10, 60/10). The process known as “sleying the reed” involves threading warp threads through these dents. Along with the dents per inch (dpi) of the reed, the number of threads sleyed in each dent affects the density and texture of the woven fabric. If more threads are placed in each dent, the fabric will be denser, and fewer threads per dent will result in a looser, more open weave.
When working with different yarns, sometimes the number of ends per inch (epi) is not an even multiple that works easily with the dpi in the reed(s) available to you. In that instance, you might have to sley a sequence of 1-2-2-2-2. Sometimes these “oddball” dents with a different number of threads remain visible in the finished fabric and sometimes they wash out. The question is, Is there a science to when and why some denting marks stick around and others wash out? This article explores that question and comes up with some valuable answers!
Colour is the focal point and main feature of this table runner. Sarah decided to maximise the effect by giving it a generous width, hopefully dressing the table with a wonderful and striking colour sweep. Her colours were inspired by a William Morris pattern, synchronised with a beautiful image by Sulamith Wülfing titled The Way. Using cottolin in 22/2, this table runner is fun and interesting to weave (using deflected double weave) and gorgeous on your table!
Finding the best sett for any project is a task most vexing to weavers. When the correct sett is used the cloth has balance, the weft moves into place easily with the beat, selvedges are neater and more manageable, and there is little pull-in. This article discusses the parameters of sett in general and how to find that elusive correct sett for plain weave. You’ll find information on how to get the right sett, different formulas you might use, and why it’s important.
Wondering how to use handweaving.net tools to spice up your weaving, this article walks you through exactly how to use the tool!
Selvedges are the bane of many a weaver’s existence, and they are particularly challenging for new weavers, who are trying to remember so many details while using their hands and feet in unfamiliar ways. I’m a big proponent of letting our tools do the work they are designed for and I believe that any weaver can achieve consistent selvedges with a few simple techniques.
This article covers tensioning your warp, handling the shuttle, finding the beat, getting the right amount of weft, touching or not touching your selvedges, advancing the warp, releasing tension, the sweet spot for weaving, and winding the perfect bobbin.