The Hampshire Guild of

Weavers, Spinners & Dyers

Weaving - more information
Weaving is be made by the interlacing of threads. This simple fact can lead the weaver into an exciting world of discovery in terms of cloth construction and pattern design.
Card Weaving	A cardboard frame is used to support the weaving , weaving can be on one or both sides of the card. useful for making irregular shaped small pieces of cloth - photo shows incomplete piece of card weaving
Tablet Weaving	Weaving using tablets to arrange the warp threads. These can be made of wood, leather, card or plastic. They can be of various shapes, triangles, squares and hexagons are all popular. They have a hole in each corner through which a warp thread passes. The change of warp thread arrangement is achieved by rotating the tablets.
Tapestry Weaving	This weaving is used to make a picture, It is done on a frame with the weaver making the pattern with different colours of weft . the warp strings are moved individually by hand
Pegloom weaving	A series of pegs have small holes near their base, through which the warp thread is attached. The weaving is done on the pegs, When the pegs are 2/3 full of weaving they are removed one at a time from the frame and pulled through the weaving. gradually the warp threads are filled with the woven weft. This can be used for weaving with Fleece, roving and / or other bulky materials.

Glossary of Loom weaving terms

Two -way or rigid heddle loom	A very simple loom available in different widths. It is only capable of producing plain weave and has a set number of threads per inch/cm. You make the pattern with the arrangements and colours of your threads. An example on a rigid heddle in use
Four Shaft Looms	A loom capable of weaving a complex pattern. Available in different widths. It is possible to vary the number of threads to the inch/cm. It has 4 shafts each containing heddles . Each shaft can be raised or lowered independently.
Inkle Loom	These come either as table models or floor models. They are only suitable for narrow bands such as braids or belts although bands may be stitched together to make a wider piece.
Floor Looms	These come in many widths and different models with various numbers of shafts that are moved with treadles . It is easier to select once the weaver has some experience and knows the type of textile in which they are most interested
Heddles or Healds	These are made of metal, cotton or polyester with an eye in the centre through which a warp thread is passed. They keep the warp thread in the centre of the shaft, horizontally during weaving. When the shaft is raised so are all the threads which pass through the eyes of the heddles on that shaft This raised shaft has metal wire heddles This lowered shaft has cotton string heddles
Shaft	A structure which holds heddles and can be raised / lowered to make a 'shed' so the weft thread can be passed under/over the warp threaded through the heddles.
Stick Shuttles	Available in a variety of shapes an lengths. They are used for passing weft easily across the warp in weaving
Roller or Boat Shuttles	For passing the weft on a floor loom or if weaving a wide piece of fabric
Bobbin Winder	Required for winding bobbins to put into the above roller or boat shuttles
Raddle	Essential for spacing out the warp threads to the correct width and density on the back beam of the loom. Can be bought or even made by the weaver
Reed	A reed consists of a number of steel blades closely set between two bars. The reed serves several purposes: separating the warp threads, guiding the shuttle across the warp, beating the weft into place and most importantly determining the number of warp threads per inch/cm. A loom is usually supplied with one reed but extra ones can be bought in order to increase the range of densities available.
Reed Hook	Used for threading the warp threads through the reed
Cross Sticks or Lease Sticks	These are placed through the lease or cross in the warp and thereby keeps the warp threads in the correct order
Skein Holder or Swift	Useful for winding yarn purchased in a hank or skein
Threading Hook	Used for threading the warp threads through the heddle eyes
Spool Rack	For holding spools of yarn
Shed	The space, created when some warp threads are raised, in relation to others, through which the weft passes.
Warp	Threads that run from end to end of the cloth . They are put on the loom before you start weaving.
Weft	Threads that run from side to side of the cloth, at right angles to the warp.
Warp faced	Cloth with the pattern created with the warp threads on the surface .
Warping Frame	Used for making the warp. Every warp thread must be made the same length and the colours arranged in order in which they will appear on the loom.
Warping board	A warping board has a number of pegs so that the weaver can make warps of different lengths as required for the project in hand
Warping Posts	These are only suitable for small looms and small pieces of fabric. The posts are clamped to a table at the distance apart required for the warp
Warping Mill	This has adjustable pegs bars which enables the weaver to make shorter or longer warps i.e. 2 yards up to 24 yards. The mill is spun around which is a much quicker method of making a warp than on a frame
Plain weave	A fabric woven with both warp and weft threads equally visible on the surface
Twill	A weave pattern of diagonal bars.