Common Weave Name: Twill

MAFA2019-067

I did a straight tabby weave hem for approximately 1-1.5 inches at the beginning and end of the towel. I used a weft that was laceweight in order to have a hem that was flatter when I folded it over twice.

MAFA2019-059

Really enjoyed Tom Knisely’s “Weaving on a Straight Eight” class taken during the 2017 MAFA conference. Wanted to weave something from his class booklet and chose the pattern ‘Ribs of Twill and Plain Weave’. It’s a nice easy piece to weave, and the treadling is super simple on a floor loom, just 1,2,3,4. The threading is also super easy, being a straight 8.

This pattern makes a great dishtowel, very thirsty so it works beautifully. I used 20 epi with 8/2 cotton because I find this makes an absorbent dishtowel.

I warped 20 inches wide in reed and wove 34″ in length. 1″ hem at each end – twice folded hem, hand stitched with cotton sewing thread. Washed and dried twice in washing machine on warm, and dryer on regular heat. Size of finished towel: 17″ x 27″.

MAFA2019-056

I started out with Strickler #246, and as I was working with two different shades of red in the weft, I realized how much it reminded me of watermelon. I decided to add some lines in shades of green to represent the rind, along with the reds in the center (and the little bits of black like seeds).

MAFA2019-053

This was a warp and project that was my first exploration of a complex (for me) gamp.

While a newer weaver, and always trying new things, I loved working on a twill sampler with friend and weaving mentor Jane Stafford via her Canadian Online Guild. The resulting gamp for this set of four towels was inspired by Cally Booker’s step-by-step instructions and used some of my favorite colors. The project sampling on a Guild loom was great fun!

There is a band of mixed colors in the center of the towel that is playful, but I would not include that again…love the playful darker bands that are two colors interacting with each other.

Editor’s Note: Since we are missing a photo of Bethany’s towel, the green photo here is courtesy of Cally Booker. See Cally’s website at https://weavingspace.co.uk/blog/designing-a-twill-gamp-part-1/

Also, note, the draft here is a generic gamp draft.

MAFA2021-051

This design was inspired by 200 Patterns for Multiple Harness Looms by Russell E. Groff (1979).

Calculated as follows:

Weaving width 20″
EPI: 20
400 warp ends, but I calculated 405 warp ends to balance the design. I added 2 floating selvages at each side.

Shrinkage: 15%; used machine wash delicate cycle

MAFA2021-043

A temple is most useful to prevent draw-in. You can make a coordinated set of towels on the same warp, having fun varying weft colors and block sizes.

480 ends
Sett 2 per dent in a 12-dent reed
Wet finished
Hemmed, hand-stitched

Love this cottolin!

MAFA2021-047

This towel was woven on a long warp of 496 threads in a 2 block design. Each block uses 8 shafts in a straight threading. I used several tie-ups to vary the look of each towel, and even included a tabby with one or two of them in the treadling.

I love towels with hanging loops, so I wove a narrow band on an inkle loom to sew into the hem. The threads on this are 10/2 cotton, with 8/2 color accents matching some of the weft colors.

MAFA2021-049

This towel was washed in the machine, dried in the dryer, ironed with steam and hand hemmed with cotton thread. Other notes on making the towel are included in the WIF. I might sett it a tad closer next time—22-24 epi. It offers a great opportunity for designing with color and for putting together colors that one might be uncomfortable using together!