8/13/2019 1-08_Selvedges

1/2 Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved. h a n d w o v e n m a g a z i n e . c o m1

Selvedges are the bane of beginningweavers. Whenever I look over anew students shoulder, I almost al-

ways hear these words: I know myselvedges are terrible! Or: I haventbeen worrying about my selvedges!

Actually, worryingabout selvedges isnot a good thing and can greatly dimin-ish your joy in weaving. Here are someways to create the conditions that will re-sult in perfect selvedges. They may notbe the only ways, but in twenty-ve years

of teaching, Ive found them to work best.

Ingredients for perfect selvedgesSmooth and even selvedges depend on sev-eral factorsall of which are important:the pull of the weft against the edgethreads, warp tension, weft angle, and shut-tle position if there is more than one weft.

The pull of the weftThe most satisfying weaving comes when

you can throw the shuttle rhythmicallyback and forth so that the pull of the weftagainst the edge threads is just right: nottoo tight so that the edges are pulled in,not too loose so that weft loops form.

In most cases, youll be using a boatshuttle with a rotating bobbin. When youthrow the shuttle through a shed, thethread becomes taut as it turns the bob-bin to unwind. If the drag of the bobbinis just right, it pulls the weft snugly againstthe selvedge. The less thread there is on

the bobbin, the more the bobbin turnsand therefore the greater the drag, so extraattention must be paid (a gentler throw)to avoid draw-in as the thread runs low.

So that the only drag on the thread isthe rotating bobbin, the thread must bewound evenly, smoothly, and tightly onthe bobbin (see Photo a). The tightlypart is critical. If the bobbin is woundloosely, as you throw the shuttle the un-winding thread will sink into the loose

threads (see Photo b), stop the bobbin,and yank on the selvedge.

Do not start by winding a lump at theends of bobbins with anges. Smooth andstraight is your goal. The unwinding threadwill catch on any lumps, stop the bobbin(Photo c), and yank on the edge threads.When the bobbin is full to the edge of theanges, continue winding only in the cen-ter, without overlling (Photo d).

Warp tension

If warp tension is too loose, the drag of the bobbin can pull in the edge threadseven if its unwinding smoothly. Almostalways, in fact, the warp should be woundvery tightly (and evenly) on the beamand held at rm tension during weaving.If the warp is loosely wound on the beam,pulling on any individual warp threadswill draw them tighter around the warpbeam, changing forever their tension inrelation to the other threads.

BEGINNERS CORNER Basics You Need To Know

On the edge

e. Tie on in small groups f. Large groups cause draw-in g. Edge threads are too loose h. Edge threads are too tight

a. Wind bobbins tightly and evenly b. Loosely wound weft will catch c. Lumps prevent unwinding d. Fill bobbins in the center

8/13/2019 1-08_Selvedges

2/2 Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved. h a n d w o v e n m a g a z i n e . c o m2m. Enter over a oating selvedge n. Exit under a oating selvedge o. Set temple length at the reed p. Inserting temple near the fell

i. Place the weft at an angle j. Bubble the weft for rugs k. Edge thread down, go under l.Edge thread up, go over

Tie the warp onto the front apron rodin small ( 1 2") groups (Photo e) at thesame width as the warp in the reed. Largegroups create draw-in and differences inwarp tension (Photo f). Make sure ten-sion is even on all the groups. If it is not,the fell will not be straight and the

selvedges affected (Photos g and h).

Weft angleEnough weft must be placed in the shed tobend over and under the warp threads (wefttake-up). How much depends on the in-terlacement and the thickness of the warpthreads. No allowance needs to be madefor warp rep since the warp does all thebending. Extra allowance must be made forweft-faced fabrics since the weft does all

the bending. For most fibers and inter-lacements, an angle like the one in Photoi will accommodate take-up (close the shedbefore beating to avoid pulling the weftstraight as you beat).

A weft angle steep enough to accom-modate take-up in weft-faced weaves wouldplace more extra weft at one side (wherethe shuttle exits). To distribute the weftevenly, bubble it by bringing it towardthe fell at places along its length (Photo j).

Shuttle positionSome 2-shuttle weaves (especially warprep and weft-faced rug weaves) producethe best selvedges if the shuttles are usedin a certain order and placed in certainpositions when they exit the shed. If theystart on the same side and the rst shut-tle is placed on the web and the secondon the bench beside you, the weft threadswill not wrap around each other at theselvedges. If they are placed in the oppo-site positions, they will.

Smooth selvedges in warp rep can beachieved if the thin weft follows the thickweft, both shuttles start on the same side,and the following steps are taken: Whenthe edge warp thread is down where thethin weft exits, pass its shuttle under the

thick weft (Photo k). When the edgewarp thread is up, pass the shuttle overthe thick weft thread (Photo l).

Other aidsFor weave structures other than plainweave, oating selvedges are a good wayto ensure that all weft threads pass aroundthe outermost warp threads. To make oat-ing selvedges: Add one warp end to eachside of the warp (they can be beamed with

the warp or not). Do not thread them inheddles, but sley them in the next emptydent on each side. Add a weight to eachone; a 23" S-hook works well. Slip a larkshead knot around the S-hook. (To repo-sition the hook, pull it out, pull out theknot, and retie.)

When you weave, always enter theshed over the floating selvedge and exitunder the oating selvedge on the otherside. (You can do the opposite, but thisway is easiest: Slide the shuttle into theshed over the oating selvedge. With yourother hand lift the floating selvedge onthe other side as you also catch the shut-tle; Photos mn.)

With some weaves, especially weft-faced ones, a temple is the best way to

prevent draw-in. Set the temple so thatthe base of its teeth are even with theedges of the warp in the reed (Photo o).The temple must never be more than3 41" away from the fell, so reposition itoften (Photo p). Pull the weft snuglyagainst the edge thread, but be sure tomaintain the usual weft angle or bubblethe weft. If you have to push hard to rein-sert the temple, you have not allowedenough weft in the shed. Madelyn