Basic Weaving Components and Make Up
Weaving in its most basic and elemental form, is a method of fabric production that interlaces two distinct threads (a thread is a yarn made specifically for use in a machine. Yarn itself comes from the Old English Gearn ) at a right angle.
The longitudinal threads are called the Warp and the horizontal threads are known as the Weft or Woof. This is important…if you only learn one thing…this should be it!! The word Weft comes from the Old English wefen meaning “that which is woven”.
The
manner in which these threads are woven affect the qualities that the
fabric has and its is this (the way that it is woven) that is known as
the weave. The drape of the cloth , that’s is how the fabric lays
and conforms on complex or uneven surfaces is primarily determined by
the weave used. Another outcomes of the weave style include smoothness, its susceptibility to crimping and the level of porousness.
Although there are many methods for weaving, the coming of the Industrial age introduced the loom (a machine which holds the Warp threads and interweaves the Weft threads). In a Loom, one Warp thread is called an End and one Weft thread is called Pick.
The
Warp threads are held in place through an eye called a Heddle. The Warp threads are raised and lowered using a harness which controls the
heddles. The harnesses themselves can be regulated via various systems
such as Cams, Dobbies or a Jaquard head. This raising and lowering of
the Warp threads via a mechanised system allowed for many more types of weave, most of which
were developed in the 19th Century in Northern English Mills…which
leads us nicely into a brief history of Weaving!!
A Brief History Of European Weaving
Early History
Although
evidence has emerged suggesting that weaving may be as old as 9000
years old, by 3600 B.C.E it had become commonplace within the Fertile
Crescent, with Flax (a linen) being the dominant yarn. By 2000 B.C.E Wool
had replaced Flax for other cultures using a weaving system.
The
Weaving of Silk had become a developed skill first in China around 2700
B.C.E before moving onto Korea around 200 B.C.E and finally Japan as
late as 300 A.D.
Silk Squares from yours truly!
Medieval Weaving
By
700 A.D. weaving had spread around the globe, including Islamic
innovations such as tread peddle loom, which allowed for a peddle to
operate the heddles. In Africa, the politics of fabrics began to appear,
as the light Cotton was for wealthier people and Wool for the poorer.
Medieval
Europe also had distinctions of class denoted by cloth. Due to the
colder climes of Europe it was the diametric opposite of Africa, with
wool for the richer person and linen and nettle cloth for the lower
classes.
Introduction into Europe
Cotton was
introduced to Sicily and Spain in 800 A.D. Cotton diffusion to the rest
of Europe via Northern Italy came with the Norman conquest of Sicily
in the 11th century. With the introduction of horizontal looms into
Europe in the 10th and 11th Centuries and the proliferation of weaving,
the art moved away from a family based rural practice to a specialized
urban product. Guilds were developed to regulate the craft and trade,
such as London’s oldest company, the Weavers Guild which was founded in
1130.
In the 13th century a systematic change came about with
the introduction of the ‘putting out’ system. Under the new system
merchants would provide wool to the weavers who would then sell it back
to the merchants. The supply of wool and the industry as a whole became
dominated by the merchants. In East England this prosperity was
reflected in the emergence of wool towns such as Norwich and Burt St
Edmunds. Wool had once again become a political issue.
The Huguenots
Flanders
had established itself as a centre of the fabric trade by dint of its
merchant prowess, with certain Flanderers moving to England as early as
the 11 Century setting up the Wool business in Worstead. Louis XI had
designated Lyon as the centre fro the silk industry in France by Royal
Decree in the late 15th Century. With the religious persecutions of the
late 17th Century, 50,000 Huguenots moved to Britain, move specifically
to Spittlefields in London and the traditional home of silk weaving in
the UK - Macclesfield - a tradition which remains intact today, bringing
with them their superior weaving skill and international trade links.
A Huguenot weaving from 1830
The Industrial Revolution
It
is hard to overstate the importance of the Industrial revolution to the
weaving process. In 50 short years, the fabric industry went from being a
niche, craft based product to a mechanised large scale behemoth, with
towns and cities of unprecedented scale growing up around the industry.
The History of Industrial weaving needs its own in depth article….but we will do our best to present a concise overview here.
The
first innovation came in 1733, with John Kay’s flying shuttle. Before
this, wide looms often needed an expensive apprentice to help the
shuttle get to the end of the loom. This allowed for not only a
reduction in staff, but also a vast increase in the size of the loom.
Other
key figures and innovations included The Cartwright Brothers, who
mechanised the actual weaving process between 1785 - 1792. By the early
19th Century the process power weaving had become commonplace and by the
1850′s it had become semi - automate, and Joseph Marie Jacquard who developed the Jacquard Loom.
The new scale of
production was a catalyst for the growth of the mill towns in the north
of England such as Stockport and Manchester, as well as further
technical and scientific progress, via the necessity of metal works for
the looms and chemical alternatives to expensive natural dyes which
drove the burgeoning chemical industry of the latter 19th Century (and perhaps even the computer. Charles Babbage was much inspired by the system used in the Jacquard loom).
The Industrial Revolution took Weaving from this
to this……
Types of Weave (and a few fabric examples!!)
Basketweave also known as Panama
An
all round fabric, it is known for its distinctive chequered
patterning, formed by a basic criss-crossing of more than one thread.
This method is also known as a Panama weave and is used for light/mid weight woollen suiting.
Charvet
Named
after the eponymous label, this fabric is known for its striped double
ribbed texture. Traditionally made from silk, its has a very soft handle
and shiney appearance. In the USA the term has an expanded meaning to
include any silk shirtings.
Dobby (see also Pique - also a dobby fabric)
The
derivation of the word Dobby is a corruption of Draw Boy - the boy who
used to control the warp thread. Dobby cloth refers to the loom upon which it was produced. Often containing a geometric pattern,
this fabric is also commonly used in Polo Shirts as well as shirting.
Lampas
Not
often seen any more, this luxury fabric is often woven in silk. The
background weave is often Taffeta (from the Persian for Twisted Fabric),
with a supplementary pattern laid on top.
Oxford
A
common casual shirting material made with a basket weave, the Oxford is
often gets it checked appearance via the use of a white thread. The
Oxford can be further categorised into three styles, from least to most
formal as below:
Plain Oxford
- The least formal it has a coarse texture and often uses a heavier
thread and a looser weave than the more formal versions of the Oxford.
Pinpoint Oxford - Similar to the plain Oxford, the Pinpoint commonly uses a finer thread and a higher thread count.
Royal Oxford - This Oxford does not use the simple basket weave of the other Oxford cloths and has a distinctive elaborate weave. This cloth like the other Oxfords irons well and is also resistant to creasing.
Pile Weave
This
technique actually encompasses many textiles in use within the garment
industry today, including Velvet and Corduroy, but employs the same
basic idea throughout. The basic method employs looping the warp thread
over a metal rod. When the rod are removed the pile can either remain
(as in a Terrycloth) or be sheared (as in Velvet or Corduroy - essentially a
ribbed velvet).
Pique
Developed
in Lancashire and using cotton, the Pique weave was an attempt to
imitate quilting from Marseilles (hence its alternative name of Marcella -
a corruption of Marseilles). Often associated with white tie attire,
its ridges hold more starch and therefore produce a stiffer front.
Plain Weave
Poplin - an example of a plain weave
One
of the three most fundamental weaves (along with Twill and Satin), a
balanced plain weave (as opposed to a basket weave which is a riff on a
plain weave) is a fabric in which the warp and weft are made of threads
of the same weight and the same number of ends per inch as picks per
inch. Fabrics made from this weave include but is not limited to Poplin,
taffeta, grosgrain and chiffon. Plain weaves generally have good
stability but are prone to crimping.
Satin Weave
The
name Satin is a derivative of the the Chinese town Quanzhou via its
Arabic name Zayton. In essence a modified Twill (see below), with Satin
produces a very flat, very well draped fabric. The satin weave also
allows for a very tight weave and has a very shiney lustre to it.
Twill
Twill
is one of the primary weaves of garment construction, and encompasses a
wide range of fabrics including Denim, Tweed, Chino and Gabardine. The
Twill weave is formed by a series of diagonal ribs formed by the Warp
thread being passed under then over two or more Weft threads. A step is
employed to create the characteristic diagonal orientation. Due to the
method of construction, Twills have a front and back side, unlike a
Plain weave that has the same finish on both sides.
Leno weave
This
technique produces a sheer but durable fabric. Manufactured by
entwining two Warp yarns around the Weft, the technique also encompasses
the Japanese Karamiori cloth.
Thus concludes our basic guide to weaving. We do hope you enjoyed. Look out for further posts elucidating the qualities and etiquette’s of different fabrics, as well as a closer look at the many facets of wool. See you next time!!