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DOUBLE-WIDTH DOUBLE-WEAVE

an Overview by Rosemarie Dion

Weaving double width allows a weaver to make a fabric twice as wide as the loom might ordinarily produce. This presents the possibility of creating blankets, table linen and broadcloth without seeking out a wider loom. Weavers have been weaving double width for centuries, often three or even four layers can be woven at one time. When drafting double width double weave there are some important rules to keep in mind. It is different from drafting other weave structures. When a double weave draft is completed the draw down makes little sense. To visualize the structure each layer must be drafted and drawn down on its own. For example here is the draft, tie-up and draw down for an 8 shaft twill that will become the top layer of a double width double weave. It is familiar and easy to understand.

Here is the bottom layer of that same double width double weave, you will notice that the twill has been reversed.

When this twill pattern is combined to become a double width double weave the resulting draft looks like this:

Two 8 shaft twills are combined to become a 16 shaft double width double weave. In this form it is easy to see how the layered weave is created. Notice that the twill I referred to as the top layer, is at the lower left of the tie-up. Look at the first pick, (at the top of the treadling sequence) the shafts it lifts in this top layer are l, 2, 5, and 8. The second pick now moves to the second twill I referred to as the bottom layer, it is at the top right of the tie-up. The shafts it lifts in this bottom layer are ALL OF THE TOP LAYER'S SHAFTS plus 11, 12, 14 and 15. And therein lies the secret of double width double weave. You weave the top layer and throw the shuttle from Right to Left, then weave ½ of the bottom layer, making sure all of the shafts of the top layer are out of the way and throw the shuttle from Left to Right, weave a pick for the second ½ of the bottom layer from Right to left. Examine the treadling. You move from Top to Bottom, Bottom, Top, Top, Bottom, Bottom, etc. In this way a fold appears on the left hand side of the fabric and an opening on the right. The double weave draw down bears no resemblance to either of the draw downs in the first two images.

Consider the threading. The top layer's twill threading is every other ODD shaft moving from shaft l to 13. The bottom layer's twill threading is every other EVEN shaft moving from 16 to 10. An easy way to be sure you have the correct sequence at the fold is to use translucent paper, draft the top layer in alternate columns. Then fold the paper so the upper threads fall in the blank columns, hold the paper up to a light source, and copy the draft into the blank columns. (Kathryn Wertenberger. An Introduction to Multishaft Weaving: 8, 12 . . . 20, 1988 Interweave Press. Pg 30.) (I found that wax paper does this nicely.)

Threading and treadling such a draft can be difficult. If you have a weaving program such as WeavePoint 5.3 there is a simple remedy. Simplify the entire draft by REANALYZING:

and, if you have a table loom or a dobby, create a lift plan:

You can rearrange double weave threadings and treadling without a complex computer program. Kathryn Wertenberger explains how this is done with simple cut and paste..

WEAVING A DOUBLE WIDTH DOUBLE WEAVE FABRIC

The Pit-falls and some solutions for DW DW:

As you weave you cannot see what is happening in the bottom layer, errors can occur and you won't know it until you remove the fabric from the loom.
Install a mirror in such a way that you see the shed is clear before you throw the shuttle. Check the bottom layer with a hand mirror every few inches. Place a thin, smooth stick between the layers and slide it around now and then to catch any stray ends.
The sett is very close, you are weaving two layers at the same time, this means that a finished fabric that has a sett of 15 needs a DW DW sett of 30.
Sample, sample, sample

Lifting top shafts out of the way plus ½ of bottom shafts in a fabric for a blanket, for example, can be hard work.
Try to develop a twill that will lift as few bottom shafts as possible, for example, a 5/4 twill will lift 5 of 8 shafts for the top and only 3 for the bottom.
The fold will show to some extent.
There are as many ways of weaving around the fold gracefully as there are weavers who weave dwdw. Many put a fine, slippery thread one dent out from the fold & go around it. Some people space out the threads at the fold a little more than the rest of the cloth to compensate for draw-in. Others use helper threads, slippery threads that will be threaded in the same heddles as the last eight threads and later pulled out.
Warp take-up can be a problem.
The bottom layer of the double woven cloth lies against the breast beam while the top layer goes over it. Tension may be tighter on the top layer, making beating the top layer difficult. This take-up problem might be overcome by the opposite problem occurring when the fabric reaches the cloth bean. Now the top layer sits below the bottom layer and will not have to travel as far around the beam as the other layer. On a long piece, there could be a tremendous difference in the take-up of the two layers as the weaving progresses. One solution might be to pin or sew the open edges of the dwdw together. If the weaving project is very long, two or three blankets for example, cutting each piece off as it is completed and retying the warp will ease the problem.
If you have an Auto-Advance system it won't work in the usual way with dwdw.
I found a noticeable space between the top and bottom layer picks if the AA is used. However, one person solved this problem to her satisfaction:Tie a string to the upper hook of the AA; beat one layer using the AA then throw the other pick and before you beat, pull the string to lift the hook so that the AA won't advance.

Solutions and suggestions have come from many different sources. The WeaveTech list was most helpful. A special thank you to Jacquie Kelly, Cynthia Williams, Judy Comfort, Angie Rockett, Jo Anne Ryeburn, Ingrid Boesel and the Fiberworks double weave feature, Leslie Voiers, Ruth Blau, Bonnie Inouye, Pat Marsh, Sara von Tresckow, Francie Alcorn and the many other on-line weavers who responded to my request for help with this project.