(2023) Drawloom ABC – Vävstuga Weaving School

Explore the mystique of a drawloom in an intimate group of 3 students.
Focus on 1 loom for the week — optional additional days give you more time to finish.

Instructors: Becky Ashenden & Tonya Grant

Dates offered 2023: May 8–12, Jun 26–30, Nov 13–17

Check our Calendar if you’re curious about other classes held concurrently.

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Weaving on a drawloom is not complicated and can open up a whole new world of creativity. This 5-day session will take place at our rural 1850s Farmhouse Studio. Much of the fun of drawloom weaving is in choosing and combining patterns from our large collection—a perfect evening activity. The first day will be spent setting up the draw devices on looms that are already threaded and tied onto the front of the loom.

Choose A, B, or C for your primary project

Single unit drawloom
Opphämta
Shaft draw damask

(Project choice is first come, first served)

A – Single unit drawloom

Anything you draw on graph paper can translate into a stunning woven picture in damask. The single unit is the simplest of drawlooms.

One draw cord controls each unit of structure in the weave, giving you the opportunity to create free-form designs.

This warp will be beamed, threaded, and tied up before you get here. Your first day will be split between setting up the single unit draw cords on the loom and designing your masterpiece, using our extensive library of patterns to combine as you like.

Details

80 units
22/2 cottolin warp, doubled, chestnut (2018)
6 shaft satin
6 treadles
Width: 48 cm [80 cm Ideal]

B – Opphämta on the shaft drawloom

Watch repeated float patterns grow across the warp on a plain weave ground, using the shaft drawloom’s delightful little pull handles to raise the pattern shafts.

You’ll choose a pattern from our ample collection and/or learn how to design your own patterns.

This warp will be completely set up before you get here. You’ll join our student on loom C during day 1 to gain experience setting up the draw shafts.

Details

359 units
16/2 cotton warp, brass (104)
4 shafts
2 treadles (+ 4 optional rosepath treadles)
Width: 60 cm [80 cm loom]

C – Shaft draw damask

Produce pleasing and unique designs by weaving this 8 shaft satin damask with pattern shafts. Incorporating a border adds to the fun. With the 10–40 pattern shafts arranged in a point or points, you can create a multitude of beautiful symmetrical patterns. If the units are in a straight arrangement, non-symmetrical patterning is possible.

This warp will be beamed, threaded and tied up before you get here. Your first day will be split between setting up the draw shafts on loom and designing your masterpiece, using our extensive library of patterns to combine as you like. You will be joined by our student from loom B to set up the pattern shafts.

After a piece is woven, we may encourage you to collect all of the pattern heddles on one bar again, and re-divide them with a different pattern threading.

Pattern threading possibilities include straight, pointed, or block designs. Change the pattern threading midway through your weaving to unlock more possibilities.

Experienced drawloom weavers may want to try out the “Combination” system, which combines single unit patterning with the shaft draw system.

Details