4 shaft overshot patterns for sale

I never really thought of using different colors for overshot before, but after feeling inspired by a group discussion, I decided to try it! I like it a lot and will probably do it again. The warp is pink, yellow, and blue. The tabby weft is the same rotation of pink, yellow, and blue, while…

Woven by Rachel SnackWeave two overshot patterns with the same threading using this downloadable weave draft to guide you. This pattern features the original draft along with one pattern variation. Some yarns shown in the draft are available to purchase in our shop: 8/2 cotton, wool singles, 8/4 cotton (comparable to the 8/4 linen shown).

please note: this .pdf does not explain how to read a weaving draft, how to interpret the draft onto the loom, or the nuances of the overshot structure.

As always, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. One of the members of my online weaving group on Our Unraveled indicated that she would like to make towels in the Lee’s Surrender overshot draft. Now Lee isn’t easy. It may be only a 4-shaft overshot draft, but it combines several elements, has a wicked border and isn’t for the faint of heart. Or at least isn’t for beginning weavers. The good news is that it is in Marguerite Porter Davison’s A Handweaver’s Pattern Book. The original book is from the 50’s and the draft is written out in the older format, but it still manageable. (Hint: beware of getting a new version of the book. I’ve heard that it has been gutted and has maybe half the drafts of the earlier editions.)

I don’t know where the original draft came from. In the book Davison says that it is adapted from an earlier pattern. Since weaving drafts, like quilt patterns, are frequently named for historical events, I assume this one is truly named for Lee’s Surrender of the Confederate troops at Appomattox Courthouse. If so, that would place it in the late 1800’s. The border is based on the Blooming Leaf pattern that appears in other overshot drafts, and this gives the border its intricate, eye-appealing size. The tables that form the center design are themselves quite simple – a star design commonly found in overshot. However, they allow the piece to be wider or narrower at the weaver’s discretion simply by adding or removing repeats.

I volunteered to make the draft for the requested towels and post it to the group. I also suggested that we use it as an overshot weave-a-long or WAL. Several people agreed and I think we’ll get going on the first of September. I was able to find the original notes and WIF (Weaving Information File) I entered when I made the place mats. I hadn’t finished the treadling diagram, but it wasn’t hard to finish up. I did all the calculations for two towels and wrote up the instructions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test the towels prior to releasing the PDF. I’m hopeful that everything is fine and I didn’t make any mistakes. I suppose we’ll see.

This item is included in the Handwoven Library! View Overshot Pot Holders Weaving Pattern Download and hundreds of other resources included with Handwoven subscriptions.

If overshot intimidates you, these pot holders are a great way to start! Pot holders are a great format for overshot. One pattern repeat fits neatly into a pot holder"s size. Use them to decorate your kitchen- or as a perfect hostess gift. The fun part of weaving is to take an idea, try it out, and then do it your own way!

Our wide range of 4-shaft weaving patterns are perfect for beginner, intermediate and advanced weavers—we have something for everyone. Learn how to create woven kitchen towels, scarves, table runners, cowls, tops, ponchos, cloth, and rugs—all suitable for a table loom or floor loom with four shafts.

Every 4-shaft weaving pattern comes with a weaving draft, which is shown in the PDF pattern, and also delivered as a .wif file for people who use weaving draft software.

Pattern is designed to use our Organic cottolin (Cotolin) to weave 4 placemats- finished size 14"X20", 4 napkins 14"X14" and a runner with a finished size 14"X38". Requires an 8 shaft loom, 24 epi, 15" wide. 1 tube each of our 4 Ruby Anniversary colors Vendor item: HYPattern

Related items:15 3/4" 8 shaft loom, 12 dent reed double sleyed, shuttles, 4 bobbins. Pattern gauge: 12 dpi Yarn weight: Lace Yardage needed:1 tube each of 4 colors. We used 2 reds 5096 & 5116, and 2 purples 8264 & 5153.

This post is the third in a series introducing you to common weaving structures. We’ve already looked at plain weave and twill, and this time we’re going to dive into the magic of overshot weaves—a structure that’s very fun to make and creates exciting graphic patterns.

Overshot is a term commonly used to refer to a twill-based type of weaving structure. Perhaps more correctly termed "floatwork" (more on that later), these textiles have a distinctive construction made up of both a plain weave and pattern layer. Requiring two shuttles and at least four shafts, overshot textiles are built using two passes: one weaves a tabby layer and the other weaves a pattern layer, which overshoots or floats, above.

Readers in the United States and Canada may be familiar with overshot textiles through woven coverlets made by early Scottish and English settlers. Using this relatively simple technique, a local professional weaver with a four-shaft loom could easily make a near-infinite variety of equally beautiful and complex patterns. If you’d like to learn more about overshot coverlets and some of the traditions that settlers brought with them, please see my reading list at the bottom of this article!

As it is twill-based, overshot will be very familiar to 4 shaft weavers. It’s made up of a sequence of 2-thread repeats: 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, and 1-4. These sequences can be repeated any number of times to elongate and create lines, curves, and shapes. These 2-thread repeats are often referred to as blocks or threading repeats, IE: 1-2 = block 1/A, 2-3 = block 2/B.

There are three ways weft appears on the face of an overshot cloth: as a solid, half-tone, or blank. In the draft image I’ve shared here, you can see an example of each—the solid is in circled in blue, the half-tone in red, and the blank yellow. Pressing down the first treadle (shafts 1 and 2), for example, creates solid tones everywhere there are threads on shafts 1 and 2, half-tones where there is a 1 or 2 paired with 3 or 4, and nothing on the opposite block, shafts 3 and 4. Of course, there’s not really nothing—the thread is simply traveling on the back of the cloth, creating a reverse of what’s on the face.

Because overshot sequences are always made up of alternating shafts, plain weave can be woven by tying two treadles to lift or lower shafts 1-3 and 2-4. When I weave two-shuttle weaves like overshot, I generally put my tabby treadles to the right and treadle my pattern picks with my left foot and my tabby with my right. In the draft image I’ve shared above, I’ve omitted the tabby picks to make the overarching pattern clearer and easier to read. Below is a draft image that includes the tabby picks to show the structure of the fabric.

Traditional overshot coverlets used cotton or linen for warp and plain weave wefts, and wool pattern wefts—but there’s no rule saying you have to stick to that! In the two overshot patterns I’ve written for Gist, I used both Mallo and Beam as my pattern wefts.

In the Tidal Towels, a very simple overshot threading creates an undulating wave motif across the project. It’s easy and repetitive to thread, and since the overshot section is relatively short, it’s an easy way to get a feel for the technique.

The Bloom Table Squares are designed to introduce you to a slightly more complex threading—but in a short, easy-to-read motif. When I was a new weaver, one of the most challenging things was reading and keeping track of overshot threading and treadling—but I’ve tried to make it easy to practice through this narrow and quick project.

Overshot works best with a pattern weft that 2-4 times larger than your plain weave ground, but I haven’t always followed that rule, and I encourage you to sample and test your own wefts to see how they look! In the samples I wove for this article, I used 8/2 Un-Mercerized Cotton weaving yarn in Beige for my plain weave, and Duet in Rust, Mallo in Brick, and Beam in Blush for my pattern wefts.

The Bloom Table Squares are an excellent example of what weavers usually mean when they talk about traditional overshot or colonial overshot, but I prefer to use the term "floatwork" when talking about overshot. I learned this from the fantastic weaver and textile historian Deborah Livingston-Lowe of Upper Canada Weaving. Having researched the technique thoroughly for her MA thesis, Deborah found that the term "overshot" originated sometime in the 1930s and that historical records variably called these weaves "single coverlets’ or ‘shotover designs.’ Deborah settled on the term "floatwork" to speak about these textiles since it provides a more accurate description of what’s happening in the cloth, and it’s one that I’ve since adopted.

Amanda Ratajis an artist and weaver living and working in Hamilton, Ontario. She studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design University and has developed her contemporary craft practice through research-based projects, artist residencies, professional exhibitions, and lectures. Subscribe to herstudio newsletteror follow her onInstagramto learn about new weaving patterns, exhibitions, projects, and more.

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Weave Valley Yarns Summer Elegance Runner designed by Anita Thompson for summer, or any season. The 8-shaft overshot design, with its beautiful borders, is rich with color and pattern. Another nice touch is the backing, woven on the same warp, that gives a polished finish.Equipment: 8 shaft loom, 18-inch minimum width, 2 shuttles, 4 bobbins, temple, sewing machine, matching green sewing threadWarp Yarn: Valley Yarns 10/2 Cotton (100% Mercerized Cotton; 4200 yds/lb): #5604 Willow Green 1068 yds, #2574 Heather 194 yds, #7198 Burnt Sienna 476 ydsWeft Yarn:Valley Yarns 10/2 Cotton: #5604 Willow Green 1,277 yds, # 2574 Heather 27 yds, # 7198 Burnt Sienna 66 yds; Valley Yarns 5/2 Cotton (100% Mercerized Cotton, 2100 yds/lb): #1089 Alabaster 675 ydsWarp Length: 4 yds of 431 ends (consider putting on an additional ⅓ yd for sampling)Sett: 24 epi (2/dent in a 12–dent reed); Weft: 46 ppi (tabby and pattern together)

This book is a great pattern book compiled from patterns sent in by the Friends of Handwoven. Variations on twills, complex overshot, crackle, lace and huck, double weave and shadow weave all abound in this satisfying collection of complete weaving drafts in the style of the classic 4-harness collection of Marguerite Davison. For those moments to study something new are diversified plain weaves, extended twills, unit weaves, piquet multiple tabby, and more.