4 shaft overshot patterns free sample

I learned to weave on 8-shaft looms, so I went out and bought an eight-shaft loom, bought a book of eight-shaft patterns, and wove for several years without ever thinking about what could be done with four shafts. And then I bought a copy of Marguerite Porter Davison"s Handweaver"s Pattern Directory, full of 4-shaft loom weaving patterns, and was blown away by the possibilities. My creativity works best within parameters, so I welcomed the challenge of working with four shafts. But as I learned more about weaving, I began to see that the possibilities for creative cloth go far beyond patterning; with weave structure, color, texture, oodles of yarn choices, supplemental warps and wefts, and all the combinations thereof, I realized that four shafts present few boundaries and almost limitless possibilities. I also came to realize that some of the loveliest cloth is simple, working within one or two dimensions to produce something deeply satisfying.

There"s so much you can accomplish with just four shafts! 4-shaft loom weaving opens the door to weaving with great technique. And you won"t believe what you can accomplish: color and weave effects, twill, huck, lace, overshot and more!

In honor of the amazing, versatile four-shaft loom, we compiled four beautiful free 4-shaft loom weaving projects, available to you in this downloadable eBook. See the possibilities of 4-shaft weaving come to life with these patterns for handwoven dish towels and napkins.

Towels are a perennial favorite weaving project, because each towel on any given warp can be woven with a different weft color, treadling, or stripe sequence to create a varied but coordinating towel set. Handwoven towels make perfect gifts, too; everyone can always use more towels. This project will teach you the basics of weaving twill towels on a four-shaft loom.

Towels make an ideal format for studying different weave structures. Patterned borders and lace textures are yours for the experimenting! Practice overshot and turned monk"s belt in the two towels included in this eBook. These towels were selected from a project where a weaving study group wove a different towel every month for a year. Project includes tips for your own weaving study group!

Marianna Castellaw‎4-Shaft Weaving 1 hr · Bertha Gray Hayes, overshot- 1940s, Jitterbug. 8/2 warp, 8/2 tabby weft, 5/2 pattern weft. Another dishtowel sample while looking for my bedspread draft. Still looking but I like the dishtowels. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=477292665768342

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.

4 SHAFT KIT:  Enough yarn to make 4 delightful plaid towels: two woven in plain weave, and two woven in rosepath pattern.  Includes 4 shaft instructions.  The finished sizes of the towels are approximately 18” x 26”.

With COVID-19 I lost my opportunity to demonstrate handweaving to the public by letting the new weavers try the looms for themselves, and have retreated into my studio. While being in the studio, I decided that I could once again concentrate on historic research and drafting of contemporary versions of old patterns. I discovered that many of the designs I had created earlier in my career were no longer accessible because of the software going out of production, or becoming so expensive you needed to be a production weaver to be able to afford it. I have been dedicating my free time to capturing what data I could from these drafts and I will be transferring them into a more usable format for future generations to enjoy. As I complete the task I will post them to the website. I can not list them for free, because I need to cover sample production and web hosting hosting costs.

I have both 8 shaft looms, a computer-dobby  24 shaft loom, and a very large drawloom. I design for all three types of looms. In the shop I have decided to mark the number of shafts needed for a draft at the top of the description so as not to disappoint a weaver. You will know what you purchasing before you hit the download button. I also also elected to include weaving software files and manual draft files in the same draft archive packages so that people no longer have to choose one or the other.

A few more words about the work I believe I can deliver to the public. I like to design drafts and weave it before I post it to ensure accuracy, but at this point some days I do more designing than weaving. I think I would like to work out a system with a fellow weaver(s), I would like to see I if can afford to pay a weaver to weave samples of these designs that I can post on the website and give credit for the work that was done. I have no worries if you determine that you would like to weave the design for production and sell items. I am aware that drafts can not be copyrighted, and so will not chase you down if you use a my design for sale in your shop. As I have mentioned before, it is not my intent to be a production weaver. If a weaver were interested in this type of arrangement, I would ask that you email me directly with what your financial requirements might be for making samples and what type of loom (mostly number of shafts) you are using for sampling. Sample sizes should be 10″ x 10″  or larger if the draft  requires it for a full repeat. I am interested in high contrast samples so that it is clear to the weaver what is happening between the warp and weft threads.

If I offer an handwoven item in my shop for sale it is most likely to be a one of kind – if it is not, the size of the edition will be stated. I have no desire to weave long warps of the same pattern. It slows me down once I have solved the design problem, I like to move on to the next. I like efficiency, but I am far more likely to want to achieve accuracy, especially in complex structures. I have been known to weave,  unweave and rethread multiple times until I get the loom to match the draft. I spend more time finding ways to warp and weave better. I am known to innovate. If someone asks me how long it took to weave this particular item, it is hard to answer directly because I have to determine if should I tell you about all of the samples I made before I achieved success. (Again, note, I am not a production weaver). What will make my hand woven gifts special is you can be certain that you will not find another one just like it anywhere. When I use my looms I use them as close to their full capability as possible. My personal patterns are complex on purpose, I have a special hand loom, a 100 shaft combination drawloom and I like to show what it can do. To purchase a handwoven piece from me, pricing includes the cost of overhead for maintaining full weaver’s studio, time spent learning about weaving, the cost of materials and fact the item is unique. Your purchase dollars support my research efforts directly. I reinvest my profit dollars into the website and new weaving history research opportunities.

I have been researching extensively for the past couple of yearsMary Meigs Atwater’s Shuttle Craft Guild – Lessons and her American Handweaving Book. Many of the documents I am working from are now in the public domain because their initial publication was 100 years ago, and are even more significant because they are her attempts to record information that was sent to her from other hand weavers throughout the United States. These items are truly meant to be preserved for the public because they came from the public. Since their initial publication, draft notation standards for these structures and patterns have changed significantly, usually it requires a bit of detailed reading to learn how to read the drafts from the manuscript.

I have taken the time to record some of the larger coverlet radiating overshot pattern drafts in profile draft form making them more accessible to weavers who use drafting software. From the profile you can try different structures, colors and layouts to find a design that is pleasing to you. I have built instructions that show you how the draft is composed and how it can be modified. I would like to think of it as giving you design components more than a formal project plan. If you want the formal project plan approach use the Woven as Drawn in instructions. My goal in my presentation is to increase your understanding so that you can design your own projects and not not to restrict you to copying standardized patterns.

I added an eBook/PDF and draft package for Radiating Overshot Patterns  – Sunrise, Blooming Leaf, Bow Knot and the Double Bow Knot. These designs include full drafts, profile drafts and woven as drawn-in drafts. This is the link to purchase the draft archive and the instruction ebook: https://historicweaving.com/wordpress/product/radiating-patterns-for-historic-overshot/

The Radiating Patterns ebook shows you how the drafts are related, the Draft Archive catalog details all of the profiles for easy reference to file names, and there are more than 68 drafts in the package. Included are the Lee’s Surrender, Sunrise and Blooming Leaf coverlets drafts. These drafts are the Series IV groups a,b,c and d – radiating patterns. From Mary Atwater’s original work combined with any examples I could find in digital museum collections that had no accompanying drafts with them.

Completion of the documentation of the reticule from the Montana Historical Society Museum. Can be woven on a 4 shaft loom. The structure is Honeysuckle Twill.

A contemporary version of the Lee’s Surrender draft, using a unit tie weave that can be woven on 6 shafts. In this archive there are colored versions of Lee’s Surrender as found in museum collections.

Overshot is an intricate weave structure in which pattern weft “shoots over” a grounded plain weave cloth to create a huge range of patterns. From undulating waves to dashing circles, the weaver can create complex patterns on only 4 shafts. This weave structure has been used all over the world, but developed most widely in Appalachian coverlets and table linens during early colonial America. In this class, students will learn more about this beloved weave structure and weave their own overshot table runners, placemats, or samples using cotton and wool on 4 shaft floor looms. Explore blending colors, manipulating patterns, and practicing weaving this two shuttle weave structure. No weaving experience is necessary, but some experience is helpful.

I am attempting some upholstery fabric for the first time and decided on Brassard 8/2 cottolin for the warp and Harrisville Shetland for the weft. The structure is “Waldenweave” from Bertha Gray Hayes collection of miniature overshot…. I am developing a “thing” for overshot and really like all aspects of it.

Ask most people what “overshot,” and most weavers think of American colonial weavers and their coverlets. While coverlets are represented here, this collection also includes projects that dazzle with color, drape with luscious softness, and take overshot in new directions. Scarves and shawls, runners (for table and floor), tablecloths and clothing—all appear in this comprehensive collection. Overshot, even in its colonial interpretation, was a miracle weave, allowing unbelievable patterning on only four shafts. Add to pattern the use of color and fine and luxurious yarns, and you’ll start your own love affair with overshot. This is the second eBook on overshot (see also A Baker"s Dozen: Top Projects in Overshot eBook)

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.