M & W Placemats Weaving Pattern
The pattern is featured in the “The Intentional Weaver” course with Laura Fry
In The Intentional Weaver course I wanted something more than plain weave and came up with this simple extended Ms and Ws which could be woven in a number of different ways. In the draft below it is woven in twill, as drawn in (the same treadling order as threading order). The floats at the selvedge are 5 ends which might feel too long for some people, so a floating selvedge can be added to either side.
The tie up is a standard 2:2 tie up which can be used to weave various different twill progressions, or the pattern could be woven in overshot with a thicker pattern yarn (about two times the size of the warp is the usual recommendation). The design could be woven as is, or the pattern treadles could be repeated to make different designs (see photos at right). It can be fun to experiment and see what happens when you change sequences.
Other weave structures can also be woven on this threading sequence although the tie up may need to be changed.
M&W Placemats by Laura Fry
Skill Level: Intermediate
Finished Measurements
- 15″ / 38 cm wide x 20″ / 51 cm long on loom, per mat
- 11.5″ / 29 cm wide x 17.5″ / 44.5 cm long after wet finishing
Yarn
Warp & Weft: 2 cones of Gist Yarn Beam 3 /2 organic cotton, 1 each in Pacific or Natural (Colour A, 720 yd/ 658 m warp colour) and Dawn or Aqua (Colour B, 457 yd/ 418 m weft colour) (630 yd / 576 m per 8 oz / 227 g cone; 100% organic cotton).
Equipment & Tools
- 4-shaft loom with a minimum 15″ / 38 cm weaving width
- 12-dent reed (sleyed one per dent)
- 1 shuttle and at least one bobbin, warping board, reed hook, heddle hook, tapestry needle, measuring tape
Structure
- Weave Structure: Ms and Ws twill
- Warp Length: 4 yd / 3.6 m long (includes 8 ” / 20 cm take-up, 38 ” / 97 cm loom waste; 18″ interstitial fringe)
- Warp Ends: 180 (plus 2 floating selvedges, if desired)
- Ends Per Inch (EPI): 12
- Picks Per Inch (PPI): 12
- Width in Reed: 15 ” / 38.1 cm
