Learning to Like Twill

I'll confess that on the surface of things, I'm not a big fan of twill.

I just finished the plain weave section of Deborah Chandler's Learning to Weave and now I've graduated to twill.

My first reaction: "Yuck! Twill is so diagonal and pointy. People weave all kinds of weird-looking things with twill."


My second reaction: "Plus, jeans are made from twill. Why would I want to weave fabric that's the same structure we see all around us? I want to weave something more interesting."

So we're not off to exactly a promising start.

However, according to the Chandler book, twill is one of the most flexible woven fabrics, which is why so many garments are made from twill.

For the first exercise, she provides a draft like this, but says to customize it by adding more repeats of the center section if we like.



I decide I'll add 2 repeats - one slanting in the same direction, and one slanting in the opposite direction - and that I'll add those repeats in both the threading and the treadling.


I fiddle around with Fiberworks PCW for a few minutes, and am astonished at how quickly what seemed plain and boring starts to get more interesting. Even though this isn't balanced or beautiful, I'm going to weave it up as my next sample - hoping to learn more about twill.

Now I'm starting to see why some people love twill.

I quickly wound a short warp, and started dressing the table loom I brought home last week.


The other day Bhakti Ziek had a tip about tying lease sticks so the back stick is higher than the front stick. This is my second time warping with lease sticks, and I tried that tip about halfway through. It definitely helps so much!!

When the lease sticks are flat, it's really hard for me to see which thread comes next, but when the rear lease stick is raised, I can see the cross and see which thread to select next.


My adventures with twill are beginning. Even in this first exercise, I'm starting to see why some people find it so fascinating.