Dressing The Loom

Day 46: Dressing the loom, i.e., threading the warp through the heddles and reed, is arguably the most painstaking portion of weaving. For the sake of discussion, my readers should know that my loom is a four-harness model. In other words, there are four frames holding wire heddles and raising these frames creates the "shed" through which the shuttle is thrown. In plain ("tabby") weave, the pattern the threads create in the finished cloth is a simple over-and-under. To achieve this, the threads are pulled through the heddles in numerical order, repeating across the width of the work. By raising the heddles in frames one and three alternately with those in frames two and four, the weave develops. If an error is made in threading the heddles while dressing the loom, the mistake will be evident in the fabric.

After the threads have been drawn through the heddles, they are also pulled through the reed, a rigid metal separator held in the beater bar. Again, strict order must be observed. Once the threading is completed, the warp bundles are tied off in front of the beater and the leash sticks are removed from the warp. The warp bundles are then tied to the cloth (front) roller keeping an even tension throughout.

The next step is what you've been waiting for: WEAVING!