Ask Madelyn


Ask Madelyn: The Lowdown on Lease Sticks

How should you position lease sticks for threading?

Ask Madelyn: Two Shafts vs Second Rigid Heddle

Two heddles on a rigid-heddle loom are not the equivalent of two shafts on a 4-shaft loom. It takes one heddle on a rigid-heddle loom to produce plain weave; whereas it takes two shafts on a 4-shaft loom.

Ask Madelyn: Doubleweave, Part 3: Stitched Double Cloth

In this third part of Madelyn's description of the different types of doubleweave, she addresses stitched double cloth.

Ask Madelyn: Clean Selvedges with Fishing Line?

Is using fishing line the solution to better selvedges? Madelyn weighs in.

Ask Madelyn: Weaving Overshot on a Small Loom

What's the best approach to weaving a coverlet when you have a narrow loom?

Recreating Herringbone on a 16-Shaft Loom

I recently saw some blankets for sale with a really broad version herringbone, a kind of magnified or giant herringbone with each stripe several threads thick. Could you please explain how (or if!) I might re-create this on a 16-shaft loom?

Ask Madelyn: End-Feed Shuttle vs. Boat Shuttle

What are the advantages of an end-feed shuttle over a boat shuttle? Are they worth purchasing?

Ask Madelyn: Weaving Plain Weave and Twill on an 8-Shaft Loom

You can weave plain weave and twill on 6 shafts, by using 4 shafts for the twill and 2 for the plain weave.

Ask Madelyn: Converting Twill Pattern into Doubleweave

There isn’t a specific tie-up and treadling order for doublewide weaving; it depends on your threading (the weave structure you are producing, and the way you choose to assign the shafts to the layers).