How can a pattern that looks so complex be easy to weave? The answer is that shadow weave relies on the magic of alternating light and dark ends (which puts it into the broad color-and-weave category). And you only need four shafts to start exploring!
We’ve pulled together a little roundup of information on the topic. Start off by reading what Dorothy Tuthill has to say about her Shadow Play Dish Towels design (shown above), from the Fall 2025 issue of Handwoven.
Keep going to learn about in-person classes with Dorothy at Weave Together 2026, dive into Jannie Taylor’s video courses on the topic, and take a look at all the projects and information in our shadow weave eBook.
Shadow Play Dish Towels
“Home is where the heart is, the hearth is, the pets are . . . and it’s where the dirty dishes accumulate. We weavers know that dish cleanup is an opportunity for handling and caressing some of our favorite textiles—our handwoven dish towels!
“Shadow weave is a great structure for towels, creating relatively large patterns that magically seem to appear simply by alternating dark and light threads. Warps and wefts mostly interlace in an over-one-under-one manner, so the sett is the same as for plain weave, creating a strong towel that will easily reach inside a narrow wineglass.
“There are two methods for drafting shadow weave—the Powell method and the Atwater method. The methods thread the blocks differently but produce identical woven results. These towels use the Powell method, with blocks threaded on adjacent shafts (block A on 1 and 2, B on 3 and 4, C on 2 and 1, D on 4 and 3), with one of the two shafts always carrying the dark ends and the other the light. Thus, the difference between blocks A and C is that the dark end is on shaft 1 for A blocks and on shaft 2 for C blocks.
“Marian Powell’s book is a treasure trove of shadow-weave designs, from which I chose threading 4-39 for these towels and then selected 3 treadlings from 11 options. You may want to make a longer warp to try them all, expanding your own towel collection or those of your friends and family—who also, no doubt, sometimes accumulate dirty dishes.”—Dorothy Tuthill
You’ll find the full project in the Fall 2025 issue of Handwoven.
Learn it in Person
Click on a picture to learn more, and use the arrow keys to scroll. Photos by Long Thread Media
If you’d like to learn more about shadow weave in person, Dorothy Tuthill will be at our next Weave Together with Handwoven gathering to lead a hands-on class about weaving it and designing your own custom draft.
Weave Together is designed by and for weavers of all kinds—from experienced multi-shaft weavers to beginners who are eager to learn more. This gathering is also a great opportunity to try out multiple weaving techniques in one place, with a minimum of stress. The weaving classes, community, and fun will happen March 8–12, 2026, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Conference Center in Loveland, Colorado.
To learn more about all the classes, teachers, and event details, visit Weave Together 2026. We hope to see you there!
Shadow Weave Resources
Learn more about creating dazzling shadow weave patterns in simple cloth in Jannie Taylor’s introductory video course. (Jannie uses the Atwater method of shadow weave drafting, so this is also a good one to watch if you’re interested in learning about that alternative to the Powell method.)
If you’d like to design your own compelling shadow weave patterns, take a look at this intro to the second part of Jannie’s course. To learn the five key design principles that will take your work to the next level, watch the video course here.
For a thorough look at how shadow weave works (plus projects!), download the Best of Handwoven: Technique eBook Shadow Weave.
Share Your Work
Have you made your own version of Dorothy’s Shadow Play Dish Towels, or woven something else using shadow weave?
Please share pictures of your work! If you’re on social media, tag your posts #handwovenmagazine. If you’re not on social, email your shadow weave pictures to us!