Weave Shimmering Dragonflies to Dress Up Your Style

Dragonflies flit across the surface of Cheryl White’s charming scarf design. While she has previously woven transparency inlay motifs on sheer linen, for this design she opted for the Theo Moorman technique instead to produce patterning on only one side of the fabric. A beaded fringe provides a brilliant finishing touch.

Read on to learn more about this project, developed exclusively for the Spring 2026 issue of Handwoven, or head to the library to access the project PDF. Please enjoy this subscriber bonus project from the Spring 2026 collection.—Handwoven editors

About the Dragonflies Alight Scarf

Dragonflies have always fascinated me—their fast flight, fierce nature, and those gorgeous sparkling wings—what’s not to love? Along with butterflies, they’re insects I’ve identified with for a long time. I wear a lot of butterfly and dragonfly motifs [PAYWALL] in my clothing and jewelry (and even on my shoes).

Dragonflies were the earliest winged insect to evolve—they first took to the air over 300 million years ago. They have excellent vision, are masters of flight at speeds up to 35 miles per hour, and are able to fly backward or vertically. Incredible!

When I discovered transparency inlay on sheer linen, butterflies were my first subject. Later, I explored the Theo Moorman technique, which results in patterns on only one side of the fabric. The cloth it produces is useful beyond the delicate curtains or display pieces typical of transparency inlay.

Various inlay yarns create complex details, helped along with a few touches of embroidery.

Inlay techniques allow for pictorial results on a plain background, and while this is not boat-shuttle weaving, it is faster than tapestry. Inlay can be used to create basic shapes, or it can show more complex detail and lots of color. I learned to embroider as a child and still love to work from transfers, although now I use them for more than embroidery—many of my inlaid designs use those same transfers.

I designed this scarf to wear as an accent with a jacket, and it is a length that suits me. If the finished length is too short for you, extend the plain-weave sections between motifs.

Weave it Yourself: Project Overview

STRUCTURE
Theo Moorman inlay.

EQUIPMENT
4-shaft loom, 9" weaving width; 15-dent reed; 1 shuttle; 8 small netting shuttles or similar yarn holders. (Note: Inlay yarn can also be wound into butterflies.)

YARNS
Warp: 16/2 Supima cotton (6,720 yd/lb; Georgia Yarn Company), Black, 771 yd.
Weft: 16/2 Supima cotton, Black, 381 yd. 20/2 spun silk (250 yd/100 g; Georgia Yarn Company), #A2 Peacock, #A5 Turquoise, #A6 Purple, and #A10 Ochre, less than 20 yd each. Metallic yarns, no more than 20 yd of each color. (Note: Cheryl used metallic yarns from her stash. Many needlework suppliers have small spools of metallic yarns.) 10/2 mercerized cotton (4,200 yd/lb; UKI Supreme), #154 Forest Green, less than 20 yd. (Note: #154 Forest Green is discontinued. Size 8 DMC pearl cotton in Black Forest is an alternative.)

OTHER SUPPLIES Firm paper for holding the cartoons (Cheryl used old calendars); Sharpie marker, black; T-pins or florist corsage pins; strong cord to hold cartoon; size 6/0 glass beads or 2–4 mm crystals in colors to match inlay wefts, 1 mixed tube; steel crochet hook, size 12, or monofilament fishing line.

WARP LENGTH
257 ends 3 yd long (allows 6" for take-up, 42" for loom waste and sampling; loom waste includes fringe).

SETTS
Warp: 30 epi (2/dent in a 15-dent reed).
Weft: 24 ppi (background).

DIMENSIONS
Width in the reed: 8 ⁹⁄₁₅.
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 60".
Finished scarf: (after wet-finishing) 7½" x 50" plus 6½" fringe.

Weave it Yourself: Project PDF

Visit the Handwoven library to get the PDF of the Dragonflies Alight Scarf.