Now look at the colors and notice that green signi-

fies that each thread is operated by the #2 shaft; blue

Drafting on paper is the same method as drafting on shows what threads on shaft #3 do; yellow governs
the computer, except that the computer does it much shaft #4.
faster with a greater degree of accuracy than the
human process of producing a pattern on paper. The Notice that figure 2 operates from right to left instead
draft can then be printed out so that it can be taken of the left to right orientation in figure 1. This orienta-
to the loom for handy reference when threading or tion does not matter as long as the weaver realizes
treadling. that a simple change in the direction of either the tie

1 2 3
6 12 18 18 12 6 18 12 6
4 4 4
4 3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4 4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3 4 4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3 4
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1
2 2 2
3 3 3
4 4 4
4 2
1
2
1 4 2
1 4
3 3 3

8 8 8
4 4 4
1 1 1
2 2 2
3 3 3

12 12 12
4 4 4
1 1 1
2 2 2
3 3 3
4 4 4
16 2
1
2
1 16 2
1 16
3 3 3
4 4 4
20 20 20

up, color sequence or treadling can bring about the

The purpose of drafting is to find out what a pattern will same results in the basic structure.
look like before going to all the work of making a warp
and threading the loom. One of the things that does matter, though, is the
placement of color which can be seen to vary in the
Look at the three draw downs along the top of the draw downs above. When you warp the loom in a
page. The numbers in the threading area signify preselected sequence of colors, it is a permanent
which shaft or harness that should be threaded. feature and is not easily changed short of rethreading
The generally accepted convention in America is to the loom. The only purpose of choosing colors in the
number the shafts from the front to the back when threading above is to show what happens on each of
sitting down at the loom. Red (fig.1) signifies that the shafts and how it looks in the draw down.
the first warp thread is on shaft 1. When treadle #1
is depressed (indicated by a 1 under the first of four
treadles in the box above) a red thread is lifted and Pattern Making using Draw downs
shows when a weft thread passes underneath it. The
colors in the color bar of the threading found directly The following examples show how patterns are
above the threading numbers indicate what happens generated by changing the tie ups. Instead of using
when #1 thread is raised by #1 treadle or lever in a only one shaft at a time as done on this page, two
table loom. shafts are used at a time. Look at the tie up area. #1
The next thing to notice is that the box with the black tie up is found on the lower right corner of the tie
squares (found either on the right or the left of the up because the numbering in this diagram is from
threading and above the treadling) as shown on this right to left (note the 4 in the upper left corner) so
page has numbers indicating that the tie up has 4 ver- shafts 1 and 2 are “tied” to the first treadle (found
tical squares and 4 horizontal squares. The horizontal in the lower right corner of the tie up area.) Follow
squares indicate which treadles are to be used and the the black squares in the tie up area and the next two
vertical squares how many shafts are used. squares are on shafts 2 and 3. The black square in

1
the area under the tie up shows that the next two
shafts to be depressed are on 3 and 4 and the last
two are on 1 and 4 as they are adjacent to each other
when threaded.
4
The major factor to con- 4
sider is that when a warp 4 4
3
tie up 2
1

is raised, the weft threads

goes under it so the warp
thread shows. This is why 4
a draw down normally
shows the warp threads un-
less the tie up is reversed.

Compare this tie up and draw down with the one at

the top of the page. Note that the red warp threads
have taken the place of the white weft threads and
the white weft threads are
now red warp threads. If 4
4
you are following a pattern 4 4
from a book that is using 2
3
When colors are added in both warp and/or weft,
a counter balance loom or 1
there are two factors that have to be taken into
sinking shed, you may want consideration is the warp thread white or black and
to convert the pattern so that does the weft thread which can be either black or
4
it will weave right side up. white show on the top or lie underneath. The small
dots in the diagram above have been inserted to
The draw downs above show a 3/1 twill with weav- indicate that a white warp and weft make a white
ing information right oriented and left oriented. square.

4 4
4 4 6 12 18 24 30
4 4 4 4 4
3 3
2 2 4 3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

4
4 4
8

12
The thread outlines have not been selected, so the
draw down has the appearance of green squares 16
being drawn in. If the draw down has been done on 20
paper, grid lines will appear to separate the squares.
The hand drawn draw down in the second column 24
shows a pattern that is the result of a black and 28
white threading and treadling coupled with a 2/2
32
tie up. The “Ws” indicate white threads and the
“Bs” indicate, black threads. This method of doing 36
a draw down is extremely time consuming and
40
requires exact rendition.

2
For those 4 8 4 8 4 8
ven to produce
who have 4
4
4
4
4 4
4 “squares” on
4 4 4 4 4
computer 3 3
2
3 3
2
3 3 an angle of
2 2 2 2
programs, the 1 1 1 1
1 1 45° as they
job becomes 1 1
2
1 move from
2 2
a cinch. The 4
3 4
3
4 3 one block (A,
4 4
4
computer 3 2
3
3 B, C or D) to
2 2
does the 8
1 8
1
4 1 another. Alter-
4 8 4
work for you. nate tabbies
This example (plain weave
is the same as the hand drawn one, but shows the shots) separate each pattern shot. More efficient
thread outlines, an added bonus. The color bars ways have been devised to read the pattern and
efficiently show the color change sequence. Time, weave it, but it is important to know how to read
about 2 minutes and no expensive gummed graph the old patterns if they are to be duplicated.
paper required.
Draw downs showing how to make diamonds by
reversing the threading and treadling. The extra
thread on shaft #4 gives an extra design possibil-
ity to add to the complexity of the single diamond.
Study the diagrams using 1/3, 2/2 and 3/1 tie up
changes. This should give ideas for creating other
designs by manipulating warp and/or weft threads.

Marguerite Davison’s A Handweaver’s Pattern

Book is all written for a lowering shed loom. The
tie ups should be inverted to weave on a jack loom
and close attention to her notation system must be
From Black’s New Key to Weaving made. She groups “blocks” of the pattern together
and puts small numbers to signify the number of
Most of the diagrams in Mary Black’s book show threads in each section as well as arrows to define
tie ups for both a sinking and a rising shed loom. the length of the pattern repeat. She does not dif-
Convention dictated that “Xs” signified the lower- ferentiate between left or right orientation so often
ing shed while “Os” were for rising sheds. Since the treadling information is placed to either side of
the majority of looms in North America now use the pictured fabric.
rising shed or jack type looms, this type of infor-
mation has now been replaced in favor of the jack Davison often gives several treadling options
loom system. which are numbered with Roman numerals. Within
each section, she gives the number of weft shots,
The draw down from Black’s book also shows color and tabby option. There is often a “repeat”
how an overshot pattern is designated. Depending designation if certain areas are to be repeated but
upon the number of repeats in each block of the others are left as single patterning.
threading pattern, the number of weft repeats is wo-

3
Overshot draw down from Burnhams’ Keep Me Mary Meigs Atwater’s pattern books have truly
Warm One Night been done by hand. She separates each column
in her tie ups which are usually done for a rising
shed. They are numbered as her treadling instruc-
tions are written in a casual way with instructions
beside each shot to define the type of yarn that
should be used. She also differentiates between the
threads in the threading by choosing squares filled
with different symbols and placed in the shaft area
to designate the number being used. Her thread
numbering is done from right to left.

Consider how this right to left notation came about

when the majority of weavers at the time of Mary
Atwater all read from left to right—their descen-
dants probably still do! Why then, did the hand-
weavers choose to read from right to left? Perhaps
they found it easier to thread their looms because
of better lighting or because is was more conve-
nient for them to do so.

Some of the clearest draw downs can be found Some of the computer programers have followed
in Burnham and Burnham as seen above. The suit and proceed from right to left as a default in
“blocks” of patterns are encircled so the number their programs. The better programers have made
of repeats in the treadling can be counted and it possible to choose the starting side. In the Scan-
woven “as drawn in” more easily. “As drawn in” or dinavian countries and Europe the tie up is usually
“tromp as writ” are descriptions of how to weave found at the bottom right, the threading to the left
the pattern with a 2/2 tie up and follow the thread- of the tie up and the treadling above the tie up.
ing pattern to produce a weave that will show the
pattern vertically as well as horizontally. From Weaves and Pattern Drafting
by John Tovey
Most of the looms used in Europe and colonial
America were counterbalanced using pulleys so John Tovey had his book
that two shafts up would balance with two shafts published in Great Britain
down. These looms were mostly sinking shed so in 1969, but this method of
the tie ups produced the pattern on the bottom of displaying the draw down in-
the fabric which could be produced this way or the formation seems to have been
tie up could be reversed to show the pattern of the adopted for years before that.
weaving on the top.

Mary Atwater’ notation for displaying a pattern

Malin Selander’s Method of Making
a Draw down/up
This notation is most common to the Scandina-
vians and Europeans. It assumes that the weavers
is working from the bottom up as that is the way
the weaving turns out. Although most Europeans
have used counterbalanced loom, they also use
countermarch looms. A countermarch loom uses
a jack-type tie up but each treadle also has the
remaining shafts tied up to a mechanism that raises
and lowers shafts at the same time. This method

4
 it can be seen that only the first portion need be
shown and the rest of the threading and treadling
can be
easily de-
termined.
Can you
see what
is needed?
A point
threading
of nine
shafts
repeat-
ed—a point
treadling of
nine shots
usually produces a larger shed and the treadling repeated.
is easier. Today’s looms have other mechanisms
that aid in the action of the shafts to make weaving A Handbook of Weaves by G. H. Oelsner
smoother and easier to do. Translated and revised by Samuel S. Dale

One of the best sources for

patterns available, “Oelsner and
From Designing and Drafting for Handweavers Dale” is probably the least used
by Berta Frey as few weavers are familiar
with how to use it. Each Figure
Berta represents a pattern which has
Frey gives the tie up or lift plan embedded
an excel- within the full pattern. Look on the bottom left
lent de- corner of the figure and see two small lines project-
scription ing from the left and bottom side. If there are no
of how lines visible, count the number of squares (black
to draft. and white) until a full repeat is found. In the case
Her draw of the draw down seen here, there are four squares
downs across and four squares up. This is all you need to
were more know to set up your tie up or make a lift plan. In
like the computer draw downs seen in today’s most cases the threading is a straight draw (1,2,3,4)
weaving, but she was one of the few American and is treadled 1,2,3,4 as tied up.
weavers who used the European layout.
Oelsner also uses the 3/1/1/2/1/4 notation which
Manuscript Notes on Weaving by James Hol- has been
mes, M.S.A. altered here
for ease in
This book was published by the author in 1912 and interpreta-
shows how drafting was taught by him in England. tion. The
red numbers
One portion or quarter of the pattern has been are the warp
penned in with the other three portions being filled threads
in by reflecting the draw down vertically and then ‘up’ and
horizontally. The problem for the weaver is to the green
fill in the other three quadrants to that a complete numbers,
pattern can be seen. From this type of draw down, the threads

5
‘down’. Because it is sometimes difficult to that you enter in the threading area remain fixed.
remember which threads are up and which down Most good programs also allow you to click in the
(remember that the black squares are warp show- draw down area to make your pattern and instantly
ing, or that the thread will reflect the result in the treadling area.
go under the warp) you may � � �
want to change the notation so � � � Some points to remember
the reds are under the line and
the greens are above.) In most • Plain weave or tabby is left out in most draw
patterns the reverse pattern is weaving on the back downs if it follows or precedes pattern shots. This is
side so all that needs to be done is turn the fabric mainly done to simplify a repetitive action and save
over if your pattern does not match the draw down. space. When using a tabby shot to separate pattern
shots, make sure that you have a plan, i.e. odd tabby
The Profile Draft is thrown from right to left and even tabby is thrown
from left to right. The tabby is put in to preserve
The profile draft is a short method of showing the the pattern shots so that they do not slide over one
pattern when using blocks or groups of threads that another and in so doing they create a pattern of their
are repeated. As these blocks can take up a great own in the areas where plain weave is predominant.
amount of space if drawn in full, substituting one
square for each block can give the appearance of the • When working with color, make sure that you
overall pattern which can be seen in a larger view indicate a warp color (up or over) and dominant, a
than trying to cram all of the threads into an avail- weft color (down or under.) If this becomes confus-
able space. ing when using paper draw downs, make a small
dot to indicate which is which. This is another great
The blocks are usually indicated by alphabetical advantage of a computer assisted pattern as it auto-
capital letters both warpwise and weftwise. matically knows what to do.)

Weaving computer programs on the market today

These support WIF files which are accessible on the
programs listed below.

WeaveMaker for both Mac and PC (bundled to-

gether)

WeavePoint for PC only

SwiftWeave for Mac only

Patternland for PC only

ProWeave for both Mac and PC (sold separately)

Fiberworks for PC only

The profile draft can be done easily using a com-
puter as each of the blocks can replace a number of
threads in a unit and be placed in the threading using
A block for the first thread, B for the threads on
shaft #2, etc. Most programs allow instant “as drawn
in” or you can design your own pattern as the blocks

6
 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
4
4 Fill in a threading, tie up
and treadling sequence. If
you need to have squares
in the draw down area, use
4 a ruler to run lines down
from the threading or warp
8
sections.

The third diagram down is

32 28 24 20 16 12 8 4 what you would see for a
4 peg plan or lift plan. As the
4
program used retains the tie
up area, the black squares
serve only to show which
4
line of lifts are being used.
In some programs on the
8 computer, this area is left
blank.

Note that the bottom

32 28 24 20 16 12 8 4 diagram shows a red “1”
4
4 starting at the bottom of the
lift plan or treadling. This
feature is not supported in
many weaving programs but
4 would be the preferred way
to show the pattern as that
8 is the way it weaves. You
would not want to weave
a man that would turn out
32 28 24 20 16 12 8 4 upside down!
4
4 If you wish you can fill in
colors in the warp bar on the
top of the threading and the
weft bar beside the treadling
4
or lift plan.
81