Belinda’s experiments with Deflected Double Weave!

by admin

UK-based Fiber Artist Belinda Rose shares a few thoughts about her recent work on Deflected Double Weave (DDW), sometimes known as false double weave. It reflects not only the power of the TC2 loom but an experimental approach to weaving that the TC2 offers.

Belinda has been exploring deflected double weave on her TC2 threaded with an end end light-dark warp. She imposed a ‘different’ colour order on the warp by assigning ends to two different layers to get the required colour order for her designs. Deflected double weave uses groups of colours in warp and weft. It is generally suited to designs with diagonal lines, and where dark and light areas frequently switch over. Frequently, weavers start with an overshot block profile draft to produce designs with diagonal lines and with plenty of interchange between dark and light areas.

This picture on the left shows the length of the fabric testing different style of designs. Each section is between 15 cm and 25 cm long. The idea of cutting each one apart into narrow scarves, double loom width, is on hold. Despite the differing styles, the use of similar colours throughout produced an unexpectedly cohesive single piece.

In a recent Blogpost on her website, Belinda talks in further detail about the DDW project: “Deflected double weave, especially in wool and silk is a favourite weave. The weave is a double weave, with multiple, usually two. The difference is that the layers interlace and incorporate warp and weft floats which allow the fabric layers to slide up over and under each other during wet finishing. Simple versions combine tabby with warp and weft floats in regular four end blocks,” writes Belinda.

Belinda has created a Tutorial for designing DDW for Two Layers: Click HERE for more.  This method is for weaving DDW on an end end, light – dark warp. All work is in Adobe Photoshop. Belinda says that she is grateful to Vibeke Vestby of Digital Weaving Norway for publishing her quick method of making double width fabric. “This tutorial is based entirely on Vibeke’s method and is for readers already experienced in using Photoshop for designing weaving files, making pattern presets and changing image sizes. The only difference is in the actual presets used,” she writes.

Below are some variations Belinda tried:

River of life, a design popular with tablet weavers, has strong diagonals. Above, both sides are shown.

Titled ‘Sanquhar’ (shown above); Belinda feels that the straight horizontal and vertical grid lines in this piece lack definition and contrast. Sanquhar is a small town in the Scottish borders. Read more about the knitted gloves here…

“Sicilian Bird” has formed two layers of slightly stitched double cloth. As a small part of a larger piece, it just about holds together, but was distressing to weave as the separate layers looked excessively sleazy and open. Belinda ceased weaving, not feeling the design was appropriate. It makes a good addition to the test piece.

Belinda previously wove a version of this design in a stitched double twill, a more satisfactory weave for this large type of design (picture above).

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