Designing a Handwoven Jacket with the Weaver’s Perfect Memory
When I began this piece, I wasn’t quite sure where it would go or how I would get there. I knew only that I wanted to design and weave a garment—and somehow my mother would be there with me. Using Echo, Jin, and Shadow Weave structures, parallel threading, and the Weaver’s Perfect Memory, this handwoven jacket journey began.
From Workshop to Wardrobe: Weaving Echo and Jin
This project began as an exploration of garment design through Handweaving.net. Using techniques from Denise Kovnat’s One Warp, Many Structures workshop, I combined Echo, Jin, and Shadow Weave structures with parallel threading to begin weaving fabric for a custom jacket design.
My vision was to incorporate the woven pieces (on the left) into a garment I designed. I created a pattern and tried it out with vintage Ikat cotton and Italian silk (on the right). With these two elements, I was ready to weave the cloth for the jacket.
Solving the Complexity: Threading 856 Heddles
Modified turned twill threading draft with parallel threading for handwoven jacket fabric.
With the Weaver’s Perfect Memory tracking the threading draft, I was able to thread the 856 heddles over a period of many days without the usual mental fatigue. This manual tracker acts as a cognitive off-loader, managing the density of information so I can focus on the rhythm of the loom.
I chose 10/2 warp in a shimmering pearl and light peach with 24 epi so that the finished cloth would be a light and airy background for the colorful woven accents. 20/2 buttercup Tencel is the pattern weft and Lilac Venne Cotton is the plain weave weft.
I tied the harnesses on the shafts of the loom so that my plain weave pedals were #1 and #6 and the pattern weave #2, #3, #4, #5. The weaving draft I reproduced so that my two shuttles of pattern and plain weave were noted with L and R (Left and Right).
With these simple and mindful approaches, my weaving is stress-free. With each movement of my legs, my hands, my eyes, and my fingers, as I advance the Weaver’s Perfect Memory, I get the satisfying tactile feedback I need, so that I know I have pressed the correct pedals and thrown the correct shuttles for both the pattern and plain picks. This physical connection to the draft eliminates the common frustration of losing track of your draft with digital tools or paper notes.
Mindful Weaving: Precision in Every Pick
Hooray! Dr. Seuss is there to cheer me on! “Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Stay tuned…I will continue this weaving story as I make progress on weaving the yardage for the jacket.
