Creative Finishes

The yarn, the draft, the color—these are all decisions we make before embarking on our weaving journey. Once we’ve threaded our looms and spread the warp, we typically add a quick hemstitch and begin the project. And finally, after all that preparation, we’re rewarded with the joy of weaving.

Finishing techniques are a delightful melding of function and design, showcasing the creative hand of the weaver—after all, machines don’t tie fancy knots into the yards of cloth they produce.

While you may not want to spend extra time on hems and fringes for every piece, developing this technical know-how can elevate your work when it matters most. Use these ideas for special cloth—a plain weave in fine linen or cotton, or a particularly challenging project you hope to enter in a juried show or competition.

Whether you’re working on a rigid heddle or 2-shaft loom, or the most complex dobby or drawloom, these techniques are within reach—with patience and pre-planning anyone can add a little extra flourish to their project.

Pre-Requisites:

None
The class assumes you know how to twist fringe and wet-finish your projects.

Materials Needed:

Student samples can be created using their preferred yarns and equipment.

Class samples were woven with 10/2 Bockens cottolin in woven at 15.5 EPI on a rigid heddle loom. Contrasting thread stitched with 8/2 cotton unless otherwise listed.