In the last journal article, I showed you the stages of how I set up my loom to weave denim. Now the most time-consuming part is over, the exciting part can begin, weaving the denim!
An electronic interface on the loom connects to my laptop, allowing me to input the pattern which controls the shafts. This tells the loom which warp threads need to be lifted and which will remain lowered each time the weft passes through.
The most common weave structure for denim fabric is 3x1 twill, simply because it’s the sturdiest weave. The origins of denim (read about it more in depth here) date back to the end of the 17th century, it was a fabric designed for workwear, so it’s only natural to make it as durable as possible.
3x1 means three warp threads are lifted and 1 will remain in a neutral position when weaving. The gap between the lifted and neutral warp threads is known as the shed, this is where the weft passes through.
The undyed weft passes under 3 blue warp ends and over 1. This structure creates a fabric that is warp faced, meaning the blue warp is the dominant colour on the right side of the fabric while the undyed weft is the dominant colour on the reverse of the fabric.
3x1 Twill
Other weave structures can also be used to weave denim such as 2x1 twill (two warp threads for every one weft thread). This structure produces a lighter weight fabric, making it more breathable while still maintaining the durability that denim is known for.
Plain weave (known as 1x1) can also be used. In this structure, the weft thread passes under one warp thread and over one warp thread, this creates an equal amount of blue and undyed yarn on each side of the fabric. This is one of the cheapest and simplest methods for cloth to be woven.
Plain Weave
The direction in which the diagonal twill pattern travels can also be altered. Right-handed twill is most commonly used to weave denim as this structure combined with the direction the thread is twisted produces a flatter surface than Left-handed twill.
Right-handed twill was made popular by Levi’s and is now the industry standard. This twill is characterized by diagonal lines that slant from the bottom left of the fabric to the top right when viewing the denim from the front. This twill creates more defined fades as the fabric is worn.
Left-handed twill was originally used by Lee as their standard fabric. The direction of the diagonal lines is opposite to that of right-handed twill, running from the bottom right of the fabric to top left. This structure produces a softer finish, and the fabric tends to fade in a blurrier pattern.
Right-handed twill
Left-handed twill
After weaving a few different structures, I decided to change the sett of the warp due to the weft being more dominant than I wanted it to be. I did this by altering the amount of warp ends in each dent of the reed from 12 to 16 ends per cm. This means the blue warp threads are now closer together, making the undyed weft less visible on the front of the fabric. By doing this, the warp has gone from 32cm wide to 24cm wide.
To make the diagonal pattern more prominent, I wove the remainder of the warp in a 6x1 twill. As you can see in the image below, the blue warp is the dominant feature of the fabric while the undyed weft is less visible, producing the diagonal lines that denim is famous for.
6x1 Twill
Below, is a video of the denim being woven. You can see the pattern emerging more with each weft thread that passes through the warp. When the warp is cut from the loom, the diagonal pattern will be much more visible as the fibres relax and fill out.
(It's very awkward to weave with a camera between your arms!)
I hope you've enjoyed learning about the multiple stages it's taken to produce our very own handwoven denim!
