Treadles and Tie-ups

Oooh, today’s a good one! I’m crawling underneath my loom to give you the scoop on treadles and tie-ups. (I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, considering how much dusting I had to do prior to taping! You are special.)

In episode 35, I’m walking you through the exciting world of possibilities that happen below the fabric on your loom. When you watch a weaver in action on a floor loom, shafts magically move in a mysterious order – all with the push of a foot. My goal is to take you behind the curtain (or down to the floor, in this case) and show you how it all connects.

Click right here to watch this enticing episode of A Handwoven Experience, “Treadles & Tie-ups”!

Show Notes –

Treadles – Treadles are pedals below a floor loom that lift & lower the shafts.

Tie-ups – Physically, tie-ups are some kind of cord that connects the treadles to the lamms in a weaving project. But, you’ll also hear that word used differently. When someone asks about the project tie-ups, they are asking which treadle is connected to which shaft(s). For instance, when you press down the treadle on your far left, it raises shafts 1 & 3 in your specific project. That’s what they are asking. Make sense? Clear as mud?

Tabby Treadles – In the video, I mentioned that the loom makers will provide additional treadles on a loom so you can always have 2 designated just for tabby (plain weave). A viewer asked Madelyn Van Der Hoogt about which treadles to use and she had a great response! (Mind you, I think Madelyn is brilliant! So, that’s not a stretch.) Read her insightful commentary here.

Weaving Draft – A weaving draft is a visual representation of how to recreate a specific pattern. It includes three things – the order the warp yarns go into the shafts, the way the loom is tied-up, and the order the weft yarns are put into the fabric. I found a lovely explanation here from the Joy of Weaving. Take a peek!