Let’s Talk About Selvedges, Part 1

Selvedges in general, but also specifically about twills and selvedges.

The first thing I want you to know is that it is likely that you are going to obsess over your selvedges much more than anyone else who is looking at your weaving. The selvedge is one small detail and it is lovely when they are stunning, but there is a learning curve, it takes time, and you are going to be your harshest critic.

Second thing…great selvedges come from having consistency and rhythm. There are some tricks along the way, but if you are weaving on a shaft loom (it can be different on a rigid heddle loom), try and train yourself to not touch or hold your selvedge each time you throw the shuttle. It takes time and patience, but what happens is that if you are stopping to fiddle with your selvedges, you will not be able to find the rhythm that ultimately will lead you to effortless and fabulous edges. There is a lot more I want to say about this, but we will continue to unravel it over time.

Twills

Straight, plain twill…when you are treadling in one direction and not reversing, your selvedge thread will either catch every time or it will never catch. There is no in between. If it is catching, you’re fine. If it is not, you have two good options. First option is that you can cut that thread off entirely. It’s just one thread, or maybe two if it’s happening on both sides.

The reason it is happening has to do with the direction that you are throwing your shuttle (right to left, or left to right) in relationship to which shafts are being lifted on that throw (which usually translates to which treadle you are stepping on). If you reverse the direction of your shuttle in relationship to your treadling, the edge thread that is not getting caught will now get caught.

The bigger problem is what happens when you are reversing your twill, like in our summer towels. If you are following the main treadling diagram, your selvedges will catch in one direction, but then not catch when you switch direction.

First hint…you do not need to catch your selvedge thread each and every time. How often it needs to catch for a lovely piece of fabric is going to depend a lot on how thick your weft thread is. The thinner your weft thread, the smaller your selvedge floats. When you are making club towels and working with 8/2 cottons, you’ve got 20-22 picks in an inch. Missing your selvedge a couple of times is not going to be particularly visible. And sometimes it gives you a beautiful, gently scalloped edge, which I feel enhances my towels rather than detracts from them.

Here are some pictures. The first one is the selvedge on my four shaft blue towel. Keep in mind that when there is a high contrast between the warp and the weft at the selvedge, inconsistencies will be more obvious. This is why I chose the blue one to show you. I feel fine about the uncaught selvedge threads in this towel.

In the eight shaft towel, it is more obvious since the selvedge is caught less often. Here is the blue one, and also the yellow one, which has a lower contrast between the warp and weft.

The thing to keep in mind, as you are looking very, very carefully and very close-up at those selvedges, is that this is not the way that most people are going to be looking at your towels. Here is one more picture. As you look at it, where is your eye drawn? How prominent is the selvedge in relationship to the rest of the towel? Personally, I think it looks great. At least, it’s good enough for me.

There is so much more I want to say about selvedges. Stick around. Check in occasionally. I will tell you more as our journey unfolds together.

And if you still are not happy with the thought of not catching every single selvedge thread, you can watch my video on how to use floating selvedges.