OVERSHOT HANDBOOK. Madelyn van der Hoogt. Reading drafts Balancing drafts Creating drafts. Madelyn van der Hoogt

Transcription

1 OVERSHOT HNOOK Reading drafts alancing drafts reating drafts 0

2 / STRIGHT TWILL ircle the pairs of shafts -, -, -, -. 0

3 / STRIGHT TWILL ompare the circled pairs with the -span floats. 0

4 THE TWILL IRLE Threading repeats progress in circular fashion, , etc. / twill treadling repeats are also progress in circles, -, -, -, -, -, -, etc. Overshot blocks work very much the same way:,,,,,,,, etc. If the sequence changes direction, the block on which it turns is called the turning block. In,,,,,,,, is the turning block. 0

5 -SHFT, -LOK OVERSHOT a b ecause the blocks share shafts, floats in one block also cover the threads on one shaft in two other blocks. If shafts and are down in lock, for example, shaft is down in lock and is down in lock. ecause a speckled effect shows in these blocks, they are called halftones. It s easier to see the appearance of the halftones in a diagram that shows only the pattern weft. a b 0

6 SHOWING PTTERN WEFTS rawdowns showing both the pattern and tabby wefts in overshot don t really show how the cloth looks. omputer drawdowns are most helpful when they show the pattern weft only. The number of pattern picks to weave in each block must be adjusted to weave to square (i.e., produce symmetrical motifs). Notice that pattern-weft floats in one block overlap the two adjacent blocks by one thread. For symmetrical motifs (i.e., as tall as they are wide), the rule is to weave one fewer pattern pick per block than there are warp threads in the circled threading block. For lock in the lower draft, for example, that would mean pattern picks. Weaving this number will also result in the same number of tabby picks per inch as warp threads per inch. However, it is usually difficult to beat the weft in that firmly. a b For a warp set of ends per inch, for example, that would mean weaving 8 picks per inch ( tabby, pattern). Removing a pick or two from the larger blocks usually helps produce symmetrical motifs. Sometimes a more open sett is required (0 ends per inch rather than, for example). In general, the shorter the floats, the more interlacements take place, making a firm beat more difficult to achieve. 0 5

7 OVERSHOT IS LOK WEVE, NOT UNIT WEVE Star fashion Overshot is a block weave but not a unit weave. In unit weaves, threading and treadling units of the same block can be threaded or woven successively as many times as desired. The entire interlacement of the unit weave, summer and winter, for example, takes place inside each unit, each group of four threads (--- for lock, --- for lock, etc.). lso with unit weaves, any block can produce pattern or background with any other block. In overshot, however, the number of times the threading for lock (-) can be repeated is limited by the practical length of a pattern-weft float. This is because the pattern weft does not interlace at all within the group of threads in lock to make pattern, but floats completely over it. lso, in overshot, usuallly only one block produces pattern at the same time, limiting design possibilities. When overshot blocks produce pattern in the same order as they are threaded, the treadling is called as drawn in or star fashion ; see the upper draft. nother common treadling method is rose fashion ; see the lower draft. Rose fashion treadlings also follow the threading order, except blocks are exchanged in the treadling: where lock is threaded is woven, where is threaded is woven, and vice versa. The exchanged block is woven as tall as the width of the original threaded block. ompare these two drafts. 0 Rose fashion 6

8 RFTING FORMTS The number of overshot drafts available in weaving texts is incredibly vast. heck the Overshot ilbliography, pages 6 7, for a complete list of sources. The heyday of overshot weaving took place from the settling of the merican colonies up to the ivil War. (fter that time, industrial textile production brought an end to most handweaving, except for some areas of the south and, according to Mary M. twater, Weaver Rose in the North.) Much creative invention went into the patterns created so long ago, so much in fact, that it is very challenging to create any overshot design more satisfying. Wonderful collections of historical drafts appear in Mary Meigs twater s Shuttle-raft ook of merican Hand-Weaving and Recipe ook and Marguerite avison s Handweaver s Pattern ook. The drafts in these books can be used exactly as they are for excellent results. Three other very useful sources give the drafts in a format that has to be translated into actual threadings and treadlings: Marguerite avison s Handweaver s Source ook, orothy and Harold urnham s Keep Me Warm One Night, and Sadye Tune Wilson and oris Finch Kennedy s Of overlets. The methods they would use to show the threading for the Profile raft at the top of the page are shown below it. Profile draft avison Wilson The most common method for translating their shorthand drafts, which is the one that was used historically, produces what is called an unbalanced draft. If you leaf through the photos of historical coverlets, you ll detect the unbalanced motifs in almost all of them. shorthand form was necessary for these very long threadings in an era of limited paper and quill-and-ink pens. Watch the video to see how to circle the blocks in the draft at the bottom of this page, which is written the way it would have been translated historically. 0 urnham x x x x x x x 7

9 UNLNE VS LNE ompare your circling of the blocks on page 7 with the upper draft on this page. The drawdown shows the threads that will be covered by floats as each block is woven. Notice that the mirrored blocks on each side of the v motif are different from each other by two threads. The lower draft shows a drawdown in which the floats on each side of the motif are the same size. Page 9 gives the steps for deriving a balanced draft from the threading drafts given in avison s Handweaver s Source ook, urnhams Keep Me Warm One Night, and Wilson/ Kennedy s Of overlets. Remember that twater and avison (in Handweaver s Pattern ook) balanced all the drafts before publishing them. 0 8

10 LNING RFT To thread overshot from a profile draft (or from urnham, avison, or Wilson/Kennedy), thread each block the number of times indicated, but count the last thread of one block as the first thread of the next. Profile draft Turning blocks will have an odd number of threads to make the last shaft in the turning block the first thread of the next block. Either add or subtract one thread from each turning block. To thread : a. ount the last thread of one block ( when going from to ) as the first thread of the next. b. To go from (a turning block) back to, the first thread of the block must be on shaft, not. dd a as in Step c, or subtract a as in Step d. c. dd a to produce the draft in e. * d. Subtract the to produce the draft in f. * e. The completed draft with a added in the turning block. 0 f. The completed draft with a subtracted in the turning block. 9

11 RFTING PRTIE The draft at the top is part of a draft called Johann Ludwig Speck No (p. 89 in Marguerite avison s Handweaver s Source ook. It is shown here as it appears in avison, as it would appear in Wilson/Kennedy and in urnham, and as a profile draft. See if you can rewrite the draft so it is balanced. nswers are on page. x x x From avison s it would appear in Wilson/Kennedy x x x x x x x x x x x x x 0 x x x x s it would appear in urnham s a profile draft 0

12 LNING, REUING, ENLRGING 0 ompare your work on page 0 with the drafts shown below. For further practice, try creating some small designs in profile draft form and see if you can write your own drafts. Notice that most motifs in overshot are created by alternating two blocks and varying their sizes and/or threading the four blocks in point order. When you have created a draft, check the total number of warp threads. If you need to add or remove threads for your purpose, simply add or subtract pairs of shafts within the circled threads, remembering to maintain the original proportions of th e blocks. ( / = a pair of shafts added or a pair crossed out.) alanced draft from page 0 with thread subtracted from each turning block. alanced draft from page 0 with thread added to each turning block. dd pairs of shafts to enlarge a draft, maintaining block proportions. Subtract pairs of shafts to reduce a draft, maintaining block proportions.

13 FROM FOUR TO EIGHT SHFTS Halftones appear in -shaft overshot because blocks share shafts. If the same four blocks are threaded on eight shafts, it is possible to weave an overshot cloth without halftones. ompare the two drafts shown here. a b 0 = shafts down to show pattern-weft float. Notice that if you circle the blocks on eight shafts, the circles will not overlap. There will therefore be one more thread in each block on eight shafts than on four. Notice, too, that if there are no halftones, the back of the cloth will show very long floats. a b

14 ESIGNING HLFTONES ON EIGHT SHFTS Realizing that halftones are necessary for cloth stability leads to realizing that they can become a design feature. In the upper draft, the halftones are placed in adjacent blocks, the way they would appear on four shafts. Floats overlap adjacent blocks by two warp threads, however, instead of one. a b In this draft, halftones are placed in non-adjacent blocks. = one shaft left down in both adjacent blocks a b = one shaft left down in the non-adjacent block

15 ESIGNING TY HLFTONES ON EIGHT SHFTS Since two shafts alternate in each block and odd shafts always alternate with even shafts, halftones can create a checkerboard look rather than a gridded look. Two treadles are used for each block so that as one block weaves pattern, the two shafts in the halftone blocks alternate. a b = shafts left down for tabby halftones, non-adjacent block = block weaving pattern If all blocks except the block weaving pattern produce tabby halftones, the background is a solid mix of pattern-weft/tabby weft color. On the reverse, only the warp and tabby weft show in each block, a creating durable fabric suitable for upholstery (no floats!). a b = shafts left down for tabby halftones throughout = block weaving pattern

16 OVERSHOT PROJETS FROM HNWOVEN THT EMPHSIZE THE USE OF OLOR lumenthal, etsy. Overshot Upholstery. MJ98: pp., [8*] radley, Louise. Scandinavian-Influenced Upholstery Fabric. MJ90: pp. 6, 9 9. [] ruhin, Terri. esigning on the Loom for Folklore Vests in Overshot. JF0: pp [] ixon, nne. Overshot Waistcoat. SO98: pp. 5 55, [8] Eppinger, Lin. Overshot Placemats. FW80: pp. 5. [] Greaves, Lynne. olor lanket for a aby. MJ9: pp. 67, [] Hagenbruch, Rita. Ribbons of Overshot for a Soft Spring Shawl. M07: pp [] Horton, Susan. Pillow and Table Squares in Overshot and ucape. MJ08: pp [] Houghton, Sylvia. Undulating Overshot for Scarves. N0: pp ; errata JF0, p. [] Hutchison, Jean. Son s overlet. JF9: pp. 59, [] Killeen, Leslie. Fiesta loth: oloring by the Numbers. M07: pp [] Jaastad, Sandee. Toddler resses with Overshot Yokes. M99: pp. 5 55, [8] Jones, Janice. ountry Pillow. SO85: pp. 8, 9, IS: 7 8. [] Kaulitz, Manuela. lanket Weave. SO9: pp. 69 7, 9; errata N9: p. 77. [8] Ligon, Linda. arpetbag riefcase. JF8: pp. 9, 9. [] Liles, Suzie. Fiesta Tablewear for Fiesta innerware. MJ05: pp [] Norris, Scott. olor and Pattern in Overshot. M: pp [] O onnor, Marina. atch of aby ibs. MJ9: pp. 68, []. Thousand Flowers Towels. MJ98: pp. 5, 98. [] Palson, Patricia. olor with Overshot locks. MJ00: pp []. Overshot aby lanket. M9: pp. 66, []. Overshot Elegance: Shawl and Hat. MJ0: pp. 7 77; errata MJ0, p.. [] Patrick, Jane. ountry Overshot. SO85: pp Scorgie, Jean. esigning Fair Isle Patterns with Overshot. SO9: pp , [] Stahl, Yvonne. Overshot Gets a Makeover: It s ll about olor. M07: pp. 5 5 [] States, iantha. Overshot Patterns Woven in Two olors. JF9: pp Sullivan, onna. Overshot orders with Eight Shafts. M95: pp Sundquist, Wendy. Twenty-Five Snowballs overlet. JF9: pp. 5, 9 9; errata SO9: p. 8. [] Tardy, Vicki. olor Gamp in Overshot. JF0: p. 5. [] Thompson, nita. Samples an e eautiful Turn Yours into Heirloom ccessories! MJ0: pp. 0 [8]. ornucopia Placemats and Napkins. SO: pp. 8 0 [8] Wertenberger, Kathryn. Overshot overlet. FW80: pp. 7, [] *numbers in brackets indicate numbers of shafts required for the project 0 5

17 OVERSHOT ILIOGRPHY twater, Mary Meigs. ook of Patterns for Hand-Weaving by John Landes. Hollywood: Southern alifornia Handweavers Guild, 977. Pattern book of a professional 8th century weaver with many -shaft overshot threading drafts.. Recipe ook: Patterns for Handweavers. Salt Lake ity: Wheelwright Press, 975. ontains recipes (with weaving specifics) for many fabrics (coverlets, rugs, clothing, wall hangings, bags, etc.), including several in overshot.. The Shuttle-raft ook of merican Hand- Weaving. Petaluma, alifornia: Shuttle-raft ooks, 95. Includes history and drafting theory and 7 overshot threading drafts, some illustrated with photos or pattern-weft drawdowns. lack, Mary. Key to Weaving. New York: MacMillan Publishing ompany, 980. chapter on overshot gives the basics on drafting -shaft overshot and a variety of treadling variations (flame point, Italian, honeycomb, etc.). ress, Helene. The overlet ook. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Flower Valley Press, 00. Two volumes. Vol. I contains almost 500 pages of analysis of -shaft overshot coverlets including drafts, drawdowns, and construction details. Vol II includes the same information about multishaft overshot coverlets (and coverlets in other structures).. The Weaving ook. New York: Scribner s, 98. Good discussion of overshot theory with 0 overshot coverlet drafts including treadling instructions. urnham, Harold., and orothy K. urnham. Keep Me Warm One Night: Early Handweaving in Eastern anada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 97. Includes coverlet-weaving history in eastern anada and threading drafts, description, and provenance for nineteenth-century overshot coverlets with accompanying photos. avison, Marguerite Porter. Handweaver s Pattern ook. Revised edition. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania: Marguerite Porter avison, 977. hapters (Monk s elt, lock esigns, iamonds, Rose esigns, Overshot Novelties, Large Overshot, and Squares with orders) give complete overshot drafts with black-and-white photos of the woven cloth.. Handweaver s Source ook. hester, Pennsylvania: John Spencer, Inc., 95. Includes overshot threading drafts (from the Laura M. llen collection) with drawdowns of the pattern blocks (not including halftones). rooker, Penelope. Samplers You an Use: Hanweaver s Guide to reative Exploration. Loveland, olorado: Interweave Press, 98. Includes the original sampler/pillow project featured in the video with eleven different treadling systems (among twelve project samplers in other weave structures). Estes, Josephine E. Miniature Overshot Patterns for Hand Weaving Parts I & II. oston: Josephine E. Estes, 956. Includes threading drafts, treadling orders, and pattern-weft drawdowns for 8 overshot patterns ( per volume). lso available in a new edition edited by Peter Mitchell and Marjie Thompson. oston: Weaver s Guild of oston, 995. Frey, erta. esigning and rafting for Handweavers. New York: Macmillan, 958. Includes discussion of drafting -block designs in overshot. Jarvis, Helen N. Weaving a Traditional overlet. Loveland, olorado: Interweave Press, 989. Gives steps for choosing overshot patterns and adapting the drafts in order to weave an overshot coverlet. Keasbey, oramay. esigning with locks for Handweaving ethesda, Maryland: oramay Keasbey, 99. omprehensive discussion of block designs with a brief description of drafting overshot on four and more shafts.. Pattern Techniques for Handweavers. Eugene, Oregon: oramay Keasbey, 005. omprehensive discussion of drafting -shaft and multishaft overshot including treadling variations. Hayes, ertha G. The omplete ook of ertha Hayes Patterns: 75 rafts and esign Effects. East erlin, Pennsylvania: The Mannings, 957. Gives drafts (threading and treadling) and black-and-white photos of the woven cloth. Mitchell, Peter. Overshot: Manual for reative rafting and Weaving. West Newton, Massachusetts: hesebro-mitchell ssociates, 99. Overshot theory with many techniques for creating original designs. 6

18 Safner, Isadora M. The Weaving Roses of Rhode Island. Loveland, olorado: Interweave Press, 985. Gives the history and letters of early twentieth-century Weaver Rose and his wife Elsie and 5 overshot threading drafts with block drawdowns. Safner, Isadora M., and iane Piette. The Weaving ook of Peace and Patience. rewster, Massachusetts: Two ape od Weavers, 980. ontains overshot coverlet drafts from the early 800s. Saltzman, Ellen Lewis. Overshot Weaving. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold ompany, Inc., 98. Includes extensive drafting theory and twenty-five overshot drafts with drawdowns. Sullivan, onna Lee. Weaving Overshot: Redesigning the Tradition. Loveland, olorado: Interweave Press, 996. Gives extensive drafting and designing theory for -shaft and multishaft overshot. Smayda, Norma and Gretchen, White, Jody rown, Katharine Schelleng. Weaving esigns by ertha Gray Hayes: Miniature Overshot Patterns. tglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 009. collection of 9 miniature overshot patterns, each including draft and photos in color of actual-size woven samples. Strickler, arol. merican Woven overlets. Loveland, olorado: Interweave Press, 987. collection of twenty-seven -shaft overshot coverlets with photographs, drafts, computer-generated drawdowns, and all weaving information.. Portfolio of merican overlets, Vols. I V. oulder, olorado: arol Strickler, Five folders each containing 5 coverlet descriptions with a photograph and/or computer generated drawdown, threading and treadling instructions, and known historical background for each. Strickler, arol, and arbara Taggart. Weaving in Miniature. Loveland, olorado: Interweave Press, 980. Tells how to miniaturize drafts and includes drafts for miniature coverlets in many structures with photographs. Tovey, John. Weaves and Pattern rafting. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 969. Good discussion of drafting -block designs for overshot. van der Hoogt, Madelyn. The omplete ook of rafting for Handweavers. Petaluma, alifornia: Shuttle-raft ooks, 99. rafting and designing -shaft and multishaft overshot.. Overshot is Hot. Sioux Falls, South akota: XRX Inc., 008. Forty -shaft and multishaft projects plus articles on drafting and designing from Weaver s Magazine., ed. Handwoven Magazine, Issue, March/ pril 007. Loveland, olorado: Interweave Press, 007. Projects and technique information for drafting and weaving overshot. Voolich, Erica. Playing with locks: n Exploration of Multiharness Overshot. Peabody, Massachusetts: ross Town Shuttle, 977. Extenisve theory for expanding -shaft overshot to more shafts. Wilson, Sadye Tune, and oris Finch Kennedy. Of overlets: the Legacies, the Weavers. Nashville, Tennessee: Tunstede Press, 98. Historical Tennessee coverlets with photographs, threading drafts, and information about the weavers. Windeknecht, Margaret. reative Overshot. Shuttle raft Guild Monograph. Petaluma, alifornia: Shuttle-raft ooks, 978. rafting and design for unique patterns on four and more shafts. Worst, Edward F. Weaving With Foot-Powered Looms, New York: over Publications, 97. ontains 50 pages of overshot theory, drafts, and photographs of overshot fabrics. Young, Helen aniels. Study of the Relationship etween orders and Patterns. rewster, Massachusetts: Two ape od Weavers, 98. In pages, describes how to draft borders for overshot designs with photographs of examples. Zielinski, S.. ontemporary pproach to Traditional Weaves: Overshot and Summer & Winter. Master Weaver Library Volume 7. Ottowa, anada: Robert Lelerc, 980. Gives thorough information about drafting -shaft and multishaft overshot including code drafting (name drafting). 0 7