Technique · Textile
Weaving
Weaving crosses two sets of threads at right angles, and the pattern of crossing shapes how a cloth hangs, wears, creases and looks.
Weaving interlaces warp threads, held under tension on the loom, with weft threads passed across them. The pattern of interlacing (plain, twill, satin and their variants) determines a cloth's drape, durability, crease resistance and appearance more than the fibre alone does.
The three basic weaves
| Weave | Structure | Character | Typical cloths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain | Over one, under one | Firm, matte, hard-wearing, creases more | Poplin, fresco, hopsack, linen |
| Twill | Over two or more, offset each row | Diagonal rib; drapes well, resists creasing | Serge, gabardine, cavalry twill, most suiting |
| Satin | Long floats over several threads | Smooth, lustrous, snags easily | Silk facings, linings, some evening cloth |
Why twill dominates suiting
Because a twill has fewer interlacing points per square centimetre than a plain weave, the threads can move relative to one another. That gives a twill better drape, better recovery from creasing, and a softer hand at the same weight. It is why the majority of worsted suiting is a twill of some kind.
A plain weave is firmer and more porous, which is why the summer cloths (fresco, hopsack, open-weave linens) are plain or near-plain: air moves through them.
Shuttle and rapier
A traditional shuttle loom carries the weft across on a shuttle, turning it at the edge so a continuous selvedge is formed. A modern rapier or projectile loom cuts the weft each pass, weaves several times faster, and leaves a raw edge. The practical difference is small for most cloth and real for denim, where a shuttle loom's slower, less even beat produces the irregular surface that selvedge denim is prized for. Elsewhere, shuttle weaving is mostly a cost, not a quality.
Reading a cloth in the hand
Hold it to the light: an open weave shows pinholes and will breathe. Scrunch a corner in your fist for five seconds and release: a high-twist or crease-resistant cloth springs back, a soft one holds the crumple. Rub the surface: a milled and raised finish sheds a little fibre, a clear-finished worsted does not.
Thirty seconds of this tells you more about how a cloth will wear than the merchant's description does.
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At a glance
Who works with it
Houses and mills on this site with a documented connection to Weaving.
01
Technique Finishing
Finishing is the washing, pressing and other treatment cloth gets after weaving, and it largely decides how the fabric feels, looks and shines.
02
Start here Understanding fabric
Fabric is described by its fibre, weight, weave and fin
03
Guide How to choose cloth
A suit's weight and weave decide how it feels and performs, while the Super number on the label mostly describes softness, not quality.
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Plain weave
Glossary term
The simplest interlacing: over one, under one. Firm, matte, hard-wearing and more porous than a twill, which is why the summer cloths are plain or near-plain.
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Twill
Glossary term
A weave in which the interlacing points step across on each row, producing a diagonal rib. Drapes and resists creasing better than a plain weave, which is why most suiting is a…
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Satin weave
Glossary term
A weave with long floats passing over several threads before interlacing, producing a smooth lustrous face. Used for evening lapel facings and linings; it snags easily.
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Warp
Glossary term
The threads held under tension along the length of the loom. The weft crosses them. In denim the warp is dyed indigo and the weft left white, which is why jeans are blue outside…
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Weft
Glossary term
The threads passed across the warp during weaving, also called the filling. In denim the weft is left undyed while the warp is dyed indigo, which is why jeans are blue on the…
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Herringbone
Glossary term
A twill in which the diagonal reverses at regular intervals, producing a chevron. Extremely common in jacketing and coating, and one of the few patterns that works at any scale.
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Hopsack
Glossary term
A basket weave in which pairs of threads cross pairs, producing an open, textured, hard-wearing cloth. Navy hopsack is the standard summer blazer cloth, because the texture lets…
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Selvedge
Glossary term
The self-finished edge of a woven cloth, produced when a shuttle loom turns the weft at the edge. Visible as the banded seam inside a turned-up jean cuff.
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Birdseye
Glossary term
A small all-over weave producing a pattern of tiny dots, usually in two colours. Reads as a solid from a distance and as texture close up, which makes it one of the most useful…
Picture credits 6
- A loom with a grey worsted warp: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- 婦人手業操鏡 機織: Historical view · Kitagawa Utamaro · Wikimedia Commons · CC0
- 1060074-Pattern Chain Power Loom 01: Photograph · Kmdugger · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Finished flannel passing over a roller: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- An open cloth bunch book: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- A cloth swatch held up to the light: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art