How Well Do You Know Your Twills? 

Marcy Petrini

August, 2020

When my Covid-19 quarantine started, I was some three weeks into an 8-weeks twill class I was teaching at the Mississippi Craft Center. Even after the locked down ended, the studio is way too small for social distancing. Eventually, we switched to zoom, with students either taking their warps home to weave it or going to the studio solo to finish the project.

How well did it go? I would say well, because at the end, I decided to have a final test and they did well! And next, we will zoom about lacey weaves.

Here is the beginning twill test – how well do you know your twills?

 

Twill Test (Choose the best answer)

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  1. The minimum number of shafts needed for a twill is:
    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 3
    4. 4

 

  1. Floats in a twill fabric are:
    1. Weft floats
    2. Warp floats
    3. Both warp and weft floats
    4. Depends on the twill

 

  1. A standard tie-up is:
    1. 1&2; 2&3; 3&4; 4&1; 1&3; 2&4
    2. 4&1; 3&4; 2&3;1&2; 2&4; 1&3
    3. 1&3; 1&2; 2&3; 3&4; 4&1; 2&4
    4. All of the above

 

  1. In an unbalanced twill:
    1. The fabric is warp-dominant
    2. The fabric is weft-dominant
    3. The fabric depends on the specific twill
    4. The fabric is warp-dominant on one side, weft-dominant on the other

 

  1. Which cannot be woven on 4 shafts:
    1. Satin
    2. False-satin
    3. Broken twill
    4. Extended pointed twill

 

  1. Which are possible weaving combinations?
    1. Straight twill threading, pointed twill treadling
    2. Pointed twill threading, straight twill treadling
    3. Undulating threading, broken twill treadling
    4. All of the above

 

  1. A fancy twill is:
    1. An unbalanced twill
    2. An irregular twill
    3. A treadling method
    4. A twill with plain weave

 

  1. Waffle weave is
    1. A treadling method
    2. Pointed twill
    3. Bird’s eye twill
    4. Popcorn weave

 

  1. If the treadling step is 1&3, which is the “on opposite” treadling step?
    1. 1&2
    2. 2&4
    3. 2&3
    4. 3&4

 

  1. Floating selvages:
    1. Should be used on the side where the weft doesn’t catch
    2. Should be used on both sides of the fabric
    3. Are not needed for twills
    4. Are needed for irregular twills

 

  1. For a balanced fabric, the sett for a twill should be:
    1. About the same as for plain weave
    2. Slightly more open than a plain weave
    3. Slightly denser than for plain weave
    4. Depends on the twill

 

  1. For a weft faced twill, which of the following are true:
    1. The weft covers the warp
    2. The color interactions provide the pattern
    3. A number of different twills can be used
    4. All of the above

 

  1. If the number of threads needed for a project (width times sett) doesn’t match the twill repeat:
    1. Arriving at the match depends on the twill
    2. The number of repeats have to be increased
    3. The number of repeats have to be decreased
    4. Balancing threads have to be added

 

  1. Which weft would show a bird’s eye twill best on a variegated warp of blue, green and purple?
    1. Blue
    2. Green
    3. Depends on the weft shade
    4. Variegated blue, green and purple

 

  1. To weave a 1/3 and 3/1 straight twill on the same side of the fabric with 6 treadles, which combination will work?
    1. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1&3, 2&4
    2. 1&2, 2&3, 3&4, 4&1, 1&3, 2&4
    3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1&2&3, 2&3&4
    4. None of the above

 

Answers coming up soon… next month, which is only a couple of weeks away!

Meanwhile here is a fun corkscrew twill scarf!

Happy weaving and stay safe and healthy!

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