Once threaded, there may be many options for treadling. Every structure has its own, but using others is a good way to weave unique projects on a single long warp.

Beginners can be overwhelmed by the choices, however. What will work best?

I like to think of the treadling possibilities as broadly falling into four groups: 1. Treadling specific to the structure; 2. Alternate treadling for a structure; 3. Using the treadling of one structure on the threading of another; 4. Treadling methods, that is, treadling directions that are not associated with any structure, but can be applied to various ones.

This way of thinking works well for four-shaft structures, but with more it can become ambiguous. However, once we understand the options, choosing alternate treadlings can be applied to any shafts.

A Structure’s Own Treadling

A fabric determines the structure, and to be able to weave a specific one, we need the threading and treadling steps that define that structure. When we look at the various weaves, it seems likely that many of them were derived in a circular way: threading, then treadling steps, back to threading, etc. Thus, it is often difficult to look at a threading and figure out what its own treadling is.

The twills called “regular” are the exception; they use the standard tie-up on four shaft, which uses all four shafts taken two at a time. Of the resulting six possibilities, four are used for twills. Incidentally, it is not by coincidence that 4-shaft looms often have six treadles.

Emery’s definition of a twill is: progressive successions of floats in diagonal alignments. If we look at a twill fabric, the diagonal is often obvious as in the fabric below.

We can see that diagonal alignment below in the drawdown of the four-shafts straight twill, which was used to weave the sample above.

The threading, treadling and the four treadles are all arranged in a diagonal. Of the six possible treadles in the standard tie-up, twills use the four that allow the diagonal to form:  drop one shaft and add the next: start with 1 & 2, then drop 1 and add 3, that is, 2 & 3, etc. (The other two treadles of the standard tie-up – 1 & 3 and 2 & 4 – are used for plain weave.)

The treadling shown here for the straight twill is called “tromp-as-writ”, that is, treadle as written. We can see the steps in the drawdown above: the threading is 1, 2, 3, 4, the treadling is 1, 2, 3, 4; again, this works with the standard tie-up. There are other twills that do not use it.

Knowing the tromp-as-writ rule, means that we can find the twill’s own treadling. For example, let’s use the pointed twill: the threading is 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, repeat; the treadling is 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, repeat, when using the standard tie-up.

Here is the drawdown:

While all structures have a treadling of their own, it is not always possible to obtain it by simply looking at the threading.

Let’s take huck, for example, a rectangular float weave (by Emery’s classification, one warp, one weft, with blocks of floats). If we are familiar with this structure, or if we look it up, this is what we find on four shafts: two blocks treadled to obtain weft floats; the drawdown below is a rising-shed drawdown, showing two repeats.

Without getting too caught up in the details, we see that huck is derived from plain weave. We can see how plain weave fills the fabric where there are no floats; the floats are obtained by removing one of the plain weave shafts in the treadling. However, we have to start with a specific threading.

Regardless, we recognize that drawdown as the directions for weaving huck.

Alternate Treadling For a Structure

Huck forms the weft floats we have seen in the previous rising-shed drawdown while warp floats are formed on the other side of the fabric.

We can add to the tie-up to give us the treadling steps to weave warp floats, in addition to weft floats, on the same side of the fabric, as shown by the rising shed drawdown below.

We can also combine the warp and weft floats to form huck lace, as shown in the next drawdown.

While it is great to have all these options for treadling, cautions must be used in some cases when applying an alternate treadling to a threading. Huck is one of those case. Both huck with weft and warp floats can be easily exchanged – they are, after all, different sides of the same fabric. Huck lace, however, has more drape, so adjustments must be made up front with the block design and the sett to avoid a sleazy fabric, rather than a lacey one.

Other common structures have treadling options; for example, overshot tromp-as-writ treadling is called “start fashion” but “rose fashion” is an alternative. Summer and winter is woven in “singles” but treadlings for “paired x’s” and “paired o’s” are popular options (These are described in the Pictionary^©, look them up if you want to know more).

Using a Treadling of One Structure on the Threading of Another Structure

Twill gamps are the perfect example. Several threadings are used across the fabric and then each is woven with its own treadling. Besides the tromp-as-writ fabric for each twill, we obtain all the other possibilities.

Below is the drawdown of my twill gamp as an example.

Starting at the right-hand corner, I used a straight threading (sometimes called straight draw, shown in red) followed by a pointed threading (in green). I started the treadling with a straight draw (in yellow); the upper right portion of the drawdown above is the straight twill, tromp-as-writ. Next to it on the left, there is a straight treadling on a pointed threading.

The second treadling is called return or pointed (in blue); on the bottom left corner we have the tromp-as-writ for the pointed threading, the pointed twill. The blue weft on the red warp forms a straight threading with a return treadling.

Thus, for two threadings and two treadlings, we have four possible fabrics!

Note that, in the nomenclature above, there are two twills, that is, two threadings with their respective tromp-as-writ treadlings. The other two are combination of threadings and treadlings. That is, we cannot call the yellow and green square a pointed twill with a straight treadling! The fabric determines the structure and that square is not a pointed twill! Clear vocabulary makes for clear thinking. And, yes, I have been known to slip-up and call a pointed threading a “twill”. If it doesn’t look like the blue weft on the green warp in the drawdown above, it’s not a pointed twill!

While the mixing and matching of twills is widespread, there are other threadings that borrow the treadling of others. Summer and winter, for example, can be treadled as overshot.

Treadling Methods

As I said in the introduction, treadling methods are directions without threading of their own. Generally, they can be applied to more than one threading, but not to all categories of threadings. They are not structures, despite the fact that sometimes they are called “weave”.

In fact, waffle weave is one favorite treadling method, applied to some type of pointed threading. Below is the drawdown, which shows some 5-thread long floats on this particular pointed threading.

The plain weave sections that appear throughout the fabric cause the floats to be pulled in resulting in the “waffles” that give the treadling method its name.

The Pictionary^© has more treadling methods. Try them for yet other treadling options.

Study all your possibilities to determine the best use for the final fabric.

Happy weaving!