Woven Textile Design

Jan Shenton’s Woven Textile Design is one of those books that deserves more attention than it receives. The pictures of her woven textiles provide plenty of inspiration to try different structures and techniques. Looking more closely, you will find that she is not just using the standard weaving yarns but monofilament and copper wire. The book is organized by types of cloth, including plain weaves, twills; color; and weave, warp and weft distortions such as honeycomb, textured weaves including seersucker, and doublecloth with directions for doing pleats. She gives good descriptions of the structures. Illustrations show how the warp and the weft interact to create the structure. There are many tips on using different yarns and colors show more to make your design take shape.

The reason this book doesn’t get much traction may be that she doesn’t present the drafts in the manner that we are accustomed to seeing them. They are presented as liftplans, which is useful if you are using a table loom or a dobby loom. It takes a bit more time to think in the different format. This can be overcome by entering the liftplan into Fiberworks and then converting it to the tie up plan that we are more familiar with.

This is not a project book. However, if you are looking for inspiration to expand your weaving horizon and create your own designs, this book is one that you should definitely pick up. And it isn’t just for those who have 8 or more shafts. This book is just as relevant to those who have four shafts. show less

[Woven Textile Design by Jan Shenton appears to be written for use with students of textile design. The basic information on weaving is rudimentary and assumes some knowledge of a textile studion. The design information is a treasure trove, especially for those like myself who have been immersed in weaving drafts and fabric structure for a long time. She leads the reader through design inspiration and imagining the desired fabric then provides the tools to experiment with materials, fabric structure, and color to produce the desired result. I can't wait to try some of her ideas at the loom.

Very interesting book on hand weaving design. Lots of color photos to illustrate each technique. Good chapters on supplementary warps and wefts, patterned double weave and weaving double weave pleats. Great book for guild libraries.