MARGO SELBY

COLOR AND TEXTURE IN WEAVING

150 C O N T E M P O R A R Y D E S I G N S

2 THE COLLECTIONS

Deflected double cloth

Deflected double weave can be used to create bold geometric patterns that
look like an oversized color and weave effect.
These patterns are created with stripes of two colors in both the
warp and the weft. These two colorsalthough lying next to each
other both horizontally and verticallynever actually weave
together. Only the matching colors will weave together (for example,
the black warp weaves with black weft and white warp weaves with
white weft). When not weaving, the weft yarn will float over or
under the second cloth. These floats either reveal or conceal the
opposite color and it is this action that creates the patterns. The
name deflected double weave comes from this concept that there
are two different-colored cloths weaving, although as these are side
by side the result feels like a single cloth.

Applications
This collection makes quite a heavyweight cloth, kept very soft and
tactile because of the lambswool and cashmere content.
Because the fabrics are soft and cozy, they are perfect for blankets
or throws, which could be paired with matching or coordinating
cushions. These fabrics could also be applied to a coat or jacket. The
weight and super-softness means that you wont need to line the
garment, as it should feel nice against the skin. You will, however,
need to consider how the pattern may be affected by seams or
panelling in a garment, and choose the garment pattern accordingly.

The yarns
Warp yarns

Development ideas

Weft yarns

sett at 16 e.p.i.
2/8 Spun silk
Chunky 2-ply silk, one
of the heavier weights
of silk available to weave
with. It is expensive so
you may want to weave
a practice warp with
a viscose yarn of similar
weight which will give
you the same shine.
Apple

Baby blue

Lilac

Bubblegum

Tangerine

2/28 Cashmere: Apple, Baby blue, Lilac, Bubblegum, Tangerine.

Delicate 2-ply cashmere yarn, designed for knitting with. This yarn is not strong
enough in the warp but its delicacy adds a softness to the finished fabric.

1/10 Mohair
Fine mohair designed to
be used on a fine-gauge
knitting machine. You
can use knitting yarns in
the warp as long as
they are strong enough.

Once these designs have been

woven and you have an
understanding of how the
patterns are created, challenge
yourself technically by designing
your own simple patterns and
seeing if you can translate these
using the deflected double cloth
construction. While designing
your pattern, it is important to
remember that there are four
blocks in the warptwo light
and two dark. You must design
your own pattern within this
repeat. Use graph paper to help
you work out whether the warp
and weft floats are on the
surface or the back of the fabric,
in order to create the shapes
within the design.

Notes

Black

Wine

Turquoise

Ecru

Khaki

2/14 Lambswool: Black, Wine, Turquoise, Ecru, Khaki.

2-ply knitting yarn that felts beautifully. It also feels soft when washed. It is not
strong enough for the warp but is great for the weftespecially as the felting
means you do not need to sew or tie loose warp threads.

This collection has been lightly

feltedhandwashed in warm
water with washing detergent.
While washing, the fibers are
gently rubbed together until
they start to matt lightly together.
This helps to add texture as the
different yarns will all shrink at
slightly different rates. Squeeze
out any excess water and lightly
iron the fabric before leaving it
to dry flat.

PATTERN ! DEFLECTED DOUBLE CLOTH 3

Black mohair
Silk

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

beginning

x xrepeat
from
beginnning
Repeat
from

shaftnumbers
numbers
shaft

Threading plan

x Repeat from beginning

xx
Pattern A

Turquoise lambswool
Khaki lambswool
Ecru lambswool
Black lambswool

1 Architecture
A strong horizontal turquoise stripe is broken at small intervals by
cream stops. The khaki threads help to knock back the black, resulting
in a richly subtle cool green that offsets the punchier turquoise.

11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88
Pattern B

On the back of the fabric, the pattern

looks the same, with the diagonals within
the cream squares reversed.

12 3 4 5 6 7 8
Warp
Pattern C

Repeat

How the pattern repeats

11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88
Pattern D

Weft

11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88
Repeat

Back of fabric

Ax2; Bx2; Cx2; Dx2

2 Zipper

Pattern C

Black and cream yarns combine in a vertical zebra

pattern to create a strong graphic print that would
look completely at home in a contemporary setting.

11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88
Pattern D

On the back of the fabric, cream zipper

edges become black.

12 3 4 5 6 7 8
Warp
How the pattern repeats

Repeat

Weft

Repeat

Back of fabric

Cx2; Dx2

4 THE COLLECTIONS

Elasticized double cloth

Create three-dimensional surfaces with geometric patterning by using a combination
of elasticized and nonelasticized yarns on a block-threaded warp.
Using different lifting plans, it is possible to weave two cloths in both
blocks, exchanging the cloth on the top with the one on the bottom.

In this collection, the warp made is an end and end warp, meaning
that two colors have been wound alternately when making the warp.
In this case, the two colors are navy and white. (To save time, the
two threads can be wound simultaneously and then threaded
alternately when they are passed through the heddles.)
The two colors in the warp are threaded alternately (the navy
threads are on the odd shafts1, 3, 5, 7while the white threads
are on the even shafts2, 4, 6, 8). This allows the colored threads
to be woven as two separate cloths. Two blocks are created in the
threading (block A on shafts 14 and block B on shafts 58).

Applications
These fabrics are stretchy and decorative. They have a similar
construction to those used in Margo Selbys trademark fabrics, which
are applied to fashion items and furnishings. Because of their stretchy
nature, the fabrics also work particularly well as garments, such as
jackets, jumpers, and dresses.

The yarns
Weft yarns

Delph cashmere
Lychen Lycra

Leaf green Lycra

Berry Lycra

Maroon Lycra
Blazer blue
cotton

Princess pink
cashmere

Lime cashmere

Robin cashmere

2/12 Mercerized cotton

Blazer, White. Set at 30 e.p.i.
A strong yarn ideal for warps, which is
easy to handle and to weave. The
mercerization is a process of finishing
the thread, which leaves the thread with
a sheen and luster. Wind two colors
together to create a striped-warp effect,
known as an end and end warp.

Beige Lycra

Toxic cotton

Pink dusk
lambswool

Lilac cashmere

Fall sky cotton

Sherbet cotton

Turquoise
sea green

Sunray Picasso
gimp

Turquoise viscose

Fluorescent flamingo
polyester floss

2/28 Cashmere
Delph, Princess,
Lime, Robin.
This is a delicate 2-ply
cashmere yarn designed
for knitting, but which,
when used as the weft,
creates super-soft fabric.

There are a multitude of designs

that can be created by changing
the scale and proportions of the
blocks. The width of the blocks
can be altered by changing the
threading plan; the lengths of the
blocks can be explored in the
weaving. If you are using more
than eight shafts you could create
more than two blocks and a
more complex geometric pattern.
As an alternative to elastic yarn,
experiment with overspun/crepe
yarns. Using a wool that felts
alongside the nonstretch yarns
will also help to create the threedimensional forms, but without
the stretch.

Warp yarns

Speckled gray
cotton/viscose

1/14 Lambswool
Pink, Turquoise.
This 1-ply knitting yarn is
very delicate and would
not be suitable as a
warp yarn, but is perfect
as a weft yarn.

Development ideas

White cotton

BLOCKS ! ELASTICIZED DOUBLE CLOTH 5

Shaft numbers

Threading plan
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

2/12 White cotton

!"Warp yarns 2/12 cotton

2/12 Blazer cotton

!"40 e.p.i.

x10

x3
Pattern B

Leaf Lycra
Flamingo polyester floss
Aqua wool
White Lycra
Lime wool
Gray cotton

1 Anderson
This bright, fluorescent yarn adds a striking
and bold effect to the fabric.

Pattern
1 2 3 B4

5 6 7 8

Pattern K
Warp
Repeat

6 7 8

Repeat

Back of fabric

Pattern
K
1 2Leaf
3 Lycra
4 5
Leaf Lycra

Weft

How the pattern repeats

Bx6; Kx4; Bx6; Kx6

2 Architeque

In this sample the light and dark warp ends are kept on
two sides of the cloth, producing a different look on the
front and back.

Pattern C

12 3 4 5 6 7 8

Pattern D

Warp
How the pattern repeats

Repeat

Pattern
1 2 3 C4

Leaf Lycra

Weft

Repeat

Back of fabric

Leaf Lycra

Cx6; Dx4

5 6 7 8

6 THE COLLECTIONS

3 Bond
Through a combination of structure and stripe,
various scales of rectangle are created.

Gray wool
Leaf Lycra
Princess cashmere
Pink lambswool
Sherbet cotton
Maroon Lycra

Pattern C

Delph cashmere
Toxic cotton
Sky cotton
Berry Lycra
Turquoise viscose

Pattern D

Warp
How the pattern repeats

Pattern D

Repeat

Pattern G

Pattern G

Pattern A

Weft

Repeat

Back of fabric

Pattern B

Pattern H

Cx3; Dx4; Gx4; Cx3;

Ax3; Bx8; Hx4; Ax3

Pattern C

4 Tirana
Many colors are used in this weft. It is interesting to see
the way they change when they mix with either the light
or dark warp end.

12 3 4 5 6 7 8
Pattern G
Warp
12 3 4 5 6 7 8

Repeat

How the pattern repeats

Pattern D

12 3 4 5 6 7 8

Repeat

Back of fabric

Weft

Pattern E

Pattern
1 2 3 E4

5 6 7 8

Cx7; Gx7; Dx7; Cx2;

Ex4; Cx2; Ex4; Cx2

BLOCKS ! ELASTICIZED DOUBLE CLOTH 7

5 Taut
Two rectangular windows are created using the same
proportions. These then change color alternately.

Sea wool
Beige Lycra
Sherbet cotton
Robin cashmere
Toxic cotton
Maroon Lycra

Pattern C

White Lycra
Aqua wool
Yellow Picasso gimp
Blue wool
Berry Lycra

12 3 4 5 6 7 8
Pattern D

Warp
How the pattern repeats

Repeat

12 3 4 5 6 7 8
Pattern A

12 3 4 5 6 7 8

Weft

Repeat

Back of fabric

Pattern B

Pattern
1 2 3 E4

5 6 7 8

Cx2; Dx9; Cx2; Ax2;

Bx8: Ax2

6 Rockefeller

Pattern J

The use of this gimp yarn works well with the elastic, as
it is distorted into a wavy shape, adding an organic form
to the surface of the cloth.

12 3 4 5 6 7 8
Pattern H
Warp

How the pattern repeats

Repeat

12 3 4 5 6 7 8
Pattern I

12 3 4 5 6 7 8

Repeat

Back of fabric

Weft

Pattern G

12 3 4 5 6 7 8

Jx2; Hx2; Ix2;

Gx10; Dx2

Give woven
fabric a
contemporary
twist

Learn to create textiles that are rich with color and texture. Using either
a simple four- or eight-shaft loom, you can discover how to mix color and
yarn types in your weaving with Color and Texture in Weaving.
Even if youre new to the loom, youll find complete instructions on how to
get your loom set up, plus illustrated diagrams and lifting patterns. Color
and Texture in Weaving also offers tons of inspiration and ideas for what to
weave. More experienced weavers will also enjoy the more complex
techniques, plus the directory of patterns to weave.
Get inspired to create fresh new textiles with Color and Texture in Weaving.

Paperback
8 10, 144 pages
ISBN 978-1-59668-372-3
$26.95
Available December 2011

Author MARGO SELBY is an extremely successful weaver and textile

designer who has designed products for a leading home interiors store,
Habitat, and has appeared on the BBC.