Course: The basics of low-warp tapestry, Topic: 2. We use cotton for the warp and often wool for the weft

Topic outline

General
- Select activity The basics of low-warp tapestry Low-warp tapestry ...
  The basics of low-warp tapestry
  
  Low-warp tapestry is a weaving made of interwoven threads of weft and warp.
  
  It is a particularly tight weave which is most often done inside out.
  
  The warp must not appear except in special cases in agreement with the artist, we call this “apparent warp” (chaîne apparente).
  
  The tapestry is made by using a graphic language and textile writings that are decided according to the pieces to produce and the drawing of the cartoon.
  
  All weaving techniques can be used such as :
  
  The liures or croisages
  The battages
  The stripes
  The dotted lines
  The driadis
  The passages de couleur or colour gradients
  The perfilages…
  
  In order to obtain a tight, homogeneous fabric and a non-visible warp, the weft and the warp must be of identical size.
  
  The warp threads must be equalized at an equal distance from each other. Hence the importance of knowing well and knowing how to calculate and identify :
  - Calibrations.
  - Warp and weft relations.

2. We use cotton for the warp and often wool for the weft

The warp :

In the Creuse region, the tapestry warp is generally made of cotton (unlike the Gobelins factories which use wool).


	The most commonly used warp thread is mouliné cotton : it is made up of several slightly twisted strands, and its calibration is expressed by two numbers according to the European Spinners convention.

Example :

13 portées = 10/11

The first number, 10 in the example, indicates the titration of the thread. Its lengths per kilogram is obtained by multiplying it by 1000.
The second number, 11 in the example, indicates the amount of strands which forms the warp thread.

This 10/11 cotton therefore consists of 11 strands of an initial thread which measures 10 000 meters per kilogram.

This thread “13 portées” therefore measures :

(10 x 1000) : 11 = 909,09 per kilogram.

Calibration	Number of portées
20/4	30
20/7	22
20/8	20
20/10	18
20/13	16
10/11	13
12/18 . . . .	11 . . . .

The wool :

The titration of wool is the opposite of that of cotton. The wool most commonly used in the Creuse region is a combed wool, thin and very resistant, it is wool 2/20 (two twisted ends of an initial thread which measures 20 000 meters per kilogram). This wool allows subtle assemblies of threads on the shuttle (flûte), called “marled fabric” (chiné) and piqué : chiné is a mix of colour tones of similar values, while piqué is an assembly of colour tones of opposite values that gives a special effect of fabric – for example piqué black and white.

The 2/20 wool allows combinations with other wools or other fabrics.

There is also wool 3/8, 2/8, 3/12, 3/18, 4/7…

Example : 2/20

The first number, 2 in the example, indicates the number of strands.
The second number, 20 in the example, indicates its length per kilogram. It is obtained by multiplying it by 1000.

This wool therefore consists of 2 strands of wool.

20 x 1000 = 20 000 : 2 = 10 000 meters/kg.

The same for each calibration.

Warp-to-weft ratio table

Titration of the warp	Number of portées	Number of threads for 10 cm	Number of ends in 2/20	Country wool 3/8
20/7	22	66	2
20/10	18	54	3
20/13	16	48	4	1
10/11	13	39	6	1+2 ends of 2/20
12/18 . . .	10 . . .	33 . . .	8 to 9 . . .	2 . . .

Exercises

For each row of this table, we can ask to explain how to calculate the number of threads per cm.

Give calibrations :

Calculate the lengths and sort them in ascending or descending order.
Calculate the number of threads per cm by calibration.

Then, considering a tapestry measuring 3,20 m by 2 m, how much does it measure in m² ?

If we weave it in 3,20m, how many lames do we need ?

And knowing that we must add 1.50m of saut (that is, the remaining length of warp between the end of the tapestry and the rear roller of the loom), how much cotton (in kg), will we need to weave this tapestry in 13 portées, i.e. 10/11 ? Etc…

Topic outline

General

2. We use cotton for the warp and often wool for the weft