February 2024: Doubleweave Pockets

Woven by Colleen McKinnon

I have been playing around with this weave structure since I first saw it in a book lentto me by my weaving teacher in the mid-1980s. I love the way setting doubleweave at a single weave EPI gives a lacy effect over the items inserted into the pockets. I first used it to weave the “scales” on a fish made for the Tacoma Weaver’s Guild booth at the Northwest Weaver’s Conference in Boise in 1989. The same year I wove a series of evening bags using larger pockets that I stuffed with pennies and dimes. More recently I wove sequin-stuffed pockets in the shape of Christmas trees to make cards.

There are several tricks to placing the sequins that will assist in keeping them in place once the loom tension is off:

• There are more weft shots behind the pocket than there are in front. This will maintain the lacy effect over the sequin while giving it more support.

• Place the sequin as flat as possible at the top of the pocket before pushing it gently into place. This will help you keep the wefts in place and lessen the chance of snagging them with the edge of the sequin and pushing them down. Keep the sequin cupped side up for the same reason.

• If you do snag one or more of the weft shots and push it down, take the time to push it back up over the sequin with a blunt needle. It can be fiddly, but if I minded fiddly I wouldn’t hand weave.

• Use a lower heat and a pressing cloth after wet finishing to avoid melting the sequins

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Piroch, Sigrid. “Sequins and Silk”, Weaver’s, Spring 1988, pp. 32-33, 45, 51.

Piroch, Sigrid and Lyles, Suzie. “Putting on the Glitz”, Handwoven, Jan-Feb. 2002, pp. 56-60.

Downloads:
Drawdown (.PDF)

Bio:

Colleen McKinnon’s introduction to weaving came in a 1985 class given by Mary Berent in Boise. She financed her first loom, an 8-harness Gilmore Jack loom, by making and selling 40 teddy bears. She is still weaving on it! She especially loves weaving useful custom projects to share with family and friends.