Shopping Cart
*continental US addresses only
Why and How to Turn a Draft
Knowing how to turn a draft is a fantastic tool that maximizes four-shaft loom capability while minimizing weaving complexity, but not visual complexity. Turning a draft allows you to simplify the threading or treadling while still creating a highly textured and graphic cloth. It also allows you to weave what is typically a two-shuttle structure with one shuttle, or weave multiple structures from the same warp.
The Basics
When you turn a draft, you are essentially rotating the entire pattern 90 degrees so that the original treadling becomes the threading, and the threading becomes the treadling. Below is a simple example of a standard Crackle Weave Twill pattern (left), and a turned version of the pattern (right). You can see that the threading and treadling of the original pattern are swapped on the turned pattern.
The tie-up must also be inverted on the turned draft. Inverting the tie-up means reversing which shafts are lifted, for a rising shed loom, by changing the placement of the circles in the draft. In the example below, the far-left illustration shows the original tie-up: treadle one engages shafts 1 and 4, treadle two engages shafts 3 and 4, treadle three engages shafts 2 and 3, and treadle four engages shafts 1 and 2. The middle illustration shows the necessary changes for the turned draft, with the “X” marks indicating the new tie-up positions. The far-right illustration shows the inverted tie-up on the turned draft.
Turned Twill
On four shafts, twill-based drafts are especially straightforward and flexible to work with when you are beginning your journey into turning drafts. A straight twill threading (1-2-3-4) can produce regular twill, chevron, herringbone, offset twill, interrupted twill, pebble twill, among other twill structures, depending on how the tie-up and treadling are arranged. Because twill threadings distribute shafts evenly, they adapt well to multiple structures.
Two examples of turned twill drafts are the Sunny Side Up Towel and Turned Taqueté Towels.
Turned Overshot
Turning an overshot draft is more complex, but it allows you to weave with a single shuttle and to create multiple weave structures from the same warp. When a draft is turned, the roles of threading and treadling are exchanged and the design weaves reversed. Classic overshot is treadled tabby/pattern/tabby/pattern, but when the draft is turned, every pick activates both a tabby shaft (1 or 2) and a pattern shaft (3 or 4), so only one shuttle is needed. Because the tabby pick is effectively built into the threading, every weft pick becomes a pattern shot and as a result, a single warp can produce a range of visual and structural effects, giving the weaver greater flexibility and efficiency without rethreading.
Below is an example of an overshot Halvdräll draft (left) and its turned version (right). In the original draft, tabby picks are woven in the weft using treadles 1 and 2. In the turned draft, harnesses 1 and 2 serve as tabby within the threading itself, and shafts 3 and 4 behave as the pattern shafts. The tabby structure is therefore built into the warp, eliminating the need for separate tabby picks and allowing the cloth to be woven with only one shuttle.
Modifying the tie-up becomes more involved when turning an overshot draft and requires the original tie-up to be rotated and then inverted. To rotate the tie-up, you are turning the original tie-up 90 degrees counter-clockwise. You then invert the tie-up, which means reversing which harnesses are engaged. Illustrated below is the original tie-up (far left), the 90 degree rotated tie-up (middle left), the rotated tie-up with the “X” marks indicating the new tie-up positions (middle right), and the turned tie-up (far right).
Beyond Twill & Overshot
Turning a draft is often a process of exploration and refinement. While not every weave structure translates seamlessly, many can be successfully adapted with careful consideration. Overshot drafts respond especially well to turning because the tabby structure can be reassigned within the new configuration. Structures that are highly asymmetrical between warp and weft may require adjustments, since designs that depend heavily on warp-dominant or weft-dominant relationships do not always function identically when threading and treadling are exchanged. Some drafts will also present practical challenges such as threading with long repeats or complex shaft progressions that may not translate cleanly into a treadling sequence, potentially resulting in awkward or inefficient tie-ups. Even in these cases, however, thoughtful adjustments can often resolve the issue.
Overall, turning a draft is less about rigid rules and more about understanding the logic of the structure. With a clear grasp of how the weave structure functions, many drafts can be reimagined in ways that expand both design possibilities and technical versatility. By strategically turning drafts, weavers can expand their design vocabulary, work more efficiently, and create visually rich and modern textiles on a four-shaft loom.
Ready to weave turned drafts? Try the Turned & Telescoped Drafts Technique Trio, which explores turned M’s & O’s and Summer & Winter woven with one shuttle on the same warp. You can find that pattern bundle here.
All graphics courtesy of Madison Potter.
About Madison Potter
Madison Potter is a Canadian weaver and textile designer working out of her studio in New Canaan, Connecticut. She is a graduate of the Alberta University of Fine Arts Fibre and Textiles program and holds a Master of Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Utilizing natural fibers, most of her work is produced on a Leclerc flood loom with her two dogs by her side.