The beauty of weave over print is the various textures that can be achieved. It adds a third dimension, sometimes quite subtle.

Weaving is the process of interlacing two sets of yarns at right angles. The threads which lie along the length of the fabric are termed warp threads, while those that lie across the width of the fabric are termed weft threads. More technical terms are ends & picks respectively.  Weft Threads are frequently referred to as filling. 

Most of the woven fabrics manufactured are of a basic weave construction or variations thereof.  There are three basic weaves: 

Plain, calico or tabby weave

This weave is recognisable by its chess or draughtboard like yarn interlacings. This weave is the simplest and quickest to set up on the loom and fastest to weave, requiring the least amount of yarn.  This weave gives fabric an even surface for printing.

Twill weave

 A basic weave in which the fabrics are constructed by interlacing warp and filling yarns in a progressive alternation which creates a diagonal effect on the face, or right side, of the fabric. In some twill weave fabrics, the diagonal effect may also be seen clearly on the back - side of the fabric. Twill weave is the most durable weave giving the most hardwearing fabrics.

Satin and sateen weave

These may be considered to be opposites of each other and characterised by their smooth lustrous surfaces due to the warp floats in satin and weft floats in sateen. A float is a long length of yarn, which passes over more than one weft or warp yarn respectively before being interlaced. Such a length yarn is said to float, as it lies on the surface of the fabric. 

Cotton Sateen fabric is a durable cotton fabric with a satin weave construction.  This is achieved by the warp thread passing over four weft threads before being interlaced again. Hence, improving the fabric handle and increasing fabric strength by 25%.

Looms

All woven fabric is made on some sort of a loom and these days it is almost all power looms. Hand weaving is still done in some countries. And of course hand looms are used by production mills to produce samples for their customers to save having to break into production and to service their customers quickly.

Dobby versus Jacquard

At Sheridan our manufacturers use Jacquard Looms and Dobby Looms for their sheeting fabrics.

Dobby looms have a small range of decorative design capabilities. The dobby mechanism activates groups of yarns, which limits the versatility of pattern whereas the jacquard allows each individual thread to be used to create a pattern.  Jacquard is a system of weaving that has a pattern making mechanism that permits a great versatility in woven design with patterns of considerable size.

On a Dobby the groups of yarns are linked to shafts or frames of which there are usually a maximum of 16. So to achieve any pattern requires skill in setting up the loom to obtain the most diverse pattern.  On a Jacquard each thread in a design repeat acts individually. It can be anything from 1000 – 10,000 hooks, which carry the threads. A fairly common pattern repeat, which we use, is 36 cm, which has approx 2400 hooks.   Each of these hooks, through which the threads are drawn is working independently.

The design process into a simulation of a weave.

Our in-house designers at Sheridan conceptualize new and innovative designs each season.  They begin with hand drawn or painted samples, created using different colours, textures and fabrics ideas.   

Once a design has been created, our weave specialist at Sheridan uses special design software to simulate the right kind of weave for each and every design.  Each one is made into a virtual fabric in different colour combinations before the fabric is manufactured. 

The creative design process from conception to production is extremely detailed and meticulously refined at each stage. The design, simulation and development of the fabric weave is an vital part of this process in every one of our seasonal ranges produced at Sheridan.

Below: The process of converting a design into a simulation of a weave

And the finished product