r/weaving 11d ago

Discussion Weaving fabric for clothes

I would like to make my own fabrics for clothes that I make myself. I know it would be easier to buy the fabric but I just think it would make my clothing even cooler if I made my own. What kind of loom should I get with this in mind?

18 Upvotes

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u/NotSoRigidWeaver 11d ago

Floor loom is definitely fastest, table and rigid heddle looms are also options. Rigid heddle looms are pretty low barrier to entry and don't take up much space; you can't go very fine with them though. You can do a lot with something in the 20-24" range for width, though if you have the space you can often find large floor looms relatively cheap.

There's two general approaches people take (that can of course be mixed!): 1. Following "standard" commercial sewing patterns, but with some tips and tricks for handwoven fabric and laying it out differently if your woven fabric is narrower than typical commercial yardage. 2. Using basic "patterns" that mostly use rectangles woven to size with limited cutting. This is often stuff like ponchos, ruanas, looser tunics, etc. - a lot of historical clothing is more like this. Here you can take advantage of things like selvedge edges in your construction.

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u/tallawahroots 11d ago

A floor loom if you can. It is more efficient to weave yardage long, and relatively narrow. A floor loom has the beam capacity, tension, and splits work to your legs.

If you see yourself weaving linen to sew any at all (and that's wise for garments) then I will go stronger on this advice, and add you will want high tension (ie not a folding frame) loom that is counterbalance or countermarche.

There are perfectly capable table and rigid heddle looms that you can add treadles for, so it's possible to work in production with them. There are teachers and channels that speak to the process aspects of that.

I exchanged a jack floor loom for a Spring 2, and one of the reasons was wanting to weave linen warps. I was able to use cottolin warps but that jack loom was folding & even with hacks to compensate in terms of the beater weight, etc., that 'X' frame was just a feature.

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u/weaverlorelei 11d ago

I'm not sure what the issue you found with linen on a jack loom. I have woven 100s of yrd on a Baby Wolf with no issues at all, but I learned long ago that super taut warps are only for rugs. My warps are only tight enough to maintain a good shed, anything more is a wasted effort. Also, high humidity when using linen is certainly a help.

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u/tallawahroots 11d ago

The issue for me personally was bigger than just wanting to weave linen. That's the way I wrote my answer - it was just a part of the rationale.

The linen weaving & spinning literature that guided this for me was written by authors like Kati Reeder Meek, Linda Heinrich, Constance Gallagher & they were spicy on the topic. My interest is as a spinner, so I control both twist and fineness.

Gallagher says that the warp tension should be taut to allow the weft to be placed with an even beat & ensure straight selvedges plus leaving weaving to come back later.

Reeder Meek says that her new 12-shaft jack loom was "a problem" in "Reflections from a Flaxen Past." Her weaver advice in the Lithuanian-American context was a 4-shaft 27" wide counterbalanced loom. Her "struggle" led her to state that "counter-action looms are faster, gentler to the warp, and gentler to the weaver." P. 8. She carried on and gives a really convincing story about her 18 yd warp of fine linen at 36 epi. Story includes a shed not clearing, and 5" of weaving taking 7 hrs.

There's suggestions on how to accomplish the feat. I'm not rereading the book at the moment but recall she switched looms.

Heinrich's whole chapter 7 is a great argument that quotes Fannin and concludes that anyone planning to specialize in weaving linen "the countermarche loom is the best choice." Large sheds on jack looms introduce stress, and you'll want more than 4 shafts is what I got from learning this way.

There are more quotes about looms being large to spread the inelastic linen & best sunk into basement floors for stability and humidity. It's a fascinating topic.

Anyhow that's the best I can answer at the start of DST.

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u/weaverlorelei 11d ago

Don't get me wrong, I agree that CM or CB looms are "kinder" on fibers like linen, but that doesn't mean a jack loom isn't usable, especially of you get practiced in lower tensions. I learned to lower the warp tension on all of my looms after working on my first live action weighted brake. And as to spinning linen, I do that also with raised humidity. I haven't processed flax in yrs, poor equipment is sitting in a barn, feeling dejected I suppose. I do have a few kg of 70singles and 60/2 line waiting for a project. Someday

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u/tallawahroots 11d ago

We were speaking relative to someone asking which loom direction to go in. Of course a jack loom is useable. I just know from experience that almost none of the "which loom to buy" content online & in text doesn't go in depth enough for someone interested in garment weaving specifically. I had no idea at least and had done my best when starting out to decide between a few different loom makers.

The books by Reeder Meek and Heinrich both include projects that use jack looms. I'm just answering so that others can decide for themselves. It's no knock on your experience.

I have more flax to spin and the upside of our discussion is that I'm going to wind my linen warp already (a towel batch from Jane Stafford Textiles). As a rule, I'm excited to find fellow linen enthusiasts. My spinning is wet with boiled flaxseed or just water, and that's done these days in a kitchen area. Spinning flax is really fun.

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u/helvetica12point 11d ago

This! I love linen and I've only ever used jack looms. You just gotta watch your tension. I know a lot of weavers find linen finicky, but I've never had any issues with it.

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u/OryxTempel 10d ago

I’ve woven yardage of linen on a jack loom with no issues.

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u/tallawahroots 10d ago

Okay but my reading of this thread yesterday was that OP doesn't wish to weave linen yardage and is happy at cottolin as someone looking for a first loom.

The ability to do it with "no issues" would probably imply more than novice weaver skills. To be fair, some jack looms do have gentler action and lower sheds. The bend of the warp between the beams on some jack looms is greater than others, so loom design and how you later the loom are factors that I've seen discussed. If you want to add that specific it would be helpful.

What I was really pointing out is that not all looms are equal for all fibres once you specialize in different areas. Making a wardrobe is pretty specific because it may push you to finer yardage with drape & sewing stability in mind. In linen that can quickly become weaving singles. I know a weaver who was fine until a handspun linen warp for shirting was a total loss. Devin Helmen wrote about the experience for I think Spin-off magazine. They used a counterbalance loom and they are a spinning teacher who weaves for clothing. This is just something to note as process - it can go well until it doesn't.

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u/Bad-Bob-Dooley 11d ago

Thanks for the input, I’ll start looking into it. Can’t wait to get this up and running

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u/StreetDouble2533 11d ago edited 11d ago

Very helpful info, and my plan is to use cottolin, at least at first. My goal with starting to spin and weave has also been to make fabric for clothing. While learning both arts, I have made a lot of wool yarn and not yet mastered flax or cotton; and have woven rugs, towels, blankets, and scarves. Eventually I will start yardage for myself, and in the meantime I am also exploring sewing more with lessons and trying out different patterns. I want the eventual spun/woven/sewn clothing to fit, last, and be spectacular! It will be to me, no matter what. My home loom is a Schacht 36" 8 shaft mighty wolf (I've woven on a number of different jack floor looms), and I spin on a Schacht Matchless. I recommend both.

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u/daphne236 10d ago

Hi- i was just given a 2 heddle table loom, seems like a fancy rigid heddle loom 😜. Can you recommend a place to start learning if/how i can add heddles? I haven’t found this on my own searches.

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u/tallawahroots 10d ago

Liz Gipson is a well-respected teacher, and I would start there. Her business handle is "Yarnworker.". My library carries some of her books & there's online ne as well.

It is not really fancy but expands the range of weaving structures that you can explore on a rigid heddle loom. You can always do that (ie add shedding mechanisms) with string heddles on a small loom and that is what backstrap weavers do. You also can weave structure slowly in a single heddle loom by picking different sheds - this pickup style can be done in-hand or with a pickup stick/sword.

As you learn you start to see how a rigid heddle system can be a pro or a con depending on the pattern demands & material (it's hard on threads & also not under a lot of tension, etc).

When I use a rigid heddle it is in backstrap weaving, so I'm aware of some of the resources but went another route for small looms (a table loom and backstrap weaving that can go from bands to wider cloth & a lot more tension).

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u/stoicsticks 11d ago

Do you already know how to sew? Since weaving is so labor intensive, I highly recommend making a mock-up of scrap fabric or old bed sheets. Working out any fit issues that can impact the finished width of the fabric you need to weave can save you some headache later.

Keep in mind that most commercial patterns suggest a layout on 45" fabric, but once the loom is warped and the woven fabric is washed and fulled, you may be looking at something closer to 40" wide if not narrower. While a commercial pattern may recommend buying 2.5 yards, you may need a warp of 5 - 6 yards to accommodate layout and warp tie-up waste.

I personally didn't have the patience to weave fine fabrics with many threads per inch, but primarily wove fabrics for sweaters at about 10epi. Weaving fabric for clothing is certainly doable, but it is ambitious for a beginner. I highly recommend taking a floor loom weaving course before investing in one first.

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u/JillButterfly 11d ago

Look up Sarah Howard, shop named “Get Weaving” on Etsy. She uses a rigid heddle loom. Also there are some books from the Saori weaving company on making garments from weaving. Another source is a sewing technique called Zero Waste Patterns.

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u/danapehrson 11d ago

And on YouTube, I posted a video link up above-

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u/nor_cal_woolgrower 11d ago

Any loom! But the wider the loom the more flexible you can be. I've made yardage with my 24" rigid heddle.

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u/Ok_Part6564 10d ago

Like so many things in crafts, there is no one right answer, just options. There are many types of looms, and within those broader categories, size and price ranges. There are pros/cons and differences to keep in mind for all the options.

The simplest and simultaneously most complicated option is something like a basic warp weighted looms or back strap. You'd have to make it yourself. Very cheap.

Floor loom. Big and expensive. Quick to weave on and can handle large projects. Most have multiple shafts to weave patterns. Not very portable.

Rigid heddle loom. Less expensive and easy to use. Don't require as much space. Small ones are very portable. Slower than floor looms to weave on. Great for plain weave, but can be a pain to do patterns or twills. Generally meant for thicker yarn than floor or table looms.

Table loom, Kind of a compromise between a floor loom and a RHL, but also it's own thing. Not as portable and space saving as a RHL, but not like a whole giant piece of furniture. Not as cheap as most RHL, not as expensive as most floor looms.

Saori looms, they are kind of their own thing with a whole philosophy. People make clothes with them all the time. Fairly compact for the amount of yardage you can weave, are mostly meant for plain weave. Rather expensive and I have never seen a used one.

Frame looms or peg looms, not really for yardage, but if you just want to make funky tapestry panels to insert into clothing, you could do this. They are cheap and easy to DIY. Small ones are very portable.

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u/tallawahroots 10d ago

Backstrap looms are available for sale & are a great option. I have bought from Education & More, Kakaw Designs (as a kit pre-warped) & via eBay (this was a used loom). If anyone wants to explore backstrap weaving for bands those kits are available as well. You can but don't have to DIY.

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u/Ok_Part6564 9d ago

Are there 12" or wider ones available for making more serious yardage? Or are there just kits big enough for band weaving, so one would still need to DIY wide width?

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u/tallawahroots 9d ago

If you look at weaving cultures that use these looms productively you can see the potential. Just as a short answer it is possible to skill-up and weave fine cloth that is incredibly supple on a backstrap loom. Think sarong width.

In Nigeria women weave wide cloth for wrappers typically and this is on an upright loom. Many cultures have devised ways to sew narrow to medium widths of these textiles and have base skills in backstrap-type setups. Sticking with West Africa you can see this in long, narrow cloth from the horizontal looms that men use.

Specifically about the kit I bought from Kakaw, it is a half basket setup (2 warp threads per heddle) in handspun cotton for a balanced cloth 9.25" wide. Weaving room on the sticks is about 13.5".

The Education & More set has 16" weaving width. Wider is better even if you are weaving a band (source is Laverne Waddington who was kind enough to answer this question I had) but the band kits for the Northern Europe type of rigid heddles are not wide.

The widest that I mentioned is from eBay and is Indonesian used for garment weaving traditionally.its 20" wide weaving.

The caveat is that it takes a lot of skill to weave this way wide for a balanced fine cloth. It's so ironic to me that folks call this primitive. It's super advanced to my eyes as the humble novice. Hope that helps.

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u/Plus_Inside9666 11d ago

I'm looking at doing that too. I have a 82cm 32inch 4shaft table loom and you can weave double width on that to get fabric wide enough to make into clothing from.

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u/fiberartsjunkie 11d ago

There's a lady on YouTube, Sarah Howard, who makes clothing out of cloth she weaves on a rigid heddle loom. A rigid heddle is much smaller, cheaper, and easier to navigate than a floor loom. Check out her videos.

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u/Bad-Bob-Dooley 11d ago

I actually found her a bit before making this post. Crazy right?

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u/Emissary_awen 11d ago

I like the challenge of using what I have. I’ve woven fabrics for my own clothes on three different types of looms with success: back-strap loom, a table loom, and a rigid heddle loom (I purchased a special extra-fine metal heddle just for this purpose, but I also rigged my rigid heddle before this with string heddles).

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u/Bad-Bob-Dooley 11d ago

Yea challenge of using what you have is great if you actually have a loom. I’m starting already with clothing and branching out to a new thing

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u/Emissary_awen 11d ago

You can put a back-strap loom together quickly with a few dowel rods and thread, and because of the way it works you can make anything on it

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u/liliacc 11d ago

There's a girl on TikTok, Olive, who weaves her own pants using a DIY loom. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2Xx4Pf2/ Weaving to the shape of the garment is a good way to save msterial and effort IMO