Hello!

I am attempting to make a set of curtains using a traditional Appalachian coverlet overshot pattern.  My warp and tabby will be 8/2 cotton, making a 50/50 plain weave base, at 20 epi. I want to use a wool weft for the overshot pattern, but don't know what size I should be looking for.  I'm not too familiar with wool gauges.  Any suggestions??  Also, I would be interested in using a 3/2 cotton or something if that was advised. 

Thanks for the feedback! 

Betsy

Comments

Sat, 03/02/2013 - 17:29

teewers (not verified)

I’m a fairly new weaver myself so I’m not sure that I can “advise” you on the best choice; but I can tell you what I’ve been told and what I’ve actually tried.  In general, an overshot pattern yarn is supposed to be approximately twice the size of the warp / tabby yarn.  So far, I’ve used 8/2 unmercerized cotton set at 20 epi as my warp / tabby.  HD Shetland wool yarn works well as the pattern yarn, creating the overshot effect and resulting in a fabric that is fairly heavy and stiff.  I’ve tried 3/2 mercerized cotton, which creates a firm but more flexible fabric and which I like for placemats.  I’ve also tried 8/2 mercerized cotton doubled, which creates a lighter and even more flexible fabric that I like for kitchen towels.  The all-cotton fabrics wash well.  So far I’ve been afraid to wash the wool-cotton fabric.  In the end, I think your choice will depend on how you want your curtains to look and feel.  Perhaps you might set up a narrow short warp in your desired pattern so that you can try out the different possibilities and see which one you like the best?  Hope this helps - Theo

Sat, 03/02/2013 - 17:39

teewers (not verified)

Sorry, duplicate post