Swedish Weaving & Finishing Techniques
Swedish weaving, also called hucking or huck weaving, is a 500-year-old needlecraft that still holds appeal for the modern artisan. Using only embroidery floss or thin cotton yarn and a blunt tapestry needle, turn open-weave cloth into afghans, towels, pillow shams or shawls. Once you have learned the basic steps, you can easily design your own patterns. Leaves, flowers, birds and geometric shapes are among just a few of the patterns you can weave.
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Materials
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Use huck toweling, monk's cloth or Aida cloth to weave the pattern. All three fabrics are open-weaved made of soft cotton and are available in white as well as pastels and bright colors. The even-weave cloths are sold as precut sizes or by the yard. Similar in construction, Aida is woven with two loops, while huck and monk's cloth are woven with four. The count needed for Aida is 14 and seven for the others. Weave six-strand embroidery floss or #5 perle cotton through the loops with a size 24 tapestry needle. Tapestry needles are blunt, so they will not tear the fabric or prick the crafter's fingers.
Beginning
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Swedish weaving is done on the surface of the cloth, through the open-weave loops; the needle never actually goes through the fabric. When complete, the colorful designs are only seen on one side. Use the threaded blunt needle to pass through the holes and under the double or quadruple threads in the fabric. These threads are called floats or loops. Weave the floss between the threads --- not through the fabric. Since the weave is wide, it is much easier to see the work. Swedish weaving is always begun from the center of the fabric. Fold the cloth in half to find the center and mark it with a straight pin. Work from the center to one selvage and then return to the center and work in the opposite direction. Working from the center outward prevents the fabric from pulling out of shape as you weave.
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Common Stitches
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The darning stitch is the most popular stitch. Pass the floss or yarn under a float. Go straight, diagonally up, down or to the next float in the row directly above or below it to create designs of squares, leaves, pyramids or flowers. The needle can split the float so that you only go through one thread if necessary to keep the design symmetrical.
Execute the loopidy loop stitch by looping the floss around a float. Use this stitch to make a more solid weaving design. Working from left to right, weave the floss under a float. Bring back the needle toward your left and again weave it under the same float.
Running stitches are also used in Swedish weaving. Run the thread under and over alternating floats until the line is complete. Go back in the opposite direction, weaving the thread under and over the floats that are still visible. The row of stitches will be a continuous line that looks the same from the back as it does from the front.
Finishing
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To end a thread near the selvage or hem, make a stitch around the float and tie a knot. Pass the thread to the other side of the fabric before tying the knot.
Finish off threads within the weaving by moving the thread back, looping around the last float and passing the thread under the same loops you have just woven. Trim away the excess thread.
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References
Resources
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