Twill Weave

Other types of weave

Plain
Oxford
Lace
Twill
Grenadine
Herringbone
Houndstooth
Jacquard
Moire
Repp
Ribbed
Satin
Barathea
Self-On-Self
End-On-End


Warp and Weft

All weaves are made up from Warp and Weft ‘yarns’. Warp ‘yarns’ run along the length of the material, whilst weft ‘yarns’ run across the width of the material. It is the different methods of interlacing the warp and weft ‘yarns’ that create a particular type of weave. Many of the most common weaves have acquired names that come down to us over the centuries.

Twill Weave

In twill weave the order of interlacing causes diagonal lines to appear in the fabric. The lines may run to the right, known as the Z direction, or they may run to the left, known as the S direction. On the reverse of the fabric the twill lines run in the opposite direction and are often less distinct. The twill effect can be accentuated by using different coloured warp and weft ‘yarns’.

Warp-faced twills show a predominance of warp ‘yarns’ on the face whereas Weft-faced twills (sometimes called twillette) show a predominance of weft ‘yarns’ on the face.

Float
A float is created when a warp or weft ‘yarn’ is passed over two or more threads.
Shed
A shed is the opening created on a loom where the weft passes between the warp ‘yarn’.
Pick
A pick (also referred to as a shot) is a single pass of the weft through the ‘shed’.
Ends
Individual warp threads.
Yarn
Yarn is the generic term for a thin, long, continuous strand of textile fibre, filament, or material in a form suitable for knitting, weaving, or otherwise intertwining (or interlacing) to form a textile fabric.