Weaving Fabric Warp

by Ashley Martineau

One of my weaving experiments was taking sari silk ribbon as my warp on my Ashford Sampleit Loom (using a 2.5 dent reed) with art yarn and seeing what the benefits & downsides were for using fabric as a warp.

My favorite moment of this scarf was when I took it off the loom and didn't like one of the wider ribbons I had woven as weft. I removed the ribbon, which left a gaping hole showing off the warp and I really liked this. Looking back - I think I would have spaced out this scarf with many open-warp areas to show off the warp. Maybe weave an inch of worsted weight yarn. Then weave in bulky fabric (to be removed to expose the warp) for a section - then weave worsted again. 

The silk ribbon gave the scarf plenty of drape. It didn't feel stiff or tight. The fringe on the ends was spectacular - full and thick. 

You could play with this idea by using fabric as a stripe down your warp - or just on the edges. Or just do fabric down the middle. Experiment. Try something new. You never know what you might discover when you step outside of the books. 

Happy Weaving!