USING WEAVING SOFTWARE

Madelyn van der Hoogt

Setting preferences
Creating drafts
Using color
Varying thread size
Block substitution

Images are created

using PixeLoom.

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Madelyn van der Hoogt

4-SHAFT DRAFT
Tie-up
(the numbers
on each treadle
warp represent
thread shafts raised)
Threading order 1 2 3 4 5 6
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1

pick,
or shot
(weft
thread)

Warp thread shows

on face of cloth
Weft thread shows
on face of cloth

Drawdown showing warp floats in black Treadling

(a picture of the cloth) order

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WEAVING SOFTWARE FEATURES
Weaving software can be a wonderful aid to creating drafts, understanding weave structures,
and working with color. Here are some of the features of PixeLoom; most are also available
in other weaving software programs; see the Resources page. Knowing about these can help
you decide whether weaving software will be helpful to you. To create drafts in other programs,
look at all the headings in the Top Menu Bar. You may find Warp and Weft instead of Threading
and Treadling, but the choices should be fairly easy to understand.

In PixeLoom, the draft format allows numbers in tie-up and treadling, symbols
(black squares or black circles or user-defined), or letters (as for blocks).

The drawdown can show filled-in squares (black or selected colors) or threads PC MAC
interlacing. Keyboard shortcuts
Straight, point, and advancing twills can be entered automatically in the Ctrl = Cmd
threading and treadling sections using the Line Tool.
Undo
Delete Key deletes threads; Insert Key inserts threads (+ key on a Mac). Ctrl + Z Cmd + Z

A Status Bar gives information at the bottom of each draft (how many shafts, trea- Redo
dles, ends, picks, etc). Ctrl + Y Cmd+Shift+Z
The Selection Rectangle (dashed rectangle in the Side Tool Bar) selects areas of
the threading or treadling to use for Copy or Paste. Copy selection
Ctrl + C Cmd + C
Threading and treadling can be entered with the Pencil Tool or the number
keys. Paste
Ctrl + V Cmd + V
Two thread thicknesses can be shown in the drawdown (Choose Thickness under
Threading or Treadling in the Top Menu Bar and Select the order of the two sizes). Zoom in
Ctrl + + (plus) Cmd + +(plus)
Choose Warp or Weft Drawdown (filled-in black squares) or Color (filled in
squares based on color of warp and weft) or Interlacement (shows interweav- Zoom out
ing warp and weft threads). Ctrl + –(minus) Cmd + – (minus)

Color: Program opens with a Default Palette of colors. New colors and new Insert ends or picks
palettes are easy to make and custom palettes are easy to import into new Insert + (PX)
drafts. An eyedropper tool can select colors from images to paste into palettes. space bar (FW)

The Color Palette shows two color selection boxes at the top, left-click to use Delete ends or picks
the color in the left box, right-click for right box (to do this on a Mac, you Delete Delete
need a 2-button mouse).
Print
Fabric analysis: Edit/Start Fabric Analysis and fill in the drawdown part of the Ctrl + P Cmd + P
screen, and the program will derive the Threading, Tie-up, and Treadling.
Save
Print: Choose Scale or Size to Fit (paper size), Drawdown type (Color, Warp, Ctrl + S Cmd + S
Weft, Interlacement;).
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Drafts can be saved as graphic files (good quality jpgs).

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SETTING PREFERENCES

Set preferences:
Under PixeLoom in the Top Menu
Bar, select Preferences and fill in the
selections to choose your Default
number of shafts, treadles, etc. The
same process will be true of most
programs.

Here are typical Preferences for an

8-shaft, 8-treadle draft selected as
the Default Draft. Every time you
open the program, it will open with
this draft.

It’s a good idea to create a folder of

basic drafts with different numbers
of shafts and treadles so that when
you need one that isn’t your Default
Draft, you can just click on one of
those to open the program. Other-
wise, you’ll have to change the De-
fault Draft after the program opens
(under File/Properties).

Creating basic drafts

To create a draft that has a different num-
ber of shafts and treadles from the Default
Draft, Under File in the Top Menu Bar,
select New, and the Default draft opens
(8-shafts, 8-treadles here). Under File, select
Properties; change the numbers of shafts
and treadles, and click OK. To save this
draft as a 4-shaft, 4-treadle draft, under File
choose Save As, and save as a 4S4T Draft or
similar name. Do the same for any other
combinations you might use (8S10T, 4S6T,
16S16T, for example).

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Working with drafts

1. Open your 8-shaft, 8-treadle basic draft.

Save the open file as 8S Twill. Select the
Line tool in the Toolbar (top right box with
a diagonal line in it). Place the cursor (it
will show a horizontal line at the hotspot,
i.e., the place to start) on the first square in
the threading for Shaft 1 and click and drag
to make 5 repeats. You can instead use the
pencil tool to enter each of the threaded
shafts separately by clicking on each square.

2. Now click on th spaces in the tie-up to

create a 3:3:1:1 tie-up (3 shafts up, 3
down, 1 up, 1 down) or you can choose a
different twill tie-up.

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3. In the Top Menu Bar under Drawdown,
choose Warp (this will create a drawdown
in which black squares represent raised
warp threads). In the Top Menu Bar under
treadling, choose Tromp as Writ. The same
order will appear in the treadling as in the
threading.

4. To add color: In the Top Menu Bar

under Drawdown, choose Color (the
black squares will disappear). Left click
on a warp color to place in the upper
left color selection square; fill in the
warp color bar with this color. Right
click for a weft color (this will show in
the right color selection box) and fill in
the weft color. (On a Mac, if you don’t
have a 2-button mouse, change to the
weft color in the left selection box and
use that to fill in the weft color bar.)

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5. In the Top Menu Bar under Draw-
down, choose Interlacement to see
the actual threads.

6. To show numbers in the

threading and tie-up, under
both Threading and Tie-up,
choose Numeric.

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Working more with color

1. Open the 8S Twill draft. The default color

palette opens on the Mac; a color choos-
ing window opens on Windows comput-
ers (choose the color that will be active
for the right mouse button and one that
will be active for the left mouse button).
Click on the color in the left top color box
to highlight it and a window will open
that allows a new color to be created from
either the Color Wheel, the Sliders—Gray
Scale, RGB, CMYK, HSB (Hue, Satura-
tion, Brightness), Spectrum, or Crayons.
Practice by picking the CMYK sliders and
change the color that was in the top left
color window into a new one.

2. Click on it again in the left top color

square and it will be added to the palette
and can be used in the warp or weft color
bars.

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3. To replace a color, under Color in the
Top Menu Bar, choose Replace. Select
the color to replace in the Replace box;
then choose a color for the With box
that you want to use instead.

4. Click on OK and the new color

will replace the former color.

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 1
Alternating color orders and Copy and Paste
1. Open the 4S4T Draft; choose Warp Drawdown and
Interlacement. With the Pencil tool, enter the thread-
ing and tie-up as shown. 2
2. Click on the Select tool in the Toolbar and draw a
rectangle around the threading. Press Ctrl or Cmd C.
Position the cursor below Shaft 1 in the next thread-
ing space and press Ctrl or Cmd V. Move 3
the outlined group into the new position
and click. (Even easier is to use the Rubber
Stamp. Select the group, change to Rubber
Stamp in the Toolbar, and stamp the 4
new threading in the new positions.)
3. Change to the Pencil tool and place
the last thread on Shaft 1 to balance.
4. Under Treadling, choose Tromp as
Writ. The drawdown will show the
actual interlacement of the threads.
5. With two contrasting colors in the
color selection boxes (green and
lavender here), select the Paint
Bucket tool, then select Alternat-
ing, and then click with the Paint
Bucket tool in the warp color bar
(above the threading). The color in
the right selection box will appear
at the rightmost square in the bar.
6. Click with the Paint Bucket tool
in the weft color bar (to the right
of the treadling). The color in the 20 14
right color selection square will be
placed at the top of the color bar.
Madelyn van der Hoogt
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Overshot, Repeat, Insert Tabby, Fill Thickness 1
1. Open the 4S4T Draft. Add threading as 20 14
shown. Under Drawdown, choose Weft.
2. Under Threading, Choose Single Repeat
with 2 times selected. 2
Madelyn van der Hoogt
3. Add last 6 threads to balance.
4. Fill in the tie-up and treadling as shown.
5. Under Drawdown, choose Add Tabby (1:1, Tabby on
Treadles 1 and 2). Fill in tie-up for tabby (1-3 vs 2-4). 3
6. The drawdown will look more like the cloth if you leave
a space between each thread in the threading. Then,
under Drawdown, change to Color and Interlacement.
Choose two colors in the color selection boxes, pattern
weft on right, tabby weft on left. Apply with Paint Bucket.
7. Under Treadling, choose Fill Thickness.
Make first symbol thin (•), second symbol thick (■ ).
4
6

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 1

Mirror Repeats, Block Substitution

1. Open the 4S4T Draft. Under Warp, choose 2

Alpha. Place threading as shown.
2. Under Threading, choose Reflect.
3. With the + on the keyboard, insert a
thread at the center mark on Block D. 3
Click on the D row to place a D there.
4. Fill in the tie-up as shown, and
under Treadling, choose Tromp as 4
Writ. Save as 4B Draft. (You can
also change symbols in the tie-up
to blocks: Under Tie-up, choose
Alpha.)
5. Under Tools, choose Block Substi-
tution. Choose Twill Blocks.wif.
Save as 4B Turned Twill.
6. Reopen 4B Draft. Change squares
in the tie-up to see how many dif-
ferent designs you can create and
save your favorites.
7. Choose another block weave in the
Block Substitution menu and Save.

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4-BLOCK PROFILE DRAFT

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RESOURCES
COMPUTER WEAVING SOFTWARE
Fiberworks: www.fiberworks-pcw.com (Windows, Mac)
Weave-It, Weave-It Pro: www.weaveit.com (Windows); iWeaveIt (iPhone, Ipod, Ipad)
Proweave: www.proweave.com (Windows, Mac)
PixeLoom: www.pixeloom.com (Windows, Mac)
WeaveMaker: www.weavemaker.com (Windows, Mac)
WeavePoint: www.weavepoint.com (Windows)
Patternland: www.mhsoft.com (Windows)
WIF ‘n Proof, www.SandozSoftware.com iPhone, Ipod, Ipad)

FREE WEAVING SOFTWARE AND RESOURCES

http://www.gammon.com.au/weavedraft/weavedraft.htm
http://www.gammon.com.au/weavedraft/weavedraft.htm
WeaveDraft (WeaveDraft, Pike’s Peak Weavers Guild, designed by Bengt Nelson)
www.subudesigns.com/downloads.cfm (for rug design by David Raup)
www.subudesigns.com/downloads.cfm (Lace 2011 by David Raup, makes threads bend in lace weaves)
www.handweaving.net (archive of wif files)
www.weavingtoday.com (Handwoven’s website with free projects and resources)

SOCIAL NETWORKING AND OTHER GROUPS

www.weavingtoday.com (blogs, forums, galleries)
www.weavolution.com (networking, online classes)
www.zinio.com (eBooks, eMags, DVDs)
www.ravelry.com (social networking, groups)
www.weavezine.com (archived podcasts,articles, blogs)
weavetech newslist (WeaveTech-subscribe@yahoo groups.com)
youtube.com (how-tos)
www.complexweavers.org (Complex Weavers)
www.weavearealpeace.org (WARP)
www.weavespindye.com (Handweavers Guild of America and Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot)

ALL WEAVERS’ GUILD WEBSITES

(find a very complete list at Camilla Valley Farm, www.camillavalleyfarm.com/)

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Madelyn van der Hoogt