Sample Book - Twill Variations

Baroness Catherine Townson
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Medieval Weave Structures
Each of these weave structures is taken from an extant pre-17th century textile. When possible I have attempted
to give some examples of when and where this textile can be found, however these are examples only and are
not to be taken as an exhaustive list.
The samples are woven in 8/2 unmercerized cotton to better display the difference in weave. Half of the sample
is woven with a contrasting weft to better show the interlacement of threads.
Twill Variations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
2/2 chevron
2/1 chevron
3/1 chevron
2/2 broken chevron
2/2 lozenge
2/1 lozenge
3/1 lozenge
2/2 broken lozenge
2/2 broken (kreuzkoper)
2/1 ribbed twill (rippenkoper)
3/1 ribbed twill (rippenkoper)
Rosette twill (rosettenkoper)
Irregular Broken Twill
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Baroness Catherine Townson
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1. 2/2 Chevron Twill
Chevron twill is produced when the threading of the warp is changed, which reverses the direction of the twill
diagonal. This creates a horizontal zig-zag effect.
2/2 chevron twill is common for linen textiles in the Roman West and Eastern Mediterranean in the 1st through
4th centuries. It can also be found in Northern Europe from the 8th century until the 12th century. 2/2 chevron
twill is also found in linen household textiles of the 15 th and 16th century.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
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2. 2/1 Chevron Twill
Chevron twill is produced when the threading of the warp is changed, which reverses the direction of the twill
diagonal. This creates a horizontal zig-zag effect.
Examples of linen 2/1 chevron twill have been found at Sutton Hoo (7th c. Anglo Saxon), and in wool in 8th
century Germany.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
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3. 3/1 Chevron Twill
Chevron twill is produced when the threading of the warp is changed, which reverses the direction of the twill
diagonal. This creates a horizontal zig-zag effect.
Woolen 3/1 chevron twill textiles have been found in 6th or early 7th century France.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
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4. 2/2 Broken Chevron Twill
Chevron twill is produced when the threading of the warp is changed, which reverses the direction of the twill
diagonal. This creates a horizontal zig-zag effect. In a broken chevron twill, the threading is also displaced at the
reversal points, causing a break in the chevron pattern.
2/2 broken chevron twill can be found in Northern Europe from the 8th century until the 12th century.
Draft:
5
Baroness Catherine Townson
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5. 2/2 Lozenge (Diamond) Twill
Lozenge twill is produced when the treadling direction is reversed as well as the warp threading. This produced
alternate reversals in the twill direction and created diamond patterns in the textile.
2/2 lozenge twill is common for linen textiles in the Roman West and Eastern Mediterranean in the 1st through
4th centuries. 2/2 chevron twill is also found in linen household textiles of the 15th and 16th century.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
[email protected]
6. 2/1 Lozenge (Diamond) Twill
Lozenge twill is produced when the treadling direction is reversed as well as the warp threading. This produced
alternate reversals in the twill direction and created diamond patterns in the textile.
This textile type commonly associated with 10th century Birka. It is also found in English textiles from the 10th
century until the 13th century.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
[email protected]
7. 3/1 Lozenge (Diamond) Twill
Lozenge twill is produced when the treadling direction is reversed as well as the warp threading. This produced
alternate reversals in the twill direction and created diamond patterns in the textile.
3/1 lozenge twill is only occasionally found, such as in a 13th century linen mitre.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
[email protected]
8. 2/2 Broken Lozenge (Diamond) Twill
Lozenge twill is produced when the treadling direction is reversed as well as the warp threading. This produced
alternate reversals in the twill direction and created diamond patterns in the textile. . In a broken chevron twill,
the threading is also displaced at the reversal points, causing a break in the pattern.
2/2 broken lozenge twill is commonly associated with Norse and Anglo-Saxon textiles, and this weave was
common throughout the 5th through 11th centuries in Northern Europe, usually in wool though occasionally in
linen.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
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9. 2/2 Broken Twill (Kreuzkoper)
Broken twill is produced when the twill weave is reversed and broken every two threads.
2/2 broken twill can be found occasionally from the 8th century through the 12th century in Northern Europe and
Scandinavia, though it is never common.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
10.
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2/1 Ribbed Twill (Rippenkoper)
A ribbed twill is produced when rows of 2/1 twill are alternated with rows of 1/2 twill. The difference in warpfaced and weft-faced weave structures produced a ribbed effect.
Ribbed twill textiles are known in 5th - 7th century northern Europe, and 7th century Scandinavia. Some 11th
century Latvian examples have been found and ribbed twill textiles have also been discovered in Roman Era
Egypt.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
11.
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3/1 Ribbed Twill (Rippenkoper)
A ribbed twill is produced when rows of 2/1 twill are alternated with rows of ½ twill. The difference in warpfaced and weft-faced weave structures produced a ribbed effect.
Almost all ribbed twill textiles woven as a 2/1 ribbed twill, however a 3/1 ribbed twill textile has been discovered
in Roman Era Egypt.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
12.
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Rosette Twill (Rosettenkoper)
Rosette twill is a 2/2 lozenge twill with doubled warp threads at 1 and 4.
Almost all rosette twill textiles are from 6th – 7th century Germany.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
13.
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Irregular Broken Twill
An irregular twill has floats of varying lengths, breaking up the twill pattern. In a broken twill the threading is
also displaced, causing a break in the pattern.
This draft is based on a late 15th century chasuble in the Victoria & Albert Museum (item no. 1478A-1899).
Because of its linen warp and cotton weft this textile is known as fustian. Such fustian textiles were commonly
used for domestic textiles, linings, and outerwear for the middle classes.
Draft:
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Baroness Catherine Townson
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References
Benton, Janetta Rebold. Materials, methods, and masterpieces of medieval art. Santa Barbara, Calif.:
Praeger, 2009. Print.
Crowfoot, Elisabeth, and Frances Pritchard. Textiles and clothing, c.1150-c.1450. Woodbridge, Suffolk,
UK: Boydell, 2006. Print.
Jenkins, D. T.. The Cambridge history of western textiles. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University
Press, 2003. Print.
Magoula, Olga. Usage and meaning of early medieval textiles. A structural analysis of vestimentary
systems in Francia and Anglo-Saxon England. Birmingham: The University of Birmingham,
2009. Print.
Ottaway, Patrick, and Nicola S. H. Rogers. Craft, industry and everyday life: finds from medieval York.
York: Council for British Archaeology, 2002. Print.
Ottaway, Patrick, and Nicola S. H. Rogers. Craft, industry and everyday life: finds from medieval York.
York: Council for British Archaeology, 2002. Print.
Priest-Dorman, Carolyn. "2/1 Twills: Rippenköper." Complex Weavers' Medieval Textiles 25 (2000): 46. Complex Weavers' Medieval Textiles. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Priest-Dorman, Carolyn. "An Irregular Fustian Weave." Complex Weavers' Medieval Textiles 37 (2003):
1, 8. Complex Weavers' Medieval Textiles. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.
Smith, Michele Hayeur. "The Textile Collection from the 1988 Bessastaðir Excavation."
Bessastaðarannsókn II Kirkjugarður og miðaldaminjar, uppgraftarsvæði 12-15 Reykjavík 2013
Þjóðminjasafn 2 (2013): n. pag. Academia.edu. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
"The Clare Chasuble." (Chasuble). N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
<http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O93124/the-clare-chasuble-chasuble-unknown/>.
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