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May 13

Luncheon Napkin Fabric

 

Blue and white luncheon napkin basic woven with lace blocks

This project for luncheon napkins was inspired by a curtain fabric designed by Constance LaLena. It appeared in A Handwoven Treasury: The best projects, tips, and techniques from Handwoven magazine’s first ten years. As an editor of Handwoven during these years (and the editor of this collection), these curtains were always a favorite of mine.

On this 4-shaft weave, lace appears in every block. To weave alternating lace blocks, requires 8 shafts. I am currently adapting this project for 8 shafts, which I’ll share in a future blog post. Meanwhile, enjoy this project. It is really a fun one to weave.

Schacht Table Loom on base

Equipment:

4-shaft 15” table loom (you could also use a floor loom or Cricket Quartet), 3 shuttles (I used two 11” boat shuttles and one stick shuttle for the dark blue weft).

Weave Structure:

Canvas weave spots

Warp and Weft Yarn:

8/2 cotton in bleached white, light blue, and dark blue.

EPI:

20

Total Warp Ends:

295

Length:

Allow 18” loom waste and 10% take-up. For 4 hemmed napkins you’ll need a 2 ½-yard warp.

Warp Color Order:

Warping diagram for luncheon napkin design

Draft:

(See below)

Width in Reed:

14 ¾”

Weaving:

Weave in a balanced weave to square the pattern. Follow the warp color order.

Weaving color draft for luncheon napkin design