Weaving Techniques || Fixing Gaps

I often receive questions on how to fix gaps in weaves. Sometimes gaps appear while you’re weaving on the loom and sometimes your weave looks great on the loom, but when you take it off the loom you can see gaps in your weave. I’m rounding up all the different ways I’ve covered on how to fix these gaps.

Small gaps

Gaps happen when you start weaving a new colored thread in the middle of a row or weave a shape. But before we even begin talking about fixing gaps, I wanted to point out that sometimes you’ll make a small shape or change a color for just two or three rows. If there are only 2 or 3 rows of gaps, I call these small gaps. I usually make my thread ends looser so that they lay over the gap and then I leave them alone. I don’t do anything else to these gaps because as long as my weft tension is even across my warps, they most likely won’t make a gap when taken off the loom. A good example of this is if I’m weaving a triangle shape. Since the shape builds each row, my gaps also are at different spots in each row. If I make sure to keep my end threads loose on the warps, then they should cover any gaps surrounding the triangle.

Interlocking Weft

If you’re making a large amount of color change or a large shape that covers more then 3 rows (like a square), then you’ll want to use a method that will ensure there are no gaps. The interlocking weft method works really well for this.

To weave using the interlocking weft method, first you weave the one side as usual. When you bring in your thread for the other side of the row, make sure to pull your new weft through the loop in the row that aligns with the shape and continue weaving in the opposite direction. This technique allows the wefts to fill in the gap, and will be virtually invisible.

Dovetail join

Just like the interlocking weft, the dovetail join is also a great technique to use when weaving large amounts of color change or large shapes.

To weave using the dovetail join, you weave a few rows on the one side. Then weave in your second thread, but this time instead of bringing your weft through the loops of the first weft thread, you weave the second thread all the way around the warp thread that the first thread ended on. You continuing weaving so that the left side weft layers with the right side weft for each row on the same warp thread, creating a dovetail join. More details on the steps can be found here.

Sew join – off the loom

If you have woven a lot and then realize there are gaps that you don’t like in your weave, or if you’ve even taken your weave off the loom and see some gaps, then a really great way to fix the gaps is by using a sewing join.

With this technique you simply take a thread that matches your weft threads as much as possible and then “sew” your weft threads together. To do this, take a string and double knot it in the back of your weave around a warp thread next to the gap. Then pull the string through the back of two or more weave stitches on one side. Next, cross over the gap to the other side and pull the string through the back of two or more weave stitches on side two.

Continue this from side to side until the gap is closed, making sure to keep a firm pull while sewing the gap closed. Finally tie the string to the back of your weave around a warp thread and weave in the string tails.

Fix an overexposed warp

For those newer to weaving, sometimes you change colors or make shapes and later find that you have more warp thread showing then you had wanted to. This can be really disappointing if you find your warp is overexposed after you’ve woven numerous rows. But don’t worry, I have a little trick that you can use to cover up those overexposed warp threads here.

Hopefully this helps with any weaving gap issues. Have you dealt with fixing gaps using one of these methods or in a different way? Or maybe you’ve just left the gaps there? Because that can make a weave look interesting too.

Happy Weaving!

Kate

For more fun, follow me here ->