What is a dobby weave?

If you are not really familiar with looms but are very busy with textiles, you will probably have heard this one by now. Dobby, also known as Harry Potter’s house-elf, but not the one that this article is about.

Loom

A dobby is a loom, just like the eccentric and the jacquard. The eccentric loom is the oldest of the three and is also called shaft loom. The warp threads are moved up and down by shafts (groups of warp threads). The maximum number of shafts for an eccentric loom is ten. Only simple bindings can be woven with the eccentric. The dobby loom came next and is still widely used. This loom has 32 shafts, which is a lot more than the eccentric. Due to the amount of shafts, multiple groups of warp threads can be made and multiple colors can be used. This allows more complex bonds to be woven.

Last came the jacquard, a loom where each warp thread can move separately. The most complex bonds can be created with the jacquard.

The fabrics of Sustainable Fabrics  are made in Enschede on a dobby loom. Curious? Take a look at the shop below: