How Jacquard Patterns Are Woven
Patterns made by weaving
Start with coloured yarns. Then use warp and weft interlacing to determine which colour appears on the fabric surface.
The Jacquard head controls warp selection. Weft insertion and beat-up form the fabric, supported by coordinated let-off and take-up.
Select a crossing to see which yarn is on top.
Changing the palette represents a different set of pre-dyed yarns. Changing the weave changes the over-and-under sequence.
Colour before fabric formation
Warp and weft can use different colours, and coloured yarns can be arranged in sequences. Yarn-dyed describes when colour is applied relative to weaving.
Control the interlacing to form a pattern
The Jacquard mechanism controls warp selection according to the weave plan. Where warp covers weft, warp colour is exposed; the opposite exposes weft colour. Combined with pre-dyed yarns, this produces yarn-dyed Jacquard fabric.
Teaching simplification: 16 warp ends and a 16-pick repeat, with exaggerated spacing. Weft cutting and selvedge formation are omitted. Real loom motions overlap. Let-off and take-up work together to control tension. These weave samples are not production specifications; float lengths and density have not been optimised. The reverse view shows opposite coverage at the same coordinates rather than a mirrored fabric view.
Technical references: CottonWorks · Weaving basics / National Cotton Council · Yarn dyeing / Stäubli · Jacquard weaving and harnesses
ANATOMY · INTERACTIVE TEXTILE STUDY