Weaving Twill on a Rigid Heddle Loom—No Pickup Sticks Needed!

Weaving Twill patterns is never as hard as it seems. Twill patterns are renowned for their elegant, diagonal lines and are a staple in woven textiles. Traditionally, creating twill requires multiple shafts or the use of pickup sticks, which can be a hurdle for rigid heddle loom enthusiasts. However, with a clever setup involving two heddles, you can achieve beautiful twill designs without the extra tools.

Kate from Ashford recommends starting with a narrow, short warp using some budget-friendly yarn. This way, you can get comfortable with the process and learn the threading technique without using your best materials.

Kate also suggests when weaving twill patterns, that it’s helpful to work in groups of six threads (which equates to three slots when warping the first reed), as this makes it easier to follow the threading. The loom should be set up for direct warping as usual, using two reeds of the same dpi. In this example, DK weight yarn and two 7.5dpi reeds are used.

To determine the warp width, calculate the total number of threads based on the desired width and round to the nearest multiple of six. For instance, for a 25 cm (10″) wide sample using a 7.5dpi reed, you’d need 75 threads—so it can be rounded down to 72 or up to 78 for easier grouping.

When weaving twill, to make the threading clearer, two colours are used in the warp, alternating every six threads (or three slots during warping). With the back reed in place, warp three slots in Ashfords DK Yarn in Duck Egg, then three in Spearmint, and repeat this sequence across the width of the sample. Wind the warp onto the back roller as usual.

Materials Needed:

• Rigid heddle loom equipped with two heddles of identical dent size
• Yarn suitable for your heddle dent; for instance, DK weight yarn with 7.5 dpi heddles
• Two contrasting yarn colours to highlight the twill pattern

Planning Your Warp

Pick two colours and alternate them in blocks of six threads each (which equals three slots when warping). This grouping will help you follow the threading more easily.

To decide on your warp width, multiply the weaving width you want by your heddle dpi. For example, a 25 cm (10″) width using 7.5 dpi means you need around 75 threads. Since you’re grouping in sixes, round to the nearest multiple—either 72 or 78 threads will work.

Calculating Warp Width

Determine your desired project width and adjust to the nearest multiple of six threads. For example, aiming for a 25 cm (10″) width with a 7.5 dpi heddle equates to 75 threads. You can round down to 72 or up to 78 threads to fit the grouping.

Threading the Back Heddle

Place the first heddle at the back of the loom and thread the warp like this:

1. Warp three slots with your first colour (e.g. Duck Egg), then three slots with your second colour (e.g. Spearmint). Repeat this colour pattern across your full warp width.
2. Wind on your warp as you usually would.
3. For each group of six threads:
   • Leave the first two threads in the slot.
   • Take one thread from the second pair and thread it through the hole to the left.
   • Take one thread from the third pair and thread it through the hole to the right.

Your setup will be: two in a slot, one in a left hole, one in a slot, an empty hole, one in a slot.

Threading the Front Heddle

Now move to the front heddle:

1. For each set of six threads:
   • Take one thread from the first pair and put it through the slot that lines up directly.
   • The second thread from that pair goes through the hole to the right of that slot.
   • Take the next two threads (already divided from the back heddle) and thread them through the corresponding slot in the front heddle.

This threading layout allows you to weave twill with just heddle movement—no pickup sticks required.

Time to Start Weaving Twill

Now the fun part begins:

The sequence is made up of three rows repeated.
Row 1 – Back reed up
Row 2 – Front reed up
Row 3 – Both reeds down

Place both reeds in the rest position before beating each row into place. Don’t beat too hard – the weft floats on the rows should go up on a 45 degree angle.

• Try different combinations of heddle lifts to find a twill pattern you like.
• Keep your tension even and beat gently to allow the twill texture to develop.
• You’ll see the twill lines forming diagonally, and your alternating colours will really make the pattern pop.

This simple method opens up a whole new world of patterns on your rigid heddle loom. Using two heddles gives you the freedom to experiment with twill, even if you don’t have a multi-shaft loom or pickup sticks on hand.

Start small, give yourself time to play with the technique, and enjoy the creative process. Twill weaving on a rigid heddle is not only doable—it’s wonderfully satisfying!

With thanks to Ashford Wheels & Looms for this fabulous tutorial