<![CDATA[Memory Cloth by Rachel Snack: Resources / Education]]>https://memorycloth.substack.com/s/resources-educationhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O3dM!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F534e7f8c-ab51-4007-8529-d09e63bd1fde_600x600.pngMemory Cloth by Rachel Snack: Resources / Educationhttps://memorycloth.substack.com/s/resources-educationSubstackSun, 24 May 2026 10:33:18 GMT<![CDATA[what is a .wif and how do I use it?]]>https://memorycloth.substack.com/p/what-is-a-wif-and-how-do-i-use-ithttps://memorycloth.substack.com/p/what-is-a-wif-and-how-do-i-use-itWed, 13 May 2026 13:02:44 GMTA .wif (WIF) stands for weaving information file, which is essentially a digitized weave draft. You can take any pattern you find in a book and use weaving software to create a WIF, or you can download one already created from various sources online.

If I have a WIF, how do I open it?

There are weaving software programs that allow you to open, create, modify, and design WIFs. The most notable are Fiberworks and WeaveIt, and for more complex programming (often used with compu-dobby looms), Weavepoint. I personally use Weaveit — all the example images will be using this program — simply because it is what I learned on. I know many weavers who prefer Fiberworks, so if you’re purchasing software for the first time, it may be worthwhile to trial both.

Why should I use a WIF to plan my weavings?

Familiarizing yourself with WIFs and learning how to use weaving software can become a key tool in expanding your weaving practice and better understanding drafts. Here are a few reasons why:

  • WIFs allow you to plan your projects more efficiently and with fewer errors. Once you have or create the initial pattern repeat, you can copy and paste it until your full project width is shown. You can print your threading to use as a guide at the loom, and the same goes for your treadling and tie-up.

  • WIFs can be edited to show design potential and even create a new draft. You can easily change the threading, treadling, tie-up, warp and weft colors, and sett.

  • You can create your own drafts with a real-time visual of how the structure will change. The weaving software will help you find floats and other inconsistencies that could be missed with hand-drawing.

Here is a screenshot of a draft I created in WeaveIt. This shows one repeat of a pattern called marigold, which is a 4-shaft weaving pattern that requires 48 ends per warp repeat and 40 picks per weft repeat (you can see this information in the bottom left corner). A few things to note about this weaving software:

  • You can see the threading sequence clearly at the top, using four shafts. If I wanted more shafts, I can change that in the settings. The same goes for the tie-up and the treadling.

  • The warp and weft colors are depicted above the threading and next to the treadling. You can change these using the color picker (on the left side), and you can add custom colors — meaning you can match the colors of your warp and weft in the software to the yarns you’re planning on using for your project.

  • The right panel is for designing, giving you buttons to copy, paste, move, flip, and replace parts or all of your threading and treadling sequence.

  • The top panel shows options to track your threading and treadling (if you’re using the software at the loom), see project calculations, and a fabric view.

✻

Let's plan a project using this draft to highlight some key features. Since the repeat is created and we know it requires 48 ends, this can help us figure out the total width of our project. Let's use an 8/2 cotton at 20 epi for the warp. If we want the project to be 10" wide, that would give us 200 total ends. Since 48 is not divisible into 200 evenly, we can either choose to make the project smaller (192 ends / 9.6" wide) or slightly wider (240 ends / 12" wide). Visually, we can use the weaving software to view both of these options. For this tutorial, let's choose 240 ends, which is the "cleaner" option.

Here is a view of the pattern at 240 ends and 5 repeats. Now we can see a pixelated version of what this will look like on the loom. We can also do this for the treadling repeat to see how the warp and weft repeats work together.

The treadling repeat is 40 picks. Unlike the threading, we don’t need to know how many repeats we’ll use yet, but seeing multiple treadling repeats offers a more robust view of our cloth. Pictured below are three treadling repeats.

To my eye, this pattern looks good and we’re ready to create our warp and dress our loom. However, there are a few additional design modifications to consider, and this is where weaving software can really shine.

The pattern currently utilizes 5 repeats and, since the repeat is a single motif, it looks like 5 distinct mandalas. Would this pattern be better represented with an even number of repeats, or is an odd number better? Here is the pattern with 6 repeats — what do you think?

There is also color to consider. What happens when we add some striping in the warp? How does that change the pattern?

To take it one step further, what would it look like if we added striping in the weft as well?

As you can see, adding multiple colors can dramatically shift the design. Here is a fabric view, side by side, of the pattern with two colors (solid) in the warp and weft, and with four colors (striped) in the warp and weft.

By maximizing the software's capabilities, you’re able to make concrete design decisions before creating your warp and dressing your loom.

Using pre-made WIFs / online sources

The most common source of online WIFs is handweaving.net. You need a paid account to actually see draft information and download WIFs, but the subscription is worth it. The website also allows you to edit a WIF directly online, similar to paid software — so if you want to try using a WIF without purchasing a program yet, this would be an excellent first step. Many digital weaving patterns will also come with WIFs.

Ongoing draft organization

WIFs are a great way to keep an ongoing record of what you've woven. I will often write down the name of the WIF file I used for a project in my sketchbook so that I can reference it later if I want to re-weave the pattern. I have re-woven the same draft countless times by opening a WIF file and changing the number of repeats, colors, etc.

]]><![CDATA[resources for weavers: education and residencies]]>https://memorycloth.substack.com/p/resources-for-weavers-education-andhttps://memorycloth.substack.com/p/resources-for-weavers-education-andWed, 29 Apr 2026 13:03:53 GMTWhen someone asks me where they can learn to weave or find continuing education, I always point them to first find their local weaving guild. While some are better than others, guilds often offer affordable workshops, free special interest groups, equipment rentals, and a whole host of other resources.

For a more immersive experience, I suggest craft schools like Haystack or Penland, where you live, eat, and create on campus for a week or more at a time. Another helpful route is to find a teacher you specifically want to learn from and see where they’re teaching.

The residencies below are listed because they have a textiles studio (most have looms), but I’ve also found that many residencies can accommodate a weaver if you’re willing to bring your own equipment.

These lists will grow and change over time — see also part 1: yarn, design tools and books, and part 2: archives, museums and inspiration. Please feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section below.

In-person Workshops & Classes

image courtesy of Penland School of Crafts

Digital Workshops & Classes

image courtesy of Gather Textiles

Artist Residencies

many of the places listed for in-person workshops also host weaving specific residencies!

weaving at TEXERE in Oaxaca

Other Educational Resources

image courtesy of Fibershed
]]><![CDATA[resources for weavers: archives, museums, and inspiration]]>https://memorycloth.substack.com/p/resources-for-weavers-archives-museumshttps://memorycloth.substack.com/p/resources-for-weavers-archives-museumsFri, 24 Apr 2026 13:01:01 GMTFor many years I have collected archival material related to textiles, my favorite being books and periodicals. Coupled with experience in textile conservation, I’ve found myself immersed in rare and specialized archives over the years. Some of these are not open to the public, but those that are I’ve shared below.

These lists will grow and change over time — see also part 1: yarn, design tools and books and part 3: education and residencies. Please feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section below.

Archives

weaving draft book at the Winterthur Library

Online

  • Handweaving.net: This is single-handedly the most useful online resource for multi-shaft weavers. For a nominal fee ($34.99/year), you can access over 77,000 drafts, thousands of historic weaving documents, weaving tools, and more. Non-subscribers can still browse the archive, but will not be able to download, save, or edit any of the drafts.

  • The University of Arizona, “Online Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and Related Topics”: The format of this website is not always easy to navigate, but it is worth the investment (don’t write it off at first glance!). This archive was started in 1999 by Ralph Griswold and has been a labor of love, involving many weavers and volunteer hours. It is a compilation of over 8,000 digital files including articles, books, ephemera, illustrations, manuscripts, monographs, periodicals, and more — all completely free to download for educational and personal use.

  • The Online Books Page of the University of Pennsylvania: This webpage is a collection of digitize books that are in the public domain, and where to find them. Some are view-only online but others are available to download.

  • Historicweaving.com: This is the website and blog of Elizabeth Tritthart, featuring many free drafts and interesting educational resources to discover. Although it is a bit hard to navigate, I find using the “Tags for Searching Posts” in the footer of the website extremely helpful. You can view one of my favorite posts here.

  • Philadelphia Library: The digital collection of the Philadelphia Library has two antique draft books digitized, along with some weaving samples. The books are available to download for free. The drafts from this book have also been turned into WIFs on handweaving.net.

Online & In-person

  • Winterthur Library / Winterthur, DE: The Winterthur Library has a digital collection, but the real draw is viewing the rare weaving draft books they have in special collections — these books were acquired from the American Textile History Museum when it closed. The library is open to the public for browsing, but the use of special collections and archives is available by appointment only.

  • Thousand Islands Art Center, The Handweaving Museum / Clayton, New York: The Thousand Islands Arts Center houses a collection of over 20,000 textiles, including works by weavers Berta Frey, Lucille Landis, Mary Meigs Atwater, Mary Snyder, and Theo Moorman.

  • Tatter Blue Library / New York, NY: This library is home to 10,000 books, journals, exhibition catalogs, and objects that examine and celebrate the global history, traditions, makers, craft, and beauty of textiles. You can also view their catalog online here.

  • The Library of Congress / Washington, DC: The Library of Congress is an invaluable resource with extensive online archives. For example, searching the keyword “weaving” brings up 592,673 results.

  • The Design Center at Jefferson University, The Textile & Costume Collection / Philadelphia, PA: I worked at this collection when I was in graduate school, and it is open to the public by appointment. Some of my favorite objects are the Dorothy Liebes swatches, the Coptic textiles, and a rare selection of barkcloth.

  • Center for Craft Materials Collection / Asheville, NC: This is a collection of textile-related raw materials that also has an digital catalog. The Center for Craft describes the collection as: “Materials can take different states (solid, liquid, and gas) and be captured in various forms of processing (raw cotton, cotton thread, woven cotton).”

  • The George Washington University Textile Museum, Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center / Washington, DC: This center is home to textile study collections consisting of nearly 4,000 textile fragments. You can make an appointment to see objects from the collection and browse the online archive here.

  • Windham Textile and History Museum, “The Mill Museum” / Willimantic, CT: This museum has more than 20,000 objects, photographs, and documents related to textiles. You can make an appointment to see objects from the collection and browse the online archive here.

  • Kentucky Historical Society / Frankfort, KY: This archive has digitized a catalog of handwoven fabric samples preserved by Churchill Weavers over its 85 years of operation (from 1922-2007). A full size master sample was kept of every item produced in the production line, along with swatches of all the color combinations available.

In-person

  • Antonio Ratti Textile Center and Reference Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art / New York, NY: This is one of the largest facilities for the study and storage of textiles in any major art museum and can be viewed by appointment.

  • Millersville University Archives & Special Collections / Millersville, PA: This archive houses Marguerite Porter Davison’s personal book collection.

  • The Craft in America Center Library / Los Angeles, CA: This library includes over 3,000 books, exhibition catalogs, and more than 2,000 periodicals dedicated to the art of craft and related topics. It is open to the public Tuesday–Saturday.

  • National Museum of the American Coverlet / Bedford, PA: This museum displays 80 to 100 coverlets at a time, along with early spinning wheels, barn frame looms, and more.

  • The Alling Coverlet Museum / Palmyra, NY: This museum features an array of hand-woven coverlets created between 1820 and 1880.

  • Textile Heritage Museum / Burlington, NC: This textile collection includes original paper documents, journals, photographs, personal effects, fabric samples, and machinery used in the earlier years (1800s–1900s) of the American textile industry.

Inspiration

image from the book The Geology of Ireland

I think it goes without saying that I believe historic archives and libraries — particularly in person — are the best way to find inspiration. Although I have used social media to discover new ideas, I truly believe that I was able to develop my woven language and artistic practice so fluidly at a young age because I wasn't constantly scrolling on my phone. If I wanted to learn a new weaving technique, I went to the library. I asked a friend. I tried and failed a lot.

Next time you have the urge to open Pinterest, here’s what I’d suggest instead.

  • Go on a walk with only a small sketchbook. Draw 5 patterns you see in your nearby surroundings: cracks in the sidewalk, power lines slicing the sky, wildflowers dotting the horizon.

  • Take a bath (or go somewhere quiet and meditative). Force yourself to sit with your thoughts and let your mind wander.

  • Do something else creative that isn't art-making. Cook a meal, organize your closet, write in your journal.

  • Read a book about art history.

Misc: Magazines & More

]]><![CDATA[resources for weavers: yarn, design tools, and books]]>https://memorycloth.substack.com/p/resources-for-weavers-yarn-designhttps://memorycloth.substack.com/p/resources-for-weavers-yarn-designFri, 17 Apr 2026 13:03:27 GMTLong before I officially began teaching, I was often asked for resources by weavers of all skill levels — where to buy a certain yarn, or how to learn a certain technique. What are your favorite books? How do I read a weave draft?

It soon became a passion of mine to collect and distill this information for my customers and students, often using Weaver House and social media to share special things I’d found or answer frequently asked questions. These reference guides are not comprehensive; rather, they are based on my personal experience — they’re tried and true, and often what I come back to in my own weaving practice.

These lists will grow and change over time — see also part 2: archives, museums and inspiration and part 3: education and residencies. Please feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section below.

Yarn

image courtesy of Habu Textiles

Designing

screen capture from the block draft generator

Books

Beginners

Weave Drafts & Patterns

Techniques & Other Craft

Art, Writing & Inspiration

]]>