Ondulé Reed, or Fan Reed

In my store, I have a few silk scarves with a wavy effect all the way down the length. I use an Ondulé or Fan Reed to create this effect.  

Whilst the usual reed, used to “beat” the silk weft into place, is sitting in a holder that can be moved backwards and forwards, the height of the Ondulé reed has to be adjusted every few throws of the shuttle. Therefore, it has to be attached to the loom in a way that allows this to happen. Every loom is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all method. And, of course, because the height has to be adjusted every few picks, the weaving takes much longer.   

Using the reed

A while ago, I made a couple of videos showing how I attached the ondulé reed to my loom and how I adjusted it during weaving. Bear with me – I was on my own and had to fix the camera in place and hope for the best. So, it’s not perfect, but I think you will get the idea.

There are two videos of me trying to demonstrate and explain what I’m doing. The castle I refer to in the video is the main body of the loom holding the shafts.

PLACEHOLDER FOR VIDEO

I tend to only weave two Ondulé scarves at a time. This is because I have to lean forward when I’m weaving and my back starts to complain. But I believe the results are always worth it.

Anyway, if you have any questions please feel free to get in touch.  I’m always happy to help whenever I can.