Temple Thoughts
A few weeks ago I mentioned in a newsletter that I had bought a temple and would do a blog about it after I had a chance to use it for a few projects, so, let’s talk temples today!
The fabric on the left has the edge warps a little smushed together, the fabric on the right is woven with a temple.
A temple is a tool weavers use to help prevent draw-in. You may notice that as you weave, the width in the reed does not match the width of your weaving. This difference is called draw-in. As weft threads interlace with the warp, they naturally pull in a little at the edges. A little bit of draw-in is inevitable. Too much and things can begin to go wrong…warp ends break, tension can become an issue and your selvedges just look bad. Projects that combine plain weave and lace, or that use a variety of fibres (like my Wabi Sabi scarves) can be particularly prone to draw in. I did a little Googling…apparently 5-10% draw-in is normal, so on a 20” project that can bring you to 18-19” woven width.
I put off trying a temple until recently. Back when I first started weaving I was either told, or read, that a “good” weaver doesn’t need a temple and one should learn to weave the “right way”, eliminating the need for a temple. Now, as The Rogue Weaver, I’m a big believer that if something works for you, and gives you the results you want than you are doing it right! But I hung onto that temple idea.
My seam guide
Since I started teaching classes, I’ve had a lot of people ask about temples, and while I knew the purpose, I had never used one so couldn’t really speak to them, and I wasn’t willing to say “a good weaver doesn’t need one” because I don’t *really* believe that. Also, I learned a very valuable lesson sewing towel hems. For a long time I couldn’t sew a straight line. So I bought a magnetic seam guide…life changing! I don’t use it anymore, but I can sew a straight line! That little tool helped me learn how to sew better. But I bet there are sewists out there who would scoff at using a seam guide!
So, a few months ago I bought a temple. Mine is from LeClerc. I’ve used it on a few projects. Initially it was clumsy and and really slowed me down. Then I got the hang of it and the weaving speed picked up again.
A temple works by holding your woven work to the same width as the warp in the reed. This can significantly reduce draw-in. If you are new to using a temple, here are some things to know:
Temples have sharp metal points! These are designed to fit through the fibres without causing damage…but they can certainly cause damage to you!
Temples need to be moved frequently. My research told me to move it every inch, or when I had woven the width of the temple. You will see as you are weaving when the temple is no longer effective. It’s much sooner than you might think!
Temples will not reduce the draw-in caused by using different fibres!
I’ve done a little video showing how I use my temple. I hope you find it helpful.
I don’t have a big issue with draw-in, so for me, I’m not sure a temple is something I will use frequently. However, some projects are more prone to draw-in than others. I am interested to see how it affects lace weaves and some of the super-fine weaves where I do have more draw-in.
Over all, I think if you struggle with draw-in, a temple is a good tool to try. It will slow you down, but slowing down might actually be what you need to improve!
