Hello,
I am working on my second project and am struggling a bit with draw-in/selvedges. I realised I had way too much draw-in and managed to (mostly) correct the big smile I had happening across my fell line, but now I'm seeing this effect where the fell line goes up slightly toward the selvedges, and then drops down. I've attached some photos. Is this still caused by a draw-in issue, or is this due to uneven warp tension? Or both?? I'm still not sure how much draw-in is ok, I guess as long as the fell line is straight it's ok?

As you can see, I could also use some advice on how to manage my scalloping along those striped edges! I thought I was jumping the bump and diving the dip properly, but it looks to be a bit of a mess.

Thanks!
Dana

Sorry about that Sandra I had set the photos to auto-delete after an hour :p. Yes I have read Jane's wonderful article (a few times!) and found it very helpful. I definitely started with a less-than-perfect warp so it could be that there are some warp tension issues. One thing that has definitely been a challenge for me is to figure out where and how big the sweet spot is on my loom (a Nilus II) but I think I'm getting there. Otherwise I think I'm following all of Jane's excellent tips and also really appreciated her teaching about how to correct for too much draw-in, which helped a lot. Thank you!

Thanks very much for your encouraging words Sandra :) I had been trying hard to get those stripes to be nice and straight at the edges but perhaps I'm focusing on that too much. I will keep at it, I feel I have already learned so much just from this 2nd project!

I appreciate the reminder that "no handwoven cloth is perfect." I've just finished the practice warp to practise beating on an open shed that Jane suggested in Season 1. Beating on an open shed worked out well. However, I only figured out how to lessen the draw-in by 5/8 inch on each side during the last foot of the three-and-one-half-yard warp. I discovered that throwing the shuttle and picking it up at the end of the shuttle race reduced the pull on the selvedge. The result was selvedges that looked the same on both sides.
I would like to hear how more experienced weavers characterize what I am doing to reduce draw-in.

Hi there,
I've been weaving for a few years now and I'm still struggling with a similar issue as Dana Ayotte describes. My lines in my turned twill are straight and nice for the first 10-15 cm (approx 4 inches) but then as I advance the fabric it starts to smile on the edges. It's been like this on all my projects no matter what weave structure I use. I've read the In Praise of Good Selvedges: Practical Tips for Weavers, which is a great article and, I am following all the tips but was not aware of the sweet spot although even now that I've found it I'm experiencing the same issue. My tension is even, I follow the instruction to beat on an open shed, I pick up the shuttle as Jane describes. I understand that it's hard to give advice here but it would mean a lot to get some help. Thank you!