What is Tabby Weave?

Tabby weave is a type of fabric made by threads at right angles going alternately over and under each other. Since a picture is worth a thousand words:

graphic by Wikimedia user KDS444 CC BY-SA

Although tabby weave is also called “plain weave” because it’s the easiest structure to make, it’s anything but boring. Because the structure is simple, you can do practically anything with it: tabby weave shows up in everything from shirts to potholders to parachutes.

sampled from a picture by Wikimedia user flyout, CC-BY-SA

By using different colors of yarn or thread, stripes can be made in tabby weave fabric in either direction that the threads go.

portion of an image uploaded to Wikimedia by themightyquill, CC ATT-SA

Once you know what to look for, it’s easy to see that burlap, used for things like country decor and potato bags, is tabby weave.

original picture (C) 2018 Tabby Weave Studio

Even seersucker, a fabric with an intricate ripply texture, turns out to be tabby weave when you really look at it!

original image (C) 2018 Tabby Weave Studio

Tabby weave is versatile. It can be serious and practical, but also has a playful side.

The world works better with Tabby Weave!