Valley Yarns #194 Overshot Jacket

Valley Yarns Overshot Jacket

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Overshot Jacket is a handwoven coat designed by Anita Thompson. This project transforms handwoven fabric into a finished garment through cutting and sewing techniques. The design is available in multiple sizes—Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large—with View B featured as the primary construction method shown in the pattern. The finished jacket represents a complete woven-to-wear project that combines traditional weaving with garment assembly.

Weaving Techniques

This project uses overshot weaving, a traditional technique that creates decorative patterns through the strategic placement of weft floats across the warp. The pattern is based on an 8-shaft independent block overshot draft, which was adapted from Johann Schleelein's No. 123 from A Handweaver's Pattern Book by Marguerite P. Davison. The designer made adjustments for float length to create the final draft used in this jacket.

The overshot structure requires an 8-shaft floor loom with a minimum weaving width of 18 inches (20 inches for size X-Large). The weaving incorporates striped patterns created through the combination of different colored yarns in both warp and weft. The sett is 22.5 ends per inch using a 15-dent reed with 1-2 threads per dent, and the fabric is woven at 45 picks per inch.

Stitches and Seaming

Once the handwoven fabric is complete, the jacket is constructed using seamed construction techniques. The Get Weaving Pattern (GW JA003) provides detailed instructions for cutting and assembling the woven pieces into the finished garment. Seam binding ribbon is used for hems, and coordinating double fold bias tape finishes the edges. The jacket is completed with 1 or 2 buttons as closures.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

Warp Yarn: Valley Yarns 10/2 Cotton in color #8418 Silver Birch. This is 100% mercerized cotton with a yardage of 4200 yards per pound. The warp length varies by size and includes allowances for floating selvedge, draw-in, and shrinkage.

Weft Yarns: The pattern uses two different weft yarns to create the striped color effects. Universal Yarns Bamboo Pop in #222 Earth Science (50% cotton/50% bamboo, 100 grams/292 yards) is combined with Valley Yarns 10/2 Cotton in #8418 Silver Birch. This blend of materials creates visual interest and varied texture in the finished fabric.

Additional Materials: The project requires 2 shuttles and 3 bobbins for weaving, a temple to maintain consistent width, and optional fishing line with two 1-pound weights for tension management. Construction materials include gray sewing thread, approximately ½ yard of iron-on woven interfacing, approximately 1 yard of coordinating double fold bias tape, and seam binding ribbon for hem finishing.

Size and Finished Dimensions

The jacket is available in four sizes with the following warp specifications: Small (311 total ends, 13.8" width in reed), Medium (341 total ends, 15.1" width in reed), Large (362 total ends, 16" width in reed), and X-Large (391 total ends, 17.3" width in reed). The width in reed includes approximately 2 inches of extra width to compensate for draw-in and shrinkage, which varies between individual weavers. Finished dimensions should be verified using the sizing measurements provided on page 8 of the sewing pattern, and a practice mock-up jacket is recommended before constructing the final garment.