Valley Yarns #93 Baroque Garden Towel

Valley Yarns Baroque Garden Towel

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Baroque Garden Towel is a woven homeware project designed by Ute Bargmann. This downloadable weaving draft creates a pair of elegant kitchen towels featuring ornate overshot patterning inspired by formal European gardens. Each finished towel measures 16.75" x 29" after washing and hemming, making them practical yet decorative additions to any kitchen.

Weaving Technique

This project uses the overshot weaving technique, which creates beautifully ornate and intricate designs through the strategic placement of pattern threads over the base weave. Overshot is a classic supplementary weft technique that allows weavers to produce complex, formal patterns while maintaining the structural integrity of the fabric. The combination of plain weave tabby picks interspersed with overshot pattern picks creates the distinctive textured appearance characteristic of this technique.

Stitches and Threading

The towel is woven on a 4-shaft loom using a specific threading arrangement that creates the foundation for the overshot pattern. The threading distribution across the four shafts is as follows: Shaft 1 contains 82 heddles, Shaft 2 contains 100 heddles, Shaft 3 contains 102 heddles, and Shaft 4 contains 83 heddles, for a total of 369 ends including two floating selvedges. The floating selvedges are threaded through the reed but not through any heddle, providing clean finished edges. The sett is 18 ends per inch, and the width in the reed measures 20.5" to accommodate the finished width of 16.75" after washing and hemming.

Stripe Pattern and Color Work

The design incorporates striped color changes through the use of two distinct weft yarns. Weavers begin with 2" of plain weave in linen for the hem, then follow the detailed draft pattern on page 3 of the instructions, alternating between pattern picks and tabby picks. The tabby picks use Valley Yarns 20/2 Linen in Half Bleach, while the overshot pattern picks introduce Valley Yarns 8/2 Unmercerized Cotton in Royal Lilac (#6394), creating a sophisticated color contrast. This color combination allows weavers to create matching sets by changing weft colors to produce a coordinated bouquet for their kitchen.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

Warp Yarn: Valley Yarns 20/2 Linen (100% linen, 1650 yards per 8.8 ounces) in Half Bleach. The project requires 1110 yards of warp yarn to set up for two towels at 3 yards of warp length.

Weft Yarns: The project uses two weft yarns. Valley Yarns 20/2 Linen (100% linen, 1650 yards per 8.8 ounces) in Half Bleach provides 630 yards for tabby picks. Valley Yarns 8/2 Unmercerized Cotton (100% cotton, 3360 yards per pound) in Royal Lilac (#6394) provides 600 yards for the overshot pattern picks.

Equipment Requirements

This project requires a 4-shaft loom with a minimum weaving width of 24". Weavers will need two shuttles and two bobbins—one for the linen tabby weft and one for the cotton pattern weft. A temple is optional but recommended to maintain consistent width and prevent edge distortion during the weaving process. The combination of linen and unmercerized cotton creates a highly absorbent, thirsty towel suitable for kitchen use.