Weaving on a loom requires preparation of the warp and weft.
Preparation of the warp
Preparation of the warp is done by a warper who warps cotton yarn. Yarn is mercerized, bleached, combed cotton 100/2 TEX. Cotton processed in this way is used on cones and weights about 1000–1500 grams. Cones with cotton are placed on the surface for two hundred cones. The procedure of winding starts from cones with 200 threads, which is the number of threads in one silver. The silver is then pulled through the guide and winded on the warping machine roller. One silver is 300m long. Silvers are winded on rollers according to dimensions and the loom for which they are being prepared.
Once the silvers have been winded on the roller they are rewinded from the roller of the warping machine to roller of the loom. Having placed the roller on the loom, it links the previous warp with the next one. The manner in which warps are linked is a procedure of spinning a thread with a cotton yarn, which is done manually. A loom of 240 cm width has 11.400 threads of yarn in the warp.
Preparation of the weft
The weft is prepared by spooling bleached shiny and dyed rayon silk. Viscous dyed silk has exceptionally fast colours resistant to washing and light. Silk on cones weights 1.750 grams. Weaving is preceded by spooling of silk from cones to bobbins. Ring tubes of the bobbins are 8,5 cm long and made of wood. They have 1 cm in diameter at the lower end and they spindly narrows at the top. Capacity of the ring tube is about 160 m of rayon silk. Winding is done on the spooling machine. In the process of weaving of damask on the mean width of the loom one bobbin produces the length of about 3 cm. Bobbin with silk is placed in the shuttle of the loom which in twitches moves a thread of silk to the left and right. Inside the shuttle is a bearing pulled through the bobbin and regulated by tensioning, which thus enables even unwinding of silk.
Looms
The width of the loom is from 0,85 to 2,4 m. The looms have a jacquard type of weaving which may be with or without design. Designs are made by punched cards, interweaving the warp and the weft. Punched cards are made of cardboard. The card is 40 cm long and 4, 6, or 8 cm wide depending on the width of the loom. They are sewed together in a series of 250–300 pieces. This makes a pattern for the edge or central part of the design. Raising and lowering his left foot on the footstool or pedal of the loom, the weaver inserts cards in the mechanism which defines the opening on the loom and design. With his work, the weaver gives the design its shape and size.
Designs
Existing sets of cards provide the weaving of designs on looms of different widths. The designs are: snowflake, star, zigzag, three types of squares, lines, rose leaf, wild roses, spots, morning glory, moire, pearls, wine tree, field flower, lions, tulips, a flower with a bow, palms, deer, antique, modern, Indian, rose bud, a flower with spots, roses with a girl, water lily and pattern “nova”.
Weaving
Manufacturing of fabric is done manually. The weaver weaves with synchronized moves alternatively working with both his hands and feet. Moving the reed of the loom with his left hand, he increases the density of the thread while his right hand moves the shuttle in twitches which moves the weft to the left and right along its width. With his right foot on the footstool he enlarges the opening on the loom and his left foot raises and lowers the footstool that inserts a card with a design. Footstools or pedals are wooden laths placed next to each other eight in number. The foot moves from one to another and each of them should be properly pressed which will then interweave the jacquard type of weaving.
Previously described moves are to be repeated twenty–eight times to weave one centimeter of damask. The weaver simultaneously monitors the threads of the warp that go through the galler of the eye, through the leaves, and finally through the cross reed of the loom.
Every part of damask is a whole regarding the silk part, edge of a design and central part of the design. Under the reed of the loom is a roller on which unwoven damask is winded. The warp is taut during winding. A roller holds up to 30 m of damask, after which it is cut off and done the process of finishing.
Finishing
Finishing part of sewing is hemming napkins and tablecloths or sewing bed linen. Finishing may as well be making a fringe edge instead of hemming napkins and tablecloths.
Programs
At the moment, there are two programs for manually woven silk damask: catering: napkins, upper tablecloths and tablecloths and bed linen: pillow–cases, sheets and quilt covers.
This type of damask production is unique in the world.