Technique

Drawloom weaving

نقشه‌بندی دستگاه

A loom with a pattern harness that lets a helper lift warps for complex repeats such as termeh and zari.

Process, step by step

  1. Set the pattern harness
  2. Lift pattern warps for each pick
  3. Weave the ground and pattern wefts

Variations

Termeh, zari-bafi and velvet all rely on pattern-lifting looms.

Conservation

Fold textiles loosely and never iron metal-thread areas.

Used in these crafts

Termeh

A patterned Iranian brocade woven with supplementary wefts, historically in silk and wool, associated above all with Yazd and Kerman.

Brocade weaving (Zari-bafi)

A figured silk weaving technique in which supplementary wefts, often including gold- or silver-wrapped thread, create pictorial or floral designs on a silk ground.

Velvet weaving (Makhmal-bafi)

A silk weaving technique producing a cut or voided pile on a foundation weave, used in Iran for garments, cushion covers and furnishing panels, with figured Safavid velvets among the most studied survivals.