Project Information
On the Project Menu
Project Information
What It Does
Project Information is the central hub for everything about your weaving project beyond the draft itself. It's where you set up your loom parameters, plan your warp, calculate yarn requirements, track colors, document your project, and prepare a professional writeup.
The dialog has seven tabs, each focused on a different aspect of your project:
Setup — Shafts, treadles, sett, reed, and grid overlay
Planning — Dimensions, take-up, shrinkage, yarn calculations, and target sizing
Project Notes — Title, author, notes, and tags
Heddle Count — How many heddles you need on each shaft
Color Information — Thread counts and yardage by color
Cloth Construction — Double cloth layer settings
Weaver's Writeup — A structured project report with images and formatting
Opening Project Information
Ribbon: Project tab > Project Info button
Tab 1: Setup
The Setup tab defines the fundamental parameters of your loom and draft.
Shafts and Treadles
Shafts The number of shafts (harnesses) in your draft. Range: 2–128. If you reduce the shaft count, any threads assigned to higher-numbered shafts will be reassigned to the new maximum.
Treadles The number of treadles. Range: 2–128. Disabled in liftplan mode (since liftplans don't use treadles). If you reduce the treadle count, treadling references to higher-numbered treadles are clamped.
Multi-Treadle When checked, the treadling allows pressing multiple treadles per pick (double-press combinations). This is automatically enabled in liftplan mode.
Floating Selvedge
Floating selvedge threads are extra warp threads at the fabric edges that are not threaded through any heddle. They "float" freely and the shuttle passes over or under them on each pick, helping to lock the edges on weave structures where the selvedge threads might otherwise not interlace properly.
Right Selvedge (Thread 1) Adds a floating selvedge thread at the right edge of your warp (thread position 1 in the draft).
Left Selvedge (Last Thread) Adds a floating selvedge thread at the left edge (the last thread position).
Double When checked, uses two floating selvedge threads on each side instead of one. Some weavers prefer doubled selvedges for heavier yarns or more stable edges.
These settings are factored into yarn calculations on the Planning and Color Information tabs — the floating selvedge threads are included in thread counts and yardage estimates.
Reed Information
This section displays your reed setup and the resulting ends per inch (EPI):
Dents — How many dents (slots) per unit in your reed (e.g., 10 dents per inch)
Sley Pattern — How many threads go through each dent (e.g., "1" for one per dent, "1-2" for alternating one and two)
EPI — Calculated ends per inch based on your reed and sley pattern
EPCM — The same value converted to ends per centimeter
Two buttons give you quick access to tools:
Reed Calculator — Opens a calculator to determine EPI from your reed size and sley pattern.
Reed Chart — Opens a reference chart showing common reed sizes and their resulting sett values.
Raddle Information
Same format as Reed Information, but for your raddle (the tool used to spread the warp evenly during beaming). The raddle typically has wider spacing than the reed.
Dents — Spaces per unit in the raddle
Sley Pattern — How many threads per raddle space
EPI / EPCM — Resulting ends per inch / centimeter
Raddle Calculator and Raddle Chart work the same way as their reed counterparts.
Density
Sett (EPI) The planned warp density — how many warp threads per inch (or per centimeter in metric). This value is used throughout the Planning tab for calculating fabric width, yarn requirements, and target sizing. Range: 1–200.
Beat (PPI) The planned weft density — how many weft picks per inch (or per centimeter). Used for calculating fabric length and weft yarn requirements. Range: 1–200.
Default Yarn Thickness A slider (1–16) that sets the default visual thickness for threads in the drawdown display. This affects how threads are rendered in View Fabric and the drawdown grid. It doesn't change the actual yarn — it's a display setting for the preview.
Unit of Measurement
Imperial (inches, yards) All measurements throughout the dialog are shown in inches and yards.
Metric (cm, meters) All measurements are shown in centimeters and meters.
Switching units converts all existing values automatically — you don't lose any data.
Grid Overlay
The grid overlay draws repeating lines on the drawdown, threading, treadling, and/or tie-up grids to help you count threads and picks at a glance.
Area Checkboxes Choose which areas show the overlay:
Drawdown — The main cloth grid
Warp — The threading area
Tie-Up — The tie-up matrix
Weft — The treadling area
Shaft Interval How often horizontal lines appear (every N shafts). For example, setting this to 4 draws a line every 4 rows in the threading, making it easy to see shaft groupings.
Thread Interval How often vertical lines appear (every N threads). Setting this to 10 draws a line every 10 threads, helpful for counting warp ends.
Color The overlay line color. Options include dark gray, dark red, dark blue, dark green, dark magenta, and orange red. A preview swatch shows the selected color.
Tab 2: Planning
The Planning tab is where serious project preparation happens. It calculates how much yarn you need, how long your warp should be, what your finished dimensions will be after shrinkage, and what loom settings are required to hit a target finished size.
Current WIF and Overrides
The left side shows values calculated from your actual draft:
Warp Ends The number of warp threads in your current draft (counted from the threading).
Width in Reed The width of the fabric on the loom, calculated as warp ends ÷ sett. Displayed in inches or centimeters.
Weft Picks The number of weft picks in your current draft (counted from the treadling).
Woven Length The length of fabric on the loom before finishing, calculated as weft picks ÷ beat.
Finished Est Width / Finished Est Length Estimated finished dimensions after accounting for draw-in and shrinkage (using the Calculation Drivers below).
Override Width / Override Woven Length If you want to plan for a different width or length than what's currently in the draft, enter override values here. For example, if your draft shows one repeat but you plan to weave it much longer, enter the actual planned woven length. These overrides are used in yarn calculations instead of the values from the draft.
Warp Length
Min Warp Length The minimum warp length needed, calculated from your woven length, take-up, fringe, sampling, number of pieces, and loom waste. This is the shortest warp that will produce your planned fabric with enough extra for loom waste and finishing.
Planned Warp Length Enter the actual warp length you plan to wind. This should be at least as long as the minimum, and typically a bit longer for safety margin. This value drives the yarn requirement calculations.
Total Woven The total length of woven fabric you'll produce, calculated from pieces × woven length per piece + sampling.
Yarn Required
Warp / Weft The total yarn needed for warp and weft, displayed in yards (or meters). These are calculated from your thread counts, planned warp length, fabric dimensions, and take-up factors.
Calculate Yarn Click this button to compute (or recompute) the yarn requirements based on your current planning values. The calculation uses the planned warp length, sett, beat, and take-up percentages.
Calculation Drivers
These factors account for the real-world differences between what's on the loom and what comes off it:
Draw-In How much narrower the fabric becomes compared to the width in the reed, measured in inches (or cm). Draw-in happens because the interlacement pulls the warp threads inward. Typical values: 0.5–2 inches depending on yarn and structure.
Warp Take-Up The percentage of warp length consumed by interlacement — the warp threads go over and under the weft, so the woven fabric is shorter than the warp on the loom. Typical values: 5–15% for most structures, higher for waffle and other high-take-up weaves.
Weft Take-Up The percentage of extra weft yarn consumed by interlacement. The weft travels over and under warp threads, so more weft yarn is needed than the simple width × picks calculation suggests. Typical values: 5–15%.
Loom Waste The amount of warp that can't be woven because it's tied to the loom — the unusable length at the front and back. Measured in inches (or cm). Typical values: 18–36 inches depending on your loom.
Shrinkage Width The percentage the fabric shrinks in width after wet finishing (washing, fulling). Typical values: 5–15% for most yarns, higher for wool that will be fulled.
Shrinkage Length The percentage the fabric shrinks in length after wet finishing. Often slightly different from width shrinkage.
Length Drivers
Fringe (total) The total length of fringe for the project — both ends combined. If you want 4 inches of fringe at each end, enter 8. Fringe is added to the minimum warp length calculation.
Sampling Extra warp length set aside for sampling (test weaving) before starting the actual project. This is added to the total woven length.
Pieces How many pieces you plan to weave from this warp. For example, if you're weaving 4 placemats, enter 4. The woven length per piece is multiplied by this number.
Target Finished Size
This section works backwards — you tell TempoWeave the finished size you want, and it calculates what loom settings and yarn you need.
Finished Width The width you want after finishing (after draw-in and shrinkage).
Finished Length per Piece The length you want each piece to be after finishing.
Calculated Results
After entering your target finished size, click Recalculate (or changes auto-update) to see:
Req Width in Reed How wide the fabric needs to be on the loom to achieve your target finished width, accounting for draw-in and width shrinkage.
Required Warp Ends How many warp threads you need at your current sett to achieve the required width in reed.
Woven Length per Piece How long each piece needs to be on the loom to achieve your target finished length after shrinkage.
Required Weft Picks How many picks you need at your current beat to achieve the required woven length.
Tab 3: Project Notes
Title
The name of your project (e.g., "Houndstooth Scarf" or "Kitchen Towels Set of 4"). This appears in file metadata and the Weaver's Writeup.
Author
Your name or studio name.
Notes
Free-form notes about the project. Up to 5 lines. Use this for anything you want to remember — yarn sources, design inspiration, special techniques, etc. These notes are saved in the WIF file and travel with the draft.
Tags
Tags help you organize and find projects later. Type a tag name and press Enter (or click Add) to add it. Tags appear as removable chips below the input field.
The tag input offers autocomplete suggestions from tags you've used in previous projects, so you build a consistent vocabulary over time (e.g., "twill," "scarf," "cotton," "commission").
Click the x on any tag chip to remove it.
Source
Shows which program created this WIF file and its version number. For files you create, this shows "TempoWeave Studio." For imported files, it shows the original source (e.g., "Fiberworks PCW," "WeaveIt," etc.).
Tab 4: Heddle Count
This tab shows how many heddles you need on each shaft, calculated from your threading.
The list shows each shaft number and its heddle count. For example:
The Total Heddles count at the bottom shows the sum across all shafts.
This is essential for loom setup — before you start threading, you need to know how many heddles to place on each shaft. Too few heddles on a shaft means you'll have to stop and add more mid-threading.
When to Check It
Before threading — Verify you have enough heddles on each shaft
After importing a draft — See the heddle distribution before committing to weave it
When planning a complex warp — Uneven heddle counts can indicate an unusual draft structure worth reviewing
Tab 5: Color Information
This tab breaks down your yarn requirements by color, showing exactly how much of each color you need for both warp and weft.
The table includes these columns:
#
Color index number in your palette
Color
A swatch showing the actual color
Name
The color name (if you've named your palette colors)
Yarn Line
The yarn line/product name (if assigned in the Yarn Catalog)
Warp
Number of warp threads using this color
Weft
Number of weft picks using this color
Warp Yds
Estimated warp yardage for this color
Weft Yds
Estimated weft yardage for this color
Total Yds
Combined warp + weft yardage for this color
Hex
The hex color code (useful for ordering yarn or matching colors)
The yardage values are calculated proportionally — if a color accounts for 25% of the warp threads, it gets 25% of the total warp yarn requirement.
Important: The yardage calculations depend on your planned warp length and calculation drivers from the Planning tab. If the yardage columns show dashes, go to the Planning tab and enter your planned warp length first. A warning message appears if the calculations haven't been run yet.
When to Use It
Ordering yarn — Know exactly how much of each color to buy
Checking inventory — Verify you have enough of each color before starting
Cost estimation — Combined with yarn prices, calculate project cost
Identifying dominant colors — See which colors use the most yarn
Tab 6: Cloth Construction
This tab stores metadata about double cloth and layered fabric structures. These settings describe the structure of a draft that's already been converted to double cloth (using the Double Cloth feature) — they're not used to create double cloth, but to remember how it was configured.
Fold Type Records the fold type used when the double cloth was created:
None (Single Layer)
Left Fold
Right Fold
Tubular
Layer Pattern The interleaving pattern of top and bottom layer picks:
None
TBBT (Folded) — Top, Bottom, Bottom, Top
TBTB (Tubular) — Top, Bottom, Top, Bottom
Top Layer Shafts A comma-separated list of shaft numbers that belong to the top layer (e.g., "1,2,3,4"). The remaining shafts are the bottom layer.
Construction Type The overall construction classification:
Standard (single layer)
Folded Double
Tubular
These values are saved in the WIF file and used by features like View Fabric to render double cloth correctly (showing layers side-by-side, marking fold lines, etc.).
Tab 7: Weaver's Writeup
The Weaver's Writeup is a structured project document — a complete record of your project that you can print, save, or share with other weavers. It includes written instructions, images, and optionally the draft itself.
Formatting Toolbar
Basic text formatting for the instruction fields:
B — Bold
I — Italic
U — Underline
• List — Bullet list
Size — Font size (8–16pt)
Generate Template Creates a starter template with placeholder text for each section, giving you a framework to fill in.
Preview Toggles between the editing form and a rendered preview of the writeup as it will appear when printed.
Print Writeup Combined Prints the complete writeup including all checked report contents (draft images, color plans, etc.).
Writeup Sections
Each section is a text field where you can describe that phase of the project:
Title The project name that appears at the top of the writeup.
Subtitle An optional subtitle or description line.
Pattern Code A reference code for the pattern (useful for pattern libraries or personal filing systems).
Cover Section Introductory text for the writeup — an overview or summary of the project.
Description A detailed description of the project — the weave structure, design intent, inspiration, and any technical notes about the draft.
Warp Winding Instructions Step-by-step instructions for winding the warp — color order, number of threads per color section, any special notes about winding sequence or cross placement.
Warping Instructions Instructions for dressing the loom — beaming the warp, threading the heddles, sleying the reed, tying on. Include any tips specific to this project.
Weaving Instructions How to weave the project — treadling sequence, shuttle order for multiple colors, beat consistency, selvedge technique, and any pattern notes.
Finishing Post-loom instructions — how to wash, press, full, hem, twist fringe, or otherwise finish the fabric.
Report Contents
Checkboxes that control what's included when the writeup is printed:
Warp Winding Plan — Include the warp color sequence diagram
Tie-Up — Include the tie-up matrix
Threading — Include the threading chart
Treadling — Include the treadling sequence
Weft Color Plan — Include the weft color sequence diagram
Images and Attachments
You can attach images to specific sections of the writeup:
Cover Image A photo or rendering for the cover page of the writeup. Click Browse to select an image file.
Difficulty Badge An optional badge indicating project difficulty level. TempoWeave includes bundled badges, or you can use your own.
Warping Image A photo illustrating the warping process — useful for documenting a specific warping technique or color arrangement.
Weaving Image A photo of the work in progress on the loom.
Finishing Image A photo of the finished fabric after wet finishing.
Each image slot has Browse, Clear, and display controls. Images are embedded in the project file.
Other Attachments Additional files you want to include with the project — yarn samples scanned as images, reference documents, inspiration photos, etc. Use Add File, Open, and Remove to manage them.
Buttons (Bottom of Dialog)
Print Project Prints a comprehensive project report including setup data, planning calculations, heddle counts, color information, and any writeup content.
Apply Saves all changes across all tabs back to the draft. The entire operation is undoable with Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z).
Close Closes the dialog. If you haven't clicked Apply, changes are discarded.
Step-by-Step Example: Planning a Set of Towels
You want to weave 4 kitchen towels from a twill draft:
Open Project Information from the Project tab
Setup tab:
Verify shafts (4) and treadles (6)
Set Sett to 20 EPI and Beat to 18 PPI
Set Units to Imperial
Planning tab:
Enter your Calculation Drivers:
Draw-In: 1 inch
Warp Take-Up: 10%
Weft Take-Up: 8%
Loom Waste: 27 inches
Width Shrinkage: 8%
Length Shrinkage: 10%
Enter Length Drivers:
Fringe: 8 inches (4" per end × 2 ends)
Sampling: 6 inches
Pieces: 4
Enter Target Finished Size:
Finished Width: 16 inches
Finished Length per Piece: 24 inches
Click Recalculate
The Calculated Results show you need ~340 warp ends and ~27 inches woven per towel
Set the Planned Warp Length from the Min Warp Length (add a few extra inches for comfort)
Click Calculate Yarn to see total warp and weft yardage
Project Notes tab:
Title: "Kitchen Towels — Blue Twill"
Author: Your name
Tags: "towel", "twill", "cotton", "kitchen"
Heddle Count tab:
Check that you have enough heddles on each shaft (should be roughly 85 per shaft for a straight twill)
Color Information tab:
Review yardage per color — this tells you exactly how much of the blue and white cotton to order
Click Apply
Step-by-Step Example: Documenting a Project for a Guild
You're preparing a project writeup for your weaving guild:
Open Project Information and go to the Weaver's Writeup tab
Click Generate Template for a starting framework
Fill in each section:
Title and subtitle
Description: weave structure, inspiration, yarn choices
Warp Winding: color order and thread counts
Warping: any special techniques
Weaving: treadling notes, shuttle sequence
Finishing: washing temperature, pressing, hemming
Check the Report Contents boxes for Threading, Treadling, and Tie-Up
Browse for a Cover Image (a photo of the finished fabric)
Add a Difficulty Badge
Click Preview to see the formatted result
Click Print Writeup Combined to print the complete document
Click Apply to save everything with the draft
Tips
Planning tab is your best friend — Fill in the Calculation Drivers once for your loom and yarn type, and they'll give you accurate estimates for every project. The values are saved with each draft, so different yarn types can have different shrinkage rates.
Use overrides for longer warps — If your draft shows one pattern repeat but you're weaving multiple yards, use the Override Woven Length field to enter the actual length you plan to weave.
Check heddle counts early — Nothing is more frustrating than running out of heddles mid-threading. Check the Heddle Count tab before you start.
Color Information needs a planned warp length — The yardage calculations won't work until you've entered a planned warp length on the Planning tab. Enter your warp length first, then check the Color Information tab.
Target sizing works backwards — Enter the finished dimensions you want, and TempoWeave calculates the loom dimensions you need. This is much easier than doing the math by hand with shrinkage and take-up percentages.
Metric and Imperial convert cleanly — You can switch units at any time. All values are converted automatically, so you can plan in whichever system you prefer.
The writeup travels with the file — Everything in the Weaver's Writeup tab is saved inside the draft file (TWA format). When you share the file, the writeup goes with it.
Grid overlay for counting — If you're struggling to count threads on a dense draft, turn on the Grid Overlay with a Thread Interval of 10. The lines make it much easier to count at a glance.
Undo works for everything — Clicking Apply saves all changes as a single undoable operation. If anything looks wrong, Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z) reverts the entire set of changes.
Quick Reference
Setup
Shafts, treadles, sett, beat, reed/raddle, selvedge, grid overlay, units
Planning
Dimensions, take-up, shrinkage, loom waste, yarn requirements, target sizing
Project Notes
Title, author, notes, tags, source program
Heddle Count
Heddles needed per shaft
Color Information
Thread counts and yardage per color
Cloth Construction
Double cloth layer metadata
Weaver's Writeup
Structured project document with images
Sett (EPI)
Warp threads per inch
6–40+
Beat (PPI)
Weft picks per inch
6–40+
Draw-In
Width lost to interlacement
0.5–2"
Warp Take-Up
Warp length lost to over/under
5–15%
Weft Take-Up
Extra weft needed for over/under
5–15%
Loom Waste
Unusable warp tied to loom
18–36"
Width Shrinkage
Width lost in wet finishing
5–15%
Length Shrinkage
Length lost in wet finishing
5–15%
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