What is the summer and winter weave structure, and how do the tie-down threads work?

Summer and winter is a supplementary weft weave structure where pattern weft threads float over multiple consecutive warp threads to create the visual pattern, with mandatory tie-down stitches at regular intervals — typically every four warp ends — that bind the float to the plain-weave ground. The threading sequence alternates tie-down threads (on shaft 1 or shaft 2) with pattern threads (on shaft 3, 4, 5, or 6 depending on the number of blocks). Every pattern row is paired with a tabby row: the pattern pick inserts the pattern weft (floating over pattern threads, stitched down at the tie-down positions), and the immediate next tabby pick inserts a ground weft that weaves plain under all the tie-down threads and pattern threads, locking the pattern pick in place. The tie-down structure is what prevents summer and winter from being a fragile float fabric — without the tie-down stitches every four ends, the floats would span the full block width and catch on everything. The four-end tie-down interval is the minimum that keeps the pattern weft secure while maintaining pattern legibility.

What does the two-face reversibility of summer and winter mean in practice?

Summer and winter produces two complementary cloth faces that are color inverses of each other — the face showing the pattern weft is called the 'summer' face (light pattern on dark ground in traditional usage), and the face showing the ground weft is called the 'winter' face (dark pattern on light ground). If you weave with a white pattern weft and a dark blue ground weft, the summer face shows white pattern blocks on a blue ground, and the winter face shows blue pattern blocks on a white ground. The reversal is automatic because every warp thread that is up on the summer face is down on the winter face. This makes summer and winter an excellent choice for double-layer projects (bags, bookmarks, window hangings) where both faces will be seen, and for weavers who want to offer reversible colorwork without the complexity of double weave. The pattern blocks can be any combination of the block arrangement across the threading, producing an infinite range of geometric designs from the same threading sequence.

KeepTier · weaving creator economics

Patreon for summer and winter weaving creators: supplementary weft float mechanics, tie-down structure at every four warp ends, two-face reversibility, block pattern design, and the Apple Tax on iOS-heavy floor loom weaving audiences from November 2026

Q: What is the Apple Tax on summer and winter floor loom weaving Patreon audiences from November 2026?

Instagram floor loom and multi-shaft weaving accounts run 70–86% iOS; Pinterest weaving draft and pattern boards run 72–87% iOS; YouTube floor loom tutorial channels run 58–73% iOS. Apple Tax deductions on Patreon iOS subscriptions from November 1, 2026: at $100/month with 72% iOS, $21.60/month ($259.20/year); at $200/month with 76% iOS, $45.60/month ($547.20/year); at $400/month with 80% iOS, $96/month ($1,152/year). Web-only billing at Patreon or KeepTier keeps all transactions outside Apple's in-app purchase system.

Summer and winter structure: supplementary weft floats with mandatory tie-down binding

Summer and winter is a supplementary weft weave structure where pattern weft threads float over multiple consecutive warp threads to produce colored pattern blocks against a plain-weave ground. The structure takes its name from the visual complementarity of its two cloth faces: the face where the pattern weft is prominent was called "summer" (light pattern on dark ground in traditional New World coverlet weaving), and the reverse face was called "winter" (the color inverse, dark pattern on light ground). Every threading sequence automatically produces both faces — summer and winter fabric is inherently reversible.

The structural feature that distinguishes summer and winter from simple supplementary float weaves is the mandatory tie-down stitch at every four warp ends. The threading sequence alternates tie-down threads (on shaft 1 or shaft 2, the tabby shafts) with pattern threads (on shaft 3 and above, the block shafts). Each pattern block occupies one shaft per block (shaft 3 = block A, shaft 4 = block B, shaft 5 = block C, shaft 6 = block D on a six-shaft loom). The tie-down thread at each four-thread interval stitches the pattern float to the ground, preventing the float from spanning the full block width and catching on objects. The pattern-pick and tabby-pick must alternate in strict pairs: one pattern weft row, then one tabby weft row, then the next pattern row — the tabby pick locks each pattern row in place before the next is inserted.

Two-face reversibility: summer face and winter face as color complements

The reversibility of summer and winter means that both faces are usable simultaneously. A bag woven in summer and winter shows the summer face outside and the winter face inside, with different color-pattern relationships on each surface. A window hanging shows different patterns depending on which direction it is lit or viewed from. For Patreon documentation, the two-face reversal is a natural high-engagement content moment: photographing the same fabric face-and-back in a single image, annotating which is summer and which is winter, and documenting the color calculation (for a summer face with white pattern on blue, the winter face will be blue pattern on white, and the pattern blocks will be the color inverse of the summer design at every position across the warp). Subscribers who are accustomed to colorwork knitting (where the yarn-held-below dominates) find the summer-winter reversal intuitive — it is the same dominance principle expressed in woven structure.

Apple Tax on summer and winter floor loom weaving Patreon audiences from November 2026

Instagram floor loom and multi-shaft weaving accounts show 70–86% iOS; Pinterest weaving draft and pattern boards show 72–87% iOS; YouTube floor loom tutorial channels show 58–73% iOS. From November 1, 2026, Apple deducts 30% from every Patreon subscription renewal made through the iOS app. At $100/month with 72% iOS, that is $21.60/month ($259.20/year). At $200/month with 76% iOS, $45.60/month ($547.20/year). At $400/month with 80% iOS, $96/month ($1,152/year). KeepTier operates entirely on web-only billing — no iOS app, no Apple Tax.

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