Analysis on the weave structure and swivel-shuttle technique of Dai brocade

With the increasing emphasis on the protection of intangible cultural heritage and the rise of ethnic trends more and more scholars are paying attention to Dai brocade and conducting analysis and research on it. At present research on Dai brocade mainly focuses on its appearance characteristics such as patterns and colors as well as its application in modern clothing design. A few scholars have studied the weave structure and process characteristics of Dai brocade and there is still a need for in-depth analysis of the weave structure and process characteristics of Dai brocade. We studied the weave structure and swivel-shuttle process of typical Dai brocade. Specifically we analyzed the weave structure of the collected Dai brocade classified the weave structure of Dai brocade based on its bonding characteristics and explored the flowering characteristics of Dai brocade with different weave structures. We also analyzed the different swivel-shuttle methods of Dai brocade and the impact of swivel-shuttle process on the appearance and style of Dai brocade. By analyzing the weave structure and swivel-shuttle process of Dai brocade three major conclusions can be drawn. Firstly the weave structure of Dai brocade is generally weft-figured weave. Based on its joint characteristics it can be divided into no-knot-type weft-figured weave and ground-knot-type weft-figured weave and the ground weave of Dai brocade is generally warp weight flat weave. Second the no-knot-type weft-figured weave Dai brocade is generally fluffy and has a strong three-dimensional sense. However due to the unrestricted length of the front and back weft floats the fabric has low firmness. Nevertheless the ground-knot-type weft-figured weave Dai brocade usually uses the ground warp as the connecting warp to connect the back weft floats resulting in high firmness and good flatness of the fabric. Third the swivel-shuttle method in Dai brocade weaving process can be divided into two types the float sinking method and the winding method. Both methods can break free from the limitations of weave structure and weave patterns of various shapes and colors at any position greatly improving the richness of Dai brocade patterns and colors and avoiding the problem of excessive thickness when there are many types of fabric patterns and wefts.