Warps were formed from yarn supplied to the weaver either undyed (known as ‘in the white’ or ‘in the grey’) or dyed. Strong, smooth yarns were of linen, silk or worsted were used for warps. The warp threads were prepared on boards with pegs or wound on a warping mill to provide enough length for the finished piece of cloth. A crossed thread was inserted in the warp in order to keep the threads in a pre-determined order ready for beaming and drawing in on the yarn. A completed warp was known as a chain. Next came beaming: One end of the warp was attached to the back beam of the loom and the warp was wound on under constant even tension.

Each warp end was ‘drawn in’ by passing it through the eye of a heddle on a numbered shaft. The final preparatory process was the slaying of the reed. Reeds were made by specialist craftsmen from split cane bound by cord of different widths. The spaces allowed by different thicknesses of the cord determined the set of the cloth (the number of warp ends per inch). The warp ends were then tied to a stick attached to the breast beam of the loom (nearest the weaver) and the correct tension was set. Weaving could then begin.