Why 10% shrinkage is not 10% extra

Percentages need a starting point. If cloth starts at 100 units and finishes at 90, it lost 10% of its starting size. To get back from 90 to 100, however, you need an increase of 11.111%.

For a 20-inch finished target with 10% measured loss, start with 22.222 inches. Adding 10% gives only 22 inches, which becomes 19.8 inches after that loss. The gap becomes more noticeable as the loss rises.

Four allowances, four jobs

• Cloth loss converts a desired finished dimension to the earlier measured state.
• Yarn take-up accounts for the yarn path beyond a straight cloth span.
• Loom waste is length you cannot weave or intentionally leave open.
• Purchase reserve is spare yarn bought after the estimate.

The main planner labels each separately. A reserve is not silently applied to the winding length. If you want a longer warp, deliberately increase sampling or another appropriate length allowance.

Gist’s worked sample example uses the inverse ratio. Different worksheets sometimes use “allowance” to mean an extra percentage instead, so compare definitions before copying numbers between tools.

Try your own measurements in the shrinkage calculator, then review all assumptions in the methodology.

Ready to use your measurements? Open the weaving planner.