DesignISCO 7318

Weaver

Weavers operate the weaving process at traditional hand powered weaving machines (from silk to carpet, from flat to Jacquard). They monitor the condition of machines and the fabric quality, such as woven fabrics for clothing, home-tex or technical end uses. They carry out mechanic works on machines that convert yarns into fabrics such as blankets, carpets, towels and clothing material. They repair loom malfunctions as reported by the weaver, and complete loom check out sheets.

Check yourself in a minute: weaver

Rate 5 of the 16 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

use textile technique for hand-made products

manufacture knitted textiles

manufacture woven fabrics

manufacture staple yarns

tend knitting machine

About weaver

As a weaver, you will master the art and craft of converting yarns into finished textile products using specialized weaving machines. Your work involves operating hand-powered and mechanical looms to produce a wide range of woven fabrics—from delicate silk textiles to durable carpets, and from traditional flat weaves to complex Jacquard patterns. You'll monitor machine performance, assess fabric quality, perform preventive maintenance, and troubleshoot mechanical issues to ensure consistent production of high-quality textiles.

Your daily responsibilities include tending weaving machines, managing yarn tension and alignment, identifying and correcting defects, conducting routine maintenance checks, and documenting quality metrics. You'll apply your technical knowledge of textile technologies, weaving techniques, and materials to produce fabrics for diverse applications including clothing, home textiles, and technical end uses. The role requires precision, attention to detail, and mechanical aptitude. With Poland's strong textile heritage and growing demand for skilled craftspeople, weavers who combine traditional techniques with modern quality standards have excellent career prospects in both artisanal and industrial settings.

Key Work Functions

Core areas of responsibility for a weaver.

1

Weaving Machine Operation

  • Operate hand-powered and mechanical weaving looms with precision and technical skill
  • Set up loom equipment including yarn tension, alignment and pattern programming
  • Tend weaving machines continuously to monitor output and maintain consistent production
2

Fabric Quality Control and Assessment

  • Monitor fabric quality throughout production process for defects and inconsistencies
  • Inspect woven products for texture, color, pattern accuracy and dimensional conformance
  • Identify and correct weaving defects such as dropped threads, pattern errors and tension issues
3

Machine Maintenance and Troubleshooting

  • Perform routine preventive maintenance including cleaning, oiling and parts inspection
  • Diagnose and repair mechanical loom malfunctions reported by production team
  • Complete loom checkout sheets and maintain detailed maintenance records
4

Textile Product Manufacturing

  • Manufacture woven fabrics for diverse applications including clothing and home textiles
  • Apply various weaving techniques including hand-weaving, Jacquard and warp knitting technologies
  • Produce specialty textile products for technical end-uses with specific performance requirements
5

Yarn and Textile Processing

  • Manage yarn preparation including staple yarn manufacturing and tension control
  • Operate textile finishing machines to prepare fabrics for final use
  • Tend textile washing machines and apply finishing techniques for quality enhancement

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (16)

textile technologiestextile technologiesTextile technologies to design, manufacture and evaluate the properties of textiles.textile measurementtextile measurementTextile measurement units, such as mommes, thread count (the degree of coarseness of a fabric), picks per inch (PPI) and ends per inch (EPI).textile techniquestextile techniquesThe various steps and methods of the manufacturing process of textile. The techniques applied to the finishing of textile products based on the type of textile used.use textile technique for hand-made productsuse textile technique for hand-made productsUsing textile technique to produce hand-made products, such as carpets, tapestry, embroidery, lace, silk screen printing, wearing apparel, etc.manufacture knitted textilesmanufacture knitted textilesPerform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture knitted products keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.manufacture woven fabricsmanufacture woven fabricsPerform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture woven fabrics.manufacture staple yarnsmanufacture staple yarnsPerform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture staple fiber yarns.tend knitting machinetend knitting machineOperate knitting machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.tend weaving machinestend weaving machinesOperate weaving machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.tend textile finishing machinestend textile finishing machinesOperate textile finishing machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.use warp knitting technologiesuse warp knitting technologiesUse warp knitting machine technologies that enable the formation of fabrics. Able to set machines for warp knitting, colour and pattern for monitoring and controlling the warp knitting process on elec...use weaving machine technologiesuse weaving machine technologiesOperate machines that enable weaving processes turning threads into fabrics. Setup weaving machine programmes for the machine to produce fabrics with the adequate pattern, colour and fabric density.tend automatic sewing machinestend automatic sewing machinesOperate machines that stitch folded and glued bottoms of multiwall paper bags to provide additional strength.manufacture weft knitted fabricsmanufacture weft knitted fabricsPerform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture weft knitting fabrics.operate garment manufacturing machinesoperate garment manufacturing machinesOperate and monitor machines which make miscellaneous wearing apparel articles. Operate and monitor machines that fold cloth into measured length, and measure size of pieces.tend textile washing machinestend textile washing machinesOperate textile washing machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
Optional (21) — show
textile industry machinery productstextile industry machinery productsThe offered textile industry machinery products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.properties of textile materialsproperties of textile materialsThe characteristics and properties of different textile and fabric materials. These include strength, flexibility, elasticity, softness, durability, heat insulation, low weight, water absorbency/repel...textile industrytextile industryMajor textile manufacturers on the market of various brands and materials.types of textile fibrestypes of textile fibresThe variety of textile fibres both natural such as wool and hemp and man-made or synthetic fibers.use manual knitting techniquesuse manual knitting techniquesCreate handmade knitted fabrics by using traditional handicraft techniques to knit ropes of yarn.control textile processcontrol textile processPlanning and monitoring textile production to achieve control on behalf of quality, productivity and delivery time.monitor textile manufacturing developmentsmonitor textile manufacturing developmentsKeep up to date with recent developments in textile manufacturing and processing techniques and technologies.produce textile samplesproduce textile samplesMake up textile samples or have them fabricated by specialised workers or technicians.tend winding machinestend winding machinesSet up, operate, and maintain winding machines to wrap yarns or strings of all kinds onto spools, reels, and bobbins.manufacture non-woven filament productsmanufacture non-woven filament productsPerform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture nonwoven filament products, keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.sort textile itemssort textile itemsSort garments and other textiles to be pressed and ironed or for customer pick-up.place orders for textile materialsplace orders for textile materialsSelect and purchase fabrics and textile products in accordance to stock availability.sell textiles fabricssell textiles fabricsSell textile fabrics such as cotton, wool, linen and synthetic fabrics.work in textile manufacturing teamswork in textile manufacturing teamsWork harmoniously with colleagues in teams in the textile and clothing manufacturing industries.cut textilescut textilesCut textiles fitting to customers' desires and needs.tend textile dyeing machinestend textile dyeing machinesOperate textile dyeing machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.create patterns for textile productscreate patterns for textile productsCreate a two-dimensional model used to cut the material for textile products such as tents and bags, or for individual pieces needed for upholstery work.conduct textile testing operationsconduct textile testing operationsPrepare for textile testing and evaluation, gathering the test samples, conducting and recording tests, validating data and presenting results.check quality of products in textile production linecheck quality of products in textile production lineCheck characteristics of textile products like yarns, woven, knitted, braided, tufted or nonwoven textiles, finished cloths, ready-make-garments and determine the product quality along different stage...health and safety in the textile industryhealth and safety in the textile industryThe requirements, rules and applications of health and safety measures in the textile industry.evaluate textile characteristicsevaluate textile characteristicsEvaluate textiles and their properties in order to manufacture products in conformity with specifications.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a weaver do?

Weavers operate the weaving process at traditional hand powered weaving machines (from silk to carpet, from flat to Jacquard). They monitor the condition of machines and the fabric quality, such as woven fabrics for clothing, home-tex or technical end uses. They carry out mechanic works on machines that convert yarns into fabrics such as blankets, carpets, towels and clothing material. They repair loom malfunctions as reported by the weaver, and complete loom check out sheets.

What skills does a weaver need?

A weaver needs 16 essential skills, including textile technologies, textile measurement, textile techniques, use textile technique for hand-made products, manufacture knitted textiles.

Will AI replace weaver jobs?

The AI disruption score for weaver is 52/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: types of textile fibres, check quality of products in textile production line, textile measurement. Most resilient: use manual knitting techniques, cut textiles, textile industry machinery products.

Quick Facts

SectorDesign
ISCO GroupHandicraft and printing workers
Essential Skills16

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