Supplementary Weft
Additional weft threads introduced above the structural weft to create pattern or texture, the structural weft holds the textile together while the supplementary weft carries the design.
In supplementary weft weaving, a base structure (the ground weave) provides the textile's structural integrity, while extra weft threads are floated over and under selected warp threads to create the pattern on the surface. The supplementary weft is "extra" in that the textile would hold together without it, its role is exclusively decorative or patterning.
Many Moroccan Amazigh textiles combine flatweave foundation structures with supplementary weft patterning. The Haouz plain mixed-weave tradition, in particular, uses supplementary weft to create complex polychrome patterns above a plain-weave ground. Supplementary weft elements can create a slightly raised surface texture distinct from a purely flat kilim.
