Kid's Art: Weaving

There are different ways to make a weaving project for kids, but the easiest is with a cardboard loom. I made mine out of very thin carboard so it is easier to cut. I made notches for the "warp" threads that are 1/2" apart. You will want to make an EVEN NUMBER of cuts!

In weaving, the threads that are held in the loom (and usually vertical) are called the "warp" and the threads that you weave are called the "weft." You can use anything you want for the warp and weft. Yarn, thread, strips of fabric, and ribbon are all fun options. For this project I used crewel embroidery thread for the warp and strips of scrap fabric for the weft. 

     To put the warp thread in the loom, I secured one end with some tape on the back, then ran the thread the length of the loom on the front. (SEE picture of FRONT) You can wrap the warp thread all the way around, but I think that is a bit of a waste of thread, so on the back side I only go to the adjacent notch. (SEE picture of BACK) secure the end with another piece of tape.

Now you can start weaving your weft. In traditional weaving, you use one long thread and weave back and forth through the warp threads. For this project, I just had kids weave individual strips of fabric. You will want them to be about twice as wide as your loom, it will make the finishing steps much easier.

Younger kids might need help making sure to alternate going over and under. I had them weave 16 strips of fabric, but in these pics I ended up with 18. It's so fun weaving them, I ended up with 17 before I knew it and just added one more instead of taking one out. You will need to weave an EVEN NUMBER!

The project ends up much smaller than this, but to finish the weft edges it is easier to keep the strips of fabric spread out.

 Next, you will tie the strips of fabric together in pairs. Again, younger kids will need help with this. Tie simple square knots (not granny knots) but don't tie them super tight. If you make them too tight you will squeeze your warp threads together, and you want to keep them as straight as possible. 

Trim off the ends after each knot. Keep going till they are all tied together. This is why you needed an even number of weft strips! (SEE first picture below)

 

Then you scrunch all the strips of fabric together in the middle. (SEE second picture above) Scrunch is the technical term 😆

Now you are going to tie knots in the warp threads the same way. To do this you will have to use scissors to cut them off the loom. I find that it is MUCH easier if I only cut two at a time. Again, don't cinch your knots up tight. Just tie a square knot next to the fabric. 

Trim off the ends of the thread after the knot. After you are finished you have a nice coaster sized tapestry. You can play around with making a bigger loom or using different "threads" to weave with. You can make the notches on your loom closer together to make the warp threads closer together, you can try using one long thread to weave the weft back and forth. The point is to have fun and be creative!