How to Weave on a Weaving Loom

It is easier to begin weaving near the bottom of the loom. A long bodkin makes a convenient tool to carry the weft and for picking up the alternate warp threads. There are just two points to be very particular about when weaving. The first is to be sure the warp threads are parallel when the first two rounds of weft are woven in. After this there is no danger of the warp twisting. The second point is to weave loosely enough. The weft must do the undulating, never the warp. But if the weft is pulled too tight the warp is pulled out of place. Bags are more attractive if the weft is packed close together, so that the warp does not show.

If the weaving is to have pattern, this must be outlined on a paper and parallel lines representing warp threads ruled through it. These lines would, of course, be the same distance apart as the warp on the loom. All curves in the pattern become straight lines and right angles when woven. Patterns for weaving look much like the cross-stitch patterns one can buy; indeed, cross-stitch patterns can be used for weaving.

A piece of Coptic weaving that shows how a pattern can be woven in and the background woven around it.

Pattern must be woven in first. Find where its position in the loom is to be and how many warp threads it covers, and then weave it in, simply turning when the edge warp thread of the pattern is reached and weaving across to the edge warp thread on the other side of the pattern. The background is woven up to the pattern edge, turned and woven the other direction until another pattern edge is met. Slits will be formed in the weaving between pattern and background. It is well to plan a pattern with an irregular outline so as to avoid long slits. However, these can be sewed up when the weaving is finished. This was often done on the old tapestries one finds in museums.

Now about materials for weaving. Use silk floss loosely twisted for small bags, and weave it over a fine linen warp. The warp threads will have to be as close as a sixteenth of an inch apart for a bag of fine silk. The linen for the warp comes on spools, and is sold at either the notion-counter or in the needlework department of any large shop. No. 20 or 25 is a suitable size for small bags.

A bag woven of wools over coarse warp has quite an old-tapestry look about it if the wool is harsh and loosely twisted. The regular tapestry wool is carried by some needlework departments, but if they do not have it, try an Oriental-rug shop. One where rugs are made over and mended would be sure to have a supply of coarse wool and usually a wide range of colors. Bags made of this material must be at least nine inches wide and eleven inches long. Either a coarse linen warp or a firmly twisted cotton will answer. The space between warp threads can range from an eighth of an inch to about a quarter, depending on how coarse the wool is. The pattern, too, controls the spacing. One with much detail would require a closer warp than a simple flat pattern. The simple pattern is easier and usually more effective in coarse wools.

A bag with a body of dull yellow irregularly dyed had a four-inch-wide band around the lower part, patterned in large, gay flowers. The largest of the flowers were the width of the band in diameter and their few simple petals were flat masses of dull violets and blues. Here again the wool was irregularly dyed. The weaver did the dyeing herself with the commercial dyes that come in tubes. For a bit of red she used some left-over cakes of Easter-egg dye, a perfectly satisfactory dye for animal fiber that will not have to be washed. Small masses of blues and greens were woven into the band with a dull-silk floss. A silk of high luster would have dominated unpleasantly if used with the comparatively lusterless wool.

The loom for this bag was warped one-eighth of an inch apart because the pattern was somewhat detailed in the small spots of color. So to save work the dull-yellow body above the border was woven over two and under two warp threads at a time. This also added a variation in the texture of the weave.

Another bag was woven of fine, undyed jute. This material can be bought in twine-and-paper-supply houses or shops where rope is sold. This bag was made of four-ply jute slightly less than one-eighth of an inch in diameter. The loom was warped with the jute one-fourth of an inch apart and the weft had that same space between each weaving. A lattice, or open, weave was the result. Color introduced in close-woven bands of varying widths made a stripe design across the bottom and a single band of close weaving finished the top. Cords of twisted jute, three strands for a cord, drew the bag together. The cords were slipped through rings sewed to the top of the bag. The most attractive rings for this purpose can be found in a first-class saddler's shop. Small ones, the kind that will do for a bag, are called martingale rings.

Another simple way of making a slip for bag cords is to lay several foundation threads and buttonhole over them. This would hardly be possible with thick jute. The closely woven bags of fine material can be made with slits around the top for the drawing-cords. The slits are made in the same way as they were along the edges of the pattern.

Flat pieces of weaving can be done on cardboard looms constructed like bag looms. For a flat piece, however, the cardboard need be only two inches longer in one direction than the finished piece of weaving. These two extra inches allow for an inch margin on each end for the holes that hold the warp. The latter is fastened to the cardboard in the same way as in the bag loom.

Pieces of wool tapestry for foot-stool covers, fire-screens, and hall benches or chairs, ends for table runners woven of linen floss, and wide bands of linen or wool for portieres, are among the useful furnishing stuffs that can be woven on these simple cardboard looms. If the band of weaving is long, it usually is necessary to brace the loom on the wrong side with thin strips of wood to prevent bending.

The process sounds complicated in the description, but is simple in execution, and the results obtainable will repay effort spent in selecting designs, colors, and materials.

Continue: Decorative Painting Crafts.