https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/woven-placemats • Posted by Vera V.
This is a project with an added therapeutic bonus, as it requires ripping up shirts and sheets, a wonderful outlet for any pent-up frustration you may have. Try it and you will see: This can do wonders for your state of mind. I came up with this craft when I remembered weaving strips of colored paper in kindergarten. This project is as simple as that, and it does not even require an actual loom: A simple cork bulletin board will do. Your finished placemat will be slightly smaller than the size of the board.
This is a project with an added therapeutic bonus, as it requires ripping up shirts and sheets, a wonderful outlet for any pent-up frustration you may have. Try it and you will see: This can do wonders for your state of mind. I came up with this craft when I remembered weaving strips of colored paper in kindergarten. This project is as simple as that, and it does not even require an actual loom: A simple cork bulletin board will do. Your finished placemat will be slightly smaller than the size of the board.
Measure the height and width of your cork board. Start ripping 1-in.-wide strips of fabric. The short ones will be your warp and should be about 10 in. longer than the height of your board; the long ones will be your weft and should be about 10 in. longer than the width of your board.
Fold the 1-in.-wide strips in half lengthwise to create doubled, 1⁄2-in.-wide strips. Place your board horizontally on a table. Pin the short strips vertically on the board about 1⁄2 in. apart, pinning right next to the top and bottom edge. Each strip will extend about 5 in. off the top and bottom of the board.
Start weaving the longer strips into this warp from the bottom up, again making sure that there is about a 5-in. length at both the left and the right sides. Pin the weft in place with a pushpin right next to the left and right edge.
After weaving each additional strip, pull the weft down with your hands as tightly as possible before pinning it into place. If you are working with strips of different colors or patterns, you can create stripes or checks in the weave, or just go for a random multicolor pattern.
When your bulletin board is completely covered with your weave, start removing the warp pushpins, two at a time. Knot together the two ends with a double knot, remove the next two pushpins, knot again, and so on.
When all the warp ends are knotted, do the same for the weft. You can trim the ends or just leave them long. VARIATION You can use this same technique to make a table runner. in that case, you’ll want the weft pieces to be a lot longer—that’s where the bedsheets come in handy. Leave them at a 5-in. length on the left and much longer (basically the length of the sheet) on the right. once you’re done with weaving your first board, tie off the warp on the top and bottom, and tie off the weft at the left side only. move the whole piece to the left, add another set of warp pieces, and start weaving with the longer ends of your weft. Repeat this process until your runner is the desired length.