How to Make a Cardboard Weaving Loom

How to Make a Cardboard Weaving Loom

Make your own weaving loom from recycled cardboard! This DIY weaving craft is perfect for kids, and you can use the same technique to make bracelets, bookmarks, coasters, and more!

Active Time45

Total Time45

Yield: woven bracelet

Author: Debbie Chapman

Cost: $1

Equipment

Materials

Cardboard
Popsicle sticks (or mini popsicle sticks)
Glue tape
Worsted weight yarn (multiple colours)

Instructions

Step 1: Find what you need

Gather your supplies and materials.

Step 2: Create the cardboard loom

Begin by cutting a piece of cardboard in the shape of whatever you want to make and just a bit bigger.
For example, cut a 5 by 5 inch square to make a 4 by 4 coaster. Or cut a larger rectangle to make a little wall hanging.
To make a bracelet cut a piece of cardboard 8 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Draw marks on the cardboard, measuring them 1 cm apart.
Do this on the top and bottom of the cardboard. (The short edges, for us.)
Then draw horizontal lines at the top and bottom of the cardboard, placing them about 1 cm in from each short edge.
Add glue tape (or tacky glue) to a popsicle stick.
We're using mini popsicle sticks (2-1/2 inches long) for this loom, but you can use full size ones on larger pieces of cardboard.
Attach the popsicle stick along one of the horizontal lines. This will act as a spacer between the yarn and cardboard, making it easier to weave through.
Repeat, gluing another popsicle stick on the opposite end of the cardboard.
Cut notches into the cardboard where you made the marks earlier, cutting all the way up to the popsicle stick.
Again, repeat on the opposite end.

Step 3: Add the yarn base

Begin adding yarn by holding it at the back of the loom and inserting it into one of the notches on the end.
The one you add it to doesn't matter, so long as it's one of the outside notches.
Flip the loom over and bring the yarn down along the front. Connect the yarn into the notch directly below where it was first added.
Repeat this process, wrapping the yarn around until it's connected in each notch.
Cut the yarn at the back, leaving a tail of about 4 inches.

Step 4: Weave the first yarn

To begin weaving, cut a long piece of yarn and thread it on a yarn needle.
The exact length of the yarn doesn't matter. You can cut a shorter piece if you only want a few rows of the colour, or go a lot longer if you want to create a larger section.
The whole weaving process is done with an over-under pattern.
Begin at the top of the loom, near one of the popsicle sticks. Bring the needle under the first strand (closest to you), over the second, under the third, and over the fourth.
Pull the yarn through, leaving a tail of about 4 inches long at the right side.
(Note: Pull slowly toward the end so you don't pull the yarn all the way out!)
Now the needle needs to go back in the opposite direction.
Because we ended with the yarn going over the last strand, this time we're going to go under the first strand.
Repeat the pattern, going over the second strand, under the third strand, and over the fourth strand.
Pull the yarn through the loom until it touches the left strand. Important: Don't pull too tight, or the bracelet will become warped.
Now push the strand up so it touches the first row.
Repeat this over-under pattern, going back and forth across the strands until you're happy with the section you made.
Cut the yarn, leaving a tail of about 4 inches.

Step 5: Add more colours

Start weaving with a new colour of yarn, using the same pattern.
Start from the same side where you cut the first strand, acting like it's a continuation of the first colour.
(Eg. The first colour ends on top of the fourth strand, so your new colour will begin under that strand.)
Pull the yarn through until there's about 4 inches left, keeping that as a tail.
Continue weaving back and forth until you're happy with the length of that colour section. Cut off the yarn, leaving a 4 inch tail again.
Repeat with a third colour.
You can add as many colours as you'd like, and continue until the bracelet is the length you need. Cut off the yarn, leaving another tail.
We made ours 5-1/2 inches long.

Step 6: Remove from the loom

Tie the tails from the colour changes (the ones next to each other) in a double knot.
Don't pull too much when you make the first knot, or else the bracelet can become puckered.
Thread the tails on your yarn needle and sew them into the bracelet to hide the ends.
Once the tails are sewn in, cut off any excess that sticks out.
Repeat with any other tails from the colour changes.
Keep the first and last tails as is.
Flip the loom over and make a horizontal cut along the center of the yarn strands.
Remove the first two strands from the notches and tie them in a knot next to the weaving.
Again, don't tie this too tight.
Repeat with the rest of the strands, removing your bracelet from the loom.

Step 7: Finish off the bracelet

Tie all the strands on one end into a knot together, making it as close to the weaving as you can.
Repeat on the other end.
Hold the yarn strands together. Trim off the excess yarn about 3 inches away from the weaving.
This will even out the ends, leaving enough to tie on the bracelet.
Your cardboard loom bracelet is complete!
Simply tie the bracelet around your wrist to wear it, and have fun making more bracelets in different colours!

Video

Notes

Looking for more summer camp crafts? Here's a few of our favourites:

DIY Paracord Keychain

How to Tie Dye Socks

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