Warping a loom is not difficult, but it is important to do it correctly. A properly warped loom will make all the difference in your finished loom pieces.
Difficulty Level: Easy Time Required: 30 minutes for a small loom
Here's How:
- Begin by preparing your loom, making sure that you have it adjusted to the length you need.
- Begin warping from the outside warp in, beginning with a slightly heavier thread for the first outside warps, on either edge.
- Tie the heavy thread to one of the warp pegs on the end of the loom, leading it up and over the spacer bar and across the loom face. Place it over the spacer bar on the other end, wrap twice around the far end warp peg and back up over the space bar on the other side. Lead it back across the loom face, over the spacer bar and down to the warp peg on the side you started from.
- Tie the outside warp threads off securely, wrapping the thread around the peg a couple of times and tying 2-3 half-hitch knots to secure.
- Using a slightly lighter weight thread, begin the rest of the warping by tying on the thread to the warp peg you just tied off.
- Bring the thread up and over the spacer bar, across the loom face to the opposite side, over the far side spacer bar, around the warp post on the far side (wrap twice), and back up over the spacer and across, ending up at the warp peg where you began, wrapping twice.
- Be sure to keep the thread spaced evenly over the spacer bar, working from the outside in.
- Continue in this manner until you have all of the warp threads in place. Make sure that there is an even tension and that the warps are properly spaced before you tie off the thread to the warp peg.
- If the warps are all even, tie the warp thread off to the warp peg on the side where you ended, making sure you wrap it around 3 or 4 times and tie a very secure half-hitch knot.
- Begin your weaving project!
- Remember that when you warp, there should always be one more warp thread than there are beads, ie: 15 beads should have 16 warp threads.
- Wrap twice around each warp peg and make sure your thread tension is uniform and not too tight.
- Do not treat warp threads with any kind of thread conditioner. A silicon-type conditioner may cause the threads to fray, which will spoil your work.
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- Computer Software to graph those patterns.
