Weaving on a Bead Loom

The first thing needed for beadlooming is, of course, a beadloom.  They are not very expensive, around the price of a new paperback book, but if you feel adventurous you can build your own.

Here is what you will need to build your own loom: 1 piece of solid wood (plywood is too flimsy) ¾ x 3 x 36 inches; 4 pieces of wood ¾ x 1½ x 4 inches; 2 bolts ¼ x 5 or 6 inches; 2 nuts to fit the bolts; Wood glue; 8 1½ inch finishing nails and 2 1 or 1½ inch common nails.

Drill a ¼ inch hole for the long bolt in each of the four smaller pieces roughly ½ inch from the top.  Align the holes before you nail the smaller boards two to each side about 2 inches from each end.  Hammer a common nail into each end, leaving ¼ inch of the nail exposed, to wrap your thread around.  It should look kind of like the diagram above.

To make a loomed piece, first measure where it will go, i.e. wrist, waist around the head, this will be the length of the warp threads and add 3 inches.  The number of warp threads will always be one more than the number of rows of beads, i.e. 6 rows of beads, seven warp threads.  Attach the warp threads to the loom ends and make sure that they are separated for the beads to fit between.  Then tie the weft thread to an outside warp and bring it under the warps to the other side of the loom.  Slide your beads on, push them up between the warp threads and slide your needle through going on top of the warps.

Congratulations, you have just done your first row on a bead loom!  Now continue in that fashion until the piece is finished.  If your weft thread starts to run out, knot it around the warp thread furthest from you, push it back through the row before the last row worked, tie a knot in the middle, pull it through the rest of the beads in that row, make sure the thread is taut and cut.  Tie the new thread on the far warp thread near the last row worked, pass the needle down the row and continue beading.

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