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A Space To Make: At Home. Activity #5
Hey all…
I hope you all had a lovely Easter!
Today I have a lovely simple weaving activity that you may want to have a go at… great for using up those loose odds and ends of wool or even scraps of fabric… (I’ve shown a fabric example at the end) I hope you enjoy having a go and if you do please share your creations with us via email (to outreach@makingspace.org) or tag us in a social media post… we would so love to see what you come up with!
What you’ll need:
We’ve included links to all the materials needed in case you don’t have them at home and need to purchase some. Please note – by making a purchase through the links below, Making Space will receive a small commission, so you will be helping raise funds us as well!
*Wool (or scraps of fabric)
Activity:
This activity is great for all ages and I hope that once you’ve had a go you’ll be inspired to keep making more, trying different designs and experimenting… To start with grab a paper plate and mark out an odd number of lines around the edge (mine had 19) Make sure they’re roughly spaced out… you can measure and do this accurately, but I just guessed and it turned out fine.
Once you’re happy with the number and spacing use a pair of scissors to cut inch long cuts into the plate all the way around.
Now it’s time to choose your first wool colour (this will be your ‘warp’ thread – the one you use to weave around) Tie a knot at one end and leave a tail at the end at the back of the plate. Come up through one of the notches and go across the plate to one on the other side. Work your way around the till all the notches are filled. If you have an odd number you’ll have to go to the middle and back out to fill the last slot. Tie up the loose end on the back to the original bit you started with. Watch the video to see how it’s done! haha
Once that’s all started you can begin weaving! Choose the first of your weft threads (the ones used for the actual weaving) Tie a knot round one of the warp threads and slide it towards the middle. Trim off the excess. Thread a big eyed tapestry needle onto the other end of the wool and then start weaving… the idea is to go over one warp thread, under the next, over the one after that and so on and so forth in a circular pattern.
Keep going till you get to the end of your first colour of wool. When you want to add another colour tie the two end together. Ensure the knot stays ‘up’ as the side you see will become the back of your weaving! You can trap in in place when you’ve completed your next full lap!
Keep going adding more colours along the way till you have got your weaving to the desired size. Leave enough of a gap to tie off the loose ends.
Snip of two ends of the warp threads and tie them together in a double or triple knot. Make sure you line up the knot with the edge of the weaving and don’t pull to tight as you’ll loose the circular shape! Repeat this process all the way round till your weaving comes off the plate. You can now trim off the ends and turn your weaving over to see the finished side. Either curl up the edges to create a little trinket bowl or back onto a piece of fabric or card to make a coaster.
You could also add a brooch back to make a corsage or layer them up… the possibilities are endless!
Google ‘Paper Plate Weaving’ for lots of other inspiration and variations and have fun!!
I’ve included a video tutorial which demonstrates the whole process and below that some photo examples, including a fabric example. This fabric version is great to use up those loose ends of off cuts of your favourite fabrics!!
Video Tutorial:
Finished Photos:
