#Backstrap loom heddle information how to
#Backstrap loom heddle information full

I have some non-copyright photos from a book on Nepalese weaving, so will have to learn how to upload diagrams of how to set up string heddles etc., but there should be enough info here to get you started!

#Backstrap loom heddle information full

The web pages are full of either tourist advertising, or weaving classes, grrrrrrr, and its easier to avoid them by looking at the images. There are quite a few articles that explain how to set yourself up, and some interesting photos of weavers at work.

Google 'Backstrap Weaving' and 'Backstrap Loom' and look at the images - its quicker at locating articles than trying to check through all the web pages to find something that is relevent. It will make sense when you have read a little.

You can never have too many pieces of dowel as they are very useful for all sorts of things! The set-up is pretty similar to the photos francorios has put up of his little stretcher/chopstick loom - the inner part of the loom is the same, just on a larger scale. You will also need other pieces of dowel for making heddle sticks, a ruler for a shed stick and beater, and a shuttle as long as your weaving will be wide. These will become part of the loom frame when you set up the warp and one will attach to the front big dowel, and one to the back. The post or heavy object is the back of the loom.įor the middle bit of the loom you will need some more good quality dowel. The belt, the big thick dowels, and the rope are your loom, with the your body as the tensioning device. You will also need some rope for attaching the other end of the loom to a convenient post, rafter, bed leg, or similar, as long as you cannot move it. You will need some thick dowels - a couple of broom handles are thick enough, just check them for splinters and cracks. This goes around your waist, and one end of the loom attaches to it, so it must be able to hold your weight. Your local library should have a copy of Rachel Brown's 'The Weaving Spinning and Dyeing Book' which has an excellent introduction to weaving on a backstrap loom - its what got me started back in the dark ages, and her diagrams and explanantions are very easy to follow, and she has some interesting projects.īasically, to get set up, you will need a belt, a pretty tough one, and looks don't matter, strength does. Harrisville make a backstrap weaving kit for about $25.00, however it is just as easy to make your own, then you are not limited by size restrictions, and once you have made your loom, you will be able to be reasonably self-sufficient when setting up for weaving.īack in the 90s, Aussie weaver Karen Madigan published a weaving journal, the archives are here:Ĭuriousweaver.id.au/archives/2 and she published an article on backstrap weaving as well as a project that can be made on a backstrap loom.

The loom set-up is pretty much identical, and it seems to be personal preference as to whether weavers use a rigid heddle, or make up string heddles. While this site concentrates on the New World, backstrap weaving is also very common in Asia, and is found in Indonesia, Bhutan, Thailand, Nepal, China and many other countries. This gives a breakdown on how the loom is made up. This is Carol Ventura's excellent site, probably one of the best resources on this subject. There is also a link to Youtube for an instructional video. This site sells a backstrap loom, and has a Loom Template for making a rigid heddle and a shuttle out of cardboard. I have been Googling backstrap weaving and found a few sites to get you started.