Make Your Own Woven Wall Hanging

Materials Needed:

• wooden handloom (available at craft stores)
• thin, white cotton yarn for the warp
• 4-5 colors of yarn for the stripes
• scissors
• 15" wooden dowel
• shed stick
• tapestry needle
• stick shuttle

Create Warp on Loom

The weaving will be made of yarn that goes vertically, called the warp, and horizontally, called the weft. The first step is to create the warp on your loom with the thin, white cotton yarn. On the very bottom peg, tie the yarn. Then, string the yarn up to the left-top peg, around and then back down.

Loop Yarn to Finish Warp

Zigzag the white yarn up and down the loom, keeping it taught, until you reach the last peg. Tie the yarn off on the last peg. Make sure the warp is very taught.

Prep for Weaving

To weave you're going to use the shed stick and the stick shuttle. (The shed stick looks like a big tongue depressor, and the stick shuttle has a slit on one end.) The tapestry is made by weaving yarn under and over every other warp thread.

Wrap Stick Shuttle in Yarn

First, wrap your first color of yarn around the stick shuttle. The stick shuttle should be covered in yarn but not too thick.

Create a Shed

Use the shed stick to make a shed. A shed is the space between yarns that you will thread the stick shuttle through. To create the shed, place the shed stick under every other warp thread. When the shed stick reaches the opposite side of the loom, turn it on its side to create an opening.

Weave First Color

Thread the stick shuttle through the shed, and pull out the shed stick. Push the first yarn down to the white pegs with your fingers.

Thread in Opposite Direction

Now, put the shed stick under every other warp yarn in the opposite direction. Put it under the opposite yarns you used the first time. Again, turn the shed stick on its side, creating a shed, and thread the stick shuttle through. Remove the shed stick and push the yarns down with your fingers.

Continue Creating Sheds + Threading

Continue to create sheds, thread yarn and push down to pegs until you create your first stripe. Make your stripe as wide as you like.

Switch Yarn Colors

To switch colors, thread your next hue halfway through the shed. Leave the tail of the yarn behind the tapestry.

Continue Weaving

Weave a few inches of stripes in different colors.

Add Fringe

To create fringe, cut three pieces of yarn 6 inches long. Thread the pieces of yarn behind two warp threads. Pull the middle of the yarn pieces inbetween the warp threads. Pull the ends of the yarn through the loop and pull down. Make two layers of five fringe sections. Now you need to fill in the space to the right of the fringe with weaving.

Weave Beside Fringe

Use the same weaving technique you've been doing to create the stripes, except only create a shed from the end of the fringe to the right of the tapestry. Weave only on the right of the fringe until you make a stripe the same width as the fringe knots.

Continue Weaving Stripes

Keep creating stripes all the way across the loom.

Add a Stripe of Fringe

You can add a stripe of fringe all the way across the loom. Tie the fringe on every two warp threads.

Prep to Finish

When your weaving is a few inches from the top of the loom, you're finished.

Finish Off the Bottom

Let's finish the bottom of the tapestry first. Thread the loose end of your first color through the tapestry needle. As you pull the warp off the loom, weave the end through the tapestry. When you get to the final peg on the bottom-left of the loom, thread the needle through the white loop of the warp. Weave the final end of the first color through the back of the tapestry.

Finish Off the Top

Now, onto the top. Grab your dowel. Cut the first two warp threads off the loom and tie them around the dowel. Cut the next two warp threads off the loom and tie them around the dowel. Continue to do this all the way across the tapestry. Trim the ends of the knots.

Tie Yarn to Dowel

Tie a 20" long piece of yarn to each end of the dowel. This is what will hang on the wall.

Make Fringe Embellishment to Finish

To finish off the bottom of the tapestry, make a layer of fringe. Cut three 6" pieces of yarn in your desired color. Fold in half and thread the loop through the eye of the tapestry needle. Pull the hoop through the tapestry. Pull the ends of the yarns through the hoop and down. Create these fringe sections all the way across the bottom of the tapestry. Trim the ends.