How to Make a Simple Box Loom Weaving

My older daughter, age six, is obsessed with fiber arts, and has been engaged in all sorts of weaving activities lately. We have a book case full of inspiring crafting books, and she and her friend pulled Eco-friendly Crafting with Kids (affiliate) by Kate Liley off the shelf. After paging through it they landed on Box Loom Weaving, and wanted to give it a go.

The tutorial is very well articulated, and once we gathered all the materials (and there are only seven supplies…phew) we had no trouble tackling this easy and rewarding weaving project. I’ll share all the steps here. If you enjoy this project, do check out the book for more hands-on ideas like this. If you’re like me, you can’t have enough crafting, making, and tinkering books!

Supplies for Box Loom Weaving

• Cardboard box without a top. We cut ours to be about 2 inches tall.
• Something sharp to poke holes in the box, such as a seam ripper or fat needle.
• Ruler
• Yarn. If you like 100% cotton, I’m a big fan of this brand and here’s an organic option for you. (affiliate links)
• Scissors
• Darning Needle (affiliate) or other fat needle. In lieu of a needle, you could tape your yarn to the end of a popsicle stick.
• 2 popsicle sticks (or chopstick, heavy piece of paper, cardboard, ruler, etc.)

1. Start with a box.
2. Poke about 10 holes across two edges of the box. The holes should be roughly 1/2 inch apart.
3. Tie a knot at one end of a long piece of yarn (sorry, I don’t have an exact length – it depends on the size of your box) and run the yarn through the holes, from one side of the box to the other.
4. When you reach the other side, make sure that the yarn is taught and tie another knot so that the yarn stays put. This vertical piece of yarn is called the warp, from the old Norse word varp meaning “the cast of the net.”

1. Run a new piece of yarn through your needle and tie one end of the yarn to either the left or right bottom side of the warp. This new piece of thread will be called the weft, from the old English word wefen meaning “to weave.”  In the world of weaving, the needle would be called the shuttle.
2. Run the yarn from one side of the warp to the other, going under and over the warp yarn.
3. Straighten it all out. After weaving the yarn back and forth a few times, weave a popsicle stick below the weft. This will keep the yarn straight.
4. Keep weaving!

1. Place another popsicle stick at the other end of the weaving to straighten it out.
2. To add another color, simply tie the yarn you’re done with to another color, or tie it to the warp and then tie a new color to the warp. Trim your yarn.
3. Keep on weaving and adding more colors.

1. When the weaving is done, make a know of the weft to the warp.
2. Cut the ends of the weaving away from the box loom
3. Tie two yarn together to make a knot. If you have five dangling warp yarns at each end, you should tie a total of five knots.
4. Your weaving is done!

More Eco-Friendy Crafts

Check out Eco-friendly Crafting with Kids (affiliate) for this idea and more step-by-step projects for preschool kids and adults to create together with found, natural, and recycled materials.

More Fiber Arts

Even Toddlers Can Sew

Sewing Cards for Preschoolers

Machine Sewing with a Preschooler

Recycled Weaving Fence

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