Rigid-Heddle Projects and Articles

Welcome rigid-heddle weavers! WeaveZine has a lot of great content for these portable and easy-to-use looms. Whether you're just starting out or looking for the next challenge, we've got projects and articles you can use to teach your rigid-heddle loom new tricks!

You might also enjoy Betty Davenport's WeaveCast interview. She's the author of Textures and Patterns for the Rigid-Heddle Loom and has taken rigid-heddle weaving to new heights.

Weaving Beads into Cloth

by Wanda Jenkins, 8 January, 2010 - 03:56

There are several ways to weave beads into your cloth. Depending on the scale and contrast of the beads, the results can be subtle or dramatic.

Weaving with beads strung onto the weft is easy and suitable for both beginning and experienced weavers. Best of all, you can use this technique with any type of loom. Read more >>

 

Double-Heddle Bookmarks

by Syne Mitchell, 7 September, 2009 - 15:29

I love weaving bookmarks; they're small, make great gifts, and are a delightful palette for trying out new designs.

I wanted to weave bookmarks on a rigid-heddle loom, so my project would be portable. But the finest heddle I could find was 12 ends per inch, and I didn't want a bulky bookmark. What's a weaver to do? Read more >>

 

Weaving Wire: Disco Bag

by Inga Marie Carmel, 14 August, 2009 - 09:05

"What are you doing, making window screens?"  My visiting friend was eyeing my little Emilia rigid-heddle loom.  I was weaving 22-gauge copper wire I had picked up at the hardware store.  Read more >>

 

Spa Wash Cloth on a Rigid-Heddle Loom

by Syne Mitchell, 7 August, 2009 - 22:49

As I've said in earlier articles, I'm a sucker for interesting yarn. So I wasn't able to resist when I ran across two handspun yarns from Nepal.

One was hemp, and the other aloo (nettle.) Both were singles yarn, naturally colored, and with a rough, rustic, texture.

My plan was to weave spa-style organic, exfoliating wash cloths and give them as gifts with a bar of artisan soap.  Hemp, being naturally antibacterial and moisture resistant, is perfect for bath linens, and aloo smells great and is good for buffing skin. Read more >>

 

Mitered-Loop Keyhole Scarf

by Noreen Crone-Findlay, 9 July, 2009 - 11:21

The mitered loop is a technique I developed to work with the narrow bands of fabric that can be woven on small rigid-heddle looms.

This technique works well with any narrow length of fabric that has been woven on any size loom.

Creating a mitered loop is a bit like cloth origami. You fold and stitch a long, thin strip to create a textile that is twice as wide and half as long as the original band. Read more >>

 

Woven Shibori on a Rigid-Heddle Loom

by Elizabeth Lee, 22 May, 2009 - 13:03

Shibori is a traditional Japanese technique in which you stitch a cloth with a thread and then pull the thread tight to create a resist, similar to tie-dyeing. 

Woven shibori (popularized by Catherine Ellis and Kay Faulkner) adds the thread into the cloth as it is woven, eliminating the need for stitching.  Although woven shibori is typically created on a loom with four or more shafts, you can—with a bit of ingenuity—weave shibori on a rigid-heddle loom. Read more >>

 

A K.I.S.S. for Baby

by Marlene Randall, 30 November, 2008 - 23:00

The idea for the "Keep It Super Simple" baby blanket was conceived when I found a soft and machine-washable, variegated yarn.

My loom was begging for a new warp and my niece was expecting her second child.

What better project than a lovely, soft, baby blanket to welcome the new little bundle? Read more >>

 

Woven Skirt with a Handspun Twist

by Melissa Ludden ..., 30 November, 2008 - 23:00

I am a new weaver, so my goal is not to wow you with my weaving skills, but to show you how even a beginner can whip up something that looks far more complicated than it is.  Read more >>

 

Diaphanous Leaves

by Sally Orgren, 14 September, 2008 - 22:00

Creating this scarf doesn’t require a big floor loom and lots of harnesses.

I dusted off my little eight-inch Structo table loom, and wove this on just two shafts! (You could even try this on a rigid-heddle loom.)

The weaving technique is called transparency and renders a lacy, translucent fabric with areas of opaque inlay designs. Read more >>

 

Knit 1; Weave 1: White Coral Bells

by Lura Moore, 14 September, 2008 - 22:00

I started weaving baby blankets for my coworkers. I worked as a pediatric nurse and it seemed every week, someone was having a baby!

Everyone treasured the special gifts my partner Jill and I handcrafted for their babies. We frequently hear that our blanket became "the blanket" for many of the children. It is wonderful to hear that, years later, the blanket still has a special place in the child’s heart. Read more >>