How to Make a Bead Weaving Loom
Native Americans have been refining the art of loom beading for thousands of years, devising extremely complex techniques and patterns. Before Colonial times, Native Americans made beads by grinding and shaping materials such as turquoise, coral, shells, wood, and bone. Europeans brought a huge variety of glass beads that the Native Americans incorporated into their designs. While beading can be amazingly intricate, you can create simple craft projects using a homemade bead loom and beads that can be purchased at many discount arts and crafts stores.
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Things You'll Need
- 12-inch by 24-inch piece of heavy corrugated cardboard
- Craft knife
- Wood glue
- Straight pins
- 2 round-headed 1/2-inch screws
- Ruler
Instructions
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1
Draw a rectangle 4 inches by 12 inches in the center of the cardboard.
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2
Extend each short end another 3 inches and extend each long side another 2 inches. You should now have a shallow cross-shaped pattern.
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3
Cut out the loom using the craft knife. Cut along the lines indicating the outlines of the extensions, but be sure not to cut along the edges of the first rectangle you drew. The outline of this rectangle indicates folds, not cuts. You should end up with one piece in the shape of a cross when you are finished.
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4
Score the fold lines with the craft knife. The fold lines are the outline of the original rectangle you drew. Hold a straightedge along each of the four lines. Then draw the craft knife along the straightedge, being careful to cut only partway through the cardboard. When you are done, you will still have just one piece of cardboard.
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5
Fold the two 3-inch extensions at the ends of the rectangle in an upward direction until they are perpendicular to the rectangle.
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6
Fold the two 2-inch extensions at the sides of the rectangle in an upward direction until they are perpendicular to the rectangle.
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7
Each extension now meets another extension. Put a line of glue along each extension piece where it meets with another extension piece.
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8
Press the extensions together two at a time where they meet. Push straight pins through the each edge where the extensions meet to hold them together until the glue dries.
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9
Cut 18 slits, each 1/8-inch deep, across the top of each of the short sides of the loom, starting 1/4 inch from the edge. Use the craft knife. Make the slits 3/16-inch apart. These slits will hold the warp threads of the beading loom.
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10
Using a screw, poke a hole about 1 1/4 inches below each set of slits in the center of the end of the loom. Screw each screw into the cardboard, leaving about 1/8 inch between the head of the screw and the cardboard. The screws will provide a place to tie the warp threads after you have warped the loom.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit tiny red beads image by Lytse from Fotolia.com
