{"title":"How to Use a Mini Darning Loom","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/sewing/how-to-use-a-mini-darning-loom","category":{"slug":"sewing","name":"Sewing"},"creator":{"name":"Christine's Crafts","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbRSvs3mCdAtCCy9CMLGUZA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obY5xOrjOi4"},"tldr":"Use a mini darning loom (Speedweve style) to weave a striped patch over a hole. Warp, weft, hook flicks and finishing, step by step.","quickAnswer":"Use a mini darning loom (Speedweve style) to weave a striped patch over a hole. An easy project: about 45 minutes. Materials cost about $1 to $3. You need 8 things, including garment with a hole, embroidery needle and large blunt tapestry needle. The 10 steps start with band the Darning Disc Behind the Hole in the Jeans, attach the Mini Darning Loom to the Disc and anchor the First Warp Thread on the Darning Disc.","totalDurationSeconds":1068,"videoDurationSeconds":1068,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":45,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":45,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":1,"max":3},"yield":"1 woven patch"},"tools":["mini darning loom with disc and elastic bands","embroidery needle","large blunt tapestry needle","needle threader","tailor's chalk or pencil","small scissors"],"materials":["embroidery floss in 2 to 4 colors","garment with a hole"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Band the Darning Disc Behind the Hole in the Jeans","text":"Lay your garment flat and slide the wooden disc underneath, with the hole roughly in the middle so the patch will cover it. Wrap one of the elastic bands around the fabric and disc. There is a groove around the disc edge, and the band should sit snugly in it. Check that the fabric is smooth over the disc, not puckered, before you go on."},{"number":2,"title":"Attach the Mini Darning Loom to the Disc","text":"Push the loom's curved base into the same groove above the hole. It is a tight fit, so press firmly. Then stretch the second elastic band around the back of the loom and hook it over the disc to hold everything together. This band likes to ping off. Seat it again and keep going. Mark the outline of your patch on the fabric with chalk or a pencil if you want crisp edges."},{"number":3,"title":"Anchor the First Warp Thread on the Darning Disc","text":"Thread a needle with a long length of embroidery floss for the warp, the threads that run up to the hooks. Bring the needle up through the fabric near the edge of the disc and then out at the bottom corner of your patch. Leave a long tail at the start. Make one tiny stitch to anchor the thread. You will use that tail later to tie off."},{"number":4,"title":"Loop the Warp Threads Up Around the Loom Hooks","text":"Take the thread up and around a hook, then back down to the fabric and make another tiny stitch beside the first. That gives you your first pair of warp threads. Repeat on the next hook and the next, working across until the warp is as wide as your patch. Stand a few hooks up before looping, which is much easier than catching them flat. Finish by taking the thread out near the disc edge."},{"number":5,"title":"Weave the First Weft Row Through the Warp","text":"Turn all the hooks to face one way. Thread a new color for the weft, come in from the disc edge and make a little stitch at the bottom of the warp. Slide a larger needle through the opened warp to hold a gap, then pass your threaded needle through. Pull the thread snug and press it down with the larger needle so the row sits tight against the fabric."},{"number":6,"title":"Flick the Loom Hooks Across for the Return Pass","text":"Make a small stitch at the far side, then run a finger along the hooks to flick them all the other way. That swaps which warp threads are up and which are down. Pass the needle back through, pull it snug and press the row down. You should now see a woven pattern forming. Every pass is the same: stitch, flick, weave, press."},{"number":7,"title":"Change Thread Colors to Weave Stripes in the Patch","text":"Keep weaving rows until the first stripe is as deep as you want. Take that thread out to the edge of the disc and leave a tail. Thread up the next color, come in from the disc edge, make a little stitch and carry on. You can stay in one color the whole way too. A single color patch looks neat and tidy."},{"number":8,"title":"Weave the Last Rows Close Under the Loom Hooks","text":"As the patch grows, the hooks get in the way and the warp gets tight. Slow down here. Wiggle the needle through and use the larger needle to hold the gap open. Keep going right up to the hooks. Stopping early leaves a loose top edge, and the last rows are what make a tidy, finished patch."},{"number":9,"title":"Take the Mini Darning Loom Off the Patch","text":"Bring the last weft thread out to the side. Remove the top elastic band and feed any caught threads through so they lie loose. Wiggle the loom out of the groove, unhooking each warp loop from its hook as you go. Then take off the second band and slide the disc out from under the fabric. Your patch is woven but not yet secure."},{"number":10,"title":"Whip Stitch the Warp Loops and Finish the Patch","text":"With the warp color, come up through the first loop at the top of the patch, go down into the fabric, and up through the next loop. Work along the whole row so every loop is caught. Turn the garment over and secure each loose tail on the back, weaving it under the stitches or tying a small knot stitch. Trim the ends."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-07T14:54:04.074Z","published":"2026-11-07T14:54:03.711Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}