How to Weave on a Lap Loom: A Beginner Landscape Tapestry

Warp the loom first. The video double warps a mini loom with 30 strings of cotton, two in each notch. Weave a strip of cardstock across the bottom to give you a firm base to press rows against. Then take a length of your first color and twine one row across: twist two strands around each warp pair as you go, tightening as you work.

Slip a printed pattern or sketch behind the warp, then trace the hill lines onto the strings with a marker. A water-soluble marker is ideal, but any marker works because the weft will cover every mark. Keep the lines simple: three or four gentle hills and a sky. A light background behind the loom makes the marks easier to see.

Start with the front hill in your darkest color. Weave over one warp and under the next across the shape, then come back the opposite way. Each row stops where it meets the drawn line, so the hill builds up in steps. Keep every row level and press it down with your fingers or a comb. Never weave on a slant.

Start the second color at its lowest point. Weave a row across until it reaches the warp string next to where the first color ended. The two colors sit side by side, butted up, not interlocked. Then look at what the first hill does next. If it has two loops at that spot, add two rows of the new color to match.

Weave the next hills the same way, one color at a time. The video uses gold, then a light pink for the farthest peak. Start each shape at its lowest point and work upward. Where a hill dips into a U, you may need to fill a small section on its own. If a warp string peeks through, loop the weft around it from underneath.

Use the lightest color for the sky. Fill the low spots between the peaks first, each one on its own. Once the tops are level, weave back and forth across the whole width. If a row ends up following the same over-under as the one below, weave a short partial row to shift it. Stop when the piece is about 4 inches tall.

Thread each tail onto a small metal tapestry needle and weave it up or down into the back of the same color for an inch or so. The rows are packed tight, so a slim metal needle slides through better than a wooden one. Trim the extra close to the weaving. Take care not to snip the woven rows themselves.

Lay a ruler across the warp at each end and mark a straight line with your marker. Leave about three quarters of an inch for fringe. Cut along the lines to free the weaving from the loom. Brush the fringe out with a stiff brush so it turns soft and fluffy, then trim any uneven strands.

Trace the frame's glass or insert onto thick paper, such as watercolor paper, and cut it out. Set the weaving on it and mark where it sits. Attach it with a few stitches at the top and bottom, or a few dots of hot glue. Place the paper in the frame. Leave the glass out if you want the texture to show.