Since 2500 BCE, weaving has been important to the culture of Peru. Peruvians herd sheep, llamas and alpaca, spin the fleece into yarns, then weave the yarns into beautiful pieces of cloth. Designs woven into the fabric were used as a means to communicate between various tribes in the Andes, because languages differed. Today, besides using the cloth for clothing and decor, Peruvian textiles play an important role in the country’s trade and commerce. Often bright colors are used and designs vary from intricate patterns to simple stripes. Using books or the internet, look at photos of Peruvian textiles. Pick colors for your Peruvian Weaving Project that appeal to you.
Materials for Peruvian Weaving Project
- 8″ x 11″ piece of wool felt
- yarn (chunky yarn if possible but any yarn will work)
- yarn needle
- 2 pieces cardstock paper
- stapler
- pen
- ruler
- scissors
Directions for Peruvian Weaving Project
Decide on the colors you wish to use for the felt “loom” and yarns.
Cut your piece of felt 8″ x 11″.
Fold the felt in half lengthwise. Making sure corners are even, staple the non folded side cloth 1/4 inch from the edge. 3 staples should be enough.
Using a pen, make a border line 1/2″ away from edge the whole length of the piece of felt. Then, measure and mark lines 1/2 inch apart down the whole piece of the felt.
Using a very sharp pair of scissors, cut from the folded edge to the border line along all the individual lines you drew.
Stack 2 pieces of cardstock on top of one another. Center the piece of felt on the cardstock, with the pen marks from the lines down. Keeping the felt flat, staple the felt to the two pieces of cardstock inside the borders on the 2 long sides of the felt. DO NOT staple the short sides.
Cut pieces of yarn 20 inches long.
Weave each piece of yarn individually, making sure to center the yarn so the two end tails are the same size.
Using your nails as “rakes”, push the yarn down against the border.
Continue weaving, making sure to keep your yarns centered on your loom.
Note: When you use your nails to push the yarns down tightly against the other yarns, use your other hand to hold the warp strips above your fingers against the loom. This will prevent the felt from stretching.
If you want to make your design symetrical, when you reach the halfway point, weave a mirror image of the first half.
For the last few yarns, it space becomes too small to use your fingers to weave. Thread a strand of yarn on a yarn needle and continue weaving in the same manner with the needle.
When you are done, make sure the threads are all even spaced.
Starting on one end, take 3 strands of yarn and knot them close to the felt. As you are doing this, you can straighten the ends of your woven piece, making sure the edge is even. Make sure you do not pull on the yarns tightly or your weaving will bunch up.
Knot all the way across one edge. If your yarns are not divisible by 3, make one knot 2 or 4 yarns thick. Do not try to tie off 1 piece of yarn by itself. Do both sides.
When you are done, you can clip off any extra long yarns.
Remove staples.
Your Peruvian Weaving Project will look beautiful in a display with your other Cultural Connections projects.
