Folk School

Warping and Weaving a Plain Band

Day one morning: measure a short warp, thread the band heddle from the center out, tie one end to a post and the other to your belt, and weave a plain band, raising and lowering the heddle, passing and beating the weft, and keeping the width even.

  • 2 min
  • 5 steps
  • 1 question
  • Lesson 194 of 204

In this lesson

  1. Measure the warp
  2. Thread the heddle
  3. Tie on
  4. Weave
  5. Try it

Measure the warp

For a first plain band, measure about 25 ends of 8/2 cotton, each a little over a meter and a half: a meter of band plus about half a meter lost to tying on and the end you can’t weave (an estimate). Use two colors in stripes so you can see the structure. Norges Husflidslag’s recipe warps the center thread first and works outward 1.

Thread the heddle

Thread alternately through holes and slots: alternate warp ends go through hole and slot 2. Keep the ends in order, center out. Tie them in a bundle at each end.

Tie on

“Tie the far end of the warp to something secure and the near end of the warp to your belt” 3. Lean back until the warp is firm; sit forward to slacken it.

Left, the band heddle: a wooden plate with alternating slots and holes; warp threads go alternately through a hole and a slot; the number of holes and slots sets how wide the band can be. Middle, the two sheds: raise the heddle and the hole threads rise above the slot threads; lower it and they sink below; pass the weft through each shed and beat. Right, backstrap set-up: tie the far end of the warp to something fixed and the near end to a belt around your waist, and lean back to tension the warp; a band lock can hold the woven band. For pick-up, pattern threads should be at least twice as thick as the background threads.
Holes and slots, up and down, tied to your waist. Credit: StudyCorner diagram after SNL, Kate Larson, and Norges Husflidslag · CC BY 4.0 · Source

Quick check

How is tension kept when weaving backstrap style?

Weave

The shed is made by lifting or lowering the heddle 2:

  1. Raise the heddle: the hole threads rise above the slot threads. Pass the weft through.
  2. Beat it toward you with the edge of the shuttle.
  3. Lower the heddle: the hole threads sink. Pass the weft back and beat.
  4. Draw the weft just snug each time, leaving the edge threads touching but not pulled in.

Measure the band’s width every few inches and keep it the same; most of the skill in band weaving is an even edge. When the woven part reaches you, untie it from your belt, roll or lock it, and tie on again.

Backstrap Rigid Heddle Basics: Start Weaving Handspun Bands Warping and weaving a band backstrap style. Credit: Long Thread Media · YouTube standard license · 13:53 · Source

Playback is optional. If the player is unavailable, open the video at its source.

Try it

Weave 10 inches of plain band and measure its width at every inch. Note where it narrowed; that’s where you pulled the weft too hard. Aim for a width that varies by no more than a millimeter.

Lesson complete

Nice work.

1day streak
0/1today's goal
–correct

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Pick-Up Patterns

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Sources for this lesson
  1. 1
    Randi Hole. Plukkbånd på grindvev. Norges Husflidslag. 2023. verifiedA pick-up band of 37 ends with 9 pattern ends: edges of rust wool and green linen 16/2, ground of yellow linen 16/2, pattern of charcoal 2-ply wool embroidery yarn with a rose center thread, weft of green linen; warp the center thread first. Band pillows of Nord-Østerdalen; bands used as swaddling bands, stocking bands, belts, suspenders.
  2. 2
    Eivind Falk. Grindvev. Store norske leksikon. 2025. verifiedAlso båndgrind or hoppeskei: a plate with slots and holes; alternate warp threads go through hole and slot, and the number sets the band's width; of bone, horn, or wood. Used for bunad bands and most Sámi bands; a traditional courting gift: keeping it meant accepting the suitor. Oldest surviving examples Italian; in the Nordic countries probably from the Middle Ages.
  3. 3
    Kate Larson. Backstrap Rigid Heddle Basics. Spin Off. 2023. verified'The pattern threads… need to be at least twice as large as the background threads'; 'tie the far end of the warp to something secure and the near end of the warp to your belt.'

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