Weaving Made Easy: 17 Projects Using a Simple Loom

by Liz Gipson

Weaving, one of the fastest ways to produce cloth, is thoroughly explained in this simple guide to the age-old craft. A perfect blend of ease and functionality, the small, portable rigid heddle loom can be used to easily produce loose, drape-friendly fabric as well as dense, sturdy material. Eighteen projects - for scarves, bags, belts, tops, and a bevy of household goodies such as pillows, rugs, and blankets - explore how to combine colors and create textured fabrics using a variety of techniques. Additional tips on adding crocheted edges, beaded fringe, and needle-felted flowers are also included.

Genres: Crafts, Nonfiction, Reference

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2008

Reviews

[penny shima glanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read many weaving books over the years. This is one I believe belongs on your shelf whether you’ve been weaving for less than 10 minutes or more than 10 years and every bit in-between. There are valuable tips throughout the volume. Many thanks to Interweave/F+W for providing a review e-copy of this title (and extreme patience as I took 3 months to post this). All opinions are mine.

full review
Q&A with author Liz Gipson

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was kind of unclear for people who don't know much about weaving. Also, it was a fairly translucent cash grab for the author's website and products.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is excellent. I have struggled with the math of weaving to such an extent that I have only ever done two projects because I couldn't figure out how to calculate the sett. This book lays it out very simply and I feel like, for the first time, I have a good grasp on the method.

It also has some really lovely projects to do; interesting, varied, useful, and beautiful.

I don't even use a rigid heddle loom, and I still found this incredibly helpful. Definitely recommend as a book for beginners and just past beginners (like meeeee).

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to weaving and small projects to get a beginner started. Highly recommend for anyone with a rigid heddle loom looking for some basic projects.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to introduce rigid heddle weaving. The info is well presented and the projects are interesting. Very pleased.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for beginners and beyond. Great projects!

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weaving Made Easy by Liz Gipson is a a comprehensive book published by Interweave for the beginning weaving aficionado. It explains the process of setting up the loom with clear writing and beautiful photographs. The weaving projects though simple are inspiring for even more accomplished weavers, or those wishing to refresh their weaving skills. This book explains different weaving tools, terms, and has extensive information on how to figure out how much yarn one needs for a project. The simple loom used in this book is a rigid heddle loom, but the theory explained is applicable for multiple harness looms as well. Great addition for small library's looking for a simple book about hand weaving on a loom.

[Phoenix Blackdove · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good basic introduction to rigid heddle looms. I picked up some good tips, such as *not* combing the warp with your fingers when warping the loom. The projects cover a variety of techniques, such as warp- and weft-faced weaves, using pick-up sticks and extra heddles, and creating tubular weave.

I probably would have given this an extra star if I'd read it *before* "inventive weaving on a little loom". Both books cover similar material; "inventive weaving" however goes into more details. That's not to say this book is bad - far from it! - it's just not as comprehensive as some other weaving books.

[stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is a great book for both new weavers and experienced weavers. It has a few good projects in it but not as many as I thought unless I skipped some by accident. It says 17 projects and it might be but it didn't seem like that many to me which it might be cause some of them are combined together. I do wish each one would have been wrote out separately but over all this is a good book. It describes everything with great detail and does have some pictures of some of the steps. I would recommend this book.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for a newbie, with some interesting patterns. Most of the patterns aren't interesting to me, but the few that are seem a bit on the vague side. Especially for a complete beginner. But still, I learned a lot in just a quick read through! Could be a very helpful beginner's reference tool.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking as someone who has never done this type of weaving (rigid heddle), but has done a lot of reading about it, this book seems well written. The instructions for setting up the loom, warping it, etc. are clear. The projects look like they'd be good, practical starter projects.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't made the time to use the techniques in this book yet, but I feel like I easily could. The instructions and photographs appear to be clear, concise and complete. I'm really looking forward to trying weaving.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book. I am finding it very helpful in my new weaving adventure.

[Diana]

handy book with great pictures. A good book for the beginning weaver, and a good refresher reference as you progress. nice patterns :)

[Jessica]

I practiced the leno technique and one other technique so far. I haven't made any finished products.

[whimsicalmeerkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear instructions and extremely informative. I just wish it had more information about direct warps.