Nature Items Recycled Into Art Weavings Using All Natural Materials

Today we are making an outdoor loom out of a tree stump…I'm dubbing it our Natural Loom!  I love good old fashioned projects and weaving is my latest crafting obsession. And a loom doesn't have to exist complicated; it can exist as unproblematic as a piece of paper with cuts down the center, or a string woven through holes in a shoebox. Later our newspaper-weaving projection final calendar month I got a little excited about loom crafts and weaving for kids and decided to attempt making aNatural Loomthat could be used outside and woven with natural materials.

I was recently captivated past these simple Nature Weaving Looms and how pretty they looked and got to thinking nearly how to make a more permanent loom feature in our yard for the kiddos to happen upon. I've as well be looking for tree stump ideas with our growing collection of tree stumps (I but tin can't help simply end the car and asking for a few whenever I see a tree being removed in my neighborhood). Wouldn't these exist really wonderful in an outdoor schoolhouse or at stopping points on a nature hike?

This tutorial will show you how to make the loom and is an developed projection. Simply USING the loom is all about the kiddos. Once information technology'due south done, leave it out with basket of leaves and flowers nearby every bit a wonderful invitation to play.

Notation: This post contains affiliate links.

Natural Loom

Materials

• Tree stump
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Long Wood Screws- mine were nigh 3″ long
• Twine
• Scissors
• Drill and drill bits

Instructions

• Step One Starting nearly 1" in from i end of the stump draw vertical lines at roughly 1" intervals beyond the face of the stump.
• Step 2 Mark the holes for the screws at the summit and bottom of each vertical line. Stay about ½" to three/iv"  in from the inner edge of the bark then they have plenty of wood to sink into.
• Pace Three Using a drill bit with a diameter that is a slightly smaller than your screw diameter drill pilot holes at each marking.
• Stride 4 At present drill in your screws. I used screws where the threaded section stops about 1" from the top so I could easily tell how far to drill them into the stump. You'll want to leave nigh 1" from the face of the stump to the top of the screw.
• Step Five Tie the loose end of the twine effectually the outermost, elevation spiral and knot tightly. At present string the twine down to the spiral directly below information technology then over to the screw directly to the side of information technology. Continue threading the twine in this pattern effectually all the screws.
• Footstep Vi When y'all go to the end you can wrap the twine effectually all the outer screws then trim the twine and knot it around the outermost, everyman spiral on the opposite side of the stump from where you started.

You're done!

Now it'due south fourth dimension to collect natural materials to string through the loom. This is the perfect time to mitt your child a handbasket and go along a materials hunt around your thou or neighborhood. Longer leaves, sticks, and petals are perfect for weaving just allow your child to select their own materials and they volition quickly get a sense of what is easier to weave and what is non. Branches with spiky leaves are much more than difficult to string through the loom.

Looks Similar

Claudy Longstra. Talk about unusual weaving techniques and results! I roughshod in love with Claudy Longstra's tapestries and textiles when I first spied them years ago in Metropolis mag. Her story is equally interesting. She raises her ain sheep for the felted wool creations she makes and dyes them with institute based dyes grown on her ain subcontract. How dreamy is that? Her creations are stunning pieces of fabric design that are featured in museums and public venues like Lincoln Center. Weaving with natural materials got me thinking nearly the amazing things that can be created by combining dissimilar materials in a more "raw" grade.

More

If you're looking for more weaving projects for kids be sure to check out the Paper Weaving we did last month. Want another unusual utilize of sticks and cord? Pop over to our Recycled Bird Feeder Mobiles.

And if you love loom crafts simply don't feel like making your own loom then here are some looms for kids that I'yard wishing I had right at present….

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