Weaving facts for kids

Woman weaving on a loom. The warp threads are white.

Weaving is the interlacing of two sets of threads at right angles to each other to form cloth. Weaving is usually done on a loom.

One set of threads is called the warp. These threads are held taut and in parallel order on the loom by harnesses creating a space called the shed. The weft thread is wound onto bobbins. The bobbins are held in a shuttle, which carries the weft thread through the shed. The warp threads are moved over and under the weft threads.

Images for kids

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  Warp and weft in plain weaving

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  Weaving pattern cards used by Skye Weavers, Isle of Skye, Scotland

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  A 3/1 twill weave, as used in denim

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  Weaving in ancient Egypt

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  Weaving using the long cotton strands, typical for the Dogon culture of Mali

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  An indigenous woman of the Maya Tzutujil culture weaves using a back-strap loom.

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  Example of weaving characteristic of Andean civilizations

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  A woman weaving. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Yōshū Chikanobu, 1890

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  T'nalak cloth by T'boli dream weavers. Like most indigenous pre-colonial Filipino textiles, they were typically made from abacá fibers.

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  Weaver, Nürnberg, c. 1425

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  By 1892, most cotton weaving was done in similar weaving sheds, powered by steam.

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  Pedal powered loom used by Skye Weavers, Isle of Skye, Scotland

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  Weaving a traditional Navajo rug