I first came across the concept of a backstrap loom while looking for an accessible way to try out weaving. It is a really old technique, found in loads of cultures, but these days seems to be associated with various cultures in Central and South America. I’d love to learn more about the history and cultural significance of this form of weaving.
Sámi band weaving also seems to be done on a backstrap loom, but using rigid heddles rather than string heddles
Here’s a really clear video of setting up the loom and what all the parts of the loom are for. First trying to set up a loom felt like juggling a pile of sticks for me! They show how to tie the warp bars to make the warp nice and stable, and how to tie the string heddles.
You can even set these looms up for houndstooth and other twill patterns , complete with 4 string heddles! I’d love to try this, but don’t think I’m skilled enough yet. It might be interesting to experiment with using string heddles to give more shafts on my rigid heddle loom, and try some more complex patterns, if that is possible,
Resources
- this blog has so much information! https://backstrapweaving.wordpress.com/
- this article about getting started from the above website is a really good introduction, with loads of clear pictures