Weaving Looms

Explore Your Creative Side With a Weaving Loom

A loom is a traditional device used to weave tapestry pieces, cloth, rugs, and other fabric creations. A weaving loom holds the warp threads in place to allow you to interweave the weft threads. eBay offers a variety of weaving looms to suit all weaving needs at affordable prices.

As a weaver, you will have a type of loom that suits your process best. Different weaving looms perform different duties, each designed to meet specific needs. Common types of loom include:

• Table looms: Usually small in size, this type of loom is easily portable. Suitable for learners since they can be moved in and out of storage when not in use.
• Tapestry frame looms: This is a simple weaving loom for basic weaving needs. Often with feet and a brace for positioning, these looms come in a variety of sizes.
• Floor looms: They are used to produce large scale tapestry, complex patterns, and lengthy carpets and rugs. These looms are solid and heavy and often come with a foot treadle.
• Rigid-heddle looms: This loom necessitates two-shaft weaving and by adding a second heddle set you can have a four-shaft weaving loom.
• Backstrap looms: The weaving comprises two sticks between which the set of warps are stretched.

Apart from a bench or surface suitable for your weaving loom size, you should also consider a magnifier for fine patterns, additional reeds in case of breakages, a yarn balancer for calculating weight, and a fringe twister for finishing off your creation.

For those starting out, pot holders, scarves, and simple wall hangings made on a table loom are an achievable introduction to the art of weaving. For those with experience or grander plans, larger looms can produce rugs, floor runners, or panels of fabric suitable for cushion covers or throw pillows.

There are a variety of things to consider before selecting your weaving loom. Depending on the size and complexity of your project, the following will be important:

• Weave type: Simple weaves can be undertaken on nearly all looms, but for more complex patterns such as damask, matelasse, and brocade, a Jaquard loom is required.
• Space: Anything larger than a table loom might need a permanent position in a room. Before choosing a loom, make sure that there is enough space for both the loom and room for the weaver to move around it.
• Budget: The rule of thumb is that the bigger the loom, the more it will cost. Consider used or second-hand weaving looms to make your budget stretch further.
• Experience: For professional weavers or experienced amateurs, a mechanical loom can speed up the process significantly. Power looms are more commonly available as commercial units and require larger spaces and appropriate power sources to function safely.