Overview

The warp is off of the loom and the ends have been secured with knots. Now that that’s out of the way, you are almost done finishing the project. If you have not yet taken the weaving down from the loom yet, you can find a guide on the previous post, How to take warp off of a cardboard loom.

As mentioned in the previous post, How to take the warp off of the loom (taking weaving off the loom), it is better to consider what you want to do with the project before cutting it down. But, have no fear, you can always change your mind.

Before removing the warp off the loom, secure the weft yarns in place by using a stitch, such as hemstitch. You do not need to add a finishing stitch, but I recommend at least adding a few rows of weft to secure the warp ends.

Finishing weaving is still a bit of a trial and error for me- I find that the yarn you use and the density of warp yarns can really affect the way the yarns stay together. In the methods shown below, I just added a few rows of weft to finish the piece. For some, it worked well, while others were a bit more fragile. I am excited to try these methods again with other projects and materials.

Below are seven methods to finishing weaving and hanging it.

1. Leave out the warp yarns (simple fringe)

2. Rya Knot Fringe (added fringe)

3. Tie Fringe onto the final piece (added fringe)

4. Send in the warp ends

5. Knot warp loops

6. Creating loops with cut ends (2 versions)

7. Sew new yarn on

1. Leave out the warp yarns (simple fringe)

The simplest method of finishing your project is to leave out the warp ends. This creates a fringe.  It looks neat and finished when you gather the yarns in a tidy knot, in addition to giving the piece a little more length.

 If you have many warp yarns, you can group them into bundles of 5 to 10 yarns. However, if the density of the yarns is low, then you can tie every 2 yarns together. In addition to simply knotting, if you have many yarns, you can gather them by breading or twisting.

Some possible ways to enhance the appearance of the fringe is to add more yarns to the ends. Before adding any fringe, be sure to secure the warp yarns with a knot.

Tip: Fringe can be added to any part of the woven piece. When beginning and ending weaving, you should weave a few rows of plain weave for the finishing of the piece.

Using Added Fringe

Before adding more fringe think about the location and spacing of the fringe, in addition to how it will be displayed. Always pay attention to the knotting direction and keep it consistent.

Tip: In order to give a more consistent appearance, when adding additional fringe to a woven piece, you may want to finish the woven end by send sending the yarns back into the warp. (This is method can be found under method #3 and 4.)

2. Rya Knot Fringe

After weaving a few rows of plain weave, add the fringe to the warp with rya knots. (For a tutorial on rya knots, check out my post Weaving Patterns for Beginners). You can adjust the density by adding more rya knot strands. This step generally occurs during the weaving process. While weaving you can tie up the yarns out of your way- when you are finished weaving, unravel the yarns.

3. Tie Fringe onto the final piece

Gently create a hole at the base of the weaving with a large crochet hook or tapestry needle .

Use the crochet hook or needle to pull fringe yarns through the hole in the warp.

Create a loop with the fringe yarns. Feed the yarns through the loop.

Gently tug the strands to even out the length and distribution of the fringe yarns.

Left: Added fringe Right: Tied ends of the warp

4. Send in the warp ends

Take a thin tapestry needle and work it through the warp opening. Once inserted, pass a few warp yarns through the eye and pull it through.

Thread the warp yarn into the neighboring warp opening. Do not pull too many yarns through one warp channel to avoid a bulky appearance.

Note: Depending of the thickness and material of yarn you are using, you may knot it, as I did here, but it isn’t always necessary. Here the yarn is really silky, so I thought that it would be best to use two warp ends into one warp opening. You should test which method works best for you. The knots used in the images are a bit too noticeable in my opinion, so I might not knot the ends before sending them through the warp again.

When finished, tug gently on the yarns to check that they have been secured in the yarns. The ends have now been secured.

Once all the warp yarns have been send back into the woven piece, cut the ends off. Cut them closely to their exit point, but be careful not to cut the woven piece.

5. Knot warp loops

During the process of attaching the warp to the loom, the tops of the yarns are looped around the loom tabs or a warp stick. Therefore, when removing the warp from the loom, these loops will remain intact.

To secure the woven weft yarns, tie each loop into a knot at its base.

If you wish the hang the piece from the knotted loops, then insert a rod or dowel between each loop. If there are many loops, you can send a few loops back into the warp (using method #4) and keep the ones you want out and use them to hang the piece on a rod.

6. Creating loops with cut ends       

Before cutting the warp off the loom, try to save as much of the end length as possible. This will help you, especially if you change your mind about how you want to hang or finish your piece.

Here are 2 ways to secure and create loops with cut ends.

Here is an easier method that requires fewer steps.

1. Flip the woven piece front down. Lay a rod to the top of the piece. Take half of of the strands over the rod and the other half under the rod.

Holding two strands (or as many as you like) secure a knot at the bottom of the rod. Cut off the extra length of the warp yarns.

 This next method requires a few more steps, but it will secure the stability of the yarns more.

2. After tying off the warp yarns, lay the warp down on its front side. Lay all the yarn out flat.

Lay a rod or dowel on top of the yarns.

Take two warp yarns (or the desired amount) and send them back into the warp with a tapestry needle.

Remove the yarns from the eye of the tapestry needle. The rod is secured by the loop created. Repeat this step until the end of the piece.

As you continue the process, tie every pair of yarn sections together. This will secure the new yarn loops.

Tip: You can tie the ends for more support.

 7. Sew new yarn on

If you want to hang your piece, but you have already sent the warp yarns back into the piece, then here are two methods to use.

1.This first method is simpler to use.

Prepare the desired hanging yarn by creating a knot on one end and feed the other end through a thin tapestry needle.

Push the needle through the piece. Be sure to be consistent in this part. You do not need to be the best sewer, but sew the new yarn in a straight line. You can do this by following the weft and always pick up the same row.

Also pay attention to the spacing between each new yarn. You can hang the piece with fewer loops as well as with many to create a dramatic appearance.

Take a rod and move the yarn around it. Send the needle again through another part of the piece. The rod will be secure with the yarn.

2. The second method requires a few more steps.

Using the same method for adding fringe to the edges (method  3), attach the desired yarn to the edge.

Take a rod and wrap the yarn ends around it to the front.

Create a knot in the front of the piece.

Return the yarn ends back to the back of the piece.

Secure the placement with a final knot.

Conclusion

There are many techniques to finish weaving- above are seven techniques that you can try and adjust to your projects in your own way. As you continue weaving you will find what works best for your projects. Before settling on just one method, try as many as you can in order to get a better understanding for the different methods.

You can also try using some of these methods while weaving, such as using rya knots. You can also create loops in your piece by using the pile weave (which can be found in Loom Weaving Tutorial: 6 Weaving Patterns for Beginners).

Thank you so much for visiting my site. I hope that this post was able to answer your questions about finishing a woven piece on the loom.