Overview

It is such a reward after hours of weaving to be finished. The patterns and textures that you envisioned have come to life and now it is time to show it off. Taking the warp off the loom is a process that is not too complicated, but it does take time and patience.

There are several ways to remove the warp from the loom. In this tutorial, I will show you how to remove the warp from a cardboard loom. In a future post, I will show how to do the same on a frame loom. But, if you are using a frame loom, you can use some of these steps to remove your warp. The process is similar.

There are two things to consider before taking the warp off the loom.

1. How did you start and end the weaving?

WEAVING PROCESS

I recommend that before you weave the main piece; weave a few rows of weft yarns that are designated for finishing your piece. In the blog post How to finish a woven piece? , I show you how to send in the remaining warp yarns back into woven piece and finish the ends.

Here I used a different yarn texture and color to mark the area used to finish weaving. The beginning and the end of the piece can be the same material as the weft, but you just want to remember that this space is for the end of your piece.If there is too much space, you can always unravel it, if needed.

2. How do you wish to display it?

DISPLAY

If you do not plan to hang the woven piece from its warp yarns, then you will cut the warp yarns off the loom using Method #1.

However, if you change your mind you can still hang it later. You can find this method in How to finish a woven piece? .

If you wish to hang the piece, you can keep the loops on the tabs intact using Method #2.

Taking weaving off a cardboard loom

METHOD 1 – Removing weaving by cutting

Once you have finished weaving, you can cut the warp off. You may wonder: why not release the loops instead? Well, if you can release the loops from the cardboard tabs easily, then do this. However, the tension will probably be too strong and it will be better not to pull on the warp yarns too much to release them from the tabs. Therefore, cut off the end of the warp off the loom.

Note: In a later method, I will show you the option to remove the top warp loops from the loom tabs.

If you do not plan to hang this piece from its warp yarns, then use the following method. If you later change your mind, you can hang the piece with other yarn.  

Instructions:

Step 1.Finish weaving.

Leave some space between the final weft yarns and the warp looped on the loom tabs. This space will be used to secure the yarns.

Tip: Adding a hemstitch to the last or last two rows of weaving can secure the yarns in place better.

 Step 2. Cutting the yarns

Only cut one side of the warp off at a time. Do not cut both ends at the same time (if it can be avoided.) If both sides of the warp must be cut, gently tie and cut the yarns, in order to avoid unraveling the yarns.

Note: It is ideal to cut the warp yarns from the center strands to the outer ends in order to keep better tension of the yarns.

In the image below, I did cut the warp yarns from outer ends first, but I would not recommend this method, especially if you are working on a large loom.

Step 3. (Ideally starting from the center strands) Grab 2 strands and secure the ends with a simple knot.

TIP: Do not handle the yarns with too much force. The weft yarns will stay in place while you gather the ends. Too much force can unravel the yarns, shift the design or bunch the yarns too much.

Continue this until the end of the warp. Turn the warp to the other end and repeat steps 2 and 3.

TIP: If you end on an odd number, gather 2 yarns together and the other yarn to create a knot.

The Top of the Warp

If you are not interested in loosening the loops from the top, then cut the remaining warp off the loom.

Note: Save as much length as you can between the beginning of the weaving and the top of the warp threads. You will use this to tie the yarns (as in steps #2-3)

Continue the same Steps 2-3.

METHOD 2 – Removing weaving by loosening loops

The second method to remove the warp from the loom is to loosen the loops off of the tabs.  This process will be applied to the top of the weaving (the opposite side of the end of the weaving end).

 Note: If the warp is loose enough, you can apply the following method to both ends of the loom.

This method may require some patience. I recommended in my blog post, How to Build a Cardboard Loom, that when you dress the loom, you keep strong tension on the warp yarn so that the yarns stay in place better on the loom. Therefore, it will be difficult to remove, but not impossible.

For this method, you will need a tapestry needle, or the end of a thin, blunt object.

Instructions:

 Step 1. First, complete Method #1 (cutting off the end of the warp and tying the ends) instructions.  Now, the tension between the top and bottom is released. The warp is relaxed and this will make the top yarns easier to release from the tabs.

Step 2. Turn the cardboard loom over on its warp side. Starting from the first tab, gently use the back of the tapestry needle to loosen and push the warp loop out of the tab. Complete this process until the final loop is rem

Tip #1: Lay both the cardboard and the woven piece out on a flat surface.

Tip #2: Do not force the yarns out– this can impact the woven yarns. If you find that yarns are too secured/ really stuck in the cardboard tabs, then move to the next loop section.

Come back to the difficult loops at the end.

Remove the spacers.

Step 3. Tie the loops into a knot to secure the weft.

In all honesty, this method can be a bit tricky. As shown in an image above, the cardboard tabs can be difficult to remove the yarns from. This is great during the weaving process, however it can damage the woven material if you tug on a warp yarn too hard or the yarn is stuck too tight between the cardboard tabs. In the image above, you can see that I was able to remove the warp from the cardboard loom tabs, but it took a bit of time and patience to do it.

Conclusion

Now that the warp is off the loom and secured, it is time to finish the piece. There are various methods to finishing the piece – perhaps you will hang it, frame it, or attach it to another piece. If you would like to know how to finish your woven project, check out the next post, How to finish a woven piece?

Learn how to adjust the yarns for hanging. Learn how to finish the ends and give it a polished look.

Removing the warp from the loom takes time and effort, but it is worth it. I strongly encourage you to take your time completing this task- the finishing touches of your work will be just as important as the larger woven piece.

Thank you so much for visiting my site and reading this article. I hope that it was able to help you in the next step of your project.