A simple way to make hundreds of craft projects.

You will need:

• Rectangle of thick cardboard, 9×12 inches
• Scissors
• Safety pin
• Strips of cloth, ¼ to ½ inch thick

1. Cut notches ¼ inch apart into the 9-inch sides of the cardboard. Tie a strip of cloth to one corner of the cardboard, and then wrap it back and forth between the notches. Tie the other end of the strip at the corner of the rectangle that is diagonally across from the one you began with. You have now made you loom
2. Attach another strip of cloth to the safety pin and close the pin. Begin weaving by threading the pin under the first strip at the top of your loom. Push the pin over the next strip, then under the one after it. Continue in this way, over and under, all the way across the loom
3. When you reach the end of your loom, weave back the way you came, looping the cloth strips. This time, however, go under each strip you went over the first time, and over each strip you went under
4. Continue this for each row you want to weave, pulling the cloth strip over and under the loom. Make sure not to pull the strip too tight, or the edges of your final product will not be even
5. Once you have woven few rows, push the rows snugly together. If you come to the end of a strip of your weaving material and want to keep weaving, tie on a new strip with a strong double knot.
6. When you have finished weaving, be sure you are at the end of a row. Tie each end of your cloth to the loom strip next to it and lift both strip ends off the loom. To remove your work from the loom, bend down the tabs between the notches and slide the loom out.
7. You can also break the loom by cutting it in half and removing the pieces.

Some fun ideas for weaving projects:

Pot holder: weave 2 squares of the same size out of a candle wicking. Sew the two squares together and tie a loop to one corner of your pot holder so that it can be hung up

Place mat: make the notches on your loom 1/8 inch apart so that the weave will be finer. Use soft cotton string for both the loom and your weaving material.

Pocketbook: use thick cloth strips in a rectangular loom. When you have finished weaving, fold the rectangle and sew the sides of the pocketbook up. Add a snap so that your pocketbook will stay closed.