When I travel, I love to have weaving with me, which is why I am a fan of small weaving. Inkle weaving is my go-to travel weaving method, but I also enjoy pin looms, frame looms, and small backstrap rigid-heddle looms.
This summer, my family and I took a trip to Europe. We visited several countries and travelled extensively by train. While I knew I wanted to bring some weaving with me, I also knew I had to pack super efficiently. For the sake of being mobile, we each only had a backpack and a carry-on size suitcase.
With space at a premium and the need to leave room for souvenirs, I knew I could not bring my travel inkle loom. After being inspired by the recent online article, “Perfectly Portable Looms for Weaving on the Go,” I decided to give cardboard weaving a try.
Jennifer kept all her tiny weaving tools in one side of her travel weaving kit. To keep her needles from sliding around, she attached a magnet to the back of the case which held the needles firmly in place until she needed them. For her loom, Jennifer used a small piece of corrugated cardboard and some straight needles. She used embroidery floss as both her warp and weft.
I purchased an inexpensive colorful zipper case with a pocket that was too cute to pass up and created my own on the go weaving kit. I cut several 3” x 3” pieces of corrugated cardboard from a box we had in the recycle bin for looms.
Then I gathered the rest of my supplies:
- straight pins
- tapestry needles
- embroidery floss
- teeny tiny scissors from a travel sewing/mending kit
- small acrylic packing comb by Twin Mommy Creations.
Jennifer used a needle to weave beautiful pick-up patterns on her small loom.
Finally, I glued a magnet inside the top of the case to have a place to store the pins and needles. With the packing comb and scissors tucked neatly into the pocket, I had the perfect little weaving kit. I was able to happily weave on many trains as we traversed through Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands.
Weaving on the go at its finest!
Want instructions for building your own cardboard loom and other travel weaving options? Check out our All Access exclusive guide, “Perfectly Portable Looms for Weaving on the Go,”. —Christina