Weaving on Paper

Get creative with your art materials and practice those fine-motor skills by creating your own small-scale weaving! There are very few materials required for this project. You will need a small piece of construction paper (about 5x5 in.), scissors, yarn (one color or multiple color— artist’s choice!) and tape. Once you have your construction paper cut into a square (5x5 or 6x6 in). Then, take your scissors cut approximately 5 slits into your paper leaving about an inch in between each slit and an uncut one inch border at the top (see images below for reference). Once you have your slits, you’re ready to grab your yarn! You can weave with one color or if using multiple yarns, you can alternate colors, artists choice! Begin weaving over and under your slits of paper. After completing your first row pull your string all the way through until you have just a little tail of yarn at the end (you can tape this to the back of your paper). Then repeat the process doing the opposite on your second row (our first row was over then under so our second row will be under then over and so on). When you feel your design is complete, you can tape your leftover yarn to the back of your paper. These extraordinary woven pieces make great decorations for your walls or tables!

This project is inspired by modernist Anni Albers (1899-1994) — a pioneering fiber artist, designer, printmaker, and jewelry maker, who blurred the lines between traditional craft and fine art. Throughout her career, Anni experimented with varied materials, texture, color, and rhythm to create bold abstractions that served as both useful objects and works of art. See examples of her weaving below.

Suggested Materials:

-5x5in piece of construction paper

-Scissors

-Tape

-Yarn/string

Below see pictures of my weaving process as well as some works by Anni Albers. Happy Making!