Hemstitching your weaving project

There are multiple ways to start and finish your weaving project and hemstitching is one of them. Again there are multiple methods for this and a ton of instructions online, but I still feel people get easily confused by this and thus don't even try hemstitching.

It is really not that difficult though and in my opinion a great finish.

So here are my (hopefully) simple instructions for hemstitching your weaving project.

My personal guideline is:

over (the warp threads)

under (under the warp threads)

through (through the loop)

through (through the fabric)

 

Let's go through this step by step:

When you first start weaving, leave yourself a nice long tail, about four times the width of your project. Forgot to do this? Don't panic! I find you can usually pull out the first few rows of weft by gently pulling down one row of weft and gently tugging at the edge until the weft row comes free.

Thread the tail on a tapestry needle and then go over a couple of warp threads. Make sure you leave a loop at the edge.

Next, go under the same warp threads, wrapping the tail around the warp.

When you go up with your needle again, make sure you are going through the loop at the edge, from the bottom up. Pull this tight. You have basically created a knot around your warp threads with your weft tail now.

Move over the warp (1), under the same warp (2) and through the loop from the bottom (3)

Move your needle about three weft rows up (or down if you are stitching the top end of the weaving) and then go through the fabric with your needle. Move the needle under the fabric until you come out between the warp threads you just tied together and the next warp thread.

Move needle up a few rows, go through the fabric (4) and come out next to the last tied group

Now repeat the process until you reach the end of your project, using the weft tail to group and knot together groups of warp threads.

Repeat all across the project

After you have tied the last group of warp threads, move your needle back over the last group, leaving a loop at the edge. Go under the last group and through the edge loop and pull everything tight.

After the last pass through the fabric your needle will be at the edge

Pass the needle pack over the last group (1), under the last group (2) and through the loop (3)

Finally weave in the remaining tail for about an inch, hiding it in the fabric itself.

I hope this little post helps you with hemstitching your next weaving project.

If you still have any questions: please let me know!

Fiberdog Nat