Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

Stitching & Crafting

16. Weaving

Beginner

• Fibers have comforted humankind for millennia. Read up on how knit and woven fabrics are made.
• Weave gifts for at least five friends on a handmade loom. Try weaving bookmarks with special threads, yarns, and found objects. For ideas on beginner projects, see “Weaving Made Easy” in MaryJanesFarm magazine, April–May 2010 “Garden Secrets” issue, pp. 70–71.

Intermediate

• Learn about different types of looms and how to make patterns on looms. Teach yourself card weaving. Make a belt or scarf with a challenging pattern you like. After you’ve completed your project, teach a friend what you’ve learned.

Expert

• Learn to weave different types of fibers. Complete a project with a challenging fiber like silk or linen.
• Teach yourself about different weaving technologies. If you can, try to see different types of looms in person. Learn about the history of the backstrap loom and how it is used today.
• Make a backstrap loom and help a fellow farmgirl make one of her own, then throw a fabulous outdoor weaving party. Use your backstrap loom to make a piece of wearable fiber art.

(The magazine suggested for this badge is available on loan from MaryJanesFarm; e-mail library@maryjanesfarm.org.)

April, 2024 Edition