Loom Beading

What is a Bead Loom?

A bead loom looks like a smaller version of a loom that might be used to make fabric. They are usually small enough to stand on a table top, but there are many different sizes available for weaving such things as bracelets, wall hangings, belts and necklaces.

If you are new to loom beading and don’t know if you’re going to want to continue with the craft, you can find an inexpensive plastic loom at your local craft store in the beading section (or check out the selection at Matoska, which offers a few basic designs.

You will also want to consider what size beads you will want to use before you buy a loom. Most looms are made for beading seed beads, but there are some higher-end looms that allow you to use larger beads, or that are adjustable to different sizes. You will pay more for this type of loom, but if you plan to do a lot of looming and have different kinds of projects you want to do, the loom with the most options that you can afford will be the best loom for you.

Bead Looming

Most looms have screws on both ends for securing the thread. Using zero-weight thread (or the type of thread recommended by the manufacturer of your loom), tie a knot in the end and secure it to one of the screws. Slide the thread through the slot on the opposite side, and go back and forth until you have enough rows for your project.

Remember that the beads actually site between these rows on the loom, so you will need one more row threaded than you have beads across the width of the project. So if your piece is going to be 10 beads wide, you need to thread through the loom 11 times, so there are 10 gaps for beads on the frame.

Once you have the threads secure, weave a new strand of thread through the rows a couple of times to stabilize the project. Tie this new thread to the thread on one the right edge of the loom, and work from right to left.

Then you can start adding the beads in pattern. String on your first row, making sure the beads fall in between the threads on the loom. When you have the row completed, bring the thread over the top of the loom and push the row of beads so that they are straight and flush against the rows of plain weaving you did. Slide the needle back through the beads in the opposite direction, being careful to keep the thread above the threads on your loom. This ensures that the beads will stay secure.

Continue to work in this manner to finish your pattern. When you reach the end, weave the thread through a couple rows again like you did at the beginning. Take it off the loom and fold over the end threads.

The process sounds complicated, but it’s really not that bad once you get started, and you will gain confidence quickly.

Patterns for Bead Looming

Here are some charts for letters on the loom. These are great to use for personalized bracelets or beaded bookmarks.

This site hasn’t been updated in a long time, but it has a few simple patterns inspired by the American Southwest. And here are a few with a pagan flair.

After looking through the links on this page, scroll down to the bottom for some beautiful patterns.

All About Beading has 200 different patterns for the loom, from bracelets to beaded flags, sentiments of peace to butterflies, amulet bags and stunning necklace patterns. There’s plenty here to keep you beading for a long time to come.

And Deborah’s Beading Gallery has some gorgeous designs that look like photographs painted in beads. Even if you don’t think you’re up for the challenge, you should check this page out.

Bead Looming with Your Own Patterns

Of course you can also go your own way and make your own patterns for the bead loom. Most people who design their own patterns use graph paper and colored pencils to plot out their designs.

First you need to have some idea of what you’d like to make and what you’d like the finished product to look like. Figure out how wide and long you need it to be, then sketch out a drawing on graph or plain paper that is that size. Then color it in. Using a clear piece of graph paper you can then color in each square to represent a

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