By Alyssa Dyar
Summer is nearly here which means more outdoor time! We’ve all become experts at going on walks lately so here is a new challenge to make walks even more fun: take a nature walk! You can venture into a park or your neighborhood or even your backyard. Collect interesting flowers, grasses, leaves, nuts, pieces of bark, seed pods, and maybe even feathers! Once you’ve collected some beautiful nature gems, you can use them to complete this nature weaving drop in! Tip: Ask permission before taking something from a neighbor’s yard, and remember that some parks discourage visitors from bringing objects home.
Materials
- Sticks
- String, yarn, thread, wire, etc.
- Items found around your yard or on a nature walk (i.e., flowers, grass, leaves, etc.)
Instructions
1. First, gather enough sticks (you will need at least three) to make an enclosed shape. These sticks will act as your loom. The length of the sticks will determine the size and shape of your loom so keep this in mind while gathering.
2. Fasten the sticks together at the ends by wrapping your string around the crossed sticks in a crisscross pattern. Then tie off at the end. Make sure the string is tight so it holds the items you’ll be weaving through it.
3. Tie the string around one corner of the loom and start lacing it back-forth and up-down the stick loom until the entire loom has been laced. Tie the string off at the opposite end of the loom.
4. Weave the items gathered from your yard or a nature walk. Make patterns or be more spontaneous. Then hang your weaving somewhere to celebrate summer!
Get creative with the shape of the loom, the color of the string, and the items you can incorporate into your nature weaving! Check back next week for another virtual drop in!
