Mini Heddle Bar

thingiverse

Weaving on a cardboard loom is a great craft for kids. They can make a bookmark, teddy bear blanket, pincushion, small purse, etc. with just cardboard, scissors, and yarn. (A tapestry needle helps, too.) The concept of weaving is simple- the yarn goes under, over, under, over... and then the next row does the opposite. To speed up this process, heddle bars were invented to raise every even thread when rotated one way, and every odd thread when rotated the other way. Heddle bars make weaving much faster and less tedious. Once a kid masters the pattern of weaving, learning to weave with a heddle bar could be a fun next step and a lesson in how tools can make our work so much more efficient. The STL posted above is ideal for simple yarn weaving, but the .scad file is super customizable. Teens and adults may want to print a longer bar with narrower, closer-set grooves to make larger pieces with finer materials like embroidery floss, or print a custom bar to fit an existing loom or a specific project idea. Here is a link to a tutorial on making and using cardboard looms: https://www.auntannie.com/Textiles/WovenBookmarks/