Card Weaving: A Step-by-step Tablet Weaving Guide for Absolute Beginner

Card weaving, also known as tablet weaving, is a method of producing narrow textiles such as straps, belts and trim. Most card woven bands are very strong and sturdy. Card woven bands can range from simple and easy to elaborately patterned and very time consuming.

Tablet weaving is creating by twisting the threads of the warp together around the weft, interlocking the threads of the warp and weft together to create a pattern. Tablet weaving is what is called a warp-faced fabric, meaning that the designs seen on the weaving are created by the threads of the warp, not the weft. This means that if you weave a piece with a black warp and a white weft the color of the finished product with be mostly black with white dots where the weft shows through.

Card weaving is a technique that dates at least as far back to the 6th century BC and is used throughout the SCA period across multiple cultures in Europe (Collingwood 13). Wool, linen, and silk were commonly used fibers for the technique, though any fiber with little stretch and solid tensile strength can be used.

With nothing more than some strands of yarn and a few simple cards with holes in them, you can easily weave fabrics of great complexity and beauty. No loom is required, and no tedious picking out of patterns by hand.