measure and mark out materials
communicate design ideas in different ways, bearing in mind aesthetic qualities, and the use and purpose for which the product is intended
explore the sensory qualities of materials and how to use materials and processes
assemble, join and combine components and materials accurately
design and make assignments using stiff and flexible sheet materials and textiles

Nkonzo, Pinky and Nokukhanya live in South Africa. They gather tall grasses to make a mat. First they use a scythe to cut down the grass, which they tie into bundles. Later, they spread the grass out in the sun to dry and they sort it into different lengths. Nkonzo takes long blades of grass and tears them into strips. He plaits strips of grass together to make a rope. The rope is so long, he holds one end with his toes while he's plaiting.

When they have plenty of ropes, Nkonzo and Nokukhanya measure out a rectangle of the bare earth floor inside their hut. They hammer big iron nails into the floor to mark the edges of the rectangle. Nkonzo ties a grass rope to the first nail and weaves it in and out of the others in a zigzag pattern. Nkonzo and Pinky weave more ropes through the first one, going over and under the different strands. It's hard work pulling the stiff, heavy ropes tight. The mat begins to take shape and at last, the iron nails can be pulled out, leaving an oblong of woven grass behind.

Nkonzo stitches grass ropes around the edge of the mat to make a neat border. The mat is finished and is put in the doorway of the hut.

Curriculum Relevance

Art – investigating and making art, craft and design
Science – materials and their properties
Geography – land use and local industry

Background

People have been weaving rugs, blankets and cloths for thousands of years, with all kinds of natural materials. Weighted sticks called spindles were used to turn a sheep's fleece into wool for weaving. The earliest spindles we know about have been found in Iran and date from around 5,000 BC. That means people were spinning and weaving cloth right back in the Stone Age.

A woven fabric is made from two sets of threads. One set of threads (called the warp) is laid down in straight lines. Another set (the weft) is laced in and out of the warp and at right angles to it. A frame called a loom holds all the threads tight. Nkonzo, Pinky and Nokukhanya made a loom by hammering nails into the ground. Some looms are made from just two sticks with the warp tied between them. More complicated looms are built on strong wooden frames. A long stick, called a shuttle, goes over and under the strands of the warp, so the weavers can lift them up to pass the thread through.

In 1733 an English weaver called John Kay invented the 'flying shuttle', a machine that made weaving much easier. Over the next hundred years, steam- and water-powered looms turned weaving from a job done in a cottage to one done in a factory. Cloth could now be made much more quickly and much more cheaply.

Follow the links from this site to see some of marvellous designs that weavers have made.

Activities

Make a Paper Weaving

You don't need a loom to get weaving. You will need: 2 sheets of brightly coloured, thin card; old magazine; scissors; ruler and pencil; PVA glue and brush.

Mark a border about 2cm wide around the edge of one sheet of card.
Inside the border, mark out a set of lines about 1cm apart. These lines will be the 'warp' of your weaving.
Fold the sheet of card in half long ways. Now it is easy to cut along all the 'warp' lines with scissors. Make sure you don't cut into the border you drew!
Open out the sheet of card and lay it flat.
Find a brightly coloured page in a magazine. Cut the page into long thin strips about 1cm wide.
Thread the paper strips through the slits in your card, taking each strip UNDER one strand of the warp, then OVER the next one. When you add more strips, make sure you reverse the pattern, going OVER the strand you went UNDER last time.
When the weaving is complete, you should see a neat pattern of checks.
Glue the second sheet of card to the back of the weaving to keep everything in place.
You could add a paper frame as a border, or simply trim the border off.
Paint the front of your weave with several layers of PVA glue. When the glue dries it makes a shiny, clear, protective covering.
This weaving makes an ideal mouse mat.
Once you've got the idea, experiment. Try cutting wavy slits instead of straight ones, or spacing the slits irregularly. You could use all kinds of different papers, or ribbons, cloth, hair, grass, etc as weaving materials. Or you could cut slits into a cardboard box and make a 3-dimensional weaving.

Make a Square Loom

Before you start, think about how to use the equipment safely. Check with your teacher if you are not sure. You will need: a square wooden board, about 25cm by 25cm and at least 1cm thick (plywood is good for this); 40-50 small nails (called 'panel pins') about 3cm long; small hammer; pair of pliers; ruler, pencil, sandpaper.

Sandpaper the edges of the board to make them smooth and get rid of any splinters.
Mark out a square 18cm by 18cm on the board. Draw a set of lines across the square, about 0.5cm apart. Make sure you measure neatly and accurately.
Hammer a nail into one corner of the square you have drawn. Make sure the nail stands up straight but does not go right through the board to the other side.
Hammer nails into the beginning and end of each of the lines you have drawn. If a nail bends, pull it out with the pliers.
When you have finished, you should have two sets of nails lined up opposite each other.
The loom is now ready for you to try the next activity - weaving a table mat.

Make a Woven Table Mat

You will need: square loom from the previous activity (if you haven't made a loom, you could use a square of thick card about 20cm by 20cm. You will need to cut a neat zigzag edge down two opposite sides of the card); ball of thin string; ball of brightly coloured wool.

Tie the string to the first nail of your loom. Take the string across to the nail on the opposite side and loop it around. Continue from one nail to another in a zigzag pattern and tie the string off on the last nail at the bottom. Make sure you keep the string tight all the way down.
If you're using a card loom, loop the string around the top of the card in the v-shapes between the first two points. Tie the string tightly. Now take the string down the card from side to side, using the points to hold it in place. Tie it off at the bottom.
You have now made the 'warp' strands.
Cut a long piece of wool (at least 90cm). Tie one end of the wool to the first strand of the warp.
Weave the wool UNDER and OVER the strands of string. Make sure the woollen 'weave' is at right angles to the string 'warp'.
When you get to the bottom of the warp, loop the wool around the last string and come back up. Make sure you go OVER the strands of string that you went UNDER before.
Push the strands of the weave tightly together.
Keep weaving. When you reach the end of your piece of wool, tie a new strand to it and carry on.
When the whole square is woven, carefully lift it off the loom. (If you're using a card loom you will have to cut it free.)
Gently pull any loose ends tight. Weave them into the rest of the square, tying them to the other strands.

Links

This web page contains links to other websites that are neither controlled nor maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

Find out more about John Kay and the flying shuttle:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blflyingshuttle.htm

Visit this online weaving museum:
www.weavingartmuseum.org/main.html

Weaving by Navajo people:
www.americana.net/weaving.html

A slideshow of weavings by Bedouin people:
www.beduinweaving.com/slideshow/slide01.htm

Check out this shopping site to see pictures of traditional grass weavings in Swaziland (Southern Africa):
www.goneruralswazi.com/products.asp

You can even weave with lolly sticks:
www.teachingideas.co.uk/dt/weaving.htm

Making It: Programmes 16–26 Programme 22: Nkonzo, Pinky and Nokukhanya Weave a Grass Mat

Aims

Outline