About a year ago I became interested in weaving and purchased Beka Rigid Heddle Loom to see if I would enjoy weaving. I have completed several projects on this loom and I really do enjoy it. I was able to create several scarves and sashes which are 4 feet long. This review contains what I learned about this loom and additional items I needed to purchase/make to help me use and enjoy it.
This loom does not limit you too much in the length of the textile
you produce, just the width. I made 4 feet long scarves and could have made them a few feet longer if I wanted. The threads that will be used in the textile are wrapped around the board at the top of the loom (called warp beam) and the finished textile tangles from the front of the loom. This loom does not have a cloth beam on which the fabric can wrapped. As you make fabric you upwrap the threads from the warp beam and pull it down between the boards at the bottom tightening the hand screws to put the threads in tension for weaving. You can see this illustrated in the photos I am attaching to this review
Additional items needed:
This loom does not come with a few items that you will need for weaving. I read a few books and watched a few videos to understand what tools are needed and made most of them myself.
(1) You will need a warping board. This is a tool that allows you to measure out threads to put on the loom. I created one by purchasing a 1 foot board and 1/2 inch dowel from a local home improvement store. I asked the clerk to cut 1/2 inch dowel in two 9 inch pegs. I drilled two 1/2 inch holes in the board and put dowels into it gluing them for extra security. My dowels are 4 inches apart. If I were to do it again, I would put them 5 inches apart. I put a piece of felt on the bottom of the board. I also bought two C clamps to attach the board with pegs to my work table to create one end of a steady warp board. The leftover length of the 1/2 dowel is the second end of the warp board. I tie it to the chair and this allows me to place the second end as far as I need from the pegs on the board to measure out the length of the threads I need for the project. So for example, if I am planning to make a 4 foot scarf, I would put the dowel attached to the chair 5 feet away from the 9 inch pegs to give myself a foot for thread salvage. You can buy a warping board for about $120 dollar at a loom store. My solution cost under $10 dollars.
(2) You will also need a pick-up stick, which will allow you to pick up threads if you want to make a design. I got a stick which is used for mixing paints, and used sanding paper to create a pointy end. This took only a few minutes and made a tool which otherwise would cost a lot more. See photo of the tools I created.
(3) Dressing the loom can be challenging, if you don't keep all the threads straight it may take much longer then necessary. The most important thing is to come up with a way to hold your heddle while you are dressing the loom. I am attaching a photo of the system of clamps I came up with after several months of using the loom. I sped up the dressing of the loom tremendously with a few simple clamps and brackets I found in a local home improvement store. I wish I came up with this system earlier - I hope sharing this idea will save you time and frustration.
A paint mix stick is attached to the loom by a small clamp. This gives clearance on both sides of the heddle so you can approach it from both sides for dressing. The paint stick is attached to a metal bracket with another small clamp. And the metal bracket is attached to the table with a big clamp. The whole system takes about 1 minute to set up, and saves at least 30 minutes of fussing with threads.
(4) If you want to change colors in your design you will need another stick shuttle (the loom comes with one). Having more than one shuttle allows you to keep weaving without having to unwind the thread from the shuttle that comes with this loom which is time consuming and cat get your threads tangled. You can make your shuttle stick from the paint mixing stick by making notches at both end of the stick and then using sand paper to smooth out the notches.
What I like about this loom:
1. It let me try weaving without paying lot of money for a big loom
2. It is built solidly and works well
3. It is easy to use, it did not take me long to figure out how to weave
4. I liked that the loom came threaded, so it allowed you to start with weaving rather than "dressing" the loom (which is more tedious and complex than the weaving).
What I did not like about this loom:
I had to read several books and videos to get me started. This not a big deal, just letting you know that you would need extra information to avoid being frustrated.
Since I started to weave the most helpful book for mastering weaving has been by Deborah Chandler "Learning to Weave."
2. The screws that create tension at the bottom of the loom tend to catch threads
3. When the piece is long and it tangles from the front of the loom you need to be careful not to step on it or run it over with you chair
4. Because you use one heddle at a time you are can't do fancy designs. But given that this is beginner loom this is to be expected.
Overall, I am very pleased with the loom and my new hobby!
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.
Ali Julia review ★★★★★
A good video on dressing a rigid heddle loom is this one. It is not specific to Beka rigid heddle loom, but many concepts are applicable to any rigid heddle loom.
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