Introduction to Frame Loom Weaving

Alice Hume is running an introduction to frame loom weaving at Aspex Gallery on Sunday 8 November, and it's one of several dates she's holding over the winter. If that one doesn't work, she's back at the same spot on Sunday 29 November, Sunday 31 January 2027 and Sunday 28 February 2027.

The session is a full day, running from 10:45 to 16:00, and it's designed for people who've never touched a loom before. You'll be working on a wooden frame lap loom, and you'll make your own fabric from the start: you warp the loom yourself and then build it up into a finished woven wall-hanging or a decorative piece. The focus is on texture, pattern and colour, so you'll spend the day playing with how different yarns sit together.

Along the way, Hume walks you through a few specific techniques. There's soumak, a braided stitch that adds a raised, textured line to the weave; working with two or three colours in a single row; and ways to create shapes and tassels. By the time you're finished, you'll have a piece you can actually hang on a wall. Hume's a textile artist who's won a platinum award with Craft Courses and gathered 179 five-star reviews for her workshops, so you're in safe hands regardless of where you're starting from.

The cost is £85, which covers all your materials: a home-made Hume Loom, the tools you'll need and a variety of yarns to work with. The looms are for use during the course, but if you find you've got the bug, you can buy yours to take home at the end of the day. You'll find Aspex Gallery in The Vulcan Building at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, PO1 3BF.