Woven Paper Placemat (Part 19)

Practice weaving in this art lesson: woven paper placemat (part 19).

🎨 Studio Brief #56

Weave strips of paper through a cut base to create a colorful placemat.

🎯 Your mission

Build it from stuff that was about to be thrown away.

⚡ The twist

Make it stand up on its own.

What you'll learn

Weave strips of paper through a cut base to create a colorful placemat. Paper weaving teaches the over-under pattern used in all textile weaving.

Get ready

Techniques you'll practise

weavingover-under patterncolor alternation

YarnBeadsFelt sheets

Step 1 of 4

Fold a piece of construction paper in half. Cut slits from the fold to about 1 inch from the edges.

Step 2 of 4

Open the paper. Cut strips of contrasting colored paper the same width as your slits.

Step 3 of 4

Weave strips over and under through the slits. Alternate the starting direction for each row.

Step 4 of 4

Glue the ends of each strip to secure them. Trim any excess.

Did you know?

🤯 Mind = Blown

🤯 You can fold a piece of paper at most about 7 times — physics gets in the way after that.

🌟 Artist Spotlight

🎨 Henri Matisse spent his last years cutting paper instead of painting — and made his most famous work.

You did it!

🎯

We'll pick an art project that matches exactly where your skills are right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this: The next time you 'just buy it,' notice how much you could've made yourself.

🏆 Try this week: Make a card for someone who isn't expecting one.

👨‍👩‍👧 At dinner: “What's something you'd build if you had unlimited cardboard?”

Send it to a parent looking for a 15-minute screen-free creative win.