So many questions! Wampum belts part 2

Don't you love the blue fingernails? :-)


Many of you have asked questions, so I decided it would be easier to put answers in a post, rather than in a comment response that you might not notice.


So - some basics:
The looms are 6-1/2"x 13" Wide Notch Chipboard Looms. You can find them in Nasco, Sax (division of School Specialty) and probably most other school supply art catalogs.
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The beads are not wooden; they are the cheapo plastic "pony beads". You can get them in bags of individual colors, or bags of mixed colors from any of those same catalogs, or places like Jo-Anns or Wal-Mart too. Some colors don't come in individual bags though, so that's a decision you have to make when purchasing. For the size we are making (5 x 30 beads) we obviously need 150 beads per child. The looms are big enough to do them with 6 rows, but I decided 5 would be enough. You could probably fit about 36 columns if you wanted, so 6 x 36 = 216.
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For stringing the warp and for weaving, I've got a Trait-Tex Cotton Warp, which is white, and Leesburg Carpet Warp, which comes in colors like black, blue, red, and yellow.
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Cheap plastic needles work well; I find the metal ones are too slippery and harder to handle. Large eye needles are fine, but not jumbo - those don't fit through the beads.
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As for graphing the designs: I give the kids sheets with all the available colors listed, and three graphs of 5 x 30. They can use as many sheets as they need, until they figure out exactly what they want, and most of them used at least 2 sheets! Lots of them were plotting out initials or words, and the others all did patterns as per my instructions. We added and subtracted rows as needed to make designs center or balance.
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I'll save explaining the whole weaving and finishing process for another night; that will be harder to put in writing. Now it's time to read tonight's blog posts...
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Oh - I shouldn't forget - a big shout-out to Krista G, who presented a workshop at our NY state art teachers' conference a couple of years ago. These "wampum belts" were one of the lessons she presented, and she put up with me practically assaulting her in the elevator later that day to get a better explanation for the process, and then my subsequent emails asking for more picky details. If you are out there reading this, Krista, THANK YOU!