What Is Weaving? A Beginner’s Guide

At its simplest, weaving is the art of crossing threads over and under each other. Sounds easy, right? Spoiler: it’s not.

Imagine two sets of threads — the warp, which runs vertically, and the weft, which is woven across. Now imagine guiding hundreds of them through an ancient shuttle loom, by hand, with precision, patience, and probably a good deal of muttering.

Weaving is one of humanity’s oldest skills. It’s how threads become towels, cloth becomes culture, and looms become time machines. Every village had its own techniques, its own designs, and its own secrets — passed from one generation of weavers to the next.

At Jennifer’s Hamam, we work exclusively with artisans who use traditional shuttle looms — no electricity, no automation, no shortcuts. Why? Because these old-school methods produce stronger, more durable, and much more beautiful textiles than any modern machine ever could.

So yes, weaving is technically the act of interlacing threads. But in reality?

It’s storytelling. It’s heritage. And it’s a kind of magic that only human hands can make.

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