Margarita (pictured) taught me to weave this technique on a backstrap loom in Huancayo, Peru. She spoke Quechua with a few Spanish words thrown in and usually brought her daughter to watch over us to translate. We used to tie up our tiny looms to a rose bush in the garden. She was teaching me to weave patterns on a 2cm wide band with quite fine cotton. Quite a challenge trying to follow her movements in that tiny space! The center panel and the sides of my Peruvian shoulder bag are my own handspun llama fiber spun and plied on a drop spindle. The main body of the bag is cotton also woven on the backstrap loom and is warp-faced. I bought a pebble-weave belt on my first trip to Cusco and adapted its design. I wove one panel of pattern and then reversed the colors.
I NOW HAVE A BLOG ON BACKSTRAP WEAVING!
backstrapweaving.wordpress.com/
I hope you will visit and maybe subscribe. :-)
Laverne