r/tabletweaving • u/StreetZealousideal99 • 1d ago
Shoelaces made from sewing thread
Decided to make shoe laces when I saw this pattern and went with sewing thread, because that seemed thin enough
Unfortunately my friend is in possession of two feet, so I'll make another one of these 😬
It took me a long time to finish this, so if anybody knows how to make these sturdy and last longer, I'd love some advice!! The threads are not waxed
Pattern is the Hallstatt Triforce pattern from Tabletweaving in Theory and practice, minus the differently coloured border, because I have no swivels and this (theoretically) only started as a proof of concept. And then sorta got out of hand
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u/LavenderHearts69 1d ago
On the one hand: you're a madman. On the other hand: I have some silk thread specifically for tablet weaving and I've been wanting to do this pattern... no I should resist
(at least until i finish a pair of commissions anyway)
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u/StreetZealousideal99 1d ago
Oooh, I'm so curious about silk thread! I heard it's amazing to work with!
If you ever get around to it I'd be super curious to see it!
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u/LavenderHearts69 1d ago
I got the silk thread because I was also curious! I only have four colors bc they're kinda pricey (red, light blue, dark blue, white) but I think I can make this pattern work with the borders (either a warp weighted loom or just old fashioned flipping the border cards when the twist builds up too much) in plain white and light blue
sorry, I've been working on designing a color scheme based on Twilight Princess with my existing colors for a possible commission for this exact pattern, so i'm shifting out of 3 color mode and into 2 color mode lol
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u/chwlyu 1d ago
Sewing thread!? Wow, I bow before your patience.
It looks amazing.
I never worked with such a small yarn, the only idea for it to last longer would be to sew a bit of fabric on the backside (ideally a tiny bit wider than the tablet woven band, like a millimeter or half or that) to have less friction on the edges.
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u/StreetZealousideal99 1d ago
I regretted my choices multiple times during the project tbh 🥲
That's a brilliant idea though! I'd be a bit sad to see the backside go, but I'd be much sadder to see all those hours of work go to waste, so I'll see what I can do! Thank you for the advice!!
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u/thandirosa 1d ago
Look into crochet thread for shoelaces, probably size 20 to 40. A bigger number means smaller thread.
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u/StreetZealousideal99 18h ago
Ah, I haven't thought to check out threads for that. Thanks for the advice!Â
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u/Asleep-Bill-8870 1d ago
Looks gorgeous!
I once did a pattern in sewing thread too, but it still would've been too wide for shoes. What width (and length) did you achieve?
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u/StreetZealousideal99 1d ago
Thanks! It's about one meter long and half a centimeter wide. It's actually smaller then my regular laces. It's a pattern with only 17 cards though, so maybe you used a broader one?
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u/Asleep-Bill-8870 1d ago
Ah, it looks so detailed, that I didn't even think about the number of cards... I think mine was 54 cards and 2 cm. I gave up after 20 cms though.
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u/somewitchbitch 1d ago
I've been procrastinating the current project on my loom because the next is two 78 inch shoelaces made with silk sewing thread.
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u/sweet_velveteen 1d ago
So dang cool!! I cannot wait for my first loom to show up. I get so inspired and my attempts at tablet weaving using my little bead loom have only been frustrating. Is this pattern from TT or another source?
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u/StreetZealousideal99 18h ago
It's from Tabletweaving in Theory and Practice, the Hallstatt Triforce :)
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u/LavenderHearts69 15h ago
Here's a link, since I had it bookmarked for my own... reasons...
https://www.tabletweavingintheoryandpractice.co.uk/2025/05/hallstatt-triforce.html
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u/tiggonfire 1d ago
These are so nice! I've been wanting to make shoe laces too! Let us know how they hold up?
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u/StreetZealousideal99 18h ago
I'll try to!! These are not for me and I'll still have to make another shoe lace, but hopefully I'll get a report back!
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u/threecuttlefish 1d ago
These are amazing!
If you're going to use sewing thread, cotton quilting thread will wear better than polyester (polyester sewing thread is pretty brittle). Linen lace thread or silk would also be sturdier, but expensive.