Gather a few things See what you’ll need
- Two contrasting washi tapes
- A small plain practice card
- Scissors
- A smooth scrap card edge
- A pencil
Choose tapes that will release gently
Try two tapes of similar width, around 1 cm, on a spare piece of the paper you intend to use. Press a short length lightly, then lift it back over itself. If it pulls fibers or leaves adhesive behind, use another surface or make a paper weave instead.
Choose a clear difference between the two colors. Very translucent tapes can blend at the crossings and make the route harder to see. That may be attractive later, but an opaque or nearly opaque pair makes the first experiment easier to understand. Cut six strips about 5–6 cm long.
Anchor just the top ends of three strips
Place three vertical strips parallel on the practice card. Press only the top centimeter of each strip; let the rest lie lightly without firm pressure. Keep a small gap between the strips so you can lift an edge comfortably. These are the vertical members of your little weave.
Mark a faint horizontal guide below the anchored ends if straight placement helps. Don't draw a full heavy grid under translucent tape. The objective is a small crossing pattern, not a large taped background, so leave plenty of plain card around the working area.
Weave a Small Washi Accent Without Tangling the Tape
Watch three adhesive strips change crossings while only their top ends are anchored.
Only the upper ends are anchored at first.
Three vertical strips anchored only at the top. Use the article measurements for the physical version; the drawing is a schematic.
“Six strips are enough to show the woven structure.”
Lay the first horizontal strip across an alternating lift
Lift the middle vertical strip gently, keeping the outer two resting on the card. Lay the first horizontal strip across the outer strips and underneath the lifted middle one. Lower the middle strip over it. Across the row, the horizontal tape now travels over, under, over.
For the second horizontal strip, lift only the free portions of the two outer vertical strips below the completed row; leave the earlier crossings in place and the middle strip down. Pass the new strip beneath those lifted portions and over the middle, then lower them. For row three, lift only the free middle portion below row two and repeat the first row’s crossings. Press lightly once all crossings are correct.
Order the steps: test the tape surface first
Check the physical dependencies in this washi weaving example. Reorder the actions before trying the paper version.
One workable order
- Test the tape surfaceA surface test shows whether the tape can be lifted without damage.
- Anchor the vertical topsTop anchors hold the vertical strips while their remaining lengths can lift.
- Weave alternating rowsThe crossings need to alternate before they are pressed permanently.
- Press and trim the endsPressing and trimming finish the already checked weave.
Which check needs to come first?
The example shows one workable order. Pressing and trimming finish the already checked weave.
A woven corner for a café note
Use dark blue for the vertical strips and pale cream for the horizontal rows. Make the three-by-three crossing on a 7 × 7 cm practice card. Leave the ends a little uneven until you know how the small accent will sit beside your journal writing.
Try the weave near the bottom corner of a page about meeting a friend. Add the words “We lost track of the time” nearby on plain paper. The weave gives two repeated colors a compact home. It doesn't need to become a border around the whole entry or carry any physical load.
Plan two tapes to combine
Name the two tapes you actually have and draft the nearby note before making a larger panel.
Two tapes to combine:Muted blue and translucent yellow.
Note beside the panel:We took the side street.
Your words have a place now.
Name the two tapes you actually have and draft the nearby note before making a larger panel.
- Words on this card
- 18
Untangle by releasing the newest strip first
If adhesive folds onto itself, stop pulling. Lay the work flat and release the newest strip, slowly backing it away from the point where it stuck. A clean scrap-card edge can help lift a corner, but don't scrape it along delicate paper or force it under a firmly bonded strip.
If a strip stretches or curls badly, replace that strip rather than trying to hide the distortion under more tape. If the backing paper begins to tear, keep the weave as a separate practice piece and start the final version on a tougher offcut. Tape behavior varies, even between rolls that look similar.
Check the alternating tape crossings
Point to the middle crossing of each row: the visible tape color should reverse in the middle row.
First row
A single horizontal row does not show the full alternating weave.
Press only after the crossing pattern is right
Check each row with a fingertip or a pencil point held just above the surface. The topmost color should alternate across the row and reverse in the next row. When that is correct, press the tape from the middle outward with a clean finger or smooth card edge.
Trim the ends to suit the final placement. You can keep the weave on its thin practice card and attach that card to the journal, or build a new small weave directly on a tested page. The separate version adds a paper layer but avoids repeated lifting on a delicate notebook leaf.
Leave the rest of the page available
Six strips are enough to show the woven structure. Stop when all nine crossings are clear and the ends lie down without tension. Close the notebook gently and check that the tape isn't catching the facing page.
For another attempt, vary the strip width or the spacing, not every material at once. If lifting tape feels frustrating, switch to ordinary paper strips and glue their ends only after weaving. The over-under idea stays the same, while the handling becomes much less dependent on the tape's adhesive.
Where this idea began
Want to follow the idea further? These community discussions and maker references are a good place to start.
- Trash lattice
The maker weaves strips of discarded paper; replies mention trying the same idea with washi tape.
- Ideas for weaving with washi tape
The creator demonstrates a small woven washi arrangement made from a limited number of strips.
