How to Make a Woven Paper Bookmark
Weave a flat checkerboard bookmark with a slotted paper base, alternating rows and neat glued ends. Includes a cutting worksheet.
Make this bookmark by cutting four long slits in a paper base and weaving colored strips across the five bands they create. Alternate the over-under pattern on every row. The intact ends hold the work together while you finish it; you do not need a separate loom.
A source-based guide with original diagrams. We have not physically made or tested this version.
What you’ll need
- One sheet of plain craft paper for the base; start with ordinary copy-paper weight rather than thick card
- Contrasting colored paper for fifteen strips
- Ruler marked in millimeters, pencil, scissors and a glue stick
- Optional: the cutting worksheet below; clean scrap paper for protecting the table
Cut the base and cross strips
Cut a 50 × 180 mm base, about 2 × 7 inches. Measured from one long side, mark slit lines at 10, 20, 30 and 40 mm. Start each line 15 mm below the top and stop 15 mm above the bottom. This leaves five equal-width bands connected by the two uncut end borders.
Fold the base across its middle so its short ends meet. Cut each marked slit from the folded edge to its endpoint, through both layers, then open the base. Flatten that temporary fold. Cut fifteen colored strips, each 70 × 10 mm; the extra length leaves 10 mm at either side for finishing.
If you cut a line right through an end border, replace the base before weaving. A taped repair can make a raised ridge between book pages.
Weave two different rows
Keep the base face up throughout. The five long bands are the warp; the colored strips crossing them are the weft. “Over” means the colored strip lies above the base, facing you. The MassArt Art Museum activity explains this plain-weave sequence; our bookmark narrows it to five bands.
First row
Feed a colored strip across the base: over band 1, under 2, over 3, under 4 and over 5. Leave similar amounts projecting from both sides. Slide it gently against the top uncut border.
Second row
Begin underneath band 1, then go over 2, under 3, over 4 and under 5. Slide this row beside the first without pulling the base narrower.
Continue
Repeat those two sequences. After each row, check that every crossing is the opposite of the crossing directly above it. Keep the rows close, without forcing the last strip into a gap that is too narrow.
References: MassArt Art Museum: Weaving With Paper
Finish the back and edges
Check the ends while the front still faces you. On the first-row pattern, both ends emerge on the front: fold their projecting 10 mm around the side edges onto the back. On the second-row pattern, both ends already emerge on the back: fold those projecting tips inward onto themselves on the back, without wrapping them onto the front. Keep the woven rows in place as you turn the bookmark over and glue each folded tip down.
Use a small amount of glue stick under the folded tips. For an end that was already on the back, also secure the strip to the outer base band beneath it so the folded tip is not merely glued to itself. Keep the center weave free of adhesive, and check that no flap projects beyond the bookmark’s side edges. Trim only a tip that overlaps awkwardly, leaving enough paper to attach.
Let the adhesive dry before putting the bookmark in a book. Check both faces for a loose corner that could catch a page. A plain backing layer is optional, but it adds thickness; try the unbacked version first if your goal is a flat bookmark.
Avoid a bulky tassel on this first version. The uncut top border can be decorated with a name or a small drawn motif instead.
If the pattern or shape goes wrong
A colored strip that floats across two bands has skipped a crossing. Pull back only that row and rethread it; adding the next row will not correct the mistake.
If the bookmark bows inward, loosen the newest row and square the base on the table. A tightly pulled weft can draw the side bands together. If the whole piece curls after gluing, check for wet adhesive and leave it to dry on a protected flat surface before assessing it.
If you run out of room, trim the width of the final cross strip to the remaining gap. Keep the lower border intact rather than extending the slits to fit another full row.
Another paper gift
For a folded paper gift with a moving part, try the two-tree card. Its step tabs need a different kind of fold than this flat weave.
Downloads
- Four-project worksheet pack — A4
Use page 1 for this project. Four pages total; print only the page you need at Actual size / 100%. Check its 50 mm line before cutting. These original worksheets have been checked digitally, but not physically printed and assembled.
- Four-project worksheet pack — Letter
Use page 1 for this project. Four pages total; print only the page you need at Actual size / 100%. Check its 50 mm line before cutting. These original worksheets have been checked digitally, but not physically printed and assembled.
