Toilet paper tubes are one of the most accessible starting points for loop weaving. They are lightweight, easy to cut, and usually uniform in size, making them excellent for consistent practice. Their natural cardboard colour is attractive already and also lends itself to eco-friendly dyeing or decoration. White and brown tubes together give a lovely contrast and patterns can be made.
Material Properties
Strength: Medium — stiff enough to hold shape but can split under pressure
Flexibility: Low — tends to crease rather than bend smoothly
Surface: Matte, absorbent, easily coloured with paint, ink, or natural dyes
Durability: Low quality material. Can go ‘soft’ with repeated handling. Avoid getting wet.
Sustainability
Recyclable? Yes, widely accepted in household recycling (paper/card streams)
Compostable? Yes, untreated cardboard is compostable and biodegradable
End of life options:
- Add to paper/card recycling bin
- Compost or tear up for soil conditioning
Collecting, Storage & Prep
Collection: Most people can collect plenty over time. They can be purchased from places like ebay
Cleaning: Usually clean, but flatten gently if squashed. Some brands use strong glue, remove any pieces of torn tissue.
Storage: Best kept flattened to save space until cut
Cutting: Slice into even loops with sharp scissors or craft knife; smoother edges improve weaving results
Weave Suitability
Best for: 4-Way Cross Family, can be used for 3-Way Star
Excellent for practice samples
Works as an eco-friendly base for baskets when experimenting with weave family variations
Consideration if weaving with children – this material is not as easy to work with as a smoother material with a larger loop size such as TetraPak
Tips:
Works well as a beginner material because they are easy to source and cut
Natural grip between loops helps hold structure without slipping
They do come in lots of shapes and thicknesses. Make sure you collect enough of the same size and proportions
If you mark cut lines with pencil, this can show in the end result. Consider rubbing pencil lines out.
Not always the easiest material to weave. Their construction is in a spiral and loops can have pointed parts that can lift away inside the loop. If loops get stuck, take your time and gently wiggle, if you pull too hard a loop may snap.
You can use a small flat object such as small scissors held shut to free obstructions.
Toilet paper tube loops don’t usually lend themselves to being reused. Make a few extra loops in case you have to unpick any parts or some tear.
If you are cutting by hand you might find some loops are too wide in places. Its better to trim a little off as you go than work with loops that are too thin and result in ‘wobbly’ results.
Rim Variations
How to finish off those sticking out arms?
Usually it is best to avoid cutting loops because this can make your work weaker. However because toilet paper tubes can be low quality and hard to bend into small places, cutting the arms if often the only way. Here are a few options:
1. Cut one side away, do a 45 degree fold and tuck the end into the adjacent loop
2. Cut the loop at the top, do a 45 degree fold for each side
3. Cut one side away and tuck the end downwards under itself
Other ideas:
For simplicity, try looping a piece of rope, cable, ribbon or wool cord into the loops
Even easier – bend the loops out at 90 degrees for a fringe effect
Eco Colouring Tips
You can colour your project after you have woven, but it is far easier to colour your tubes before you cut them.
You don’t need to colour the whole loop, just the end quarters.
Rather than purchasing new paint, see what leftovers you already have and use them up.
Experiment with natural dyes. Tea bags give a warm brown, coffee grounds an earthy brown, beetroot vinegar a slight pink tinge.
Upcycled ink can be made from old felt tips and this way you’d be upcycling more than one thing.
If you’re using water based colour try not to get the tubes too wet especially if they are low grade card. Allow to dry thoroughly before cutting.
Oil based applications will help make your card loops stronger and last longer. They may help make the weaving easier because smooth loops are easier to interlock than rough ones.
Try rubbing candle stubs to give a wax coating.
Melt old crayon pieces into larger wax blocks and use these to colour your tubes.
Shoe polish also works well if you have unwanted leftovers to hand.