Art & Furniture From Corrugated Cardboard and Yarn

Typically, craftspeople weave yarn with a loom, which I don't have. However, it's also possible to create simple art pieces without a loom, though this comes with the risk of the yarn loosening or shifting over time.

While unpacking the boxes of groceries we ordered the other day, an idea suddenly struck me: could we use the cardboard to create a stable structure and hold the yarn in place?

Since we have so many cardboard boxes, I wondered if we could take it a step further. I wouldn't just be creating artwork, but also something more practical, like a piece of furniture -- upcycling my collection of yarn left over from previous projects

In this Instructables, we will explore the various ways you can utilize two simple materials - cardboard and yarn - to make a variety of furniture and decorative pieces.

1. Corrugated cardboard
2. Yarn
3. long sewing needles or upholstery needle (8",10",12")
4. tape

For the artwork, cut the cardboard into 4"x6" pieces to make it easier to frame later. The slots in the corrugated board run along the width of the cardboard (which is horizontal lines in the image).

To start, you may want to seal the top and bottom edges (along the direction of the slots) with tape to keep them secure.

Next, design your pattern—this color scheme of this piece is inspired by a sunset over the lake.

To weave, thread the needle through the slots as shown. This helps minimize unnecessary knots.

When you have to change colors, knot the old string to the new string. Make sure to cut extra length as needed to ensure that all of the knots are on the back side of the artwork.

To add a second dimension to the weaving, perpendicular to the first, you'll need to introduce a second piece of cardboard. The slots on this second board should run along the length of the original 4"x6" piece. In other words, we have one sheet of cardboard where the slots are horizontal, and one sheet of cardboard where the slots are vertical.

Sketch out your design—this one is a grid of shaded boxes, using a 5-color theme inspired by Brown University.

First follow the instructions for the 1-dimensional yarn artwork. Then, place the second cardboard behind the first and begin weaving the second dimension along the width, creating the desired patterns.

I made a couple of additional art pieces: one inspired by the colors of spring, one inspired by the paintings of Piet Mondrian, and two more where I experimented with different colors.

With two layers, we’ve reached what most weaving projects can achieve, while also keeping the yarn securely in place. However, we're still limited in the variety of shapes and forms that we can create. So, why not add more layers for greater flexibility?

The idea behind multiple layers is to secure the second layer while constructing the first one. As shown, the diamond shape is anchored as we build the bottom background layer, then more layers and colors are gradually added on top.

This turned out to be more challenging than I expected. To create multiple layers, I had to thread through the same slots multiple times. Not all cardboard can handle this, as the slots have to be big and sturdy enough - and with inflation, I have noticed cardboard getting gradually thinner. Also, the smaller the cardboard sheet is, the more likely it is that the slots will break.

While the final result wasn’t quite what I hoped for, I still found the experiment worthwhile and quite fascinating.

Moving beyond artwork, I wanted to create something more practical yet still interesting—like a small piece of furniture!

Start by cutting cardboard into strips about 6 inches wide (feel free to choose your own dimensions, as long as you keep them consistent). Stack the strips into piles measuring 18"x6", as shown. While the inner layers can be made up multiple of smaller pieces (e.g. a 6"x6" and a 6"x12"), make sure both the top and bottom pieces are full 18"x6" pieces.

Secure the stack tightly with string or rubber bands to keep everything in place while you weave. Then, begin wrapping yarn around the entire pile as shown, creating legs by threading the yarn through the slots in the top and bottom layers of corrugated cardboard.

Repeat this process to make a second leg of the same dimensions.

Stack the cardboard into a pile measuring 18"x12".

Next, cut four strips of cardboard, each 18"x4.5". Place two strips on the top of the stack along opposite edges. Place the other two strips on the bottom.

Thread through these four strips along the slots as shown. We used gray yarn. This step will help bundle the layers together securely. Note that this yarn will only be visible along the sides of the furniture surface.

To create a design on the top, we used dark red yarn, weaving it under the corresponding grey yarn along the edges as shown.

To start weaving your design, you’ll need to add a second dimension. Place two cardboard strips, each 2"x12", at the bottom as shown. (This is similar but not exactly the same as the process for creating 2D artwork). Then, weave your surface using your desired patterns.

Secure the legs to the surface board by threading yarn through the slots on the 2"x12" strip and the top layer of each leg. Repeat this step for both legs.

Finally, add a decorative cover to the other side of the cardboard, if desired.

This project is similar to the stool, but on a larger scale.

The challenge here is that a bigger chair surface has more points of contact and can be wear out easily. To make it durable, we want to avoid long, exposed strands of yarn. To address this, we added some wavy patterns in the middle for extra reinforcement (and for design aesthetic!).

As before, stack cardboard pieces to form the legs, each measuring 18"x6". Wrap them with yarn, threading through the corrugated slots at the top and bottom layers, while also incorporating the wavy pattern for added strength. Repeat this process to make two legs.

For the seat, use stack of cardboard pieces sized 18"x18".

Place an 18"x6" strip on top of the seat surface to help secure the legs and backrest. You can also make it into wavy pattern to mingle better with the rest of the design as shown later. Thread yarn through the wavy patterns to tightly secure the backrest and back legs in place.

We introduced additional support to further reinforce the structure:

[1] Shape support

Use 3 pairs of 18"x12" boards to support front leg, back leg, and back rest as shown.

[2] "Bracket" to support connection of backrest and back leg

Make inserts with a 6" wide strip of cardboard for both sides of the backrest and back leg of the chair.

Make similar support for front leg and chair surface.

[3] "Sleeve" to support connection of backrest and back leg:

Use two 4"-wide strip inserts (one for back-rest and one for back leg) and one wider back-support (wrap around the back of the chair) as shown. Connect the "Sleeve" as shown.

Finally, cover up all the unintended exposed surfaces, such as the top of the chair.

It's been a fun and rewarding process experimenting with different ideas, and I believe there are still so many more possibilities to explore!