Thursday, June 14, 2012

How to wind butterflies and make upcycled wooden tapestry bobbins

Some people love weaving with yarn butterflies.
And some people (like me) don't. 
I love wooden tapestry bobbins and I love making each one a unique piece- and I especially like using upcycled wood to make them.
So, for those of you who like yarn butterflies, here's a video tutorial on how to make yarn butterflies:


And, here's how I make my one of a kind tapestry bobbins, which wouldn't suit everyone, but I love them and find them to be a pleasure to use:
Start with a piece of cast off wood. In this case, a wooden plaque (don't use chipboard or mdf ! This needs to be hardwood)
a thrown away plaque from a garage sale
Flip it over, and draw in the rough lines for the first cuts:
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next, saw them into rough shape:
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Working on getting more definition and shaping:

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All the wooden offcuts are going to be burned in the wood burning stove in the studio in the winter- nothing's wasted!
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When the rough saw shaping is done:
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I move over to the belt sander:
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and I do a whole bunch of sanding (very carefully)
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Did I mention that this is a really slow, meditative process? Yup.
Go slowly... and pay attention....
Then, it's off to work with a bunch of different small sanding drums:
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and files:
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And more sanding:
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and then, I draw faces on each one, and get out my wood burning tool and draw and burn faces and the year on each one:
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Here's a closer look:
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I just listen to what each bobbin wants, and then I draw on their faces. Some of them crack me up.
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Like the 'Get to the Point' guy... 3rd from the left....  I know, I am easily amused....
And, here they are, all wrapped up and ready to weave!
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I hope that the photos will all open for you!
So, happy butterflies, and happy bobbin-ing!
Happy weaving! :)

2 comments:

Susan said...

Noreen you are just a JOY follow! You post tons of photos and the videos are THE best. We especially enjoy the way you personalize your work. The faces on the bobbins are delightful. Thank you for you wonderful style of sharing!

Noreen Crone-Findlay said...

Thank you so much, Susan! I really appreciate your kind comments, even though it takes me such a long time to find them! :)
Noreen