DIY Giant Spinning Wheel Sewing Bobbin

Here is a new one for you. I'm always looking for fun and interesting ways to show off my favorite hobby, spinning yarn. I also love over-sized, jumbo creations such as pillows that look like buttons or knitting needles the size of your arm. Recently, I can across these big cable bobbins from my friends' husband who works for a cable company. For $5 a piece, I couldn't pass them up! So with a little bit of imagination and elbow grease, here is how to turn that ugly roll into a giant bobbin.




Materials:
Empty Cable Bobbin (comes in many sizes so the choice is up to you)
Sandpaper
Wood Conditioner
Wood Stain
Soft towels or rags for staining
Polyurethane
Yarn/Roving (the bigger, the better to give a more accurate visual)







1. Take your bobbin and clean it up. For mine, I had to remove the stickers and clean it with a little soap and water. I also sand the rough edges to keep them from snagging on the yarn.

 2. Condition the wood. Unless you want to stain to appear muddy and antiqued, this will make the plywood stain better.

3. After drying the appropriate amount of time, take a soft cloth and apply stain as directed on the can. I choose a dark stain to completely change the look and feel.





4. Seal all the stained pieces with Polyurethane. This will protect the wood as well as keep the stain from getting on the yarn, you, or the other things.

5. Allow it to completely dry overnight. Yes, please remember to be patient. Nothing like fingerprint all over your project. : )







6. Wrap yarn around the center. I used a super-bulky hand spun yarn that I spun up just for this purpose. You could also use a roving instead if you don't have anything else on hand. As you can see the smaller super-bulky looks like thread, whereas the giant bulky (1 inch wide) looks more like a 2-ply yarn.

7. Enjoy! Sit back and appreciate your ingenuity and creative endeavor. Most will never imagine or even attempt such a project.

Whether you want to make one to add a little whimsy to you creative environment or a a display stand for a craft fair, these make your space a little more unique. I can imagine these for a Cinderella themed little girls playroom. Can't you just see the little mice rolling these out to sew her dress before the ball?

Thank you for reading!