I’ve come by a few new tapestry tools lately such as a new set of bobbins, some bones, wooden needles, and shed sticks came from Bobbin Boy. I also got a new tapestry fork from Magpie Woodworks. Along with these wonderfully useful tools, there was an unexpected gift. What a treasure trove all in the last few months.
A really well-made tool is such a joy. I think having a tool that works well for your body and fits your hand well is an important part of spending time making things. It is always interesting to me that the tools I love are not always the ones everyone else does! But that shouldn’t be surprising since we are all different people who weave and use our bodies in different ways.
Magpie Woodworks
There are some lovely tapestry forks out there. My favorite are by two makers: Magpie Woodworks and Threads Thru Time. I guard these tools against loss continually and they can get hard to get because they are made by individual artists one at a time. When Magpie Woodworks (Becki Dowd) was making a new batch of my most-used little sized fork, I put my name on her list and this beauty came my way shortly thereafter. I have two of these now though I find I still pay attention to where I put them so I can find them when I need them. What a joy to use. Strong metal tines, smooth beautiful wood handle, well balanced… they’re such wonderful tools. I have some of her larger and smaller forks as well but this turns out to be the most versatile for small to medium sized tapestries for me.
I recently found myself hunting for the handful of metal tipped skinniest minnie bobbins made by Milissa Elison Dewey of Bobbin Boy* and realized they were all in projects in process. Instead of spending so much time searching I decided to get a dozen more. These thin bobbins are my favorite for small looms that have tighter sheds. I see these bobbins show up in so many of the images I take of small tapestries. The images below I was using handspun which needs to be protected from abrasion when put through the shed on a shorter loom. I love these bobbins for that and for their pointy end to tap in the weft or perfect a weft relay at the selvedge.
Handspun weaving on a small Hokett loom with a Bobbin Boy bobbin.
Tapestry weaving with handspun on a Handywoman Shop loom, a Bobbin Boy bobbin and a Threads Thru Time tapestry fork.
I also use them for Fringeless four-selvedge warping on small warps. When the tapestry warp is not very tall on a four-selvedge warp, the space to get a bobbin of supplemental warp through is quite small so a very thin bobbin works the best. These are perfect for these tiny weavings warped this way.
Warping a small pipe loom for Fringeless four-selvedge tapestry weaving
Here is the whole set of new skinniest minnies. They make these bobbins without metal points and in thicker and longer versions as well. I love thinking about Milissa turning these bobbins at her lathe. I’m not sure how she gets them all so perfect, but I suppose the answer is years of practice!
Treasures!! Tapestry bobbins by Bobbin Boy for tapestry weaving
I also got some gorgeous Aubusson bones. These are the tools I like to use on my low-warp loom when using a bundle of singles that are not plied. the image below is work on my Wildflowers tapestry where I used Gist’s Array yarn for the colored portions. I used bones I bought in Aubusson, France when taking a tapestry tour there. I had not been able to find them made in the USA until now…
Tapestry being woven on a low-warp loom using Aubusson bones to carry the weft.
These bones were turned by Bobbin Boy. Aren’t they pretty! I can’t wait to use them on my next low-warp tapestry. I especially like them on this loom because the shed is large and they stay put on the surface of the weaving as you see in the photo above.
Bobbin Boy also makes these beautiful needles in all different sizes and a wonderful curved shed stick which is unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else! I don’t have any photos yet of those needles in action, but they’re going in all of my tapestry kits and on my work table.
Tapestry needles, bones, and shed sticks by Bobbin Boy
The last new tool is a big one and it was a gift. It is a cherry Ladybug spinning wheel from Schacht. Schacht made a small number of these wheels to celebrate Barry’s 80th birthday and quite frankly if you’ve met Barry you’ll join me in disbelieving his mother’s birth date claims. I haven’t actually spun on this wheel yet for secret reasons, but I will be rolling it out before the holidays and I expect you’ll see it in action as I make some samples for the Spinning and Tapestry retreat happening in January in Taos with Jillian Moreno as spinning teacher.
These special edition cherry wheels have a quote engraved on them and of course a ladybug in a different place on each wheel.
As I come to the end of this writing I am laughing at myself a little bit. I realized that with the exception of those wooden needles, these are all tools I’ve used before extensively and love. They aren’t new to me, they’re just extras of tools I already have and love. In the case of the bobbins, bones, and tapestry fork, I really can use additional tools for all the projects I keep going both for my personal work and for teaching. In the case of the cherry Ladybug, I’m not sure I did need another wheel, but this one was a beautiful gift and there was no way I was going to say no. It will have a place in my studio next to it’s sister wheel.
Do you have tools you love to hold and use? Tell us about them in the comments!
*Here is a fun article from Spin Off Magazine about Milissa and Alan, the woodturners behind Bobbin Boy. They also restore antique spinning and weaving equipment and know so much about historic looms and spinning wheels. They’re such skilled craftspeople. Alan turns chess pieces! They have photos on their Facebook page and they also have a YouTube channel.