Thursday, December 6, 2012

DIY Hair Flower Loom


As an instructor for Riley Blake I get to do all sorts of fun things. My most recent challenge was these fun hair flowers. I really went crazy with them. On the Riley Blake site I am publishing a tutorial how to use a loom to make these hair flowers. That will be published December 17, 2012. When that happens I will edit this page to include the link to find it. I think it's a really fun way to use your creativity and make something for your loved ones.

As I was preparing my Etsy shop to sell the supplies to make the hair flowers a good friend of mine gave me the idea to use these "hair" flowers as a broach or hat accessory. The ideas really are endless.

Well what you all come here for... How to make your Loom!

Supplies
1- 4"X4" Block of wood. I used MDF because it's fairly inexpensive, light weight, and relatively stable.
16- Grip-Rite #13 x 2 in. 6D Bright Steel Finish Nails 
Sand paper
Hammer
Mod Podge
Finish sealer spray that is compatible with metal
Pencil
Ruler

Optional supplies
1- 3 1/4" X 3 1/4" Piece of decorative paper (optional, but if your going to go to the trouble why not make it look pretty?)
Acrylic paint
Hand router
Compass (if you don't have a compass try measuring a string to 1 3/4", place a tack on one end of the string and a pencil on the other)


Preparations
Once you have the MDF cut it's a good idea to sand it to make sure the paint will adhere to the wood and make sure the rough edges don't catch and pull on the ribbon as you weave it.


Optional Preparations

I also used a router on my block for the top four edges. It gave me a smooth edge that doesn't poke and looks nicer.


Next I painted the block on all 6 surfaces. First the bottom, let that dry then the top and sides.

After that I used Mod Podge to seal the surface and glue the paper down to the block. Once that was dry I added a second coat of Mod Podge to the top of the paper to make sure it was also sealed.



Assembly

Using a ruler find and mark the center on the paper side of the block by measuring in two inch from the outer edges of the block.


Use the center mark to place your compass and measure out 1 3/4" from the center. If you don't have a compass try measuring a string to 1 3/4", place a tack on one end of the string and a pencil on the other. Place the tack on the center mark and let the string be your guide.


Place a ruler to measure in 2" from the side of the block. Mark where the ruler and circle you just make intersect on both top and bottom of the circle.


Turn the block 1/4 turn and repeat the same mark for the intersecting lines on the top and bottom of the circle.


Measure in from the side and mark at the intersection of the ruler and circle for both top and bottom intersections.
Repeat marks for all four sides of the block.


Now use the ruler and placing it diagonally mark top and bottom intersection of circle. Repeat for the other diagonal line.
This picture shows that there should be 16 marks around the circle
Insert nails into each of the marks you have placed on the front of the block.


Now you will want to wash your hands. The nails leave a dirty grey film on your fingers. 
Spraying the entire top of the block, including the nails, with sealer spay. This will prevent rust and keep the dirt and mess from the nails off your ribbon. While spraying the block I turn the block a full 350 degrees as you apply the sealer. This will help make sure you get all sides of the nails. I also added a second coat of spray again making sure to hit the nails from every angle.