Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Vintage florals

A couple of weeks ago my Mum gave me a plastic thing she had found lurking in her knitting needle cupboard, "this must be yours". My mind did a 'search' and there was a faint connection with a faraway memory, but I couldn't for the life of me think what it was for. Mum remembered wool pom-poms or flowers . . .


I expect some of you are jumping up and down, shouting "Miss, Miss, I know!"

Well, when I got home I Googled and found this. PING! My brain cells connected and there I was in 1970 something with my present – birthday? Christmas? I probably tried out all the plastic bits and bobs, before deciding to go back to knitting on grown-up needles!

So now I knew that the plastic wheel is a Flower Loom. Let's ask Google again – isn't the internet useful? – here we are . . . How to Make Flowers Using a Vintage Flower Loom.

And I can use that coloured raffia I found yesterday, when I tidied the studio . . .


TA-DAAAAH!


A funky vintage raffia daisy :-)


I'm sure this is going to come in useful this year . . .

Posted by Celia Hart on Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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25 comments:

  1. Rhiannon10 February 2010 at 20:33

    I knew i'd seen it before, flower loom! I made raffia flowers in school in the 70's on one...memory lane ahh

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  2. Elizabeth Musgrave10 February 2010 at 20:37

    I couldn't for the life of me remember what this was - and then the raffia flower brought it all flooding back. I never had one but my friend did and was constantly turning these out!

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  3. Jules10 February 2010 at 20:48

    My goodness that brings back memories. I sem to remember I was obsessed with it as a child and was forever making flowers.

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  4. Anonymous10 February 2010 at 21:36

    That is superb :)

    What a fun thing to have rediscovered

    Fx

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  5. Gina10 February 2010 at 22:04

    What a brilliant device. Love your raffia flower!

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  6. Nan and =^..^=10 February 2010 at 22:10

    That is wonderful that you were able to track it down and discover how to use it through a google search! Your flower is beautiful!

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  7. Lucy @ Smallest Smallholding10 February 2010 at 23:36

    Do you know, I wish I could find the vintage fashion wheel that I'm sure one of us had when I was a child in the 80s... you know the one... you make different outfits with different combinations of the rotating wheel. Yes, yes I am 27...yes, I do still want one...

    I also seem to recall some sort of contraption for making braided bracelets... I swear there be naughty thieving fairies in this here house!

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  8. Frances11 February 2010 at 00:22

    Far out! I have never before seen anything like your recovered treasure, but and imagine what fun it will be to get that plastic into your creative mix.

    How great that it's been saved all these years.

    xo

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  9. Claire11 February 2010 at 05:09

    Cooee from "Downunder", have just discovered your blog via Welsh Hills Again. What a delight, chooks/chickens, you've got me hooked and linoprints, mmmm. Shall have to come back and visit another day.
    Gorgeous coloured raffia flower, bit like the zinnias flowering in my garden at the moment.

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  10. Kath11 February 2010 at 13:19

    Wahey! We had a yellow one!

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  11. Celia Hart11 February 2010 at 13:44

    Well that touched on some memories... I thought that it might!

    Hi Rhiannon - you get a gold star for being first!

    Hi Elizabethm - Flower Looms must have been everywhere in the 70s.

    Hi Jules - I would have put it on the blog before googling if I'd known!

    Hi Feltmaker - time for a revival I think!

    Hi Gina - Do you think raffia flowers are in fashion again?

    Thank you Nan - I couldn't believe how quickly I stumbled on the answer.

    Hi Lucy - errr, I didn't have a fashion wheel or braided bracelets in the 80s - but they sound fun. bet you can track them down somewhere.

    Hi Frances - I have a few ideas for the raffia flowers...

    Hi Claire and welcome to PPPs. I love Zinnias too - of course they won't be flowering for months here - but thanks for reminding me to buy the seeds.

    Hey! Veg Heaven - but have you still got yours?


    I nearly didn't put the Flower Loom on the blog - so glad I did :-)
    Celia
    x

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  12. petoskystone11 February 2010 at 15:31

    useful & cheerfull!

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  13. Celia Hart11 February 2010 at 15:48

    Hi Petoskystone - that's exactly what I thought ;-)

    Celia
    x

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  14. Threadspider11 February 2010 at 16:41

    Wish I knew why I don't remember this from 1970-I was certainly around and the right sort of age!I was a bit "bookish" back then so perhaps I didn't come up for air often enough. Love it.

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  15. Celia Hart11 February 2010 at 16:54

    Hi Threadspider - it's never too late to make a raffia daisy ;-)

    I don't think I was very impressed by it back then.

    Celia
    x

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  16. Kath11 February 2010 at 16:55

    Probably still got it somewhere. I don't throw crafty things away. I suspect it's wherever the wooden gizmo for winding wool is!

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  17. Matron11 February 2010 at 19:49

    I was thinking pompoms at first! but as a child of the 70s I remember that raffia work at school!

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  18. Louise11 February 2010 at 21:33

    I remember having one of these. I'd love another one! x

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  19. Reading Tea Leaves11 February 2010 at 22:03

    I don't remember these at all! But then I was never very creative; being more of a bookish studious type. Bless!

    Jeanne x

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  20. Anonymous13 February 2010 at 09:49

    Too much fun to have a trip down memory lane! And you had something to try out on it, perfect!

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  21. her at home14 February 2010 at 09:51

    I reember havin a straw bag from Jamaca with raffia flowers on it What a fantastic find!!

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  22. Celia Hart14 February 2010 at 10:28

    Hi Matron - I had no idea they were so popular in the 70s.

    Hi Louise - You never know, you may stumble across one...

    Hi Jeanne - I think I'm much more excited about it now than back then!

    Hi Dowhatyoulove - I need more raffia now I've discovered what I can make with it!

    Hi her at home - a flowery raffia bag sounds great fun :-)


    Celia
    x

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  23. Anonymous16 February 2010 at 14:50

    Oh Yes! I remember the flower loom well. I really wanted one and then when I had one couldn't think of anything I wanted to do with a lot of woolly daisies! Px

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  24. Celia Hart16 February 2010 at 15:10

    Hi Penny - woolly daisies didn't inspire me either, but raffia ones seem pretty cool in a retro sort of way.

    Celia
    x

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  25. Jackie20 February 2010 at 22:42

    You have a lot of comments but I must tell you that in my youth(in the early 70s)I made myself a brilliant white(probably synthetic) flower loom shawl. I was a careless young thing and deposited it on the bathroom floor after use in the place where I also deposited my dirty washing. The next evening a new boyfriend called to take me out. I rushed into the bathroom and picked up my lovely shawl and ran downstairs. As I lifted and straightened the shawl prior to flinging round my shoulders, by the door and next to the boyfriend, I spotted with horror hanging from it by one of its hooks..a decidedly grubby once white ..bra.

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