Paper House Workshop

~ Paper House Workshop ~

It was a busy workshop weekend here at Hutch and on a blustery and wet Sunday we were cozy and creative making paper houses.

I'm always curious about what paper will be brought and this fun group of ladies had some good stuff.  Prints, colors, and textures were all over the table.  Exciting!

In no time at all little houses began popping up where the sheets of paper once were.  Ok, it took a little time to cut, fold, and assemble the houses, but it still is a bit magical nonetheless.

These ladies were so nice to work with and they were full of ideas.

We all had a great time, and I'm sure there will be many little paper houses appearing around their homes this holiday season.

Wedding Anniversary Whirligigs!

~ Wedding Anniversary Whirligigs ~

It was a very special whirligig workshop this Saturday.  Bruce and Annette chose to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary at Hutch making whirligigs.  

Bruce created a circus themed gig (pictured above) and Annette made hers on a candy theme.  Both were amazing and spun beautifully in our gusty Saturday weather.

I could tell that they were both so excited to get their whirligigs home and put them in a spot where they will always remember that other special day when they made whirlgigs at Hutch. 

May Annettte and Bruce's love spin on.

Whirligigs at the Farm.

~ Whirligigs at the Farm ~

What a beautiful weekend it was last Saturday and Sunday.  Sunny and warm in October.  Can you believe it?  I had the opportunity to be at Gordon's Skagit Farm for the annual Festival of Family Farms event.  Thousands of people visited the farm enjoying the weather and the pumpkin and squash harvest.  Making whirligigs and talking to people was non stop and very enjoyable.  These photos of me were taken by a fun couple who are big fans of the hutch whirligigs  (Brian and Becky Burch). It was so nice of them to send them to me.

Here I am soaking up the sun and working on a gig redesign.

The funny thing about this picture is that my son makes this same goofy grin in all his school photos.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, that's for sure.

Notes on Hubs.

~ Notes on Bike Hubs ~

You may wonder what makes our whirligigs spin.

The answer is a bicycle hub.  A basic front wheel hub is designed to spin well and fast and last a good long time.  I originally repurposed old bike wheels to get their hubs, but when I began teaching workshops and needing so many so often I had to start ordering them new.  I wanted to point out that not all front hubs are the same.  TYhey all should spin and work for a whirligig but the material it's made of an it's dimensions can vary slightly. Aluminum hubs are lighter in weight than steel but this makes little difference as far as the spinning goes.  What does matter is that often a hub is tight and not smooth moving.  Hold onto one bolt end an spin with your fingers.  It should rotate smoothly and easily.

If it doesn't, it may have a little rubber dust cover over the black lock nut.  These aren'y needed for whirligig purposes and they slow down the spin.  Just pry it off with fingers or a flat head screwdriver. (see below).

Next if it still seems tight, put one ends lock nut in a table top vice clamp and with a closed end wrench on the opposite black lock nut turn gradually to the left.  As you do this, continually stop and spin the hub.  Stop  turning the wrench as soon as the hub is spinning smoothly and easily.  If you over loosen the nuts you will notice a up and down wiggle in the hub that can cause the whirligig to vibrate as it spins.  If you experience this vibration in your gig, tighten up the hub slightly.

Happy Spinning!

Baker's Whirligig.

~ A Baker's Whirligig ~

Well, we have a new addition to our fence at Hutch.  The "Baker" whirligig is a combination of large mixing bowl, hand sifters, and an old Sunbeam beater mixer.  I'm waiting for a good windy day to see it in action, but I have a feeling that this one will really cook.

Hutch at Gordon's Farm!

~ Hutch at Gordon's Farm ~

Just a reminder to everyone planning a visit to Hutch this weekend.

We will not be there.  We have a booth at Gordon Skagit Farms for the "Festival of Family Farms" in the beautiful Skagit Valley.  I will be demonstrating whirligig making from 10am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th.  Bring the family by Gordon's for pumpkin picking, corn mazing, and cider drinking.  I hope to see you there!

Frames of Cardboard

~ Frames of Cardboard ~

My love of paper (cardboard) to be more specific is well documented but making frames has been one of my favorite things to make with this versatile material.  As you first enter Hutch you see several examples of how unique and creative these frames can be. A lot of people think they look like wood.  Pictured above is the "Picket Fence" frame which is the largest measuring 29 by 34 inches.

This is the "Bunny Pulling Carrot" frame and a reproduction of the original that was purchased not too long ago along with the original of the below pictured "Sewing Bunny" frame.  Both of the originals had applied white paint that gave them a sense of light.  I mostly hand cut using scissors and and x-acto knife but I'm trying to utilize a die-cut machine to make things more efficient.  Besides selling them in the shop we have monthly workshops here at Hutch. It's a super creative and fun time.

So get your glue guns ready and sign up for a workshop now!