All you need to spin your dreams
We have a couple of new products to announce! The first one is pretty straight forward so I will start with the new limited edition bobbins, and then tell you all about our new Extra Fine hand combs, with a wee story about what makes […]
Once again we were so lucky to have the opportunity to gather together for three days of spinning, learning, chatting, and sharing at this years Majacraft Camp! We were all delighted to see so many old and new friends, and we hope all those attending […]
We really enjoy creating custom wheels, each one is unique, and it is always an interesting exercise to turn a customer’s ideas and designs into something that will work on wood, and fit the shape of one of our wheels.
This is the story of one of our customisations, and one which we think turned out particularly well. This wheel belongs to Honnie Cameron (Australia), a hairdresser in Bendigo who wanted her wheel to blend with her surroundings in a prominent place in their new home, which is a mix of eclectic, mid century and rustic country. The request involved the placement of many cogwheels across the entire design. Here is one of the early images Andy developed to work from.
The designs always start out with the art work, which is then digitised in order to work on it along with the wheel ‘template’. From here it is refined and adapted as needed, until it is ready to go to the laser for creating the design in the wood itself.
Andrew might not say this himself, but over the years he has really mastered the use of the laser and can create some super intricate artworks with excellent control over depth and shade, it takes a lot of skill and knowledge to work in this way and to get more than simple lines and solid areas. Andrew is able to create dynamic depth and detail in the designs, which makes them a real work of art on a wheel.
Scroll through our gallery for more images of the Cogs and Gearswhee wheel!
As you can see, there is quite a process to creating a custom wheel, which also includes assembling the wheel with the artwork on, to make sure everything lines up and looks well balanced in its design as a finished wheel.
If you are interested in a customisation for your next Majacraft wheel, or if you would like to add some customised pieces to your existing wheel, do get in touch with your Majacraft Dealer with your ideas!
UPDATE: Due to Covid, Majacraft Camp 2022 has been postponed until 6-8 May 2022 – see you there! We are pleased to announce our upcoming retreat in 2022. We have chosen the theme: “Spinning a World of Fibre” and throughout the three days we will delve into […]
By Suzy Brown (This article was first published in Issue 9 of tinyStudio Creative Life Magazine) Over the years I have had the privilege of being able to test new products as they come out of Majacraft’s workshop. Most recently, there has been a […]
We are pleased to announce that the upcoming retreat in 2021 is going to be “Living in the Moment with Majacraft.”
Throughout this retreat we are going to focus on mindfulness and simplicity through our handcrafts. In our ever-changing world, I think it’s more important than ever for us to take stock and focus on how we can help nurture our minds and creativity through handcrafts – “When we’re mindful, we reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind, and increase our attention to others’ well-being”. – www.mindful.org
Where: Pacific Park Christian Holiday Camp, 1110 Papamoa Beach Road, Papamoa Beach
When: 1pm Friday 9th April – 3pm Sunday 11th April
Cost: NZ$425 (all inclusive – see below for more info)
Combing Gradients – with Suzy Brown – make a gradient fibre preparation and then add some extra steps to make it unique and gorgeous! Plus learn some exciting tricks with combs along the way.
Hotch Potch Yarn with Janet Day – Australia – our very first virtual class all the way from over the ditch!
Sashiko Stitching – with Cher Feary – make yourself a gorgeous azuma bag featuring sashiko, an ancient traditional Japanese mending stitching technique.
Lace Spinning with Jenny Hart – have you ever wanted to spin lace weight yarn? Have you thought of the beautiful things you can make with it? Learn the technique and more.
Drafting with Kate Mahoney – exploration of drafting techniques for different fibre types – some prior knowledge of short forward and short backward to the retreat will ensure you get the best out of this fascinating class.
Beginners & Beyond with Pat Old – for beginners or those lacking confidence in their spinning. Learn about the mechanics of your wheel, about fleece and fibre types, yarn design and how to finesse your yarn. This is a separate stream and will run alongside our usual main stream classes.
Its also a good time to talk about how we will be running this retreat differently due to Covid19 . There is a possibility of restrictions and precautions, and also a possible lockdown. Nobody knows what’s on the horizon. So in light of this fact, we have decided not to do a payment plan – this year we would like to ask for a deposit, with the balance of the payment in March. However should Covid19 “throw the cat amongst the pigeons” and cancel our event, then we will definitely be offering full refunds. We do ask however, that your deposit is still non-refundable for anything else other than Covid19 related.
The all inclusive cost for the 2021 Majacraft Magic Retreat is $425 – this includes: all accommodation (including bedding/towels), all meals (by our favourite chef Kendell & team), and all class materials/fibres etc. Just turn up with your suitcase and spinning wheel and enjoy!
If you are interested in doing the Beginners stream or know of anyone else who would be interested, please let us know. We will need a minimum of 6 people to run this very special class.
We were so lucky to have been able to run Camp 2020 this year before Covid reached our shores, it was enjoyed by all and we all have very warm remembrances of that special time! We think Camp 2021 will also be a wonderful time for us to gather and share, and we hope you can join us!
It is Spring here in New Zealand, a time of lambs, daffodils, and also fresh beginnings. This seems to be the perfect time for us to bring you our brand new range of Majacraft bobbins! We have spent the winter completely overhauling all our bobbins, and are […]
I would like to share with you something I have developed that I think is new and exciting, this is my super duper colour management system for use with the Hackle – one of my favourite Majacraft tools! I started developing this system in mid […]
Did you guess which of our wheels these pretty pedals belong to? They DO look like Rose pedals, or Suzies, or even Aura’s, they could be Pioneer feet but these are Rimu not Ash, so whose can they be?
Yes! Our updated Little Gem has new shoes!
Now that our workshop is back into production and shipping again after our New Zealand Covid lockdown, we are pleased to be able to get back to making and shipping orders for our updated Gem! We released this not long before the virus became a global pandemic, and we know some of you have been waiting for yours to be shipped. For those who have not yet met the stylish new look Gem, here is a rundown of the things we have changed.
Fundamentally the Little Gem remains the same, a gorgeous, fold down travel wheel that is smooth to use and stable when spinning. It still fits all our accessories and kits, such as the lace kit for fine spinning, or the jumbo flyer and bobbins for art yarns and plying. We believe that the changes we have made will improve the look and performance of this wheel in a number of ways.
We hope you will like these new changes to the Little Gem. This wheel continues to be a fantastic travel wheel, which is often used also as a ‘main’ wheel by many happy Little Gem spinners! I will leave you will one of my favourite ‘Gem Spun’ yarns, made with my preferred Gem set up of the lace kit: fast flyer and pulley, with the gorgeous wee baby bobbins!
Till next time, Happy Spinning!
Suzy
A short time ago we released the new updated version of the Pioneer, our entry level spinning wheel. The update has quite a few changes, such as the super handy handle in the stem, the nicer shaped pedals, and the harder wood (moved from Pine […]
