Old Time Bobbin winder

Old time bobbin winder old spool of yarn and old shuttle

Another picture of bobbin winder

close up of paper bobbin being wound weaving shuttle in background
Ok, I have been wanting to share this with you. This is  an old  piece of weaving equipment with an old spool of weaving yarn still in its original wrapper.These were given to me by various people who did not want to throw them away but thought since I weave and their mother or aunt use to weave then I would want to have them. Boy !are they right!I just love my old things.They tell me how hard  they worked and what pride they had in creating the items that they felt their family would enjoy.
To use this bobbin winder you have to make paper bobbins to hold the yarn . It is then removed off the shaft and put into the weaving shuttle.
What a lot of use this winder must gave seen. The shaft is a little bent but still winds. It is belt driven with a leather belt still in good shape.
paper bobbin in shuttleThe bobbin winder is cast iron and hand cranks . The shuttle I have to tell you about. The shaft in the middle is a whittled stick that won't come out now but did remove to put the paper bobbin on. Weavers call these "boat shuttles" as these are shaped like boats.   

Comments

Oh wow, the weaving yarn still in its original packaging!?! That's amazing. What a find! I want to get into weaving one day - it looks relaxing, yet you can immediately see what you're accomplishing. That's so cool!

And yeah, those shuttles do look like boats!

Thanks so much for linking to the party, Phyllis. :)

Cheers,
Tracy
Whoa, weaving is very labor intense. But I love the look of newly completed fabric! It is a challenge to repeat the weaving pattern over and over again with no mistakes. Thanks for the comment, I bet you would make a great weaver!
Unknown said…
Hi Phyllis~

Weaving, I am so impressed! Thanks for sharing those lovely pieces, if only they could talk..the wonderful stories we would hear.

Drop by The Tattered Tag
TeresaM said…
Thanks for stopping by my blog!!! I love to watch weaving!!! Very confusing to me!!!
Amy said…
I have a similar one - I cover the spindle with some layers of scrap paper, then fit the plastic bobbin over the paper. After some trial and error, you'll see what keeps the bobbin on the spindle. Works well for me. Right now, I'm looking for a replacement belt, maybe a large O-ring of some sort.
Hans said…
A Scottish folk called the Jute Mill Song describes life in 19th century textile mills for "shifters". Shifters were women, but but also children, who took empty bobbins from the weavers, ran to a winding station, and rewound thread onto them using hand cranked bobbin winders. They weren't paid much, worked long hours, and child workers often lied about their ages in order to get jobs to help feed their families. We rightly admire old spinning and weaving equipment, but should remember that the hands that turned this 19th century bobbin winder toiled hard, that rich mill owners might prosper.

There are different versions of the lyrics, some with more Scottish dialect than others:

O, dear me, the mill is running fast
The poor, wee shifters canna get nae rest
Shifting bobbins coarse and fine
They fairly make you work for your ten and nine

O, dear me, I wish this day were done
Running up and doon the Pass is nae fun
Shiftin', piecin', spinning warp, weft and twine
To feed and clothe ma bairnie offa ten and nine

O, dear me, the world is ill-divided
Them that works the hardest are the least provided
But I maun bide contented, dark days or fine
There's no much pleasure living offa ten and nine

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