Craftsman Crate: The Rope Coiling Crate Charlotte Mason Version

Description

The origin of coil mats, baskets, and vessels is lost in time, though the use
of coiled vessels by ancients is evident in Greece and Rome, Egypt, the Americas, and much of the world. From those times, people have used reeds, flax, and threads to connect coils of twisted or braided fibers, grasses, pine straw, or ropes into useful objects. Ancient Egyptians used simple machines to twist papyrus into ropes, while medieval artisans used ropewalks to make long, tightly twisted ropes. Ropes coiled into mats and vessels were used by sailors, merchants, and householders throughout history. Even today, coiled rope may be found in museums and art galleries, but also in our own homes.

The Rope Coiling Crate Contains:

Rope – the foundation you’ll use to create your works:

• Cotton rope – a traditional medium with a pleasant, soft texture. Cotton rope is easy to work with but stretching can be a problem.
• Manila rope – the strongest of the natural fiber ropes, it’s durable and resistant to stretching.
• Poly rope – made from synthetic materials, it is inexpensive and often colorful, producing a durable and unique product. Ideal for outdoor use.

Needles – used to draw your binding material through and around the rope:

• Tapestry Needle – has a large eye that accommodates waxed thread or multi-strand floss, but a blunt tip that will not tear or split fibers in a loosely woven rope. We include a #18 fairly large and a #13 very large tapestry needle.
• Chenille Needle – has a large eye that accommodates waxed thread or multi-strand floss and a sharp tip that passes easily through coarse or tightly woven rope. We include a #18 fairly large chenille needle.

Threader – This little device makes threading your needle very easy. Simply slide one of the hooked ends in through the eye of the needle, snag a loop of thread or floss, and pull back through the eye of the needle.

Finger Armor – If your grandfather was a tailor or your grandmother a seamstress, they probably called this a thimble, but we think “finger armor” sounds ever so much better! This will allow you to shove the needle right through the rope without sticking it through your finger as well.

Waxed Thread – This is the same type and weight of thread used for leatherworking or bookbinding. It’s used to bind the spirals of rope to the previous spiral. The wax makes it pull more easily through the tough, thick rope as well as making it tougher and less stretchy. NOTE: Color will vary.

Floss – This type of thread comes in skeins with 6 strands. That allows you to use 2, 3, 4, or more strands at a time for different uses. It is used to bind a strand of rope to the previous ones in the coil or spiral.

Craft Knife – Use this to cut your rope but be sure to lay the rope down on a safe surface like your cardboard box and cut away from yourself.

Enjoy!

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