Making things – Coffee Table TV

Cord for macrame

I am learning macrame and I’ve been looking for cord that would work well for a macrame plant holder project. It needs to be fairly thick, flexible and not too resistant to being knotted and flexed, and strong enough to hold a pot of earth which may be watered. A plant holder project requires eight strands ofContinue reading “Cord for macrame”

Making rope

A factory film showing the mechanised braiding of rope, from the National Film Board of Canada.

Cotton grass

This cotton grass is growing wild on the South Yorkshire moors.

Borax

I have used this white rocky substance recently in the making of two things; home made base cream and silver jewellery. Here it is on display in the Natural History Museum. For the cosmetic, a teaspoon of powdered borax, dissolved in water, turns a melted mixture of cocoa butter, bees wax, almond oil and wheatContinue reading “Borax”

Peak District quarry

The bed rock of the Peak District was formed 300 million years ago, close to the equator where the Carribbean is now. Imagine the clear water of a shallow warm sea, teeming with starfish and shellfish like creatures. In vast numbers and over 20 millions years, the remains of these creatures and microorganisms settled onContinue reading “Peak District quarry”