Everyone is talking about hand painted wooden bobbin frames right now, and who can blame them? They look lovely in their bulbous painterly form! A revival of a furniture trend called Bobbin furniture, popular in the Seventeen century, they will sit nicely with my pressed flower prints also inspired by Seventeen-century innovators, botanists. Did people ever frame their botanical species with these frames back then? Most probably not in sugar pink or red! I’ll show you how to make professional bobbin frames using only quality materials to reflect the high level of craftsmanship of that era.
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Making Bobbin Frames
Below is a video demonstration of how I made my bobbin frame followed my step-by-step illustrated instructions:
Choose A Frame
Not adept with a lathe or a jigsaw, I purchased plain solid wood frames to decorate and hand paint myself. With so many veneer-coated structures out there, it was a mind field finding solid wood frames. After all, with such a timeless appeal, I wanted my frame to age well, and solid wood does just that! Eventually, I chose beautiful solid maple frames, marvelling at the wood quality when they arrived at my door!
My frame was from an Etsy seller Luxehouse Wooden Decor. The important thing when picking a frame is to make sure you can find the little bobble with the same diameter as the framing. My frame had a moulding width of 15mm, the same as my 15mm bobbles.
Decorate With Bobbles
I discovered that the little bobbles I needed to purchase were now known as ‘split wooden balls,’ and you can find them on Etsy. A packet of 100 was enough to decorate an A4 frame easily ( I used 68) and they were 15mm in diameter to fit the face of my 15mm wide frame. These bobbles come in different diameters so take care in choosing the right size.
Adhere With Wood Glue
I chose Gorilla wood glue as it has a reliable reputation, and the bobbles needed to be secure.
Choose Paint
For my first frame, I chose Frenchic Trim Paint for the wood. The blurb on the tin states it has ‘a subtle but robust sheen’, perfect for the look I wanted. However, deciding between trying Frenchic or Farrow & Ball Modern Eggshell paint was challenging. Farrow and Ball have a more extensive colour palette, but Frenchic smaller-sized tins for smaller projects which is more cost effective.
Choose Paint Colour
Committing to one colour is tricky when you start exploring the possibilities, but I suggest you look at the print or artwork you want to frame and examine the colours in relation to your room setting. Check out my blog post, How To Create A Vintage Colour Palette, for more help choosing and styling a room with colour!
I have experimented with a few different paint shades from the Frenchic paint range. I use the Trim Paints for several reasons, their quality, low VOC content, scuff resistance, and water based credentials. Above and below are examples of how different colours look on my bobbin frames. The Frenchic shade called BonBon was my favourite, that’s before I tried Dusky Blush which is so versatile and dreamy. I’ve also tried Hot As Mustard and Riad Red. For a red inspiration read my post, Creating A Unique Red Aesthetic With Frames.
My name is Leah and I make bobbin frames to finish off my embroidered artworks, like the below pressed flower art pieces.
Method
1. Lightly sand the surface of your frame with fine-grain sandpaper. Sanding will help the glued-on bobbles bond well to the frame and the first layer of paint.
2. Arrange the bobbles into place around the frame. My first attempt at arranging them saw me with gaps in the corners. I rectified this by taking one bobble out and spreading them evenly. See my second layout attempt below. Both are neither right nor wrong, but below is the finish I sought.
3. Glue the bobbles in place one at a time, pushing each bobble down. The glue dried quickly, so any slightly misaligned bobble needed to be removed and readjusted promptly before leaving your glued frame to cure for 24 hrs.
4. I next hand-painted my frame, giving it three coats. The paint I used recommended a four-hour drying period between each layer. This paint was also self-priming; however, if yours isn’t, you must first coat your frame with a primer suitable for wood. A small paint brush worked well for me, and a second, slightly bigger one to get around the circular shapes and prevent excessive paint build-ups between bobble shapes.
History Of Bobbin Furniture
Bobbin furniture, also known as spool furniture, spool-turned furniture, cottage furniture, spindle furniture, button-turned, and the ball turned, became popular in the Seventeenth century. This decorative technique was said to derive when offcuts from factories producing sewing bobbins were re-imagined into a decorative texture for furniture. They embellished bed frames, stools, chairs, lampshade bases and cribs with charming little wooden bobble shapes.
Bobbin Frames & Furniture Trends
Since the Seventeenth-century, bobbin furniture has enjoyed several comebacks; one renowned revival has been during the Arts and Crafts period as people shunned mass products in favour of hand-crafted items. In the UK, we started seeing bobbin picture frame trends and furniture trends revival a couple of years ago, which are still extremely popular today. It is such a classic style that it never fades entirely, and with the range of colours now on offer, it’s a contemporary trend.
More Bobbin Furniture Inspiration
For inspirational bobbin furniture to team with your bobbin frame, check out these beautiful retailers:
Alfred Newell is a master craftsman, and his bobbin dining table, and all of his pieces of bobbin furniture are sheer luxury and quality! For those with a big budget! He offers natural varnished and bright painterly finishes.
Graham & Green has the most beautiful bobbin armchairs, benches and stools in ash wood and natural linen. Their take is very neutral and serene.
On the other hand, Oliver Bonas goes all out with bold and daring colours with their bobbin furniture collection. I love their teal occasion wood display shelves and, ok, every single one of their pieces of furniture.
Buying Bobbin Frames
Etsy has numerous framers crafting beautiful bobbin frames, check out sellers, ShopStayingIn, LilyFieldStudioArt for a great range of sizes.
More On Framing
Making bobbin picture frames is just one idea for pressing pressed flower art and pressed flower prints. Check out our post, How To Make A Pressed Flower Frame, for see-through frame inspiration, mounting and traditional framing and composition ideas for your flowers!
Alternatively be inspired by the handmade mounts I made using rare Laura Ashley fabrics from the 1970s/1980s. Read the blog post Authentic Laura Ashley Fabric & Unique Art Collaborations.
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Contempfleury
Contempfleury is the studio of artist Leah Nikolaou. Trained in Constructed Textiles at The Royal College Of Art in London, Leah’s artwork focuses on mixing flower pressing and embroidery techniques to make contemporary artworks for the modern home.
Conclusion
I was so pleased with my frames and felt I’d achieved the professional heritage look I’d hoped to capture. The hand-painted frames were simple, but it took patience to get a professional painterly finish. The bobbin frames detail enhanced the colours and textures of my pressed flower prints without drawing focus entirely away from their beauty.
