Custom Pinwheel Set Case

I was very frustrated when I received this pinwheel set in the mail. I have spoken to someone who owns one who says that people are frustrated when they transport their pinwheels because they catch on everything. Being who I am I was going to succeed at crafting a custom case for them, and I have.

The following is a pictorial showing what I did.

First, here is the pinwheel set in question:

This set consists of: 1-wheel, 3-wheel, 5-wheel, and 7-wheel Wartenburg wheels for sensory play.

The next thing I had to figure out was what kind of container I would store them in. Luckily, since I purchased a few Lock & Lock sets of containers a while back, I had a number to choose from. I opted for the 27oz, 7 1/8" x 4 5/16" interior, rectangular container.

The Lock & Lock containers are nice because of their straight sides.

Before going any further it was time to do a test run fitting.

 

They all nicely fit the way I had envisioned.

Now it was time to gather some needed materials and tools: 1/16" crafting foam, scissors, a ruler, a mechanical pencil, a razor blade, adhesive, and my drawing pad.

The 1/16" crafting foam works nicely because it can be cut and layered.

 

A good mechanical pencil, ruler, and some junky scissors are self-explanatory.

The razor blade is for cutting. This crafting adhesive has a nice working time and very little odor.

You're looking at 1:1 scale drawings, a top view and a section, of the various measurements and reference marks I took to do this. A rarely put dimensions on my drawings because my scale rulers are my best friends; in addition, I do not give anything away to prying eyes. 

After I cut up and out the foam it was time to glue it up.

This adhesive has a 45 minute working time and a 24 hour cure time.

I had an elaborate cutout for the upper layers but opted to use scrap foam for spacing and stays instead. On top of these goes two layers of foam and then the lid.

An answer to a question... When you put the lid on and shake it all around what happens? The answer is nothing. The pinwheel stat where they're supposed to and it's a rather quiet shaking experience.

Here's a side view in case anyone is interested:

Here you can see the foam layers.

Before finishing I need to emphasize the importance of using a Barbicide bath on these.

When I play I DO NOT pierce the skin, nor do implements such as this come into contact with any bodily fluids. Having said that, it is still important to give items such as this a bath between uses. When used or mixed correctly, Barbicide KILLS HIV-1(AIDS), HBV, and HCV on pre-cleaned objects and surfaces.

It doesn't cost much. Go down to your local beauty supply and get yourself a bottle. It never hurts to be safe.

Anyway, I hope this helps some of you or inspires you when looking for a storage solution for tricky tools such as pinwheels.

 

Washable Denim Flogger

Project time: About 7 Hours. If you use a straight stitch or serge the falls, your project time will decrease.

Here's what I made:

What you will need:

-sewing machine

-a good amount of thread

-1 yard of 46" non-stretch denim

-3/4" dowel

-8" of Velcro 

-yard stick

-carpenter's square (optional but recommended)

-disappearing ink pen, tailors chalk, or some other marking tool

-pins

-a good pair of fabric shears

-smaller shears or cutters

-a nice work surface

-patience

-music to enjoy while you sew

-a wood saw

-an iron and ironing board

After I ironed the fabric, I took this picture to show you that we're using both layers. This is before I trimmed this scrap fabric up.

After I trimmed up the scrappy edge, I proceeded to start the layout process.

The layout is as follows:

-Mark out an 8" x 30" section for the handle. You want to do this at the selvage edge. 

-Measure and mark out hash marks at .75" increments along the folded edge and the 8" line you previously marked out. Draw lines using a yard stick and your marking tool. (A carpenter's square is very useful. At the top of the image is a 72" ruler that I used to square off of, and reference.) These are the reference lines for the falls.

NOTE: The first and last 1.5" portions will be cut out. 

-Measure and mark out a 1.5" x 8" box at either end of the 8" x 30" box. One will serve as your dowel pocket. The other will serve as the placket or flap onto which you will attach the Velcro. 

-In the scrap portion below the box that will serve as the flap, mark down .25" - .5". This will later be used when you complete the flap.

This is the complete marked out layout. Before you do any sewing, you're going to want to place some pins in the fabric to keep it together. I chose to place three along the selvage and one in the first and last falls.

One of the very first things you're going to want to do is sew the flap. You will need to simply cut along the bottom and the right side of the small box you marked out. You then simply fold it up between the two layers. You will also need to fold under 1/4" from the 8" edge. You may want to iron them under so they stay flat. Be sure to clip the corners that you fold under to get rid of bulk. Finally, you want to sew directly on the layout line between the flap and the handle portions of the fabric. Completely sew around the flap, about .125" from the edges and then lock off.

Next, you will want to sew a box at the other end. This will create the pocket for the dowel. Be sure to sew only around the two sides and the bottom edge. You'll want to be able to remove the dowel through the top opening for cleaning. I recommend either doing two layers of stitching or two tight rows along the three edges, leaving enough room for easy dowel removal.

The final stitching that needs to be completed before moving on to the falls is a line .125" up, along the entire folded edge, and a line along the entire 8" mark. 

On to the falls.

I have a Bernina Activa 230PE sewing machine. The stitch I decided to use, for ease, was the button hole stitch. It's stitch #10. The machine doesn't know that we're not doing button holes unless you put it into reverse. I elected to use this stitch because there was no need to play around with setting the stitch length, width, or the position of the needle. The needle will always stay to the left of the reference lines, and deliver a 2 mm wide, fine length stitch, consistently.

This image shows the reference line, in line with the center mark on the presser foot. I started each pair of passes with the fold edge of the fabric just under the needle. To help start I gave a little push towards the foot and simultaneously tugged on the thread tails. This was required for the first three - five stitches, simply because there wasn't enough fabric for the feed dogs to, well, feed. 

Once you pass over the 8" line, raise your needle, slightly lift the presser foot if you have a Knee Lift like my machine does, turn the piece around for the second pass, and line the stitch you just did with the left edge of the right tooth of the presser foot, and proceed.

 

You'll want to finish each pass just past the stitch you made just past the .125" up from the fold stitch you did earlier.

This is what it looks like with all of the passes completed.





It's now time to cut between the rows of stitches that surround each reference line. Stop each cut just below the 8" stitch. You DO NOT want to cut beyond it.




I chose to do it after, but before you cut between the falls, you'll want to stabilize the 8" portion with some stitches. I spaced mine 1" apart. You could also take the option to adhere the two sides of the 8" section together with some iron-in adhesive bond. I didn't want to add thickness or stiffness, so I opted for the stitches. It's important to stabilize this area. If you don't, when you roll this into a flogger, you will have undesirable bunching, making the handle portion ugly and not nice to hold.

Before you're ready to roll the flogger, you will need to trim the dowel down to size. I trimmed the .75" dowel down to a 7.25" length.

Completely insert the dowel, and then proceed with rolling your sewing creation into a flogger. One benefit of the stabilizing stitches and the selvage edge is you have reference marks to guide you while you tightly roll it up.

This is an end-view of the flogger rolled up.

Now that you have the flogger rolled up and are satisfied with the ability to consistently roll it to this tightness, you'll want to make a reference mark, both next to the edge of the flap and directly to the left or right of it (on the are covered by the flap) so you know where to place the Velcro.

For this project I chose to go against the Velcro people's suggestion not to use the "industrial strength" for fabric. They recommend not doing this for a couple of reasons: 1. Because it's meant to be adhered and not sewn, 2. Because the adhesive will coat your needle, and 3. I don't believe the hooks are rated for high heat in the dryer. I knew that I was going to toss this needle after this project, so no harm, no foul. The sewn on Velcro that Michael's had was either available in monster lengths or it was the crappy stuff. If I you look around you can find high strength sewn-on or iron-on Velcro. If you choose the iron-on, you MUST sew it on or else it will eventually peel off. It's all a matter of preference.

I took one set of 2" x 4" Velcro and cut it into 1" strips. I then trimmed .125" - .185" off each end and stuck it to the fabric, using the 4" mark as my reference.

I then proceeded to sew it on using my Zipper Foot. Lining the Zipper Foot up with the edge and appropriately lining the needle up along the edge is a very easy way to work this out.
NOTE: If your machine does not have a zipper stitch or a sensor for the zipper foot, be sure to position the needle appropriately or else you're going to destroy a needle, and possibly an eye, or break your machine, or some other tragic thing that I am not liable for, either. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

You repeat the same step for the other side of the Velcro, and you're finished. All you have left is to roll it up into a flogger.

...and there you have it. One denim flogger that will pack a punch if you want it to. Best part, as mentioned before, you simply unroll it, remove the dowel, and toss it into your machine for washing.

I would recommend putting it into a pillow case or a protective garment case and setting the machine to delicate. In the dryer, if you have a drying tray, that would be my recommendation; on the Low setting. The other alternative would be to hand wash this. If you want to make your neighbors curious, hang it up to dry on your clothesline.

One final shot. As you can see, the handle is 8" and the 40 falls are 15".

The edges of the falls are going to fray as this flogger is used and washed. You can either trim them or let them have the frayed look. It's all about whatever your preference is.

Have fun, and always, be safe when participating in BDSM activities.

This is merely an outline of what I have made. I am not responsible the success or failure of your project. I accept no responsibility in your misuse of this item, or any harm you cause.

Safe, Sane, and Consensual is the only way to play, if that's what you decide to do.