Washing line windmill tutorial

I have a bit of a passion for windmills. Whenever I go to the seaside I make a small toy windmill purchase. I'm approaching 40 so perhaps I should have grown out of this, but they're colourful, they spin around and they remind me of the beach. Maybe it's not so odd after all.

I've had an idea for washing line windmills knocking around in my head for a while. I find hanging the washing out fairly soothing and zen-like anyway, but these seem to make a line of washing rather lovely.

Here's a tutorial so that you can make your own.

You will need:

Medium card
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Holepunch (I used a scissor-like one)

1mm galvanised wire (available from hardware shops or garden centres)

Wire cutters and pliers (round-nosed if you have them)

Beads (flattish ones work well, plastic or glass are equally good)

Washing line pegs*

I used plastic ones but wooden pegs would work just as well.

1. Mark and cut out a 7cm square of card. I drew some quick pencil lines on one side for some deckchair-
like stripes.

2. Turn over and draw lines between opposite corners to make a cross. Cut from each corner to about two thirds of the way towards the middle.

3. Bring two opposite corners together and fold. Repeat with the other two corners. Use the point where the folds meet to cut a hole about 8mm wide. It doesn't have to be perfectly round.

4. Turn back over and use a hole punch to make holes in each corner as shown, then bend each corner into the middle but don't make a crease, just a loose fold so that each of the corners stay near the centre.

5. Cut a piece of galvanised wire about 20cm long and make a loop at the end using pliers. Thread a bead onto the wire.

6. Poke the other end of the wire through one of the corner holes in the front of the windmill, then through each of the other corner holes in turn and finally through the hole in the 'back' of the windmill. Adjust and gently bend the 'sails' of the windmill at this point so that it spins smoothly if blown.

7. Bend the wire through 90 degrees about 4cm behind the bead. Then use your pliers and fingers to bend the wire into a roundish shape about 1.5cm in diameter as shown.

8. Thread the end of the wire around the middle of the peg and bring the wire round to form a loop as shown above. Twist the end of the wire around the central piece of wire to secure it as shown below. Snip the end off and use your pliers to really squeeze the wire that wraps wound the peg to make sure that it doesn't slide around.

9. Your windmill and its wire may need slight bending and adjustment to ensure that it spins well. When this is done peg on the line.

The proof of the windmill is in the spinning. Here they are in action. The wall behind is rather old (250 years) so please excuse the cracks in it:



Note: The lovely little vintage embroidered tablecloth was a recent and unexpected thankyou present from Steph at Curlew Country. Steph it's enjoyed and admired daily, thankyou so much.