I don't want you to get the wrong impression from this blog post, I don't particularly like housework, but I did need a new long handled duster thingy, and I really didn't want to buy a new plastic one. I'd had an eco friendly one on order for a while but it turned out to be out of stock, and my lightshades just keep getting dustier, so I had to do something.
A quick google found lots of DIY duster options, ones sewn out of microfibre cloths, fabric scraps or wool, crochet or knitted dusters and all sorts of other inventions. I really didn't want to get my sewing machine out, and I happened upon a tutorial for a DIY pompom duster (the photos aren't great but you get the idea - it's a big pompom on a stick.).
Making a pompom duster is super easy, but I'll tell you how I did it anyway.
You'll need - wool or yarn (I wanted to use cotton yarn, to be more eco friendly, but I couldn't find mine, so I made do with synthetic yarn), a big stick, garden twine, glue with a nozzle.
1. Make a huge pompom. I wanted mine to be as big as my handspan, so I measured my cardboard pompom maker to that size, which for reference is about 6 inches. I made my pompom using the instructions from The Craft Train, which is the easiest method I've found for big pompoms!
TOP TIPS - I used two strands of wool held together to make my pompom quicker. Tying a big pompom is quite tricky, I used garden twine to tie the middle of my pompom, the wool just wouldn't hold it. I didn't trim the pompom into a neat ball, all the different lengths of yarn will hopefully make for more effective dusting.
2. Find a big stick and push it through the middle of the pompom. I used a bamboo garden cane that I plucked from the pot of a dead house plant.
3. Glue the stick into the pompom. This was a bit tricky to do and I feel it will be tricky to explain, but I'll try. I used a tube of contact adhesive with a long nozzle, and (with the stick in position through the pompom) slid the nozzle where I could feel the stick was, then squeezed glue out, and repeated several times all the way round. I put the duster on some newspaper with a can of chickpeas on top to weigh it down and make sure the glue stuck.
4. For extra stability I tied the end of the garden twine (that I used to tie the middle of the pompom) round the stick.
4. Wait for the glue to dry then get on with your dusting.
Next time I'd like to make a more eco friendly version, using natural fibres and no glue, so it'd be biodegradable, but for now I'm quite pleased with it. It looks like a giant dandelion flower. And I made it for free, with stuff I already had lying around the house, in about half an hour (not including glue drying time!).
I think it's awesome. I love a pompom and if I didn't already have a perfectly serviceable duster I'd most certainly make one for myself.
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Thank you :) xx
DeleteIt's really cute!!! I like it!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!! :)
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