1800's Great Wheel Restoration - Can she spin again?

[@sophie1301]

As a trained museum conservator, unless that Great Wheel was associated with an important person or a significant event in history, you’re absolutely fine to restoring it to usable condition. There are many Great Wheels already in museums. There is no reason to not restore yours. No one needs to be coming at you about it. Happy spinning!

[@JillianEve]

Thank you! I feel relief to hear that. 💜

[@barbaragaspard1989]

​@JillianEve I have one thing to say that is, the moment you bought and paid for this wheel it is YOUR choice to do with as you please. You don't need approval of anyone to or not to restore, sorry it really urks me when someone tries to shove their authority or opinion based on that person's position.

[@robinmitchell4721]

I have a meme for that.@@barbaragaspard1989

[@Sunburst_No]

To be clear, museums don't have authority over paid property. That's just ridiculous to believe otherwise.

[@eingliskzoo]

just what I was going to write! I'm a retired museum educator.

[@kristalburns3490]

Poor Mark. He tried so hard. He also knew he was taking that wheel home. I love the look of Great Wheels.

[@MijnWolden]

Your excited face in the car was so cute and honestly recognizable, I have made that face with a wheel in the trunk too 😁

[@JillianEve]

😁 You know that look too!

[@tracysmith7935]

I saw a "re-enactment" about 40 yrs ago where a woman was using a "wooden stick" in her right hand to turn the great wheel while she spun some white wool rolages. It helped her get the angle off of the spindle tip she was comfortable with. I believe that each spinner got into their comfort zone while spinning.

[@JillianEve]

Brilliant!

[@CarrieCraftGeek]

As a girl from Indiana I am just fascinated by the corn husk bearings. So cool.

[@katievowell212]

Thank you for always wanting to do things as true to historically acurate as possible. Sometimes that balance of what is historical vs. what makes a piece functional is hard. I've refinished some heirloom furniture, and I always tell myself that it's needs to die just a little bit to be reborn again. So cool to see the old corn husks, but it's even better to see her restored with new ones to be a working wheel. ❤❤❤

[@JillianEve]

It is hard sometimes and I don't think there's any one right way. I like how you phrased it! 💜🧶

[@FreyaWarr]

I always wondered wtf they were talking about in sleeping beauty! Thanks for clearing up one of my greatest childhood mysteries ❤❤

[@JillianEve]

Absolutely! That part of the animated movie when Aurora is in a trance was absolute nightmare fuel when I was a kid. I remember it so clearly that I wonder if it's why I ended up as a yarn spinner! 😅🧶💜

[@jimiwills]

I AM in Scotland... Though "Muckle" is not used throughout Scotland... I think. I've only heard it on the east coast. (Means "big", btw)

[@JillianEve]

Thank you for that clarification! "Big" definitely makes sense for a wheel like this. 💜🧶😊

[@kriskossack7231]

Love the colors in your Cardigan! Looks great with your hair!

[@penniecormier8770]

Thanks for restoring the wheel and showing how to use it! Foxfire a high school project that blossomed into books and a show from the late 1970s to preserve knowledge on how to do these important skills. Even make a padlock from wood. In one volume of Foxfire, the Acadian grandparents demonstrated using the great wheel. They made a supply of bobbins out of corn husks sewn in a narrow cone shape so it could be slipped on the metal spike. That allowed the spinner to remove a full bobbin and replace it to continue spinning. Maybe you can find it on line?

[@jsmxwll]

my great grand aunt was born in 1890 or so. she had a scar on her lower back from backing into a the spindle of a greatwheel when she was a teenager. she said they would turn it backward so the spindle faced the wall when it wasn't in use.

[@JillianEve]

🤯😱💜

[@FibrePunk]

In really enjoyed all of this video, but mostly I'm really glad to have an answer to how somebody managed to prick their finger on a spinning wheel!

[@hookthatyarn]

1399!!! Omgosh I’m so here for this. 👀 thank you 🤗 You are rocking the sweater you made ❤❤❤

[@valzahnzahn]

JUST acquired a great wheel a couple weeks ago so I believe it’s fate you posted this for my benefit lol❤❤❤

[@JillianEve]

Serendipitous! Happy spinning!

[@MsLadyhorse]

She's wonderful. Im so glad you could bring her back to working life. My very first spinning wheel was a spindle wheel that i built by tying one of my drop spindles to a forked stick stuck in a hole on a 2x4 with a 26 inch bicycle rim as its drive wheel on the other end of that 2x4. I crocheted a shawl from that spindle wheel, then I learned how bobbins work...Now i have 2 cobbled together Frankenstein bobbin wheels that i built, 1 rescued flax wheel from a flea market that i think is at least 150 years old, and i still use my spindle wheel for plying and super bulky.

[@clarebrady1532]

I'm so glad you made this video! I see so many wheels that need restoring on e-bay and I'm so scared of doing it because I have no carpentry skills but this has made me rethink the whole thing and maybe I can do more than I think! Thank you for restoring this gorgeous wheel so it can do what it was made to do again. I think museums should restore some more and have a working model next to their old beaten up versions they want to keep as found. So people can truly appreciate what wonderful machines they are. This goes for a LOT of broken things in museums. As someone who likes to learn how things work, I think kids would be more interested in history if they did that.

[@resourcedragon]

There are some museums that have "hands on" exhibits and I think they are an excellent idea. People have more fun that way and they learn more. However, they also then need a team to maintain the hands-on exhibits and keep them working .

[@deeztube1]

Oh my goodness, if that wheel could talk!!! 😮 so cool!!!

[@JillianEve]

I'm guessing she's maybe around 200 years old? She could be older or younger. After the bearings dried and I oiled them up, she spins with just the tiniest of effort. She looks rough, but her spin is so smooth!

[@elineeugenie5224]

Beautiful work, I'd for sure watch a session of pure spinning on this wheel, great asmr!

[@inchb.wigglet640]

Great video! If you put the old bearings in some cloth bags you could tie them on, so they would stay together forever. Also that sweater looks great on you.

[@pamelamaynecorreia1688]

I love that you bring them back to life.

[@hookthatyarn]

😊wheel daddy ❤thank you for holding the drive band❤ this was such a great restoration video!! I really enjoyed watching your process. 19:42 it’s like a coordinated dance Have a great day!!!!!

[@KitD2365]

I'm fascinated by walking/great wheels so I really appreciate this video. Now I will know what to look for if I decide to buy one.

[@TheSarahLindy]

She is the moment 😍 I always love seeing items restored to working order, especially when they were originally created to be *used* 🥰 I think you’ve honored her by giving her new life & an opportunity to teach generations that may never otherwise have occasion to see one of these in action! ♥️

[@thriftyfibres]

So excited to see you getting this wheel into action! And I'm looking forward to your dive into the history of woolen/worsted!! Also, as a historian and someone who's worked in history museums, I absolutely love seeing this wheel refurbished and used. Another commenter mentioned how many wheels are in museums and omg yes. And a lot of that kind of stuff just sits in collections rooms and collects dust, maybe gets displayed occasionally but never actually used. I love seeing old things get new life. ❤

[@motherhemcreation]

My friend Denyse Milliken mentionned in a historical spinning group that an Acadian wheel is a thing and I am Acadian and now I Absolutely NEED to have one and learn to use it. I also want to recreate a dress that an acadian woman would have worn during the deportation.

[@EliDeNeige]

This is so touching since I am of Acadian descendant too! This video makes me want to try the great wheel.

[@DanLizotte]

Me too! ⭐️🇫🇷 My great-grandmother’s family grew flax in Kent county New Brunswick but I don’t know if she spun. Made fishing nets though for sure.

[@motherhemcreation]

@@DanLizotte I live in Kent County!!

[@DanLizotte]

@@motherhemcreation we’re probably cousins 🤣

[@motherhemcreation]

@@DanLizotte lmao all depends which familly lines your from xD.

[@sharonrhoads2461]

What a treat to find such an old beauty still working! It's beautiful.

[@MarquitasKnottyCrush]

😊What a great way to start the weekend! Love your content so much and absolutely loving the crochet cardi you're wearing❤❤

[@JillianEve]

Thanks so much 😊 I hope you have a great weekend!

[@Bd3849.]

I love a good English long draw, you've entered the world of double drafting! I think of it like the first draft is a shorter pencil roving, then you pinch off fiber source and the second draft is the real yarn. I find it's much easier to spin quickly and consistently than what most people call a long draw. It's a very good technique for CPW's and other such wheels as well (though flyer type wheels take some experimentation with tension and angle of drafting for the right amount of pull). I desperately want a great wheel but they take up so much space.

[@GodzHarleyGirlStudio]

4:22 worth it! This says it all. The happiest look, yeah. 🥰

[@JillianEve]

I was GIDDY! 😅

[@catmumcrafts]

Thank you for this amazing video. Im a baby spinner (as in just started) but also a historian, and restoration for usability is something i absolutely adore (in fact, really what i wanted to do a Masters degree in, but thats a whole different issue)

[@jimiwills]

Amazing. Thank you for sharing this ❤

[@TokiWithCheese]

What a lovely video, thank you for posting

[@runtsgal]

It’s fantastic that you got that old girl working again. I do wish I had the lroom, and the flexible spine to have one myself.

[@lindaholmes1920]

I love that beautiful old wheel! I’m so glad she’s up and running again, what a lovely tribute to all the women of the past who spent much of their lives spinning on her.

[@JillianEve]

💜💜💜

[@erikagreenwell9892]

i cried as you cut this woman's(most probably) work. but worth it.❤️ but also cried again in love for saving the wheel. you KNOW that human loved kudos

[@resourcedragon]

If the woman who originally made those cornhusk bearings were still alive and actively spinning (i.e. imagine a fantastical world in which people don't age), she'd probably not be the least bit sentimental about it. In fact, she might well decide to use some other materials to make the bearings. I think, however, she would have been pleased with Evie's lovely reconstruction of her originals.

[@SnakebitSTI]

@@resourcedragonI think this is true of old tools in general. The people they originally belonged to would have repaired them as needed. Broken and worn out isn't the "authentic" state of an old tool.

[@tracybird4547]

She’s a pretty old gal. Glad you restored her.❤

[@saraht855]

While i do very much enjoy the trope of women hiding their yarn stash from their husbands (it just tickles me for some reason) it was so nice to see Mark being so supportive of you with this wheel 😊

[@JillianEve]

He's so supportive and actually really enjoys the referbs. He just gives a show of resistance for the camera. (Shh, don't let him know we are on to him!) 😂

[@saraht855]

@@JillianEve haha, mine is pretty supportive too

[@vikiworley5930]

My DHis very supportive and often talks me into buying!

[@charlot-temisery]

so my dad and I have kind of a bit of a pipedream at the moment of building wheels from scratch. I've got some different types of wheels on my list that I want, and one of them is definitely the great wheel. this is a truly informative video for those future plans.

[@JillianEve]

Go for it!

[@sandybrown1439]

I just love watching you I could watch you and listen to you for hours. The great wheel is such a wonderful addition to your channel. I look forward to spinning more on it. You did a fantastic job, I think, of getting her working again.❤ should we be calling you "Wheel Mama"? 😊

[@VetsrisAuguste]

You just answered some questions I’ve wondered about my whole life. You also answered some I was only just starting to ask. Now I’ve got more questions. I want to hear more about spinning thread on a”great wheel”

[@TheDesertMarmot]

I know what you mean about the desire to preserve something and at the same time wanting to help it fulfil its purpose. We have several quilts made by various grandmothers and step-grandmothers. On one hand they made them to keep people warm and would probably be happy to know the great-granddaughter they never got to meet sleeps under them all winter, on the other hand they look more worn every year. Its a balance I struggle with.

[@EmsIsFab]

What a great video Jillian - the rgeat wheel is a cool piece for sure!

[@deniseengel1451]

Great video. I love how you got this lovely lady back to work with the corn husk bearings. Have fun using her.

[@traceytowner176]

Very Cool! I just bought my second great wheel! This second one works fantastically and I am so glad I bought it. The first one has an accelerator that is being rebuilt. The inside of the hub is made out of bone which is so cool. I am jazzed someone is sharing my love for great wheels! I totally laughed when you were in the car filming with that priceless look on your face of dragging something home that only a mother (spinner) could love! Best to you!

[@Kelli.Hicks.5]

"No OSHA violations here." 😂 I'm all about it. What an exciting find. 🤩😍

[@ThisSmallGnome]

This was such a great video. I love seeing old tools in use and something like this Great Wheel that requires skill to use is wonderful to see. Also enjoying the cameos by Mark & his hands. Favorite moment: cutty thing.

[@johannasaninocencio7458]

Jillian, I love that this wheel is now spinning again. I wish it could tell tales of all the women before you who graced it with use.

[@elizabethirving2877]

Thank you for another excellent video! I’m dreaming of someday getting a great wheel. Be proud of that restoration-that Lady sings again!

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

You are so skilled I marvel at your talents. Eve, I'd like to share a fun thing that happenned at PEI Fiber Festival, I met a spinner who doesn't knit, asked her what she did with her hand spun yarn, She said she was trying to sell it (only double the price she paid for the unspun fiber) but since she was from New Brunswick, a lot of people spin there and she didn't have much success at selling her handspun. So on our way back, I stopped at the place and bought 4 skeins I am so looking forward to knit, plus I offered to knit her something so she lended me a skein of Gotland which I transformed into mittens and a headband, then sent it back to her. What an honor to knit hand spun yarn. I was thinking about you a lot. I now can knit bread specific yarns !!! I have kept 10 gr, of her skein which I will incorporate on top of socks for Vicki, will send her as Christmas gift. So no need to become a spinner when I've met a non knitting spinner. I suppose may be one day we will share our knowledge.

[@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR]

I want to spend a weekend at your house. My husband would never let me get old wheels and restore them. They look so cool.

[@Tinas_Workshop]

You did "GREAT" and proved hubby wrong, you got it working. I was given one in working order but have yet to use it as my "studio/workshop/familyroom" is only so big. When you said how you hooked your thumb my brain went to "hook your thumb" just before you said it, ha, GREAT minds think alike.

[@LeonieHall-c4o]

That was wonderful. Great explanation Thankyou to both of you.

[@cuppajavaplease]

We have one of these great wheels as well as a flax wheel in our family home which was built in 1836. They are in storage and have never been "rehabilitated," sadly.

[@BernardDauphinais]

How wonderful that you've got this wheel spinning again! Congrats! You've motivated me to fix the leg on my great wheel and bring it down stairs... takes so much room. Have you tried one with a minors head on it? Oh my word, it spins up a whirlwind!! I found one to fit my wheel some years back and it increases the spin speed so much.

[@JillianEve]

A Minor's head is on my dream list!

[@valeriegeorgevitch3876]

That was so enjoyable!!! I am currently reading The Armor of Light, by Ken Follet in the Kingsbridge Series and it involves spinning and weaving in the 18th century.

[@platedlizard]

Oh thank goodness! I bought a great wheel awhile ago but didn’t know how to fix it or use it

[@homespuntools2115]

It's so exciting to see your Great Wheel.

[@MarilynSmith-t1i]

Enjoyed your presetation. I would like to see you make and use cornhusk bobbins on your great wheel

[@barbaragaspard1989]

I love watching and listening to you, also so proud that you figured how to spin on your great wheel comfortably and not trying to copy the ballet dance often seen when watching others use this whel. Can't wait for more videos, I always learn something new with you.

[@rodneyferris4089]

What an amazing project!

[@nataliebainbridge7342]

Omg!!! I’m so excited for your great wheel! I too used the help and wisdom of Bobbin Boy (they are GREAT people) to get my great wheel up and running. But I’m really struggling on learning how to spin. Most tutorials are on treadle wheels and I’m having a hard time getting the technique. I would super appreciate a deep dive into spinning on the great wheel!!! ❤ I love the info you already shared in this video

[@seedsanddreamshomestead5357]

This was so very informative as always !!! I passed up purchasing a great wheel this summer , not knowing where to begin And after seeing this I know I made the right choice. In comparison I would have had to do a huge amount of part replacement and the wheel looking back now was way to warped. Thank you for this education it is much appreciated

[@herbwitch5681]

Someone on a FB group sent me here, and I’m so grateful they did. I just brought my elderly lady home today, and was clueless about what she needed. Your cornhusk tutorial was just what I needed! Thanks!

[@tenaoconnor7510]

That’s so cool with the corn husks 😻. I will have a wheel someday ❤

[@Butterflyjonesful]

Amazing.

[@theverbind]

Aaahmazing! I love this so much!!!

[@elynapege6467]

Absolutely fantastic find and restoration project. That's one of my favorite types of videos. Old tools, new fixes and a whole lot of crafting! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more content about your finds! 🧶l 🛞

[@adinasalmansohn9842]

Thank you so much for this video! I have a Shaker great wheel, and I need to replace the corn husk bearings too but on my wheel, the bearings fit through holes in the maidens and are fastened on the back sides. You have given me the courage to finally tackle this job, even though it means digging the remains of the old bearings out of the holes. I actually cheered when I saw the corn husks on the screen!

[@JillianEve]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mindyalbright4491]

I watched someone recently who used the hub to align the yarn to wind on. It was an interesting method. Obviously, when it was the only style of wheel, it was used for whatever type of spinning was needed. Spinners did what was needed, and adapted. ("I can do that.")

[@kimreese9400]

Thank you for doing this video with the great wheel! She's truly a magnificent old lady, I'm so happy that you and the Wheel Daddy got her working again! I can imagine her humming with pleasure to be creating again! I once had the opportunity to try one of these wheels, but was a very new spinner and stupidly chickened out. That'll never happen again! Thanks for showing us how it was done! Lovely to watch!

[@ellenpearce6885]

So interesting! Thank you!

[@suethompson8538]

What a great video, I really enjoyed the whole process. My grandfather, who was from Yorkshire in the North of England had a phrase ‘many a mickle makes a muckle’ which he explained as lots of little things making a lot. Muckle was an old word for big. He used to say it as he gave me a penny for pocket money when I was a child back in the early 60s. I wonder what we would have used for bearings in medieval times as I am pretty sure corn husks were long in the future in England and Scotland.

[@JillianEve]

Probably any grasses that could be twined. Maybe stalks of barley, rye, or oats?

[@MargaretUIUC]

@@JillianEve Or horsehair?

[@lisabecker9809]

Thanks!

[@JillianEve]

Thank you so much Lisa! I'm glad you enjoyed my great wheel video! 💜

[@erinknott6923]

Thank you for sharing that, so wonderful to see that beauty up and running again. As ever i have learnt a host of new 'old' things from you with another bout of rabbit hole diving in my future fibre explorations.

[@roxymcrae4645]

Thank you Jillian, I've always wanted to see a good demo on a great wheel! Food on you for having the courage to dismantle what you needed to in order to get this beautiful lady spinning again 😊 beats putting her in a corner as an ornament. Again.... Thank you 🙏

[@kelleybyrd6303]

Oh thank goodness I found you!!! My sister gave me a great wheel for my birthday and I am now ready to restore it, thanks to you!

[@mylena3086]

Everything about this is beautiful

[@MargaretUIUC]

Thanks for this video. I just bought a great wheel last week, and I'm looking forward to getting it working. I'll be rewatching this video several times!

[@LindsayBouie]

This is so cool!and i love your cardigan!

[@lisadavies5949]

I love love love your channel. This episode is friggin awesome. Its playing as i write this, but i had to comment. I dont think you should worry at all about negative comments. I agree with the others who said its yours to do with what you want. It is always clear that you approach anything you are sharing on your channel with both respect and gratitude for the history of that tool or subject. Keep doing what you do. You have such a nice and friendly personality.

[@lalibellule8208]

Well done at restoring that great wheel and bringing her to life again! Your videos are so informative, thank you. Keep spinning on her. I would love to see more videos starring her (and you of course) with both woollen and worsted. I did not know that you can spin worsted on a spindle wheel, although I have tried spinning flax on one - with limited success.

[@JillianEve]

I definitely want to talk about it especially because there are documented contemporary historical references writing about woolen and worsted being spun with great wheels. Those videos take so much time to research though so it might take a bit before it's ready.

[@lizrose7195]

So fun and fascinating! Thank you! 💖

[@stitchwithbritt5922]

Such a nice video🥰 I think that wheel is thankful that you fixed it up to usable condition again💕 think about how many women spun on it over the years then poof no one spun on it until now.

[@emiliabarbosa8835]

So cool, Evie! I learned a lot and think you're awesome ❤

[@drewadrawing]

I got to interact with a Great Wheel a few months ago at my spinning guild's wheel event. They really are captivating!

[@trindal359]

I have a few happy thoughts. Bondo sticks well to wood, its stronger than wall patch putty, its often used to repair cheap bedroom doors. It looks pink, but it will take paint. I think the bearing in the large wheel is missing perhaps. I would try two circles of felt treated with some beeswax on either side of the hub maybe. My guess is that your grease is likely rendered fat from the kitchen. If it is the residue should dissolve with a solvent such as mineral spirits. Trying to redo the bearings only if you can get it apart without getting hurt or breaking your beautiful machine. I could remake that hoop pretty easy and i am an amatuer, so it coukd likely be teplaced if it bugs you. I really like your videos, thank you for making them, you are a great example to us all

[@wevrldy]

Thanks for another great video! I have a great wheel I found when living in SC Pennsylvania. I’ve spun on it successfully and now need a new drive band. Thanks for mentioning and demonstrating this!

[@sunriseeyes0]

“Also remember to subscribe because this is a youtube channel” lol, that was the most adorable youtube-y thing ever. Also, this video was super fascinating! I’ve always been leery of great wheels. They look very intimidating. But your video made me brave about them a bit! 💗🙏🏽

[@melsmith5833]

Crazy, incredible and amazing! I would love to own a spinning wheel!

[@sarajillianshepherd3858]

Thank you Jillian, im learning so much from you. 💕🙏

[@valentinakovacevic6968]

Gosh, your videos are amazing!

[@robynreid3027]

Thank you for a fascinating demonstration! I can see it os a step between a spindle and modern wheels, and it must have been wonderful to be able to do such a long draw. You are so skilled! And I endorse putting new corn husks on!

[@lornadavis476]

I'm curious about when that wheel came into use versus when corn came into Europe. What might people have used before corn husks? I know, I'm weird, but I always wonder about that kind of stuff. Like, where and when did the phrase Spic-&-Span come from, who thought of eating an oyster the first time, that kind of thing. It's fascinating!

[@JillianEve]

Leather would certainly be an option. I imagine any fibers you can twine would work also. I wonder these things too! 😀

[@rusticwool4637]

Thank you for this! I’ve been looking for a wheel just like this but can’t find any information. I feel like I know what to look for now, I love this channel!

[@aggierowe9574]

I sub to a number of wool related YT vids and I love love love this video. I am a diehard knitter and won’t learn to spin bc I love yarn too much haha but I do love learning about the history of spinning. You could say I appreciate you guys a lot!

[@lizabethhampton4537]

Taking up spinning is dangerous for folks like us lol

[@aggierowe9574]

@@lizabethhampton4537 yes indeed!

[@moirajohnson4402]

Just... Thank you!

[@kellydietz6720]

You are so awesome, you did a great job on thee great wheel❤

[@beau2fulboys]

My SIL has a large walking wheel from a thrift store. The store' owner had no idea what it was. She got it for a steal. it was in rough shape, missing pieces, broken parts but she successfully got it working again.

[@motherhemcreation]

For the corking. Im like NO SLEEPING BEAUTY FOR YOU! Your beautiful enough as it is and you need to keep teaching us! XD

[@jimiwills]

I never preserve.. always get things useful. Though it can be nice to try and maintain the aesthetic, it's not always possible for me. Also, I love the purple nails.

[@loganpollock1689]

I agree, holding the yarn above your shoulder for winding on or anytime is not necessary. Take a backward step and bring your left hand in front of you, at or below shoulder level then back off and wind on the yarn. For most wools, while drafting, I give the yarn just enough twist to hold together then pinch it and give the wheel a complete turn to put in the desired twist.