Happy Friday to you all.
I haven’t done a craft post for a fair while so that is the order for today.
As you know I love the beach and sea and all things beachy. Whites, greys, shades of blue, stripes, driftwood, shells, sea glass and the list goes on. As you can see from the picture and title I’m showing you how to make a driftwood sail boat. I have always loved the look of these and wanted to try them and I’ve finally got round to it.
To start here is a list of all the supplies you will need to make my version
- Hot glue gun or craft glue
- Material. I think cotton is best in whichever colour you prefer
- Thin white twine/string
- Small screwdriver or similar, maybe a metal skewer
- Large Philips head screwdriver
- Driftwood for the hull and for the mast
The first step is to make a hole in the hull part of the driftwood that the mast piece will fit into. I did this by starting the hole with the small screwdriver. Then I used the Philips screwdriver to make the hole deeper and wider (I’m sure there are better tools to do this but it’s what I had and it worked really well).
Next the sails need to be measured. I did this by laying the boat flat and just putting the material up against it and cutting it out by eye, I rarely use specific measurements, which works a lot of the time but I do have the occasional disaster. If you are more of a measuring kind of person go with it.
Once you have done that you need to put some glue into the hole and attach the mast. I used the hot glue gun which I find hold things better, but you can use craft glue although I would recommend buying a glue gun if you can they are widely available for as little as £5 and they really are worth the money. I got mine from Wilkinsons.
To attach the sails to the mast you will need the white string and the small screwdriver. Push the screwdriver or skewer, whatever you are using, through the back of the sail at the top corner, not too close to the edge to avoid it fraying. Once you have made the hole push the string through the back. It took me several attempts to do this but if you find it very difficult just make the hole a tad bigger.
Then you need to make a knot in the string, pull through but not all the way, put a blob of glue where the knot will sit and pull the string until the knot sits on the glue.
Do the same for the bottom part of the sail. Now it’s time to attach the sail to the mast. Hold the sail up against the mast and the take the string around the back of the mast, wrap round a couple of times and before you pull it too tight thread the end of the string through the last loop, pull quite tight but allowing room for the sail to sit nicely against the mast. If it’s too tight the sail wont sit well. Trim off the excess.
Obviously you will need to do the same for the bottom of the sail and repeat the process for the other side. For the flag, again I didn’t measure I just folded some material and cut out a rough triangle shape. The first one I cut wasn’t big enough as I didn’t allow extra for the fact that it was being wrapped around the mast. If you don’t like the shape just trim it until you find the shape that looks right for you. Put some glue on the side of the mast where the flag will sit and then wrap the flag around, then pop some glue between the two sides of the flag and press together. Don’t use too much like I did as it all oozed out of the side.
I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. Like I said at the beginning, this is my version. There are so many ways to make these and if you look on Pinterest there are some brilliant versions, but I like simplicity, especially when I first try something, it might evolve if I decide to make more. One of the best things about any kind of art or craft is that it’s open to interpretation. I might try another one but on a bigger scale, we shall see.
I hope you feel inspired to give this craft a go. Please let me know how you get on if you do or if you have enjoyed this post.
Wishing you all an amazing weekend.
Take care
Much love
Kate x