Learn how to create a pine needle gourd rim for your gourds. Find out what you need for supplies and watch Jenn Avery demonstrate an easy, beautiful pattern.
You may have seen gourd vases with a pine needle rim if you are new to gourd art and thought about learning how to do it. They do enhance the organic look of the gourd. With just a few tools and strong hands, the technique for pine needle coiling is easy. And there are many different patterns to explore. Let’s start with the tools and material.
The Pine Needles to use for your pine needle rim
Jenn uses natural long pine needles that measure 12 to 14 inches long. They are coated with glycerin. You can buy them at our sponsor, Blue What Arts. Or on Amazon or even at Dick Blicks.
You can also collect them yourself and quickly get them ready for use. To render the pine needle flexible and help preserve their use, you can give them a Glycerin Bath. Some people add the RITT Dye to the Glycerin Bath to give them a different color.
Here is a quick Recipe
Recipe for Glycerin Bake
Ingredients Needed:
- 1 16 oz. Pure Vegetable Glycerine
- 2+ cups of water
- Roasting Pan
- (Disposable Aluminum Pans work great)
Pour 2 cups glycerin over pine needles, then add two cups+ of water, enough to cover your bundle of pine needles with liquid. Swish things around by turning the pine needles over a few times with tongs. Place pan in preheated 225-degree oven
After several hours, rinse pine needles well in the sink with plenty of hot freshwater. Do not discard the glycerin and water mixture; The solution can be reused. The more you use it, the darker and richer the color becomes. I pour the remaining mix into mason jars and refrigerate until subsequent use.
There is a great tutorial here if you want to know how to gather and prepare needles for gourds.
The Best Needle
You are looking for a needle with a dull tip and a big eye. Blue Whale Arts has an excellent set for this purpose, or again, check any craft store.
Other Useful supplies
A small pair of scissors, an awl, and a clothespin would be helpful! She also uses gel glue to secure her knots.
Steps in the Coiling Process
You will need to decorate your gourd first. The rim is the last thing you will work on. Begin with a tiny drill bit or an awl and create your holes about half an inch apart and 1/8th of an inch from the rim.
Next, thread your needle, stick it into the hole from the front, and leave a tail.
Now, lay your first pine needle on the gourd next to the hole. If you have an image on the front of the gourd, you should start your coil on the side, not in the front.
Now, lay your first pine needle on the gourd next to the hole. If you have an image on the front of the gourd, you should start your coil on the side, not in the front.
Now, you add a new needle under the hole.
Hold the needle securely, stick the sewing needle into the hole, and pull it tight over the pine needle. Next, return to the hole from the front and insert the thread needle again, creating a “v.”
Those are the main steps in the process. The video will also show you how to tie on a new thread length and explain why working with your gourd on your lap may be best.
Ending the coil is deciding how far the lump of pine needles will go over the first layer and learning how to trim them gradually.
A great tip is using a clothespin to hold the pine needles in place in case you need to stop or deal with a life interruption.
Now watch Jenn Avery demonstrate the process. Plan on watching it more than once to help you learn each step. She has done an excellant job with this video.
Here are examples of Jenn’s Gourd Art using this technique.
At the end of the video, Jenn will demonstrate how she hides all the excess thread under the stitches inside the gourd. In the end, she has a looking gourd.
She also has other videos on her YouTube channel I would recommend.
Have you tried this pattern. Was this video helpful?
Please, share your thoughts here in the comment box or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page.
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I just finished off the rim of a gourd bowl using Jenn’s technique. My gourd has a lot of patterns and colour and I wanted something that would finish off the bowl but not distract from this. I had found Jenn’s video on YouTube a few weeks ago. She’s excellent at explaining how to do the pine needle weaving. The technique is very easy but gives such a nice finish to the gourd.