HimmeliDesigned by Samantha Leung for The Crafter’s Box

HimmeliDesigned by Samantha Leung for The Crafter’s Box

Hi there! My name is Samantha, and I am the artist, maker and entrepreneur behind HEMLEVA. I have been designing and building mobiles for going on 8 years now. While initially inspired by traditional Finnish mobiles, called Himmeli, I have adapted their techniques and modernized them to create lovely mobiles that range from minimalistic to intricate and ornate.

Originating from the Swedish word for sky or heaven — himmel, the Himmeli are a traditional Finnish ornament or mobile decoration that is traditionally made out of wheat, rye or reeds in Finland. Following the harvest, wheat would be dried out until it formed narrow tubes. The ornate straw sculptures could then be suspended above the dinner table during the holiday season. It is thought that the larger the Himmeli, the larger the rye crop will be in the coming year. In Nordic countries, it’s not uncommon to see dining room ceilings covered with these intricate mobiles.

During the winter months, the dining room ceilings can be covered with these intricate mobiles, which makes this workshop perfect for the holiday season. I will be sharing some of my favorite tools and materials with you today.

Together we will start with some fundamentals and expand upon them. I will show you how to make an ornament, which is a basic shape when it comes to Himmeli. From there I will walk you through how to use those skills to make a much more complex mobile. For our final project, I will then show you how to make a beautiful Ornament that I designed using a few more advanced techniques. Now let’s get started.

POLISHING BRASS

Brass is a beautiful and modern material for this traditional craft. It provides a sturdy base for any design you can dream up. Brass will go through a process called patina. This is just a natural part of working with this metal. You can always polish it back to its original shine if you prefer.

The brass tubes will be easier to fully polish before we begin cutting. The polishing cloth included in your kit is specifically designed for precious metals and is super easy to use. Simply wipe the saturated cloth over the brass tube to remove any undesired patina. For extra shine, finish wiping it down with any microfiber cloth you have around.

LET’S DO THE MATH

Okay, so before we can really dive in, we have to set ourselves up for success. I like to do a little math to make sure I have enough brass for each project - because the last thing you want is to finish a project 99% of the way only to realize that you need to go back out to the store for more materials.

For the projects that we’re working on today, I have done all of the math for you and can very happily tell you that you have the exact right number of brass to make a large mobile OR 5 brass ornaments. Decide which project you want to complete and follow the correct cut guide for that project.

If you wanted to create your own design, you can mock-up a design with some pen and paper. When drawing out your design for the first time, know that the dimensions might change and evolve as you’re working with it.

If you’re an extremely visual learner, not the best with math and still want to reduce metal waste, you can always mock-up your design using drinking or cocktail straws and some floral wire. This is how I have started several of my designs when I was first starting out to ensure the final dimensions will be just right.

CUTTING BRASS

While this process can be one of the more tedious steps of making Himmeli, it can also one of the most meditative step of it, too. Once you have figured out how much brass you will need, mark each piece with either a soft pencil or a fine tip permanent marker to guide where to cut.

These tubing cutters are super easy to use. Simply unwind them to open, place your marked brass where you need to cut it and gently twist it shut. Stop to re-tighten every once in awhile to ensure precision. If you tighten the cutter too quickly, it will be really hard to turn it. If that happens, simply untwist the cutter a little until its easier to cut the brass.

NOTE

You will want to use firm pressure when you twist. You can accidentally bend the brass, which is okay, you can always bend it back! And after some practice you will get a handle of how much pressure you should exert when cutting and assembling.

PROJECT ONE – MOBILE

• 5 diamonds using 2” pieces. 12 pieces per diamond. 60 total 2” pieces.

• 6 diamonds using 3” pieces. 12 pieces per diamond. 72 total 3” pieces.

• 1 diamonds using 4” pieces. 12 pieces per diamond. 12 total 4” pieces.

• 1 diamonds using 5” pieces. 12 pieces per diamond. 12 total 5” pieces.

• 1 diamonds using 6” pieces. 12 pieces per diamond. 12 total 6” pieces.

• 36 total 2” pieces.

• 12 total 3” pieces.

MobileTUBES TO CUT

IN THIS PATTERN

CUT PATTERN C

x 35” 5” 1.75”

CUT PATTERN B

x 64” 4” 3” .75”

CUT PATTERN D

x 126” 5” .75”

CUT PATTERN A

x 333” 3” 2” 2” 1.75”

Below is a cut guide to help you prepare the correct length and quantity of brass pieces to build a mobile. Each line represents a brass tube, with the sections reflecting what size pieces to cut from each. Note the quantity of tubes to cut down in each cut pattern.

NOTE

You’ll end up with some small pieces of brass tubing after you cut down your tubes for the design. Use these extras to create mini diamonds or new designs of your own!

extra

extra

extra

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DiamondNow that we have everything that we need to start, let’s begin with one of the fundamental shapes for himmeli – a cube, or a diamond. We will start with an arm’s length of wire. It’s always easier to start with a manageable amount of wire. If it’s too long, it will be hard to control, can get knotted, bent and break. If you don’t have enough wire in the end, you can always add on extra.

1. Take four of the brass tubes and string them onto one end of the wire together, leaving a 1-2” tail on one end. Grab the two pieces of wire and twist them together like a twist tie to complete the square with your pliers.

2. Add two brass tubes to the wire. When you slide the two new tubes on, slide one of them over the little 1-2” wire end for a seamless look.

3. Wrap the wire tail around the opposite corner of the square so that there are two brass tubes on both sides on where you wrap your wire.

4. Add two brass tubes to the piece of wire. Bring the end of the wire to the opposite corner of the structure underneath to complete a circle. Instead of wrapping the wire around that joint, you will thread it through one brass tube.

5. Add one brass tube to the wire. Wrap the end of the wire around the next joint.

6. Repeat step 5 until you have made your square!

7. When you attach the last piece of brass, clip the wire with a pair of scissors so that there is only a 1” tail. Tuck the end of the wire into a brass tube. And that’s it!

Complex Mobile1. Starting by making all 5 of your diamonds made with 2” pieces, you will

set them aside and then make start making a diamond with 3” pieces. Right before you attach the last piece of brass, you will place the diamond made with 2” pieces inside of the diamond made with 3” pieces.

2. You will make a total of 6 diamonds using 3” pieces. Only one diamond made with 3” pieces will not have a diamond inside of it made of 2” pieces.

3. You will then make 1 diamond using 4” pieces, nest the 3” & 2” diamond inside of it, continue this with diamonds using 5 & 6” pieces.

4. For the 1 diamond that has all of the interior diamonds, we will bunch up all of the interior diamonds on one end, and use string the tie them altogether. You will then allow for excess string at the end in order to suspend the mobile.

5. We will then attach each smaller diamond to all of the remaining points of the larger diamond.

Now let’s make:

• 5 diamonds using 2” pieces

• 6 diamonds using 3” pieces

• 1 diamonds using 4” pieces

• 1 diamonds using 5” pieces

• 1 diamonds using 6” pieces

HOW TO MAKE A SINGLE DIAMOND INTO A HANGING MOBILE

It is now a beautiful tabletop design. If you would like to make it into a hanging mobile, attach the enclosed string to one of the corners. Cut the string to your desired height and make a looped knot at the end.

Ornament1. Take three of the 3” brass tubes and string them onto one end of the wire

together, leaving a 1” tail on one end. Grab the two pieces of wire and twist them together like a twist tie to complete the square with your pliers.

2. Add two 2” brass tubes to the wire. When you slide the two new tubes on, slide one of them over the little 1” wire end for a seamless look.

3. Wrap the wire tail around the opposite corner of the triangle so that there are two brass tubes on both sides on where you wrap your wire.

4. Add two brass tubes to the piece of wire. Bring the end of the wire to the opposite corner of the structure underneath to complete a circle. Instead of wrapping the wire around that joint, you will thread it through one brass tube.

5. Add one brass tube to the wire. Wrap the end of the wire around the next joint.

6. Repeat step 5 until you have made your prism!

7. When you attach the last piece of brass, instead of finishing the shape and clipping the wire, we will continue attaching brass to make a repeated pattern. Repeat steps 2-6 until you have completed your circle.

8. When you attach the last piece of brass, clip the wire with a pair of scissors so that there is only a 1” tail. Tuck the end of the wire into a brass tube. And that’s it!

Below is a cut guide to help you prepare the correct length and quantity of brass pieces to build 5 ornaments. Each line represents a brass tube, with the sections reflecting what size pieces to cut from each. Note the quantity of tubes to cut down in each cut pattern.

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PROJECT TWO – ORNAMENT

• 36 total 2” pieces per ornament.

• 12 total 3” pieces per ornament.

2” 2” 2” 2” 2” 1.75” x 32

3” 3” 3” 2” .75” x 20

5 Ornaments

TUBES TO CUT IN THIS PATTERN

CUT PATTERN B

CUT PATTERN A

TIP

You can suspend this ornament with a piece of string or with an ornament hook.

NOTE

You’ll end up with some small pieces of brass tubing after you cut down your tubes for the design. Use these extras to create mini diamonds or new designs of your own!

There are so many fun and interesting ways to incorporate these designs into your home and life. From complex mobiles that are suspended above an end table, in an entryway, or even as a modern baby mobile. You can tuck fairy lights in the Ornament and suspend it in front of a window, or use the Ornament as a tree topper!

I would genuinely love to see your finished ornaments and mobiles - please tag #thecraftersbox and @HEMLEVA so I can find your photos!

Thank you so very much for joining this workshop. I hope you had fun, and I hope to see you again sometime soon.