Monster magnets

[galingale.livejournal.com]

The magnets post reminded me that I'd wanted to share this...even though I don't have a pretty new one to show off.  I hadn't realized how dingy this had gotten until I cleared the calendar for the picture!  I sense a night of crafting tomorrow instead of web-surfing.

My engineer husband loves dismantling broken things to salvage usable bits.  Sometimes I even agree with him on what's worth saving -- in this case, the industrial-strength magnets used in big old speakers & microwave ovens.  I'm talking magnets strong enough to hold a wreath onto my steel front door, or an 18-month family calendar onto the fridge.

They have some problems though.  They're ugly.  They're strong enough to scratch surfaces & pinch fingers.  And they're kind of slippery too, which makes scratching & pinching more likely. 

So I cover them in denim.  This picture shows one small one uncovered, and one larger one covered.    I sewed it into a little pouch like it was the most un-cozy stuffed animal you've ever seen.  I cut two circles maybe an inch wider than the magnet, sewed them together 3/4 around, flipped the pouch inside out, stuffed in the magnet, and handsewed the opening.  It's really weird the way the needle tries to stick to the magnet.



Normally it's almost completely invisible under two pairs of scissors, a screwdriver, and a dozen or so pieces of wire from Chinese takeout boxes, and a tube of minute glue. 

I've got plans with my 5yo to do the next one with felt and make it a big smiley daisy, when she comes back from Camp Grandma.

Safety note: Be VERY careful taking apart old microwaves -- the magnets are bound together in the "wrong" direction, so when you break the binding they will push apart abruptly.  The one I watched Rob dismantle, he slipped at the wrong moment, and one of the magnets flew across the room and hit the far wall.  Happily I was standing on his other side!