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Spinning yarns

Arte del hilado involves the Mexican tradition of covering items with brightly coloured yarn for decorative effect. Miranda Walker shows you how. yarn is one of Mexico's principal products, and it is made locally into many colourful items, including rugs and woven pictures. The pieces are considered art, and are sold all over the world. One traditional craft, known as yarn art, involves the decoration of containers and pots, and could easily be tried out in your setting.

yarn is one of Mexico's principal products, and it is made locally into many colourful items, including rugs and woven pictures. The pieces are considered art, and are sold all over the world. One traditional craft, known as yarn art, involves the decoration of containers and pots, and could easily be tried out in your setting.

You will need:

* Items of recycled 'junk' to decorate * String/wool/ embroidery thread /nylon thread/ other yarn * PVA glue * Glue brushes

Getting started

In Mexico, some yarn art has a function, for example, intricate trinket boxes or bold vases, but many items are purely decorative and might be hung on the wall or displayed on a table. This means that most items of junk can be used for decorating this way - for instance, children could choose a box, yoghurt pot, jar or even a paper plate to work on.

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