Malcolm Fielding
Malcolm started turning in 1982 and was a regular feature at British Lace Fairs until 1995 when he became a resident of Australia.
His bobbins have a very distinctive head and tail. In addition, his turning is easy to recognise from the clean concentric circles and nested ovals within the circles.
Amongst the different design that Malcolm turned, he created mother and baby bobbins, cow and calf, bitted and jingles.
From 2010 he launched a selection of shawl pins, followed in 2011 by drop spindles.
Malcolm retired in 2018
His bobbins have a very distinctive head and tail. In addition, his turning is easy to recognise from the clean concentric circles and nested ovals within the circles.
Amongst the different design that Malcolm turned, he created mother and baby bobbins, cow and calf, bitted and jingles.
From 2010 he launched a selection of shawl pins, followed in 2011 by drop spindles.
Malcolm retired in 2018
Liz writes:
The first image in this album are my very first pair of 'posh' bobbins that I bought within weeks of starting classes. Like many turners and painters, Malcolm sent through a 'sale or return' box to our group. I chose a pair of ebony bobbins with that classic Malcolm Fielding look about them. Narrow waist, concentric circles turned into the body above and blow squashed balls. The finish on the bobbins is as good today as it was when I bought them back in the late 1980s.
Every lace day or fair that I went to, I would search out Malcolm and buy another pair. Over the years I have curated a wonderful collection of his bobbins either direct from Malcolm or as presents from others. I have mother and babies, bitted, inlaid, brass ringed, you name it, there is a bobbin by Malcolm with it on.
The first image in this album are my very first pair of 'posh' bobbins that I bought within weeks of starting classes. Like many turners and painters, Malcolm sent through a 'sale or return' box to our group. I chose a pair of ebony bobbins with that classic Malcolm Fielding look about them. Narrow waist, concentric circles turned into the body above and blow squashed balls. The finish on the bobbins is as good today as it was when I bought them back in the late 1980s.
Every lace day or fair that I went to, I would search out Malcolm and buy another pair. Over the years I have curated a wonderful collection of his bobbins either direct from Malcolm or as presents from others. I have mother and babies, bitted, inlaid, brass ringed, you name it, there is a bobbin by Malcolm with it on.
Malcolm on the cover of his 1989 catalogue
Malcolm in his own words (written in 2011 and retrieved via the wayback machine)
Many people can turn a lace bobbin but only a small number of wood-turners offer a professional approach to the making of bobbins. You have chosen to come to a specialist in this field, and can benefit from my many years of experience in bobbin making.
Since 1982, I have spent fourteen years as a full-time bobbin maker, and the rest of those years working part time on bobbins, accumulating in this time a detailed knowledge of materials and researching and developing innovative production methods decorative techniques to apply to the highly specialised needs of small scale turnery and inlay work. (see my FAQs page for details and photos of the lathe and workshop).
From mid-2002 onwards I returned to full time making as I had made progress in my battle with repetitive strain injury, thanks to Bowen therapy. During a period of disruption and bereavement 2003-2005, my business was effectively closed. From early 2005 I have started part-time bobbin making again.
I see myself working as a member of a long-established tradition, that of the fine craft maker, as epitomised by workers such as William Morris and Eric Gill. In today's technologically dominated world, the craft maker is fast becoming a threatened species, in the industrialised western nations at least.
Your support of my business keeps alive a vital part of human knowledge - how to make things of beauty. In today's western societies there is often a negative association of the word craft - it has become associated with low-price hand made goods from the third world, often sold into western markets for prices that exploit the labour of the producers. This has another deleterious effect apart from the exploitation of the producers - because hand made goods are often sold cheaply here (because we do not pay the real costs to those third world producers), it drives down the perceived value of hand made items in the industrialised nations.
Many people can turn a lace bobbin but only a small number of wood-turners offer a professional approach to the making of bobbins. You have chosen to come to a specialist in this field, and can benefit from my many years of experience in bobbin making.
Since 1982, I have spent fourteen years as a full-time bobbin maker, and the rest of those years working part time on bobbins, accumulating in this time a detailed knowledge of materials and researching and developing innovative production methods decorative techniques to apply to the highly specialised needs of small scale turnery and inlay work. (see my FAQs page for details and photos of the lathe and workshop).
From mid-2002 onwards I returned to full time making as I had made progress in my battle with repetitive strain injury, thanks to Bowen therapy. During a period of disruption and bereavement 2003-2005, my business was effectively closed. From early 2005 I have started part-time bobbin making again.
I see myself working as a member of a long-established tradition, that of the fine craft maker, as epitomised by workers such as William Morris and Eric Gill. In today's technologically dominated world, the craft maker is fast becoming a threatened species, in the industrialised western nations at least.
Your support of my business keeps alive a vital part of human knowledge - how to make things of beauty. In today's western societies there is often a negative association of the word craft - it has become associated with low-price hand made goods from the third world, often sold into western markets for prices that exploit the labour of the producers. This has another deleterious effect apart from the exploitation of the producers - because hand made goods are often sold cheaply here (because we do not pay the real costs to those third world producers), it drives down the perceived value of hand made items in the industrialised nations.
Malcolm in his workshop, just before he retired in the 2018
My work is an explicit attempt to oppose these trends, to reclaim craftsmanship as a respected activity and a worthy and honourable, alive and vital tradition, and to re-awaken the lost perceptions of value of the hand made object - and indeed of the value to us all of that type of skill and knowledge.
Value for money
The items you purchase from me, unlike so many in today's disposable technology society, are things of beauty made to last, made with pride as works of art. After this year's shiny new car, computer or DVD player or games console, which you paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for, is trashed in a few years time as obsolete, your bobbins will be as beautiful and functional as the day you bought them, and they will remain so in a hundred years, properly cared for. They offer real value for your money. Importantly, in an age where it is under increasing threat, your purchase keeps craftsmanship (and the craftsman!) alive.
Quality Assurance
I take a pride in what I make, and customer satisfaction is very important to me. In the unlikely event that you have any problem with bobbins you have bought from me, please let me know. I can then solve that problem for you by replacement or refund, and if necessary take steps to avoid problems for other customers. The bobbins are guaranteed to be of good quality and I will replace ones that are found to be faulty on delivery. Properly cared for, they will last more than a lifetime.
Value for money
The items you purchase from me, unlike so many in today's disposable technology society, are things of beauty made to last, made with pride as works of art. After this year's shiny new car, computer or DVD player or games console, which you paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for, is trashed in a few years time as obsolete, your bobbins will be as beautiful and functional as the day you bought them, and they will remain so in a hundred years, properly cared for. They offer real value for your money. Importantly, in an age where it is under increasing threat, your purchase keeps craftsmanship (and the craftsman!) alive.
Quality Assurance
I take a pride in what I make, and customer satisfaction is very important to me. In the unlikely event that you have any problem with bobbins you have bought from me, please let me know. I can then solve that problem for you by replacement or refund, and if necessary take steps to avoid problems for other customers. The bobbins are guaranteed to be of good quality and I will replace ones that are found to be faulty on delivery. Properly cared for, they will last more than a lifetime.