Most mothers I know love getting presents, cards, and calls on Mother’s day.  Their favorite kinds are those made by their children.  If you haven’t given your Mom a Mother’s Day gift in a few years now is the time to turn over a new leaf and make her a present.  These presents range from the simple to the complex and all are suitable for Mothers day gifts.

7 Unique Mothers Day Gifts

Heart Shaped Vase

A heart shaped vase is a challenging but beautiful gift for your Mom.  Turning the vase requires a steady hand as a lot of the turning consists of air!  This turning is a thin rectangular blank (rather than square) and as a result the turning itself creates the heart shape.  If your blank is a bit thicker and the heart is not emphasized you can do a bit of hand carving to clarify the heart shape.  Perfect for spring flowers fresh from the wild or garden.

Honey Dipper

Does your Mom like a bit of honey with her tea or toast?  This honey dipper is an easy project that needs a parting tool to create the dipping end.  A small piece of wood about 6” long and 1” square, or a pen blank, will serve as a turning blank.  This is a between centers turning project.  You can shape the dipping end in several different ways.

Shawl Pin

For a Mother who likes to wear shawls or sweaters a shawl pin is a beautiful turned present.  Combining a turned ring with a spindle turned pin creates a stunning fashion statement for any Mother.

Garden Mushroom Box

Gardening is a great hobby for many people.  This mushroom box can be used in the garden as an ornament.  A basic box with the bark still attached creates an ornament for the garden with a secret compartment.  This can be turned from a trimmed branch or a turning blank depending on what you have on hand.  This project takes a bit longer as there are several steps involved in making a turned box.

Rolling Pin

I wasn’t sure about including this project in my list.  I know that my Mom would have liked anything that I had made but don’t give this gift if your Mom isn’t good in the kitchen.   You don’t want to send the wrong message.

The rolling pin is a beginner project that will help you master your skew chisel.  It does require a good sized turning blank.  The rolling pin is a European style which is a bit different from our North American style.

Wooden Ball Winder

If your Mother likes the fiber arts and spins or knits then a ball winder is a great gift.  It is easy to turn between centers and helps the fiber artist keep their yarn under control.  The business portion of the winder is where you wind the yarn and then slide it off.  This needs to be about 6” long and have a slight taper.  The handle can be simple or decorative depending on what you like to turn.

Bird Feeder

Many people like birds and here is a bird feeder that you can turn.  This bird feeder can also be disassembled so that it is easy to keep clean.

This is the most complex project of the bunch and takes two blog posts to give you all the instructions.  (Bird Feeder Part I, Bird Feeder Part II) If you want to make this for Mother’s Day plan ahead as it is a three part project.  You have to turn a central spindle and two bowls to create the feeder.  The choice of wood is yours and can result in a stunning gift.

Finding good Mothers day gifts is a real challenge.  Now you can plan ahead and turn a present that will please you and your mom.

If by chance you still need a gift here is a listing of all the woodturning projects from Turning For Profit.  Maybe one of these will be more suitable.

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