About Daedalus
Daedalus Spinning Wheels is owned and operated by husband and wife team, Dave and Rebecca Giles. The Lexington, Kentucky-based business was founded in 2018. After the couple began their dyeing business, Spotted Ewe Fibers, they realized that Rebecca would need to learn to spin to dye top-quality fibers.
Intrigued by the mechanics behind handspinning—notably the nuts and bolts of e-spinning—Dave soon followed suit. He knew his decade-long experience as a drone designer could help him build a lighter, faster, more responsive e-spinner. The Daedalus wheels are the only such wheels to use a carbon fiber chassis, coupled with 3D printed ABS plastic, T6061 aluminum, and ceramic bearings. The first Daedalus e-spinner, the Blackbird, was so successful that the couple knew they were onto something remarkable.
By listening to his customers in the three years since, Dave has continued to hone his ideas into the current lineup of Daedalus models—the lightweight, whisper-quiet, high-performance e-spinners that the spinning community has been clamoring for. Demand became so great that operating Daedalus Spinning Wheels has been the couple’s full-time job since early 2019. Dave and Rebecca still actively engage with their customers online and rely on community feedback for designing and testing the Daedalus lineup of the future.
How to Pronounce Daedalus​
About the Team
David Giles
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Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, my journey into the realm of fiber began in 2018. I originally started dyeing yarn, which led to fiber. To dye fiber effectively I learned to spin, and from there Daedalus Spinning Wheels was created. With a background in engineering and drone creation, my goal was to push the limits of the electric spinning wheel as we know it and to build something different.
In 2018 I designed and sold my first wheel, a Blackbird, and I haven’t looked back. Since then Daedalus has expanded with 5 more models of electric wheels and 2 winders, an electric skeiner/swift, and an electric nostepinne-style ball winder.
In 2019, I released my second design, the Starling, followed by the Magpie in 2020, and Sparrow and Falcon in 2021. In 2023 I released something a little out of my wheelhouse if you’ll pardon the pun, the Roly-Poly and Whirligig which are an electric ball winder and electric skeiner/swift combo. Followed by another e-spinner in the Fall, the Martin. In 2024 I designed an art and lace flyer for the Starling, and if you keep an eye out I’ve got more up my sleeve.
When not working…….hey wait a minute, that’s a thing!
Rebecca Giles
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I am a Florida native now residing in Lexington, Kentucky. I started knitting, embroidering, and weaving as a child but did not keep up the practice continually, but some form of art has always been present in my life. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2000. At SCAD, I took many studio classes including Color Theory, Weaving, which also covered dyeing, and 3 Dimensional Design. Following my bachelor’s, upon my return home to Florida, I met David and took up teaching art. We soon relocated from Florida to Kentucky, to David’s hometown of Lexington. In 2015 I received my Master’s of Arts from Eastern Kentucky University. In my downtime following my degree, I returned to knitting.
My love of fiber arts grew and in 2018 David and I opened Spotted Ewe Fibers, dyeing yarn exclusively. I quickly wanted to add dyed fiber to the shop as well, so learning to spin was my next task. Soon after learning to spin, I decided an electric spinner was right for me. David insisted on building one for me, and the Blackbird was created. I posted a few pictures on social media in the fall of 2018, and Daedalus Spinning Wheels was born.
As Daedalus has grown I unfortunately find less and less time to dye fiber or yarn, as my time is needed elsewhere in the company. I with Evanita’s help run customer support, as well as sales and marketing. I am also responsible for most of the background operations like inventory and shipping. I also travel to festivals several times a year, so if you stop by the booth be sure to say hi.
When not dyeing fiber or building wheels, I spend my time with my family and friends, spinning, knitting, and camping. I am also currently back in school part-time taking some business classes with the hope that this education will allow Daedalus to grow in the future.
Evanita W. Montalvo
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I was lured into the fiber arts rabbit hole by my BFF in 2006 while attending university. In 2009, I received a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts with a concentration in photography and a minor in art history. In 2014, I discovered 3D printing and fell down a whole new rabbit hole.
I learned about Daedalus when Becca shared the Blackbird on social media in the fall of 2018. I was extremely impressed by the wheel and was curious to see where it led them next. In January of 2019 Dave contacted me about potentially test-driving his newest creation the Starling Mini. He was running low on time before the release and noticed that I had a lot of 3D printing experience and high-quality printers that would be capable of the job. With that in mind not only would I be test-driving the wheel I’d also be printing/building my own. We spent a lot of time talking things through to ensure that every step along the way was done exactly to his specifications. This was an incredible learning experience—one that turned into more of an apprenticeship. We each learned a great deal from each other, and while I’d initially thought that Starling Mini would be the only wheel I'd get to build, it turned out to be only the beginning… Since then I've gotten to build at least one of every wheel Dave has created, and I continue to provide feedback as both a spinner and a maker.
I am now the Operations Executive Assistant of Daedalus. In addition to testing the wheels, I provide Dave and Becca with assistance daily both behind the scenes and publicly through social media, website, and customer support.
Jenn Hendrix
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Jenn is a native of Michigan & has lived in the Greenville area of South Carolina with her husband, Will, since 2010. Jenn started her fiber arts journey nearly 20 years ago and loves to spin, knit, and weave. She is also a novice woodturner and loves spending time in the Smoky Mountains in her MINI. Jenn has 2 grown-up daughters & 3 grandkids. (If you visit our Saturday night Zooms, you may have ‘met’ Jenn & her youngest grandson.)
Jenn has been working for Daedalus since the beginning of 2022 building wheels and winders and we couldn’t be happier about it. Her knowledge of spinning gives her an edge when it comes to assembly. Jenn also joins Becca and Dave at the festivals, you can commonly find her doing demos at the booth.
Katie Wallace
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Known to us as Katie, she, like Dave, is a native of Kentucky. She is an avid gardener and loves her animals, which include a dog, 3 cats, and several chickens. But her number one love is her husband Neil and daughter Lillian. Katie has been with Daedalus since 2022 building wheels and winders.