So Richelle got me thinking with her comment on my last post and I decided to give braiding another try. I have this friendship wheel thing (it's basically a kumihimo disc for kids) which I tried once before with some yarn, but it took forever to get even a short length and I got bored and put it to one side. Rather than wool or cotton I used the sari silk ribbon I am so in love with. I had to cut some extra notches in the disc so the silk would fit but it actually worked really well and, better still, was really quick to work up. The finished braid was a bit too much on its own so I added some dangles and wrapped short sections with balled copper wire to break it up a bit:
The skein the ribbon came from is multicolored (the color changes every yard or so) so I wasn't too fussy and just went with the flow. It's one of those pieces, I think, that looks far nicer on than off.
Whilst I was in Melbourne I picked up some lovely noro sock yarn that was on special. I vaguely planned to make a hat (I justify my yarn purchases with the flimsiest of excuses) but used a bit on the tassel for this choker:
The round bead is actually bright pink plastic so I used some gilders paste to tone it down and sealed it with acrylic lacquer. I really like chokers. They're easy to wear and suit pretty much everyone.
These earrings have already sold - I bit the bullet and bought some sterling silver for the ear wires - and made the cylinder beads by wrapping silk around a mandrel and treating with mod podge. They go absolutely rock hard, and are pretty much unsquishable:
I've had some leather scraps sitting around for a while - beautifully soft - which I used for this amulet pouch. I took 13s advice and used the smallest crimps I could get away with o the beading wire - don't know what a wire guardian is though? Must look it up. I still have reservations about beading Beatnheart and am so much more comfortable with wire wrapping:
I also share Beatnheart's exasperation around sales. Mine seem to have taken a bit of a nose dive just lately. Not sure if it's down to what I have on offer in the shop or the fact that it's coming up on Christmas. Most of my sales seem to be to the USA and you guys have had an absolutely rotten time of it lately what with Sandy and all. It's getting warmer here which is lovely but the thought of bush fires keeps nudging me. We were caught up in the terrible Victorian fires in 2009/10 - fortunately we were all OK but it was incredibly scary. The fire was heading towards us but a slight change in the wind caused the neighbouring village of Boolarra to take the brunt. Several of my friends lost their houses. In the North of the state, whole towns were destroyed and lots of people tragically lost their lives. Just dreadful. I think we are all much better prepared now so hopefully it will never happen again.
An endless round of head colds, school holidays and various other bits and pieces of life have got in the way of blogging lately although I've managed to keep up with things on the making side at least.
I recently bought some vintage sari silk ribbon from Australian etsy seller plumfish. She makes the most beautiful tattered scarves and accessories. The silk comes in skeins made up of frayed lengths tied or sewn together - incredibly eclectic and quite beautiful. I've used them in a few pieces including this Hamsa nekclace and wrist wrap:
As individual lengths the ribbon can be quite fragile and I was a bit worried about using it in my work - it's just so lovely though, and I'm obsessed with lots of color lately. I road-tested both the above pieces and they seem to be holding up OK. I've also used it to wrap bangles:
And a more recent experiment - making fabric beads by wrapping little bits of the ribbon around straws, treating with mod podge and then pulling off the straw when dry. This talisman assemblage necklace is an example of how I'm using them - the charm on the left just above the crucifix. I've found they look much better if the ribbon is patterned or multicolored rather than plain. Incidentally, I debated whether to use the angel wing in this necklace. It stared life as a large silver metal charm reclaimed from a pendant which I painted and embossed to age. I'm not keen on all the cutesy guardian angel stuff but I love the shape of the wing and I think the tribal beads, including some bamboo coral, and grungy white wavy leather necklace offset.
I'm trying to find away to incorporate some yarn in my work - anybody got any suggestions? I've got so much in my stash, which is stored at the top of my husband's wardrobe, that he can't close the door properly.
My daughter and I were in Melbourne over the weekend - she had a dentist appointment so we stayed over for the night. It was so lovely spending time with her (despite my second head cold which meant I didn't have as much energy as I would have liked).
The weather was warm and it seemed as though everyone in the city headed to the river - the restaurants and bars were packed and there were loads of people on the bridge taking photos of the sunset. Just shows you how sun starved we've all been!! There was a lovely vibe going on - a sort of general happiness permeating through the layers of the sometimes cynical Melburnians.
We had to catch a bus back home (a 2 1/2 hour journey) because they were doing some work to the rail line. One of the shops we visited over the weekend was selling little blackboards:
I see I'm definitely not alone when it comes to having reservations about stringing. Both Barbara and Richelle made some really good points that it is somehow counter intuitive but, if you can master it, adds a new dimension particularly if integrated into an assemblage aesthetic. I have to confess though, despite buying a one step beader, I haven't overcome my reservations yet. I'll have to get those tips of you Barbara.
'Til next time.
