Finally! Here is a quickly-made video to show you all how I attach a clasp to an 8 strand kumihimo braid (using S-Lon, C-Lon cord or similar):
It's 15 minutes long, but I think it's all useful information!
The video is intended for people who know how to make basic wire wrapped loops and can create kumihimo braids. I hope it's helpful!
Showing posts with label jewelry making. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jewelry making. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Blast from the past
I thought I'd share this funny little thing.
It's a hand out I played around with back in 2006 for a ring making workshop. I never wound up using it.
I knew so little about wire and typography!
I still think the idea of making a mini-comic out of craft how-to's is a fun idea. Some day when I have gobs of free time, maybe I'll try this kind of thing again.
It's a hand out I played around with back in 2006 for a ring making workshop. I never wound up using it.
I knew so little about wire and typography!
I still think the idea of making a mini-comic out of craft how-to's is a fun idea. Some day when I have gobs of free time, maybe I'll try this kind of thing again.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Kumihimo Questions?
My post on Kumihimo with Magatamas has been my most commented post!
An 8 warp braid by WolfSilverOak on Flickr
So, what are your questions about 8-warp kumihimo braiding using the (circular) disc?
I'll answer your questions as best I can, with the experience I have!
An 8 warp braid by WolfSilverOak on Flickr
So, what are your questions about 8-warp kumihimo braiding using the (circular) disc?
I'll answer your questions as best I can, with the experience I have!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Working with eyes
Just a quick share of a WIP - layered watercolor marker on 25lb tracing paper, pitt pen on top of that. Using vinyl resin based glue, no smearing so far!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Upcoming Demos
I'll be running 2 demos in the shop this weekend.
On Friday starting at 5pm, see the BigKick embossing/etching machine in action (I might even do some basic patina with liver of sulfur gel if time and space permits!).
On Sunday starting at 2pm, I'll put together some glass-cabochon pendants. Not too terribly complicated, but still fun to watch :)
On Friday starting at 5pm, see the BigKick embossing/etching machine in action (I might even do some basic patina with liver of sulfur gel if time and space permits!).
On Sunday starting at 2pm, I'll put together some glass-cabochon pendants. Not too terribly complicated, but still fun to watch :)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Embossing detail
I took more photos of the embossed earrings and pendant in sunlight:
I'm still lovin' 'em! The downside...now I want to design my own embossing plates. Kinda like I want my own plastic and wood laser cutting machine! Maybe one day I'll have tons of free space, time, and money.
Back here in reality, if anyone is interested in earrings or just the brass elements themselves like these, please let me know! I would be happy to make more.
I'm still lovin' 'em! The downside...now I want to design my own embossing plates. Kinda like I want my own plastic and wood laser cutting machine! Maybe one day I'll have tons of free space, time, and money.
Back here in reality, if anyone is interested in earrings or just the brass elements themselves like these, please let me know! I would be happy to make more.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Crafting Components
I gotta say, I really enjoy making components rather than a Great Big Finished Product sometimes.
Today I made the long brass charms for these earrings. It was satisfying to emboss, hammer, shape, polish and buff a relatively boring piece of metal into something pretty interesting.
I used some garnet on the tops, there. I should have taken these photos in daylight to better show them off, but I was too impatient (imagine that).
I should take a photo wearing them, they're dang dangly!
I also tried combining the above techniques with letter stamping. I want to revisit it with more time to think about it before trying it out. It has lots of fun potential!
Today I made the long brass charms for these earrings. It was satisfying to emboss, hammer, shape, polish and buff a relatively boring piece of metal into something pretty interesting.
I used some garnet on the tops, there. I should have taken these photos in daylight to better show them off, but I was too impatient (imagine that).
I should take a photo wearing them, they're dang dangly!
I also tried combining the above techniques with letter stamping. I want to revisit it with more time to think about it before trying it out. It has lots of fun potential!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
My Macrame Formula
When I teach a basic macrame knotting class (to make a bracelet/necklace/anklet), I like to provide this formula for those interested in using it.
I created my own system to fairly simply figure out how far to space the beads while working so everything is spaced out evenly. This is especially important if you have a focal bead that you want to center. I made this formula during a summer when I making lots and lots of macrame necklaces and bracelets and kept having to back out my work due to guess-timation.
I recommend jotting down these measurements in decimal format to make the math easier.
Length of clasp/sliding knot/closure = ____in
Length of beads (line them up on a strand) = ____in
Length of 2 knots (if you like to make a knot before and after your macrame) = ___in
Add these three numbers together and call it A.
The desired finished length = ____in
This desired length minus A = ___in
This is the total length minus everything that will NOT be a macrame knot. Call it B.
The number B divided by the number of beads in the piece plus 1 (For example, a bracelet with 5 beads will have 6 spaces to fill with macrame knots. If you draw a quick sketch, you will see what I mean.)
This final number is how far to knot before you add each new bead! It is usually a small decimal, and not exactly a fraction that easily makes sense in terms of inches. I work to the nearest distance. For example:
Length of clasp/sliding knot/closure = 1.00 in
Length of beads = 3.25 in
Length of 2 knots = .50 in
all these added together gives you...
A = 4.75 in
The desired finished length = 7.00 in - A gives you...
B = 2.25 in
B / (number of beads +1...I'm using 5 beads, so I will divide by 6) = .38 in
.38 is 3/8th of an inch. That's how far I will work knotting before I add each bead.
I hope this is useful for some of you!
I created my own system to fairly simply figure out how far to space the beads while working so everything is spaced out evenly. This is especially important if you have a focal bead that you want to center. I made this formula during a summer when I making lots and lots of macrame necklaces and bracelets and kept having to back out my work due to guess-timation.
I recommend jotting down these measurements in decimal format to make the math easier.
Length of clasp/sliding knot/closure = ____in
Length of beads (line them up on a strand) = ____in
Length of 2 knots (if you like to make a knot before and after your macrame) = ___in
Add these three numbers together and call it A.
The desired finished length = ____in
This desired length minus A = ___in
This is the total length minus everything that will NOT be a macrame knot. Call it B.
The number B divided by the number of beads in the piece plus 1 (For example, a bracelet with 5 beads will have 6 spaces to fill with macrame knots. If you draw a quick sketch, you will see what I mean.)
This final number is how far to knot before you add each new bead! It is usually a small decimal, and not exactly a fraction that easily makes sense in terms of inches. I work to the nearest distance. For example:
Length of clasp/sliding knot/closure = 1.00 in
Length of beads = 3.25 in
Length of 2 knots = .50 in
all these added together gives you...
A = 4.75 in
The desired finished length = 7.00 in - A gives you...
B = 2.25 in
B / (number of beads +1...I'm using 5 beads, so I will divide by 6) = .38 in
.38 is 3/8th of an inch. That's how far I will work knotting before I add each bead.
I hope this is useful for some of you!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Green and brown cluster necklace
While trying to come up with a fun class idea for basic even-count peyote stitch (other than making the run of the mill bracelet), I made this:
It's many strands of seeds, pearls, garnet and pyrite bundled together in the back with a tube of seeds.
I only had 15's in a color I liked to work with. It took a while and I will modify the project for a class, but I think it would be fun to make something similar with larger seeds for the tube.
I decided to add something decorative to the back as well. It sort of reminds me of a crown. It was a fun experiment!
It's many strands of seeds, pearls, garnet and pyrite bundled together in the back with a tube of seeds.
I only had 15's in a color I liked to work with. It took a while and I will modify the project for a class, but I think it would be fun to make something similar with larger seeds for the tube.
I decided to add something decorative to the back as well. It sort of reminds me of a crown. It was a fun experiment!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Embellished Ring class
The classes I've been teaching lately at The Spiral have gone so well! I love having such great attendees who come back again and again to learn something different. We had a double-booked Beginners' Beading class last weekend (literally twice as many as I usually teach), and it was the best class I've taught in many months!
Next Saturday, I'll teach the Embellished Ring class for the first time in about a year.
There is still room for 1 or 2 more if you are comfortable with a needle and thread and want to dive into seed beading in a big way.
I'll miss teaching classes there. It's just now starting to hit me that we'll be leaving soon! My teaching schedule will have to taper off after July :(
Next Saturday, I'll teach the Embellished Ring class for the first time in about a year.
There is still room for 1 or 2 more if you are comfortable with a needle and thread and want to dive into seed beading in a big way.
I'll miss teaching classes there. It's just now starting to hit me that we'll be leaving soon! My teaching schedule will have to taper off after July :(
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Jewelry making tip
-Jewelry making tip: out of headpins-
If you need to make a drop, but are out of headpins, here's how you can improvise if you have some spare wire laying around. You'll need the piece of wire to be at least twice as long as the beads you're using for your drop.
Make a wire wrap at one end of the wire as usual. String the bead(s) from the other end and fold the wire up parallel with them, so about 1 in sticks up above the top of the last bead you want to wrap around.
Wrap this open end once or twice around underneath a bead. You can wrap between beads, or at the top near the loop.
Use tapered cutters to cut the excess as close as you can, and tuck whatever's left in with chain nose plyers.
Tada! A fun wrap, and you didn't even need a headpin.
If you need to make a drop, but are out of headpins, here's how you can improvise if you have some spare wire laying around. You'll need the piece of wire to be at least twice as long as the beads you're using for your drop.
Make a wire wrap at one end of the wire as usual. String the bead(s) from the other end and fold the wire up parallel with them, so about 1 in sticks up above the top of the last bead you want to wrap around.
Wrap this open end once or twice around underneath a bead. You can wrap between beads, or at the top near the loop.
Use tapered cutters to cut the excess as close as you can, and tuck whatever's left in with chain nose plyers.
Tada! A fun wrap, and you didn't even need a headpin.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Jewelry making tip
-Jewelry making tip: large hole beads and cones-
If you use beads with holes much larger than your stringing material, or you use cones on the ends of a piece, this tip will make the beads/cones lay better on the stringing material and make it last longer.
To keep large hole beads and cones from "knocking" back and forth on stringing material, string a few seed beads that are just small enough to fit INTO the hole of the large bead after you have strung that large bead. These seed beads will fall inside of the large hole and stop the large beads from moving around on the string/wire so much. You'll need to have a bigger bead on either side of the big-hole bead to keep the seeds hidden inside.
This will prevent the large beads from "biting" into the string/wire, the seed beads acting like a little covering.
If you use beads with holes much larger than your stringing material, or you use cones on the ends of a piece, this tip will make the beads/cones lay better on the stringing material and make it last longer.
To keep large hole beads and cones from "knocking" back and forth on stringing material, string a few seed beads that are just small enough to fit INTO the hole of the large bead after you have strung that large bead. These seed beads will fall inside of the large hole and stop the large beads from moving around on the string/wire so much. You'll need to have a bigger bead on either side of the big-hole bead to keep the seeds hidden inside.
This will prevent the large beads from "biting" into the string/wire, the seed beads acting like a little covering.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Jewelry making tip
-Jewelry making tip: Crimping for strength-
A question I am often asked during beginner beading class is if thick beading wire is needed for a heavy or chunky piece of jewelry.
In my opinion, using medium, heavy or extra heavy beading wire isn't as important as how you attach the clasp to the wire. That's where the most tension lies and that's also where most breakage happens.
To securely attach the clasp to the wire, use 2 strong crimps (crimped with a properly sized crimping tool). The second crimp acts as a kind of fail-safe if the other one breaks.
You can also pass an inch or so of the beading wire back through the beads in the piece once it's been crimped, if possible.
If your piece should break or the crimps slip, you'll have a bit of wire to hopefully save all your beads!
This technique does put a bit more space where the clasp attaches, but if you're worried about security it is a good thing to do!
A question I am often asked during beginner beading class is if thick beading wire is needed for a heavy or chunky piece of jewelry.
In my opinion, using medium, heavy or extra heavy beading wire isn't as important as how you attach the clasp to the wire. That's where the most tension lies and that's also where most breakage happens.
To securely attach the clasp to the wire, use 2 strong crimps (crimped with a properly sized crimping tool). The second crimp acts as a kind of fail-safe if the other one breaks.
You can also pass an inch or so of the beading wire back through the beads in the piece once it's been crimped, if possible.
If your piece should break or the crimps slip, you'll have a bit of wire to hopefully save all your beads!
This technique does put a bit more space where the clasp attaches, but if you're worried about security it is a good thing to do!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Jewelry making tip
While brainstorming new regular content for my blog between shop updates, I figured I'd provide a few tips about the crafts I'm most familiar with. The majority will relate to beaded jewelry making.
-Jewelry making tip: Remembering wire gauge-
via emckinstry on flickr
If you're new at working with wire, or have been doing it for years, it can be difficult to remember if the number associated with a wire's gauge means it's thinner or thicker than another.
The larger the number, the thinner the wire.
To remember this, think of it this way: Wire starts as a thick, small piece of malleable metal. If it's pulled to be 20 feet long, it gets thinner. If it's pulled to 25 feet, it gets even thinner!
Picture that in your mind the next time you wonder, "Is this 24 gauge headpin thinner or thicker than that 22 gauge headpin?"
-Jewelry making tip: Remembering wire gauge-
via emckinstry on flickr
If you're new at working with wire, or have been doing it for years, it can be difficult to remember if the number associated with a wire's gauge means it's thinner or thicker than another.
The larger the number, the thinner the wire.
To remember this, think of it this way: Wire starts as a thick, small piece of malleable metal. If it's pulled to be 20 feet long, it gets thinner. If it's pulled to 25 feet, it gets even thinner!
Picture that in your mind the next time you wonder, "Is this 24 gauge headpin thinner or thicker than that 22 gauge headpin?"
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