Kumihimo

I had an impulse purchase of a kumihimo foam disk a few weeks ago and I’ve been braiding ever since – I’ve got a little addicted.  I’ve been trying out various cords and threads and throwing in some seed beads.  Here are a few examples…

I like that the disk is so lightweight and portable.  I’ll keep it in my bag so if I ever find myself sitting somewhere (on a train, at the hairdressers….) I’ve got something to keep me occupied.  Most of the things that I do require tools and space (I’d look a bit deranged in the hairdressers with a hammer or torch!!) so it is good to find something that I can take out and about with me.   

Trying some new designs…

I’m trying out some new designs for the porcelain disks – I wanted a bit more variety.  First up I knotted some freshwater pearls onto silk and threw in one of the disks.  I wanted this to look asymmetric. 

 (Porcelain, freshwater pearls)

Next, is a bracelet made with seed beads and copper.  I love this colour combination.  I got this design from a tutorial on the Gossiping Goddess blog – thanks Lesley!  I modified it slightly by adding a macramé clasp – but it is a great tutorial, really easy to follow.

 (Porcelain, glass seed beads, copper)

Firsts

This weekend, I was looking back at some of the things I made when I was first starting to work with silver.  It is always interesting to look back sometimes – reflecting on the things that seemed so challenging at the time and which are now second nature. 

This is the first thing I ever made in silver.

(Sterling Silver)

Actually, I had a broken finger when I made this ring.  I’d signed up for the class and was excited about it so I still went along even though my arm was in a sling!  Not ideal circumstances to learn silversmithing but I thought I could at least watch what was happening in the class.  But to her credit Adele, my teacher, took it all in her stride and said she thought I could still make something.  She had me make this ring – helping out when two hands were required! 

This is the first stone that I set.  I still wear this pendant because I like the shape of it and the stone (Azurite) is lovely. 

(Sterling Silver and Azurite)

Experimenting with Enamel

I did an enamelling course at the weekend.  It was only for a day so it was just a taster of what it was like but I was pleased with what I came up with... 

 (Enamel and Copper)

Now that they’ve been fired, the colour combination that I chose reminds me of those Rhubarb and Custard sweets that I used to like as a kid!   

I’ve also been experimenting with using resin as cold enamel on silver. 

  

(Sterling Silver and Resin)

All in all, I think cold enamelling suits me better.  I did enjoy the workshop at the weekend but a lot of the time was spent in preparation – there is a lot of time needed to clean the enamel powder and the metal – I guess I’m more of an instant gratification kind of girl!  Plus, I don’t have to wear a dust mask with cold enamel – I always feel a bit claustrophobic in those things!

Wonky pots

After years of trying to throw the perfect pot, I’ve had a change of heart and have recently been throwing wonky pots – knocking them off centre and adding folds and creases into the clay.  The challenge being even though they are wonky, they still need to look beautiful.  They have a more organic nature than the ‘perfect’ pots and the glaze does interesting things – pooling in the undulations of the pot.  I’ve added my fluted rims and I’m absurdly pleased with the result.   

Potfest in the Pens

I blogged last week about Potfest in the Park and this weekend I went to Potfest in the Pens.  Again this was a great day out.  It has a different feel (and smell!) to the previous weekend.  It is held in an Animal Auction Mart – each of the exhibitors has one of the animal pens to display their work.  It is the only unselected show in the UK so you can see people just starting out alongside more established potters.   As with last weekend, they were all incredibly generous with their time. 

I invested in some velvet underglazes.  I use underglazes to colour the porcelain disks and I’m excited to try the velvet version – they should give some sheen to the disks.  I also bought a tile cutter with interchangeable shapes for cutting clay.  Expect some larger pendants soon! 

Well done to the organisers, Geoff and Christine Cox, for organising two such inspiring events – particularly over adjacent weekends!   

The Geometry Pendant

I must have been in a geometrical state of mind when I made this pendant.  I started with reticulating the silver triangle and then added the silver wire to echo the shape of the triangle.  I made the dichroic glass cabochon last summer in a workshop and it seemed to work on this pendant.   Finally, I finished the pendant off with a domed circle at the top to hide the bail. 

I’ve been using reticulation – melting the surface of the silver enough so that it starts to ripple like water but not so much that it melts completely - a lot at the moment.  I like to include texture in my work and this is a great way to do that in silver.