WARNING - appalling photography...

I have thoroughly outdone myself.  You've seen atrocious photography here on my blog, this ladies, this takes the biscuit.  Is that a real saying or did I just make that up?

A colleague spotted me wearing the necklace I made in the wig jig class I took and asked me where I'd bought it.  He said he wanted one for his wife's anniversary present.  I said I'd made it so he commissioned a necklace and a pair of earrings!

Mine was made with bog-standard silver-plated craft wire, but for this, as it was a special present, I bought some sterling silver wire, chain and ear wires.  The pearls are Swarovski.  I didn't have the special round jig we used in the class and at £40 it was a bit out of my price range.  So I made do with an ordinary jig and the original stars as a pattern.

The reason for the crappy photos is that I forgot to take photos of it until about 2 minutes before I left for work on Monday, the day I'd promised him he'd have it.  Ah well, you get the gist!

Which is worse, this one or the top one?  Well, crappy photos or not, he was delighted and over paid me for it!  I spent the money he gave me on salad for the bunnies*.  Such a loving mother I am.


*disclaimer: not all the money.  That would have been a lot of salad even for four bunnies, one of them being the greediest bunny since Peter Rabbit.

wig jig

Morning ladies. So, it's Sunday and I'm writing a week's worth of blog posts.  It makes me feel a bit odd and out of time...  Does it feel odd to you?

Last Saturday saw me and mum making another trip to The Bead Shop, Nottingham for another jewellery making class.  This class was advanced Wigjig.  We did the Wigjig class in November last year and I really enjoyed it.

This time we used the Wigjig Electra which is a round jig.  It's such a shame they're so expensive, no way can I afford £40 for one of these!  We started off making a simple shape which we made into earrings.  I managed to hold my bile down!  The class examples had beads hanging off them but we didn't do that in class, I think I might if I can decide who to gift them too.

Next we moved on to making a star.  It was great fun, but because I had to use quite a long length of straightened wire, things were going flying off the table left, right and centre!  It's a bit dangerous, this wigjigging lark.

I'm going to wire wrap the centre of this pendent and add some seed beads.

I made another three stars and attached them together with jump rings.  Adding in the jump rings was the most difficult part as I kept twisting the components!  It's finished off with some Swarovski pearls.  The bottom one looks a bit strange in this picture, I didn't use a headpin, I spiral wrapped it but it turned for the photo.

Finally I had a go at the advanced star.  We didn't have a diagram for this, I followed the photo they'd provided.  I was so chuffed with it, until I cut off the loop that will hold it together!  Damn!

Jigging that wig

Morning ladies!  I meant to write this post yesterday but the lack of computer at home is making things hard, I'm so behind in my blog reading it's unreal!  I know I could just "mark all as read" but I don't want to!  I'm unlikely to get any work done today, I'm bursting with excitement.  I picked up my "new" car yesterday - he's gorgeous!  I've decided to call him Norton.  I think I've already told you this, but he's a blue Mini One with a checkerboard roof and checkerboard stripes!  I'll take a photo when it stops raining and if the sun comes out at all today.  it's 9:30am and dark as night!  Tomorrow me and my mum are going to Harrogate to the Knitting and Stitching show.  We're staying overnight so have two days at the fair.

Which brings me to my topic of today, I realised I didn't tell you about the Bead Fair I went to a couple of weeks ago.  It was hosted by The Bead Shop Nottingham in a local hotel.  It was quite small but there were plenty enough shops there.  There was also a free mini workshop.  We signed up for the Wig Jig workshop, thinking it might follow on from the class we took a few months ago.  It turned out to be the same, just condensed.  So I freestyled instead!

Here are the designs I made up.  They don't look terribly neat, they'll look better once they're attached and made into jewellery.  Promise!

Want to see my haul?  I didn't actually spend very much, I got quite few bargains!

Not bad eh?  I got bails for putting polymer clay cabouchons or Fantasty paint in, some filigree pieces, some lentil beads and bangle blanks.

Lots of chain, delica beads and some fab painted wooden buttons.

Beading kits.

Spacers, connectors, bead caps, funky shaped beads, lucite leaves and ribbon clasps.

Speaking of haul, my winnings from the Zakka Style Sew Along turned up from Robert Kaufmann...

Yum yum!  Would you believe I've forgotten its name???  I'll leave you with the birthday card I made for my mum.  I'm off to stand by the window and admire my car!

Wig Jig class

Bonjour!  I am in Tunisia.  I arrived last night and I was so disappointed.   Not one bad thing happened to me.  I know that's supposed to be good, but being the eternal optimist, I was hoping for a whole host of disasters so I could put them into a post for your entertainment.  Unfortunately, not even dinner was funny.  There was the late night disco at the hotel, playing the likes of Agado and Music Man.  Non-UK readers, I'm not sure if you get those references.  Google it.

I took some pictures from the workshop me and my mum went to last Thursday at the Bead Shop Nottingham.   This class was on the wig jig.  I can't see the pictures in this post - I imported them before I came away.  Please let me know if you can or can't see them, it might just be me!  I've been into Photobucket and can't see any photos... hoping it's just me.

Right, so now I get to try to remember what's in the pictures to write about them!  I believe the picture above is of a bracelet.  We used the wigjig and 0.8mm wire to create the 4-leaf clover shape.  This was then just used as an ordinary component.

One of these photos shows the components next to a ruler, they're really quite diddy, but it wasn't that fiddly at all.

I've also taken photos of a pair of earrings with a green bead attached.  This was the first item we made and a variation on the 4 leaf clover.

The other pair of earrings uses a celtic design to create the lovely pattern.  After creating the patterns by wrapping them round pegs on the jig, we had to squeeze them with nylon jawed pliers.  Clearly I'm very heavy handed as I broke more than a few!

I really enjoyed this technique and think there is no end to the possibilities.  Unfortunately, the wig jig itself isn't cheap.  I've put it on my wish list!

Right, I'm going to read some blogs and then try and find some food.  Not sure whether to brave one of the hotel restaurants or not.  I don't like the idea of going out for food alone as this place is absolutely teeming with tourists.  I much prefer it when I have the place to myself in the off-season.  The service is much better then too.  If you think I'm crazy for not being outside, it's been scorching all day and I've been in a hot building, I came back to the hotel and it's decidedly chilly out there!  I was going to go for a swim... don't fancy the idea of going outside in my cossie!