Speed craft

Back in October, wonderful mum and I went to Speedcraft at Debbie Bryan.  You may remember me posting about these events before.  5 tables, 40 attendees (1 man this time which was great to see), 5 x 50 minutes to do a craft, cake, coffee, cake, coffee, lunch, cake, coffee etc.etc.  Mum loved speedcraft and had booked us on to the one in April.  I will go, but I will miss her.

I'm not going to write 5 posts, I'm going to tell you about it all in one post.  I thought I'd made some notes about the tutor's names and websites, but I can't find them.

One of the tables was papercraft and we made 3d hanging decorations using sugar paper, metallic paper and vintage papers including old lace patterns.  Debbie is a bit fan of stitching so there is always thread on all the tables, we used it to add some accents.

I really like some of the papers used here.

Next we did wirework.  We started by scribing the copper circles using various tools, then made a hanger from a piece of wire.  I added tiny paper "bunting" and tassels to mine. I really like this!

It's about necklace size, maybe a bit longer (width-wise), but it's too delicate to wear, so I've hung it up in my craft room.

I did a different pattern on each side of the circle, just to try something new.

One table was weaving which I've never tried before.  OK, maybe as a kid, but I don't remember.  This was great fun, using all kinds of different materials from ribbons and lace to lengths of fabric and yarn.  

I just need to sew the ends under to tidy it up.  I could really fancy doing this again... the only problem is, what do you do with it?

As usual, Katie Almond was there to do ceramics with us.  Me and mum really had the knack of this by then, and we made our pieces in about 10 minutes, leaving lots of time for the delicate painting!  We were both improving too.  Above is the pre-baked piece.

And this is it when I got it back.  I didn't have a Christmas tree this year, so I propped it on my mantelpiece!  it will be the star of the tree next year.  

There was a fifth craft.  It was printing using acrylic inks brayered onto tiles and impressing stamps and tools into the paint before placing paper on top and making an impression.  Unfortunately, we hung them up to dry and forgot to collect them!  You're not missing much, printing is not one of my greatest skills!

wire weaving

I've still got some posts about classes me and my lovely mum took at The Bead Shop Nottingham to show you, I seem to have fallen behind with my blog posts!  The class I'm going to tell you about today was wire weaving.

We started by practicing with some copper wire.  We used 1mm wire as the structure and wove with 0.4mm wire, using various different weaves.  Then we tried a 3-way weave which was hard, but tricky as you had to get the wire up and through the gaps and it does like to poke me in the eye.

We then moved on to working with silver plated wire.  I was slightly ambitious in my design and whilst it looks a dog's dinner in this enlarged photo, it doesn't look so bad in real life!  I added some gorgeous Lapis Lazuli gemstones to the centre and the outside.

Unfortunately, I still haven't finished it!  I need to weave the bail to give something to hang it by. I'll show you when it's done, but don't hold your breath, I have a tub of jewellery WIPs to get done!


Wire weaving was new to me, so I'm linking it up to Something New for 2014

  

viking knit

Guess where I did a class?  Yes! The Bead Shop Nottingham, how on earth did you guess?!?

The class was on Viking Knit which is working with 0.3mm wire using a tool to make a kind of braid much like with a French knitting spool.  It's usually done using a Lazee Daizee tool, but we used some wire held round a pencil which worked just as well.

After creating a braid, or length of knit, it looks like this.  Not great eh?  The next step is the work it through a draw plate, ours were plastic, starting with a large hole and working your way down until the knit is compact.  It's magic, that's all there is to describe it. Magic.

See how neat that looks?  Nothing like the pre-drawn braid.

See?  I was very impressed.  I made mine into a bracelet with end cones when I got home.  I bought a draw plate as I want to do some more of this (I'm thinking coloured wire to make necklaces), but I didn't buy a Lazee Daizee tool as they're £20!  I'm going to use the pencil with wire held on with an elastic band!

As this was new to me, I'll be linking up to Fiona's Something New for 2014

There will be radio silence from me for the next week.  Me and my lovely mum are off to the craft hotel for 5 fab days of crafting.  Potential burglars!  Mr CA will be here and he's the one you don't want to tangle with.

Craft book review - Craftydermy

Today I have another craft book review for you, another book from Cicada.  Again I made a project from the book, I'll show you the book first. 

The book was provided to me free of charge so that I'd share a review with you, but I was not told what to say, all opinions are 100% my own.  The links are affiliate links, so if you click on them and then buy, I will get a few pence towards an Amazon voucher.

Today's book is Craftydermy, as with MiniEco: A Craft Book which I reviewed last week, I was a bit nervous on seeing the cover, would I like this book?  YES!  It's not, as I'd thought, full of stuffed animal heads!

OK, so there are one or two stuffed animal heads, but this one is so cute!

Image: Ian Tillotson 

The rest of the book is packed with projects using all kinds of different techniques.  There's a knitted fox scarf which, if I had the patience, I would love to make.  Mind you, I shouldn't like foxes as foxes eat bunnies, so maybe I'd adapt it to a bunny scarf.  I don't like knitting though so it's not going to happen so I'm not quite sure why I'm arguing with myself about it.

Image: Ian Tillotson 

Next on my project list is a set of appliqued flying ducks - think Vera Duckworth on Coronation street, and one of these cute brooches (again, I'm thinking bunny...)

Image: Ian Tillotson 

See what a variety of projects there are?  There are also tiger rugs, bearfeet slippers, a wolf headdress, birdcage lampshades and plenty more.  The first thing that caught my eye was this wire bird.

Image: Ian Tillotson 

Wire I have, wire I can do.  The book calls for 1.2mm which I didn't have, so I used 1mm, but hammered it afterwards to give it strength.

Doesn't he look sad?  Oh poor birdy.  What's wrong?  Is it your strange tail or your backwards pointing wing?  Or perhaps your mismatched legs?  Or do you need a friend?

How about a strangely shaped, front-pawless bunny with no eyes?  (This is my own design, in case you can't tell!)

"Hello eyeless bunny", "hello sad birdy".  Ahhh, friends.  BFFs even.

So what did I think of the book?  There were several projects in it I'd like to make (when I get a chance of course!), it's definitely not all stuffed heads!  I think it'd be great for any skill-level of crafter, and pretty much any discipline.  There are a couple of projects which require a skill - knitting or crochet - but the rest of the projects could be tackled by anyone.  This is a book I'm glad I was sent and will be revisiting.



Related Posts

Craft book review - Mini Eco
Craft book review - Me and My Sewing Adventure

Texturing Metal - craft class

Good morning ladies, I hope you are all well this Bonfire Night morning.  Not really sure if Bonfire Night morning makes sense.  All the fireworks seemed to happen round our way at the weekend.  When they started I went rushing out to see if the buns were OK.  They just looked bored with it!

On Saturday me and my wonderful mum went to another class at The Bead Shop, Nottingham.  It's a good thing they keep adding classes or we'd have to find something else to do!  This class was texturing metal.  It was an experimental class rather than a class where you go away with a finished piece.  This has been on my WIP list all year since I got some hammers for Christmas, but it was good to get some advice and tips.

We started off making some coils.  The silver one is 1.5mm wire and the copper one is 0.8mm, though we used 1mm too.  Once we'd made some coils, we had a good old bash.  We used a chasing hammer and there was also a Beadsmith hammer with interchangeable heads to give patterns.  I wasn't keen on that on the wire, I think it'd be better on sheet metal.  Above the silver one has been bashed flat at the top, then textured.  The bronze one is also hammered flat.

I used two different heads on each side, this one gives it a bit of a shimmer.

Next we moved on to colouring the copper with a heat gun.  I always thought you needed a torch for this so it was good to know I can use my trusty heat gun.  Heating for different lengths of time gives a different colour finish.

Here I was experimenting with heart shapes - the one on the left is a clear winner.  All were hammered flat.  The left one hasn't been heated at all, the middle one heated to an amber colour and the one on the right to a purple/blue colour.

The class was really interesting and now I need to get my hammers out and have a bit of a go!  Better get the dining room sorted out so I have a table to work on...

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.

Herringbone Weave

Hello ladies!  Well, it's been an interesting day, I can't say I've ever been tear gassed before, but I can now!  I've got something to show you from last weekend, or was it the weekend before?  I went to another craft class at The Bead Shop, Nottingham, this time we learnt wire wrapping, using the Herringbone Weave.

I am so sorry about the photos.  I took them on a piece of blue paper as they looked even worse on white.  I think there's a problem with the white balance on my camera, however it's not an expensive camera and I can't figure out how to adjust it...

We used Swarovski pearls, which are beautiful, and wire wrapped them using 0.6mm wire.  Confession?  I hated it.

I don't know if it was because I was stressed out, or it was the technique (it certainly wasn't the tutor, she's brilliant!), but I just could not get it neat and that frustrated and annoyed me.

This one (above) is the back.  We made links for a bracelet and I have almost enough, but I'm not sure I'll make it into a bracelet, they just look too amateurish for me.  

We'd been wrapping the smaller pearls, 6mm I think, so I tried a larger pearl to see if that would be better.  Erm... no! 

What do you think ladies, do these look like something a 3-year old would make?

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!

coiling gizmo

Hiya ladies.  I'm here today with a LANT and a little gadget that's probably new to most of you.  Or am I the last person in the world to discover it?

This is the coling gizmo.  As you may be able to tell by the wire and beads in the background, it's a jewellery making tool.  I saw it being demonstrated at the Craft Show in March and was also seeing projects for it around the same time so I invested.  So, what does it do?

It coils. The picture above shows a wire that I coiled, then pulled apart gently.  It works on any thickness of wire and you can make big or small coils depending on which twirly-type-thing you put in the vice.  I spent a little time at the weekend experimenting with it.

In the picture above I coiled some black wire with the thinnest coiler, then coiled that with a large coiler, producing this coil above.  Pretty cool!

This coil was made holding a length of black wire and red wire together.  I don't think I picked the best colours as you can't really see the contrast in the photo, it's also pretty subtle in real life.

I stretched it a bit and you can see te colours better.

I used that wire to make another coil, strung this butterfly charm on the first coiled wire and wrapped the coiled-coil round it!  I hope you're following me here!

I finished the piece off with some beads and chain.  I quite like it!

The beads are rubber and have pretty scalloped red bead caps either side.

I also used a thicker 1mm wire and a medium coiler (I think it comes with 8 sizes) to make my own jump rings, that will be a great money saver and it'll allow me to make jump rings in any colour, thickness and diameter. 

I'll have a play with this again, I'm sure there's loads more it can do that I haven't discovered yet - I might just have to google it!

I'm not affiliated with the Coiling Gizmo at all, I just wanted to show you what it does.