Ok, let’s start with a cat picture…. After all, they are my “helpers”
with all things fabric related:
- Any piece of fabric/quilt block laid on the floor must be
sat upon
- When Mom pins a piece of fabric to the rug (how I lay out
the backing when making the quilt “sandwich”), she really wants us to pull the
pins out and throw them around
- Same as above – but when Mom has pins in the binding of a
quilt and is hand sewing it. Bonus
points if we crouch on the arm of the couch and do it while she is sewing
- Oh, and when the quilts are finished, they are ours
- And, we are not just helpers with quilts; when Mom is wire
wrapping, she wants us to play with the wire as she’s twisting it.
My Hubby’s Job is to
Save Me from Myself
As I often say, I am an intelligent, capable, strong woman,
but I require a caretaker as I lack a certain amount of common sense and the
ability to care for myself in some ways.
So, I have to call my hubby out once again for his thinking
ahead and about me….
A few weeks back, he bought me a portable, rechargeable,
power pack for charging my phones and my ipad.
It has gotten a lot of use, as I often forget to plug my
phone in when I get home… or when I get to work… Having the ability to charge my phone anywhere
is such a boon!
Quilt coming
There is a quilt picture and commentary coming shortly… I
promise… quilting is still my first love!
I just have to finish the binding and I will post it.
(The above quip posted in defense of myself towards the
person (you know who you are!) who chided me about abandoning quilting for glass-work!)
Gems, Metal, and Wire
Square metal wire
wrapping
When I took the first wire wrapping class a few weeks back,
the instructions stated to bring a couple stones you wanted to wrap. I brought some of the gemstones that I've been collecting for a few (many) years.
The instructor told me, however, that faceted gems required square wire
and that that was a longer class.
Here’s a reminder of the sort of gemstones that I've been
collecting:
Long story short, a couple of us in the class requested her
square wire class, we looked at schedules, and the class was held last Sunday.
Needless to say, I loved the class, addressed the concepts
with my usual hyper level, and have been prolific at wrapping my gems ever
since!
The instructor gave us each a cabochon (oval) and some cheap
wire (copper in my case) and it took four hours to guide us through the
different concepts of square wire (versus round that we’d used in the other wire
wrapping class).
Here is my finished product:
After learning the basic concepts, I bought some silver wire
(expensive compared to what I’d been using) from the Studio and started on
wrapping the largest of my personal gemstones.
Making the first cut into that silver wire was pretty scary.
I got the wires organized, and attached to each other before
class ended and then brought the project home to finish. My take on how you do the form of square wire
wrapping we were taught is:
- Cut the wires and bind them to each other to make the
framework
- Put the gem into the framework, secure in front and back
- Make the bail
- Finish with decorative bits, etc
I got step one done at the studio. When I got home, I started on step two. At the point where I finished that, and
actually saw this huge amethyst that I’d been caressing for years encased in a
setting, I was overjoyed. I danced into
the kitchen and did a “see! See!” to Chris.
I’m sure he was greatly amused.
Here’s what it looks like:
I then moved on to the other gemstones and some other
particularly special pieces that I’ve been collecting, as well as some glass
pieces to give as gifts.
One of the 20~ caret Ametrines. This one is purple to white/clear. The setting is silver, with brass accents.
The other 20~ caret Ametrines. This one is purple to yellow. I used brass with copper accents for the setting.
A small, dark amethyst.
I’m not happy with using 22-gauge wire for smaller things. I ordered some silver in 24 gauge rather than
22. I think it will be a little more
unforgiving to accidental twists, etc., but I think I’ll like the results
better.
These are the last of the gemstones that I've set so
far. I used brass for the settings and
tried very hard to match them. I told
Chris that I would either have two nice pendants that looked similar, or a pair
of earrings.
I've decided that they will be earrings.
This is a large stone do-nut bead that I bought somewhere
along the line. I love the color and
wanted to do something with it. This pattern
of wire is nothing I was taught – I just sort of made it up.
This is crackled glass (see last week’s post and all the
other crackle bits).
This one is quite large.
I made it for a friend who likes blue!
Last one – this is a small glass do-dad that I made. The snowflake is copper foil cut out using a
paper punch. Amazingly enough, my $8.00 approximately
1 inch sized and not very detailed Fiskar’s punch made a mess of the copper,
while the $0.99, 3/8th inch, very detailed punch made perfect cuts! I have several other do-dads just like these
(with different designs) – I think that a smaller gauge of silver will do much
better for them.
Setting Gemstones
Next up – moving on to putting gemstones into actual
settings with prongs!
I have more gemstones, smaller ones. They are beautiful, but too small for even
tiny wire. I've been watching YouTube
videos on setting stones with pronged settings, and Karen (Studio at Rush
Creek) has setting pliers (needle nose type of pliers that opens evenly, rather
than in a Vee shape).
First up, a ring for my right hand.
I had an engagement ring (bought a couple years into our
marriage… long story). I looked at it a
couple weeks ago and discovered that the stone was gone. The ring (setting) wasn't much to speak of,
and the gem was pretty cheap), so I’m not horribly distressed or
concerned. However, since we just hit 15
years (woot woot!), and since I have this great desire to play with gemstones,
I looked through my collection for something suitable.
I found a 10mm, round cut (brilliant cut?) blue topaz. Blue was the color my hubby picked for the main
stone on my wedding ring (I’m not into diamonds), so that gem struck me as the
one to use. Its 3.5 carats according to
a chart I found – quite the rock! I
found a solitaire setting in sterling silver on a website and sent away for
it. I’m not ready to spend a great deal
of money on gold yet.
The rest of my collection of “un wire wrap able” gemstones
include citrine, amethyst, and a clear stone – probably faceted glass, but
still pretty. Anyway, I found a seller
on eBay who has some brass and/or bronze settings at a reasonable price. I’m totally satisfied with setting them into
those settings and making some every day jeweler rather than even making the lower
investment in sterling. These stones are
mine because I liked them and because they were cheap enough to satisfy my
cheapskate nature! I want to wear them,
and have fun with them. They've sat long
enough in a box!
Playing with Metal
I've taken a couple classes at the Studio where I worked
with copper, and now I've used silver wire.
I have toyed with the idea of doing a little more with copper – even considered
buying some from the website recommended by one instructor , or buying a piece
of hers from her – but after today I decided that I don’t like copper as a
sheet metal as much as I like it for wire wrapping.
Today’s metal foray started with buying a metal stamp (I’ll
get back to that), and ironically, the metal that I liked stamping on best was
brass – the very metal that I hate with wire wrapping! Total opposites between the two jewelry art
forms!
Side story: Many
years ago, Chris and I bought a LARGE paper cutter at an estate sale. It’s one of those that every school had,
until more safety standards came into play.
We call it a guillotine. That’s
the closest I can come to explaining how that huge blade appears to function!
The children used that paper cutter for school and art
projects for many years (and avoided cutting off any digits) but it has sat for
at least the last five with a minimum of use.
One day, Karen was talking about cutting things in the Studio, including
thinner metals. End of that discussion
was me bringing her that HEAVY and awkward paper cutter. I did hear quickly that it was pressed into
service successfully.
Then, tonight when I wanted just a small piece of the silver
from Karen’s sheet of silver, I asked her how I was to cut it…..
Yes, you see where this is going….
Karen: “use that
paper cutter you gave me”
DUH…..
(yes, it worked fine)
Kid in a Candy Store
Me: Karen, can I buy
some copper? Where is it?
Karen: (walks over by
the sink, and points to a large box on top of a tool chest – tall tool
chest, much like my hubby’s in the
garage) Just dig through here, find what you want and prices are marked
(paraphrased)
Me: (after about 20
minutes, and three trips to Karen at her desk to ask some things) You have so
MANY treasures in here…..
I started with digging through that box, then moved down the
treasure chest drawers as I saw signs that said “Dichrotic,” “silver wire,” and
more. I only wanted to work with the
copper, but decided that I loved the brass and even went with silver.
Then, I moved on to the drawer set that contained the metal
tools. In looking for a hammer, I opened
a drawer that contained both a ring-sizing dowel (name?) and a keychain (for
lack of better word) of those bits to size your fingers for rings!
TOYS!!!
I sized my wedding ring – 5.5, as I thought I remembered –
and most of my fingers.
That took ten minutes or so.
There I was, paying for studio time (ok, I’m a regular and Karen gives
me a break!), but playing with things and doing nothing productive. It was so fun! I’m such a geek…..
Anyway, I bought a setting for my new “engagement” ring, as
said above, and I bought it in a size 6.0.
I think… the online form isn’t showing me. I might have bought it in a 5.5. Either way, I sized that finger to a
5.75. I hope that that is close enough. If not, I may hit up the son of my wire-wrapping
teacher for some adjustments. I gave her
several of my cabochons made from my special glass (both my fuser’s reserve –
pre made, and my own crackled designs), so maybe that buys me some good will,
and/or maybe her son will accept a small quilt or embroidery on something
(Deanna…. Are you reading this? J
) for some tweaking of some of my jewelry.
The stamp
To those of my readers who do not know all my predilections –
I like mice. Not real mice, although I
have had pet mice and they are cute, but all sorts of mice figurines. Tiny metal ones are my favorite – especially with
crystals incorporated, the fur covered little ones are second, and glass and
ceramic come in after that. I prefer one
inch or smaller in size. I do, however,
have quite the collection in all sizes and shapes.
Cute story interlude:
when I had a minor surgery recently, my husband wandered the skyways
waiting for me (it was a Doctor’s office procedure). His goal was to find flowers or something for
a gift when the procedure was complete.
However, he stumbled upon a gift store that had TY (think Beanie Baby)
stuffed animals. Instead of the expected
man to woman gift of flowers, candy, and/or jewelry – I received a 4-inch white
mouse. I loved it! (Still do, but I have to protect it from
Bronx). I think the nurses were a little
confused, and most likely went and consulted the chart to remind themselves of
my age and that I was in fact a grown woman!
Anyway, whilst perusing eBay the other day, I found
this. I had used metal punch stamps in one of the
copper classes that I took at the Studio so I felt comfortable purchasing it. I then purchased bits and pieces of copper,
brass, and silver from the studio. That’s
one of the things I love about that place – Karen has EVERYTHING, and you can
buy a square inch of metal, a single marble, a jump ring, etc., for your
project. The second part of that is that
she’s got complete tool sets for so many art forms. Instead of having to invest hundreds to do
one project or after investing, find out you don’t like it, you can go to her
studio, pay her more than reasonable price for “studio time” and use whatever
you want.
I pounded that stamp to my heart’s delight for over an
hour! I cut out circles of several sizes
in my little collection of metal, and I textured them, and shaped them with
tools that I have no idea what their names are!
Here are the pictures:
First – the stamp. It’s
about 2 ½ inches long and the design is about 3/8th of an inch.
And the metals – Copper, bronze, silver – in that order
My collection of bits and pieces:
I’ll list a little bit about them:
- Lower left, the cupped pieces. Those are bronze, and there are going to be
combined with some of the smaller bronze circles that are NOT cupped, with a
jump ring through the holes on each, so that the smaller bit “sits” in the cup,
and will be earrings.
- Upper left, one group in.
Large, plain, silver circles.
Same concept, there are smaller silver circles in there that are punched
with the mousie. They will be combined
for earrings.
- The large cupped and rimmed circle of bronze in the lower
center will probably be a pendant.
- I liked the bronze a lot more, so I cut out seven or eight
(I have to count) midsized circle and stamped each one with a single
mouse. I’m going to put a jump ring, and
maybe a bead or two on each, and give them to my co-workers daughters/god
daughters. If I counted right, there are
six girls, all under 10/11. I hope they
will like them!
- Way lower left – that’s a piece of thin copper (there’s thin
and thick copper in there). It’s had
things punched out, and you can see my practice with some letter stamps (more
on that in a second)
- Middle right – that’s the piece of silver I bought. It’s is about 1¼ x 2 inches. Let me put this pricing of metal in
perspective. Brass and copper (heavier
weight) were 50 cents a square inch.
That piece of silver was $14.00.
And – remember my discussion of the paper cutter? One of the long sides was cut with it….
Ana’s pendant
Ana doesn’t like gold tone, and she’s not a fancy person –
doesn’t wear huge jewelry like me. I’m
personally thrilled that she’s a geek girl and gets into t-shirts from TeeFury
and Ript apparel – it gives me something “decorative” to buy for her, but I
digress….
Anyway, as I was punching circles from that silver so
adeptly cut with my former paper cutter…. I got it in my head to make a little something
for Ana.
I dug through the other metal stamps that Karen has and
determined which size and shape of letters I wanted to use to spell out A – N –
A…. not A – N – N – A as most pre made, personalized merchandize is. I was a bit nervous about stamping on a
several dollar, but tiny, piece of silver and screwing it up. I had hoped to line up Capital A, small n,
small a, next to each other (the stamps are squared off) and punch all at one
time (thus being lined up properly), but, alas, the stamps in a row were about
1.5 times the width of the circle. Also,
the letters would have been really separated; there’s quite a border on each
stamp.
Anticipation
It’s way late (or way early if you look at it that
way). I have many pictures and a few
good stories about my glass projects from today, and also some resin jewelry
plans.
But my bed is calling…..
I will post again tomorrow…..
I will not promise, but that is my goal!
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