So, if you're looking for the AJE Blog Reveal, go here.
At the beginning of the year, I told myself that I would not enter so many challenges. Really. And then Karen Lackey posted this great challenge over on Artisan Whimsey for seam binding. Huh? Ok, Not a Sewer here....I vaguely understand that it's something to strengthen the seams of clothes...right?
Well, in the jewelry world, Karen has taken it to new heights. She hand dyes it and comes up with the lovely, yummy colors.Please go check out her Etsy Shop. The color she chose for the challenge was a soft, pretty aqua blue. Which leads me to my next challenge. See, I don't do soft colors....I'm a primary, earthy toned kinda girl. Love purples. Love burgundy, matte raku....not so much on the soft, pastel colors. So that was another personal challenge, to see if I could actually work with a soft color palette. Sigh...ok, I'm in. Just can't stop myself.
Here's a pic of what Karen sent to me...
See? So soft and pretty!
Ok, so I stretched myself outside of all previous boundaries. I used fabric, I used netting, and I used kumihimo with fabric. Wanna see?? Of course you do!
As soon as I saw the color of the seam binding in person, it reminded me of a beautiful pendant I had of Marie Voyer-Cramp's. If you've never seen her lovely wooden pendants, you can check them out at Skye Jewels. I wanted to keep to the delicate, ethereal feel of the lightweight pendant, but I didn't want to just string it on the seam binding.
I have used netting in a few pieces, but I've never done tubular netting like this.
I used eyelash yarn, bronze pearls and faceted brown agate gemstones, along with the seam binding in the kumihimo side.
Yes, I know that end of the kumi looks like a hot mess....but this was a learning experience, right?
I didn't really know how to attach the clasp, so a simple knot on each side is what worked.
This pic is just to show you how pretty the seam binding is with the wing of the butterfly....
Here's a close-up of the netting and the kumi.
And there you have it. Am I totally pleased? Not with the endings, but absolutely with where this challenge took me.And....I still have more left!!! Hope you enjoyed the ride with me.
Blessings, Shirley
Very Cool!!!!!
ReplyDeleteShirley what a pretty piece. I particularly like the kumihimo side and I'm going to have to give that a try - I didn't even thick to use yards on my kumihimo. I braided one side of mine but I think I might redo it with this idea. Great job.
ReplyDeleteNice! I would never have thought of using something like seam binding for a beady project (which surprises me, since I'm always picking up random bits to use in some future project). I love the different techniques you used and the color palette. :-)
ReplyDeleteWOW just WOW!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI love the colors, such beautiful work.
ReplyDeleteThose fibers on the one side really do look like butterfly wings! I love the soft and pretty colors. And this light blue looks very much like a neutral to me. As for finishing the ends, I would knot it a few times to be secure. You could add just a dab of GS-Hypo Cement inside the knots to be extra sure. And then to finish it off I think I might wrap something around it to hide the knots and make it even more stable. You could coil wire around it very messy like or even very precise. You could even throw a few seed beads in the thin enough wire to add a little detail that brings it back to your fine seed work. Or you could find another cord, like the rolled silks that Marsha Neal sells and wrap that tightly around the ends. Beautiful work! Enjoy the day. Erin
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely. The eyelash yarn and beads are striking and original.
ReplyDeleteYou've taken so many things I love to make jewelry with (hand-dyed seam binding ribbons, More Skye Jewels pendant, and the pastel blue color).... and put them all together in a way that would never occur to me to even attempt, much less execute! Isn't that the great wonder of jewelry design?!
ReplyDeleteEach section is a work of art in itself! Gotta love this!
P.S. I think you could turn into a blue girl after all! :-)
I had to smile, because I made the exact same resolution and am having similar difficulties sticking to my guns. But I'm so glad you decided to participate in the challenge - what a fun piece you came up with. I'm always so impressed with your willingness to experiment! Beautiful colors.
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome -- as is your versatility. WTG, sista!
ReplyDelete