Laura McCabe Locket Necklace Workshop

I've been beadweaving for about 3 years or so now (I think!) but up until last week I had never attended a class on the subject. I've been to workshops on silversmithing, art clay silver and other crafty subject, but everything I know about beadweaving I've learnt from books and magazines. So, when I saw that the fabulously talented Laura McCabe was going to be doing some classes at Stitchncraft, I knew I had to book myself a chance to learn from someone who's skill I admire greatly.

It was a bit hit and miss as to whether I would make it to the workshop at all, after being struck down with a horrid cold the weekend before and being sat in my PJs feeling rotten, hoping it would have gone away enough by Wednesday. Fortunately, despite having to get up at 5:45am (shudder) in order to make my 7:10am train down to Dorset from London Waterloo, I felt a lot better and enjoyed a nice train journey to Gillingham, where I then got a taxi with a very helpful lady driver to the Stitchncraft bead shop. Stitchncraft is a lovely shop and venue (if only it was closer to London!) and I was welcomed in and given a much needed cup of tea as I sat down ready for the class to begin. Laura had kits for sale for the necklace project we were going to be working on in two gorgeous different jewel tone colourways, but since my student bank balance couldn't stretch to that, I'd come up with enough beads from my own stash to work in my own silver and blue colourway.

Apologies for the lack of photos on the day - I was just too engrossed in beading! I have included some quick snaps of my finished locket though, and rest assured there will be pics of the finished project too.

Laura is a really great teacher and we were soon all beading away following her printed instructions with her on hand to help if we got stuck anywhere. We were all hoping we would get to finish at least one locket component in the workshop time so we'd have all the knowledge to work on finishing a whole necklace in our own time. The locket construction is very clever and mixes stitches in a way I'd never have come up with myself. It also features Laura's trademark bezelling of a crystal rivoli, which I'd done before from her fantastic crystal jewellery book.

Time went way too quickly and it was soon time to have some lunch and a stretch. I took the opportunity to have a look around the shop (though I was very restrained not to buy any more beads!) and to admire the lovely beadwork which was on display on the walls in the workshop room as well as the stunning finished pieces that Laura had brought with her. Lunch over it was then time to cram in another couple of hours beading to get the locket embellished and with its pearl and loop closure on before it was time to go home.

With the sun shining it was time to say goodbye (and get a big hug from Laura!) and start my return journey home. I got back to my flat at 8pm tired and hungry, but happy and extremely glad I'd had the opportunity to go on this course. Now all I have to is find the time to make 8 more lockets to create a whole necklace!

Folksy Friday...yet more favourites

Another Folksy Friday selection this week picked from my ever expanding favourites list...I have trouble thinking of themes so I might stick with this way of doing things for now, unless inspiration strikes!

1.) Cute laser cut vintage pendant necklace by From Laura With Love

2.) Fantastically intricate wirewrapped jewellery set by Reverie

3.) An adorable felt budgie boy (because I love budgies!) by The Felt Menagerie

4.) Another cute birdie, this time a kingfisher upcycled from a jumper by Clootielugs

5.) Fabulous felted earrings with a lovely landscape scene, complete with sheep, by Aileen Clarke Crafts

6.) A floral necklace made using string knotting by Sun Studio

Hope you like my picks for this week...happy Friday!

N

xoxo

Bead shopping...the best kind of shopping!

I haven't got any finished work to show on my blog - beginning to sound like a broken record here! But I have been doing a fair bit of bead shopping in the last week, so I thought I'd show you what goodies have been dropping through my postbox and what I hope to create with them...

Here we have a LOT of silvery grey delica beads...35 grams to be exact! These size 11 cylinders have been bought for the Laura McCabe beadweaving workshop I'm off to on the 30th March at Stitchncraft, which I am very excited about. I can't afford to buy one of the kits on the day so I have plundered my bead stash for suitable colours and have only had to buy a few things I didn't already have that were on the materials list I received in the post a few weeks ago. The other main thing I needed to buy for this workshop is below...

Crystals!! In a gorgeous vibrant capri blue shade, these are a more unusual size of Swarovski rivoli. I didn't think I'd be able to find them in this country but a quick search on Ebay produced a seller who had some in a variety of colours and I plumped for these babies. Sparkly huh?

The other main thing I have been bead buying for is supplies for a competition entry I want to make. I've had a practice of the design elements I want to include and they seem to work, so then I had to buy supplies in the colours I wanted to fit with the competition theme. I still have to buy a few more seed beads, as I don't think I have enough of the colours I need to finish the whole thing, but I now have most of what I need, including...

...miyuki long magatamas. I had never looked at these until I saw a fabulous bangle project featuring them in a recent issue of Beadwork magazine, and when I saw the competition theme I thought these beads in this dark gunmetal grey shade, would fit the bill.

What project would be complete without Swarovski bicones? The blue ones are to go with my rivolis for the Laura McCabe workshop project, but the other two shades (dark indigo and crystal silver night) have been selected for my competition piece. I love the dark indigo ones...although I am not sure they will replace the purple velvet ab2x ones I have as my favourite Swarovski colour!

My final purchase for the competition piece is yet more Swarovski sparkliness - 3 medium vitrail coloured rivolis in 2 different sizes, and one of their Cosmic rings. So much fantastic sparkle and colour in these - I can't wait to put them to (hopefully) good use.

I am currently working on a custom order of some bridesmaids bracelets for a friend, but once they are complete, it will be full steam ahead with the competition entry; so check back here to find out what the finished article looks like.

N
xoxo

Sock Knitting Fail

If you follow me on Twitter you might have heard me tweeting about knitting my first pair of toe-up socks with some fabulously funky hand-dyed wool from Wharfdale Woolworks.

Well...things started off well. I love the magic cast on technique for starting socks toe up - so much neater than my attempts at kitchner stitch! I don't get much time to knit, so most of the first sock was done on my bus journey to/from work, which is only about 15-20 minutes. I turned the heel and carried on with the hearts and flowers lace motif and did a picot bind off to which I'd never attempted before.

 

The finished article...looks like a sock right? So let's put it on, shall we?

Uh oh...looks like we have a little bit of a problem here!

Yup, this is as far on my foot as I could get it!

I have discovered that I am apparently a very tight sock knitter, resulting in a sock that probably will only fit someone will size 3/4 feet...I am a 6/7. That'll teach me not to do a tension square. True sock knitting fail.

Fortunately, I have not had my sock knitting dreams crushed by this disaster. I have cast on again on bigger needles and this sock is definitely going to fit!

I'm particularly liking how the bigger needle size has changed the effect of the yarn from super stripey, to more graduated mixes of the colours.

And the original sock will be getting a good frogging...as soon as I can bear to unravel several weeks hard bus knitting!

N

xoxo

Busy, busy, busy....

The blog has been getting a little neglected of late. The reason for this is that I am now well and truly in the final year of my postgraduate studies and the pressure really is on to get everything done ASAP so I can start writing my thesis. I no longer want to carry on in academia, so I therefore have added incentive to get finished on schedule.

A big career change is in order - having given up my artistic pursuits whilst at 6th Form College to go down the academic route, I now feel like if I don't give myself the chance to have a creative career now, then it'll never happen. Having been making jewellery as a hobby for around 4 years now, my aim is to turn my hobby into a career, by re-training in jewellery manufacture and seeing where that takes me. I am fortunate that I have some money saved up to allow me to do this, plus a very supportive boyfriend and family who more than anything would like me to do something I enjoy and am passionate about.

But enough of the big talk...alas I still have no new work to show. I am currently still working on bridal/bridesmaid jewellery, and also on a competition entry - I hope to have the competition piece done within a month, and rest assured once it is complete and uploaded onto the competition website I shall be blogging in the hope of securing some votes ;)

The only other news of note I have is that I was excited to receive an email the other week to tell me some of my work has been shortlisted for possible inclusion in a new beading book! I submitted about 14 images and of those pieces, 7 have been shortlisted, and were hand delivered by my good self to the publishing company. They are there for a short while to be professionally photographed, and once all submissions have had their images taken, the publishers will make the decision on which pieces will be included in the final article - so fingers crossed at least one of the 7 makes it. Below are a couple of the pieces that are on the shortlist - they are still available in my Folksy shop, but as made-to-order items, since the originals may be with the publisher for a few months.

That's all for now...in other crafty news, I am off to visit the Stitch & Craft Show at London's Olympia this coming Saturday, so expect a report about what I discover there (i.e. how much temptation to buy crafty supplies can I resist!?)

N

xoxo

Folksy Friday...recent favourites

Haven't had the time to do a Folksy Friday post for a few weeks. I've decided to do one today by having a look at the things I've been adding to my favourites recently. Hope you enjoy my picks!








1.) Sherlock Holmes pendant by Emma Turpin - I just love the whole concept of this necklace...the magnifying glass shaped pendant with the silhouette cut out detail = Fab!

2.) Dancing Fox ring by Sarah Birt - some more silver loveliness here with a wonderfully cute fox shaped ring

3.) Yellow tulip earrings by April Is Forever - I'm not one for yellow usually, but these beadwoven earrings are so delicate and just right for Spring being (hopefully!) just around the corner

4.) Wee Blue Flower Brooch by Pats Paraphernalia - there are some talented polymer clay people out there and I am in awe of people who can make such detailed canes as these butterfly wing influenced ones

5.) Silver Disc Earrings with Green Jasper by Cinnamon Jewellery - the jasper beads in these beautiful earrings are a fabulous bright contrast against the silver metal

6.) Organic Peacock lampwork bead set by Kilo Lemur Lampwork - I have way too many lampies in my bead stash already but I am finding it hard to resist this gorgeous set which have a peacock-feather like pattern on them

Hope you enjoyed the picks...hopefully I will have some beady bits of my own to show you after the weekend as I have (a very rare) whole Saturday to myself tomorrow to use creatively.

N
XOXO

Knitted socks and metal piercing!

Sorry for the gap in blog updates...there's no beadwork to show as I've been working on bridal jewellery for a fantastic friend who gets married in July. Whilst I think it's very unlikely her husband to be will read this blog, I still feel I should keep it a secret until the big day - you can see photos afterwards I promise! I can tell you that the necklace I am making for her involves a lovely slinky twisted herringbone rope, which is a stitch I rarely use but am enjoying immensely.

I have been knitting though, and finally finished my first pair of socks, knitted on 2 circular needles. I picked up the funky self striping Regia yarn at the Knitting & Stitching Show in October and started off on a different pattern but the instructions were very confusing and not designed for 2 circulars, so that got frogged and I instead turned to Ravelry and found this pattern called Eleanor.

So here they are all finished!!

So what's next for my knitting needles? Well, I recently bought a book about toe up sock knitting which has some gorgeous patterns in. It's called Socks from the toe up by Wendy D Johnson - find it here, and after much thought I have decided to knit the very sweet hearts and flowers socks, using my gorgeous new sock yarn from Wharfdale Woolworks.

So here is everything gathered together ready to go into my bag for some knitting on the bus to work.

And a close up of the yarn, just because it's fab!

Now I mentioned metal piercing in this blog post title, so I also have a little peak at what I got up to on Saturday afternoon armed with my piercing saw and a practice sheet of aluminium. I've had an idea for a pendant (although it will require soldering and I don't currently own a torch) so I wanted to try out one of the components...it's a little bigger than I'd want it to be in the real thing, but I wanted to have a play with using my saw blade to 'draw' some detail in as it were. 

Can you guess who inspired this? It hasn't been finished off - the edge could definitely do with filing (I await the arrival of a set of needle files for this) and I'm not sure about the eyes (I think they look a bit zombie scary!) but I am happy with it as a trial run. I have another prototype ready to pierce for real, i.e. out of silver (eek) that I hope I can use to enter some beading competitions this year, but I'm not sure when I'll next get a spot of free time to get the saw out again.

Hope you've enjoyed my little show and tell.

N

xoxo