Blown Hollow Glass Beads with Ikuyo Yamanaka

For the last couple of months or so I have been following along with the International Society of Glass Beadmakers - online learning for making blown hollow glass beads.  

 

With 7 different modules it covered how to blow a glass bead then different ways to decorate and shape them.

I've been fascinated by hollow beads forever, but have struggled to improve mine with no real guidance.

 

The online course has meant I can watch the videos in my own time before attempting my own beads.  I also have the option to ask Ikuyo questions too. 

 

While I have found some techniques quite hard, for instance stretching or twisting the beads, it has definitely improved my glass handling skills, and I finally know how to add an additional hole to my beads, something I struggled with for ages.

 

And while my twisted beads didn't come out all lovely and round like her's, some of them have a lovely sculptural quaility to them that I really like. 

 

I've really enjoyed the course and learning new techniques which I'm sure I will incorporate into other projects.  It's also been really nice to have a focus for going down to the studio each week, even if I only made a couple of beads each time.  

 

Maybe if I keep practicing I'll end up with something as beautiful as Ikuyo's beads.

 

Small Sculpture in Flameworked Glass

 This weekend I was back at West Dean.

The weather was so nice it was nearly a shame to be stuck inside all weekend, however what we'd be learning was too exciting to worry too much about the sunshine.

 

As you might have seen, I do some lampworking (flamework) in my spare time in the studio 'im outdoors built me.  I work in soft glass which is pretty easy to make into beads but has to be kept hot until you are done then straight into the kiln to anneal.  If you don't keep it warm it can crack and break and be a pain in the ass.

This weekend I learnt how to work with hard glass - borosilicate, which is much more forgiving.  It's less likely to explode than the soft glass and you can put it down and cool it while working on a project before annealling it when you are done.  It makes it very good for creating sculptures.

 

The class was taken by Andrea Spencer a very talented glass maker who came all the way from Northern Ireland for the class! 

I was the only person in the group with any hot glass experience, but while some things were similar, like the tools and how the glass moves, it was also quite different, with it being stiffer than the glass I normally use and there being no need for mandrals (or bead release! Yay!).

 

I was quite happy to watch and listen and learn everything about this 'new' type of glass.

We started by making some leaves, which suited me just fine.

Then we learnt how to make the leaves into a 3D sculpture by using a framework of glass to hold things in place while we melted them together.  Then we learnt how to make a little bird.

 While waiting between things while Andrea helped others, I manage to create a pair of sycamore seeds, based on Andrea's demo from Friday night.

On the second day we learnt how to make flowers and I embraced this and managed to make 3.

 

It was all so different from the other things I've done with glass and I loved it!

It was very satisfing to come home with a handful of lovely glass things, that I made and I could make again if I bought the right glass.  I just need to stick them all in my kiln tonight and set them to anneal and they should be pretty robust. 

Definitely worth missing the sunshine for...

Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug

 

 A couple of years ago I knitted the Portland Cardigan, and while I liked the stitch used, I didn't enjoy wearing it - it was too bulky under the arms.

Seeing as I wasn't wearing it and it was taking up room in the waldrobe, I unravelled it and balled it up and kept my eye's open for a new project which might have a better outcome.

It took a while but then I came across the pattern for the Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug by Brome Fields on Esty.

 

I've been working on a very detailed knitting project since September so at the beginning of the year I decided to give myself a break to make something that would knit up quickly.

As my yarn wasn't as bulky as the pattern and I didn't have big enough needles (although they were perfect for my yarn) I made some slight changes to the pattern based on guesses and a rough sizing square and got going.

 

I wasn't sure how much yarn I'd need but decided to use up what I had and then buy some more if needed.

I used up all my yarn and thought I'd finished.  I sewed up the arms and started to sew in ends, but in my heart I knew it was too big and I wouldn't use it as a shrug in this format.  It would either need to be a blanket or I would have to start again.

 

Much to 'im outdoors horror I undid it all, and set it aside for a bit before trying again.

This time I kept much closer to the pattern, just going up one size.  And ended up with something much more suitable, although I think I could have probably gone up one more size.  Don't worry I'm not going to undo it all again!  

 

Because I was using recyled wool I had a few more ends to sew in than I'd have liked, but better to reuse the wool into a nice new project.  All gave me joy to make, hopefully this one will also be joyful to wear.

I think it's going to be perfect for this spring weather where it can be so lovely and warm and then cloud goes over the sun and it's cold again.  Something to just slip over the shoulders to keep me warm.

 

I've still got a few balls left so will have to think of something to do with them too.

A Bench Apron

 

 I am very lucky to have a lovely little studio at the bottom of the garden where I can do all my messy creative stuff like working with glass.

Over the last year as I've learnt more skills the poor studio has had more and more things added to it (tools and materials), to allow me to create everything I want.

I was very lucky to have a set of drawers donated to me from our neighbours who no longer needed them,  which helped with the storage issue, but I would like to start making some jewellery in there too and that needs a slightly different set up.

 

Traditionally, jewellers have a bench with a half circle cut out of it, with a bench peg that sticks out of the back edge of the circle to allow them to work on an item, with a fabric or leather bench apron which hangs under the peg and catches things as they drop - for instance if you are cutting a piece of silver wire to lenght.

Because I have such a small space and it needs to do many things, I can't really afford to cut a half circle in one of my worktops or have a bench peg sticking out all the time.

So 'im outdoors made me a peg and got me a clamp so I can use it when I need it.  I just needed a bench apron to catch things that I drop as the dog doesn't like them falling on his head, and it's really frustrating when you drop the thing your working on and then you have to spend ages looking for it!

After a lot of thinking and a discussion with 'im outdoors we came up with the idea to use sliding towel rails to make a sliding bench apron.  When I don't need it, it sits under the bench but when I need it I can just pull it out and set my peg up above it.

 

'im outdoors was very happy as all he needed to do was screw in four screws.  Then I could would out how to make the fabric sling to sit under the peg.

I decided to use an off cut of the waxed cotton from the bags I made in December.  And having made a paper prototype to make sure it would work set up my sewing machine.  

It was very simple.  Hem the front edge.  Make two tunnels, one on each edge for the towel rails to slot into, then create a dart at the back to raise the back edge and hopefully stop things escaping that way.  It reminded me of the canvas chair seats my mum made when I was a kid.

I'm very happy with it so far, it looks just right.  But the proof will be in trying it out.  I'm not sure what the next project will be yet, but I'm ready when I think if it! 

Sharing My Knowledge

 

I've always been happy to share my knowledge with others.

Last year I joined my local Arts & Craft Society and as I started to get to know people I realised that a lot of members have or want websites, but aren't sure how to make the most of them.

In my day job I work as a user experience researcher, talking to customers and watching as they use websites, so I've got a fair idea of what people are looking for when they visit a site. 

So when the first request came through for members to write content for the newsletter I wrote a piece about things to remember when adding content to your site.  Namely - tell a story so people can understand the artist behind the work and can see it's value.   (" but I can get it half that price on Temu!")

Then just before Christmas I got asked if I would come to one of their demonstration nights, and while the others who got asked were asked to give short demonstrations of how they create their art, I got asked to be there to answer peoples questions about their websites.

I said yes, which is how I was sitting in a community hall one evening this week hoping that someone would come and talk to me.  

 

I wasn't as busy as some of the other tables - how could I compete with lino printing, fusing glass or weaving, however I did have people come and talk to me, and I think we had some useful conversations.

Examples... One chap asked if he needed a website, but when we talked about what he needed it sounded like his LinkedIn profile would work fine, if he updated it.

 One ladies website had some amazing art on it, but none of the stories of her art were on the same page as the art.  I reminded her that you never know how someone got to the page so you can't assume they have read everything on your home page.

And one ladies showed me her site and after looking round we agreed that her navigation needed amending to help people find what they were looking for.

I loved these conversations and I hope it helps these artists to get their work out there and make the sales they need.  Got a question, feel free to ask, just don't ask me to build a site for you!

Don't Mess With The Copyright Laws!

I haven't blogged in a while, but don't you worry, I've been super busy in the background!  

In the meantime I wanted to share the letter I have just sent my local MP about the govenments plans to mess about with the copyright laws.  While progress is important, I think this is unacceptable.  If you agree, please also reach out to your local MP.  Feel free to use this letter as inspiration.

 

Dear Mr Hinds
 
I hope you are well.
I know you are busy with the farmers etc, but I just had to write about the government’s proposal to change the copyright law allowing AI companies to train their models without a licence.
 
There are so many issues with this.
Firstly, just because to create is innately human, and humans will create whether we’re paid to or not, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be paid fairly for our work.
If AI companies are going to make a profit from using other peoples work (and they will) then they should pay to use that work (be it images, text or music) in the first place.
And seeing as big tech companies have a habit of not paying the taxes they owe, I would rather they paid the person for their work first, then at least the money will come into our economy to be spent by people who live and work here.
 
There is also the issue that we have a massive mental health crisis on our hands, especially with our young people.  It is a well known fact that using your hands to make things can reduce anxiety and other issues related to mental health.  If we reduce the number of people who can actually make a living doing creative things because AI is doing it instead, we stop our young people seeing what they could do (you can’t be what you can’t see) and so numbers of people making will drop further, increasing the mental health crisis.  (never mind the loss of heritage crafts along the way)  Asking AI to create a thing for you will not help your mental health!
 
Next is the issue that AI isn’t really sustainable.  It uses a lot of water and power and it seems odd that the government would be encouraging the use of all these resources for the creation of stuff that humans are quite capable of creating themselves.  Especially when we find ourselves in a climate emergency.
Surly it would be better to focus on AI’s which can do things that humans find hard, like spotting the early signs of cancer in scans, allowing our doctors to focus on saving lives ASAP.
I don’t understand how using the creative back catalogue will allow an AI to do this – it just needs to be fed as many scans as possible and told which are the bad ones (probably not quite that simple, but I’m not sure how the entire Elton John back catalogue would help it in this role).
 
I am fully behind the use of AI when it has a useful purpose which will help humanity to survive; we know there are so many wicked problems out there that could use the help.
Human creativity really isn’t something that needs to be fixed right now.  It’s a shame we can’t create an AI to fix human greed.
 
While I am a maker I don’t make for my income, but human creativity is so close to my heart.  When I read a book or listen to music, look at some art or watch stuff on TV, I want to know that is a human story I am engaging in, even if it’s fiction.  I don’t want something hashed together by a computer from all the things it was fed in training but which it has no understanding of.

So lets not mess about with the copyright laws and instead have a think about what we really need AI to do and create a set of regulations for the AI industry which will help it progress while keeping the general public and businesses safe.
 
Thank you for reading.
 

Enamelling for Beginners

 This weekend I was back at West Dean for their Enamelling for Beginners course with Sheila McDonald.

I wasn't really sure what to expect and to be honest I was starting to regret booking a course on the first weekend of January - right at the end of two weeks off work and just before I went back to work on Monday.  And with a yellow snow warning in place.

Enamel is made from crushed glass, which is how this course made it onto my list of things to try in the first place, but it is closer to fusing glass than the lampwork I'm more used to.

On our first session Sheila gave a demonstration and I was surprised how quick it was.  I'm used to putting things in the kiln and having to wait for hours before seeing the end result.  The small tiles we were working with were cooked in minutes and we only had to wait for them to cool down before adding our next layer!

We started by sieving the enamel powder (powdered glass) onto copper squares.  A couple of layers of white and we could make a design on top.  I tried a stencil, which took a few attempts to get a clean 'print' but I'm very happy with the end result.

We then tried wet packing which is where you add the enamel powder while wet.  You need to dry your design before putting it in the kiln otherwise the enamel pops off.

 

We then tried a technique called cloisonne, which involved adding very fine silver wire to your work and working the wet enamel powder round it.  This can look stunning but I over heated my first attempt and melted the wire.  Doh!

 

My second attempt was much better, but I found it fidderly.

 

I also tried ginding my own enamel from a chunk of glass which was very satisfying.  (And does involve a hammer to start with.)

On our second day we were given silver discs to decorate and turn into whatever we wanted.  I decided on earrings and a matching pendant.  I started by adding texture to the silver, before dilling a hole and doming it.  Finally I added my enamel and fired it.  I am so pleased with the results! 

With some time to kill I also had a play with some colour.  I love this brilliant pink!

 

Considering I didn't know much about enamel a couple of days ago, I'm now at a place where I'd be more than happy to mess about with some in my studio.  I'm wondering if the powders I use for making glass leaves would work?  Something for next weekend I think...

Pyramid Pouch

 

 I've had a few sewing projects going on in the background recently and as I was looking for some guidance on how to do a few things I came across this lovely free project - a cute pyramid pouch. (the whole site is full of lovely projects - try not to get distracted!)

I thought it might make a nice small gift and I had some fabric left over from the Lotus Tunic that I thought would work well too.

 

A visit to my local sewing shop supplied a zip and some interfacing (which I used to help it keep its shape) then all I had to do was cut it all out and sew it all back together.

The zip was a little tricky but the project instructions helped and I'm pleased with how it turned out.  The green zip matches the outer fabric well, and the cotton matches the lining but makes a nice contrast to the outer fabric.

 

It's fun to make projects like this, which help to use my stash up and was a good reminder of how to work with zips - I have more of these coming up on other projects!  And made a sweet little gift, while not taking too long.