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.

Two Bags

 For the last 9 months, most Friday mornings I've gone to the Old Barn Workshop for jewellery classes.  The more times I go, the more stuff I seem to need to take with me.

My apron; A4 sketchbook and pencil; projects I'm currently working on; things I'd like to be working on; fire blanket (just a small piece to protect glass beads when heating the item they are threaded on); bottle of water; snack; car keys; wallet etc.

It was all getting a bit silly and only a few of those things fitted in my normal bag.  So I started designing a work bag in my head.  It would need to be big enough to hold everything, and it should be a purposeful bag so I don't have to empty everything out after each class.  It would have pockets for everything and be made from tough material.

 

So then I started looking for all the things I would need to make a bag.  (A lot of it came from Croft Mill.)  And as I did this I realised I would also like a smaller bag that would fit a book and my wallet for when I know I'll have some time to read while waiting, like when I give blood.

 

When classes finished for the year I knew what I'd be spending my Fridays on.

I started with the big work bag as I didn't mind too much if this wasn't perfect, and I could learn from my mistakes for the smaller bag.

 

With some very helpful blog posts from Debbie and Bethany I managed to create a lining from some material in my stash and match it up with an oiled cotton outer.  I just love the rainbox strap!  The inner middle pocket was probably the most complicated part and took a whole afternoon to make!

But it all came together into a useful sized bag that will hold all my kit.  I won't really know how good it is until I start using it when term starts again.

With one bag complete and lots of knowledge in my head, I jumped straight into the next one.

 

Much smaller than the last and meant to be used out and about, I wanted this one to be, if not perfect, at least pretty good.  This one was always meant to have yellow highlights, so I bought some brilliant yellow fabric for the lining.

With a better idea of how it would all fit together, and because it was smaller and didn't have a middle pocket, it went together very quickly.  I took some time to add some decoration to the front flap, and again added a rainbow strap, ending up with a sweet little bag that I look forward to using.

I could of course have bought a bag, or bought a pattern to work from, but where's the fun in that?  I had a couple of great days making and I'm really please with the end results.

Printed Christmas Cards

 It wouldn't be Christmas without a handmade Christmas card.

I didn't think I was going to have time to make any this year, but then went to the local Arts and Crafts Society's last demonstration of the year which was Will Dyke, who is a local printer, and so was inspired.  (He's very good.)

I sketched out a quick design of a dove, then made it bigger to fit my card size.

Then I went to cut it and found my blades were all blunt.  So then I had to ask 'im outdoors if he could sharpen them, being the king of sharp things.  He did this and I tried again and has more success.

Then I tried printing with acrylic paint as I wanted some colour and I only have black or white ink, but that didn't work so well.  As I didn't have time to order any ink, I went with black and improvised.  In this case with a green Sharpie and some gold paint.  I quite like it.

 

Then I got my trusty Pritt-Stick out and stuck the prints to the cards I had.  Ta-da!

I always aim to do this in October but of course never do.  Maybe next year!  Still they got sent out in plenty of time and as far as I know arrived before the big day.

Glass Stars for Christmas

 In an attempt to feel more festive I was back at West Dean this week for a one day course on copper foiling.

When I booked it there were several different classes to choose from but in the end the stars won.  If you know me, that probably didn't surprise you!

 

We were a group with mixed experience, some had done this and stain glass work before, some were complete novices.  I've never really been interesting in stain glass, past admiring it in passing but I'd been thinking about ways to use and display my glass leaves and the copper foiling looked like a possibiliy.  Then I found out and you can make 3D things this way and I had to have a go! 

 

Copper foiling and stain glass are very similar, but stain glass is more robust and can be used outdoors if finished correctly.  Copper foiling is more delicate which is just what I was looking for.

First we were shown how to cut glass.  I have cut glass before, but not much, so it was good to get a refresher and by the end of the day I was much more confident.

 

Preperation was everything, so we needed to make sure we cut our glass precisely.  Any lumps or bumps needed to be ground off and the glass had to be washed to make sure it was really clean, otherwise the foil won't stick.

We had 3 different sized star templates on paper to work from, which worked very well.  We also had 5 different types of glass, one for each point of our stars.

 

With all our bits cut and cleaned we then learnt how to apply the copper foil.  It's very important that this is stuck to your glass very well, otherwise it can come off when you start to solder!  This means lots of rubbing to make sure it is stuck fast.

Once all our parts were ready we could then solder everything together.  First we tacked them together so they wouldn't move around, then we covered the edges before doing the joints.  It was quite a fast process.

 

The class was for 3 stars, but we could make more if we had time.  I made 2 more, a medium and a small.  I rushed the last small one so it didn't come out as well as I'd hoped, but I learnt lots from the mistakes I made. 

This was a fab little class.  It's very different from working with hot or even warm glass, but another string to my glass bow that I am very happy to have added.  I've got lots of ideas now that I want to try out!

Silver and Glass Necklace and Earrings

 

Back in October I went on a course with Sarah King at West Dean.  I enjoyed it very much, but I also really liked her necklace.

It's one she had designed herself and sells on her website.  And I wondered if I could make myself a version of it.

So in the final term of jewellery class this year, I bought lots of silver wire and made some tiny glass beads (more about them in a minute) and set out making myself a silver necklace.

 

First I had to make some giant jump rings (easier said than done).  Then I had to solder them all together which again was more tricky than you'd think it would be.

I made a clasp and then had to tidy all the solder joints, before shaping and hammering all my jump rings.  All the time having to make sure I didn't break the tiny glass bead sitting on one ring.

 

The glass bead was made from recyled wine bottle glass.  I love this colour sooooooo much!  Of course there is a bit of a process to follow to get to the final bead and it's not as quick as just buying some glass rods.  But I do love the fact that bottle isn't going into landfill or whatever they do with them right now.

 

So with a necklace looking good and a little time and materials left, I decided to make some matching earrings.  Soldering the posts on was painful, but I got there in the end.  Some shaping and hammering later and a matching pair of earrings were ready to wear.

I'm really pleased with this project.  I think I might make the rings a little smaller in furture to help them sit better when wearing it.  But it is definitely a contender for next years big event!

Leaf Box

 

As I've mentioned in a couple of my posts I've been making glass leaves and going to a regular jewellery making class.  And I've wanted to combine the two.  However, glass leaves are very fragile and don't travel well.

 

So I decided to make a box so I could take a couple to class with me, without having to worry if they would get broken on the way.

I started by finding some foam sheet in my stash.  This gave me the size of my box.  I then used grey card from my stash to make the two parts of the box, which I then covered in some brown paper, which had originally been a M&S paper bag.

 

I then made a cover so I could stick the two boxes together and make a 'book' as I felt this would be more secure for my leaves.  This was also covered in paper bag.

Lastly I used some off cuts of copper and silver to make a catch to keep everything closed.

 

It works very well, keeping the leaves safe while being moved.  I might play with the catch a little as it's a little loose, but otherwise I'm very happy with it.

Spinner Ring and Sliding Necklace

 Since I reduced my working hours in May, I've been going to a weekly jewellery class where I've been learning lots about how to work with metal and how I can incorporate my glass creations into the mix.

Some classes have been frustrating, mostly where my soldering hasn't gone to plan, some have been successful, but I've learnt so much from each one.

So I thought it was about time I did a quick update on some of my favourate pieces form recent weeks.

Firstly is my sliding necklace.

I was at West Dean earlier this year learning about fusing glass.  When I set some pieces to fuse I added an off cut of plain glass just to see what it would do.  Well it came out as a lovely rounded length of glass and I knew right away that it would be perfect for a sliding necklace.

It took me ages to get there, but I finally had time to make a little silver cap for it, along with a silver ring for it to slide through and to add some chain.

I was very pleased with how it came out.  It's now on the possible list to wear at a big event happening next year, although I do have a few other ideas to try out too.

 

The other thing that I've recently worked on that came out very well was a spinner ring.

These are traditionally silver with two parts.  The main core and then the spinner outer piece.

 

I wanted to know if I could do the same with a glass outer.  So first I had to make a glass ring, before making a silver core to fit it.

 

This took a little work, but I was very happy how it came out with the texture of a leaf.  Then came the nerve racking bit - fitting the two together and flarring the ends of the silver ring so the glass ring won't fall off.

It worked a treat.  So now I need to see how safe it is.  Glass and metal can be a bit tricky together, so I've been wearing it and playing with it to see if I can break it.  So far so good.

 

 I have loved working on these project.  Not just the beautiful outcomes, but also the problem solving and learning new skills.

We've only got one more term left before Christmas, but I hope to have a couple more things to report on by the end of it.