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.

Sculptural Sustainable Wood Jewellery

 

This weekend I was back to West Dean for the Sculptural Sustainable Wood Jewellery course.

I booked this a while ago and had been really looking forward to it.  I was not disappointed.

 

I love wood as a material, love how warm it feels and how versatile it is, so when I saw the things Sarah King, our tutor, had made I couldn’t wait to find out more.

 

It was a small class with 5 of us and we all had some knowledge of jewellery making so it made for quite a relaxed class with Sarah showing us techniques and then allowing us to use them in any way we wanted.

 

 

We started by making a hard wood pendent with silver dots inlayed.  The technique is quite simple, but looks very effective.

 

Next I made an ebony ring with more silver inlayed.  This time a strip along the top with some dots down the sides.  Getting the shape right took the time with this one.  Finishing both of these with wax made them sing.

 

On our second day I worked mostly in lime wood, which was much softer to work with.  Again I made rings, but this time more sculptural using holes and paint to give an interesting surface.  

 

 

I also made a laminate with I cut up to make a pair of ear rings, although I didn’t quite get them finished.  It won’t take long in my jewellery class next week.

 

 

Many of the things we worked on, we used superglue to keep in place.  This was very reassuring as I’d never thought using glue in jewellery making was very professional, but it shows there is a time and a place.

 

I really enjoyed the weekend and learnt so much.  Now I’m trying to work out how I could incorporate glass with wood, maybe in rings or brooches.  I love how going on courses like this builds on what I’ve learn before and while I might not have a fully formed idea now, it’s the sort of thing that will come with time.

Wild Glass Creations - The Shop

 

I make things because I am curious about how to make things and because I like to own things that are personal to me.

However, I'm starting to build up a bit of a collection of glass now, and every time I show someone a new ring or piece of jewellery I've made they tell me I should sell my work.

Seeing as I currently work full time I've never really been bothered about trying to turn my creativity into an income, but it wouldn't hurt if it could pay for itself at least.

So I have now set up a little online shop where you can buy things I have created.  Mostly in glass with a few other materials thrown in for varity.

You can find everything at wildcreationshandmade.co.uk and I'll be adding more as I make things.

(I did think about an Etsy shop, but their fees keep going up and I've heard from friends and family who have had really bad experiences with them, so I've kept it independent.)

Maybe I'll also try some craft shows at some point too.  This is the start of something...

St Catherines Cardigan

 

For the last couple of months I've been working on St Catherines Cardigan by Kate Davies.

I love her designs and this one had caught my eye with its stripes, some of which don't do what is expected of them.

 

So off to the the wool shop I went and got myself some Stylecraft DK in Graphite and A Hint of Silver.  I used just under 2 balls of each.

Once I'd worked out my gauge and the size needles I'd need I got going.  Being garter stitch it was mostly knit, with a little purl when working on the arms and the edging.  There was a bunch of picking up stitches to do which I hate! And it is finished with a 3 stitch i-cord bind off which is pretty straightforward but seemed to take forever.

 

It's come out pretty well, but there are a few things I could improve on.  For instance some of the stitches I picked up on the collar are not very neat.  And somehow I managed to do an extra row of graphite stitches on the second arm, only noticing when it didn't line up with the first.  Doh!  No way I was undoing all that to correct it.

But as a cardigan to wear around the house, especially when I'm having hot/cold moments I think it'll do just fine!  I like how chunky it is.

Berries & Blooms Biscornu

 

 I first saw this kit at one of the Farnham Malting festivals.  I was really intrigued by it's odd shape and wanted to have a go, so added it to my birthday list.  But when I then received the kit for my birthday it got added to the pile and never got started.

 

However, going to Wales on holiday this year I thought it would be the perfect project to take with me, seeing as I knew there wouldn't be room in the car for my knitting!

I started it before we left so I'd just be able to pick it up and work on it at any point during the holiday and that worked quite well.

The side with the flowers on worked well and didn't take long to finish.  However the side with the berries on was a little more tricky.  I'd done a chunk before realising something was out of alignment and decided the best thing to do would be to unpick it and start again.

 

Annoying, but I think the best decision.  This time I created the boarder first then filled in the pattern.  I also worked with all three colours at once rather than one at a time, which helped me to get all my spacings right.

Lastly was sewing it all up.  It's quite simple when you know how, but looks very effective.  Adding the tiny seed beads is a lovely detail.

A lovely little project to work on.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoy cross stitch.

Glass Leaf Coasters

 At the begining of the year I joined my local Arts and Crafts Society so I could start to build my community of creative people in real life.

 

I also joined with the aim of putting something in their summer exhibition.  

As the year progressed I had a fair idea of what I wanted to include.  However it had other ideas, and as the deadline for entry got closer I'd pretty much given up on the idea.

 

But in the mean time I'd been playing with making glass leaves out of glass powder.  I'd taken an online class and although it takes a little set up the leaves themselves are stunning.  I've been fascinated by leaves for as long as I can remember, so when I found out you could make them out of glass I just had to have a go.

 

The leaves can look amazing when I get the colour combos right, but are quite fragile.  As I was thinking about what I could do with them I had the idea to make a set of coasters, and with that the idea that I could enter them into the exhibition.

With this decided, I submited my entry form, then got going.  I hadn't left myself very much time especially with a trip to Yorkshire for Franks class in the middle. 

 

I only have a small bead kiln, which is perfect when I am making beads, but a little small if I want to do fusing projects.  However, it's big enough to fuse 4 leaves at a time or one coaster at a time!  I set to work.  Every evening I would set up the kiln with a coaster to fuse, then leave it until the morning and hope it came out ok.

With a limit on time and on materials, I couldn't be fussy.  Where normally I would have said at least half weren't good enough to display let alone sell, I didn't have any option but to use them all.  A great way to get over my perfectionism!

Come the Sunday hand-in, I had two sets of coasters ready to go.  An autumn set on black and a summer set on white.  I learnt masses making them, but now I'm used to their imperfections I quite like them.

 

I also spent that weekend helping to set the exhibition up.  It was fun to see the big hall change from an empty theater to an art venue with plenty of white screens and plinths for all the art work.  Going to the preview night was magic - seeing the change from an empty room to an art gallery.

It was nice to see my work out with everyone's elses, although I'm not sure I agree with which way up some of the leaves have been displayed!

 

So I achieved my objective - to display some work at the summer exhibishion.  I'm slightly disappointed they didn't sell, but that's not really why I put them in.  And it's probably not the right place to try and sell this sort of work anyway. But another skill learnt.

Glass Beads With Frank Miguletz

 

This weekend I was back up in Yorkshire for another class at Tuffnell Glass, this time with Frank Muguletz who had come all the way from Germany to teach us.

 

Frank creates amazing strippy beads, often in rainbow colours and I was intrigue about how he made them, so of course had to sign up for the course.

I, of course, can't share his secrets, but they involve dots, gravity and a kitchen knife!

 

I think I love the beads I made on the first day most, but the second days lesson on using gravity for you, rather than fighting against it, and how in encase a bead in clear glass without adding bubbles will be so valuable for me in so many of my other projects.

 

I really enjoyed the weekend and I'm looking forward to taking what I've learnt into the studio, but they will have to have something really good to entice me to make the 6hr drive again. 

 

I've been pretty busy with some other glass projects, so hope to share those here soon too.