Posted by Nancy Flynn on 2007-05-07 09:08:22
Post Subject: Get Crafty at the Maker Faire May 19th & 20th
Calling all Bay Area Craftistas! Join co-editor Nancy Flynn, superstar columnist Susan Beal, and other talented crafters at the Maker Faire for craft demonstrations and all around CRAFT-y goodness.
Saturday from 3:00-3:30 Susan will be teaching a bead jewelry class, and if you miss that, she'll be doing an encore on Sunday from 11:15-11:45!
Saturday at 12:00-12:30 Nancy will be demonstrating how to sew a tote bag. And Sunday from 11:15-11:45, she'll be demonstrating an easy diy tank top pattern.
Stay to browse the Bazaar Bizarre and buy summer goodness from your favorite indie designers.
Visit the Maker Faire site for more information, and to buy tickets in advance.
Posted by Urban_Debris on 2006-03-13 17:46:11
Post Subject: Knitting - NOT! Who knows how to use a wonder knitter?
Hola - i bought a wonder knitter to make fishing line and bead jewelry. There are instructions on how to do this on the brochure that came with the wonder knitter. HOWEVER - they do not make any sense to me, and I have tied to follow them several times. My jewelry keeps coming unraveled. The directions are not very clear. Maybe beacuse I am not a knitter. What do you think? If I got knitting help would it help me use the wonder knitter? Here is a link to the wonder knitter and the extent of the instructions. Can you tell me what I am missing?
http://spinblessing.com/wonderknitter.htm
Posted by cosmosgrrl on 2005-02-14 20:21:46
Post Subject:
Yah...I know what ya mean belle. Even though I'm a pretty confident girl, I get very self-conscious around people who give off that vibe you're talking about. I belong to a bead & jewelry guild and most of the people there are pretty cool -- love to share what they do, and love even more to see everyone else's work. Never a condescending word from these folks. BUT, there are a few who seem to get off on making other people feel pretty small about their work. You know the ones -- they always have every magazine-book-pattern-supply that you talk about, and had them all waaaay before you did, they've been everywhere, done everything, met all the right people, only use certain supplies....I could go on, but I think you get the idea. They're the ones no one wnats to sit next to, and they are definitely the ones I avoid.
I'd go talk to that crafty chick in your office...do what everyone else here said. Engage her in conversation about her clothes, talk to her for a bit and see what happens. If she does indeed cut you up to her arty friends, she's not worth the energy it would take for you to walk over to her desk again. And just know that if she does turn out to be less than you want in a crafty friend, it's her loss...not yours!
Posted by HollyC on 2005-01-28 08:41:14
Post Subject: Adding fibers to amber jewelry designs?
Hi, I'm new here. I'm looking for advice on how to add fibers, and which fibers to use, in bead jewelry designs. I saw some lovely designs like this last summer & I thought the addition of the fibers made each piece so intimate & personal.
I'm interested in recreating something similar. I'm not a skilled metalworker, strictly beads here. :)
Specifically I'm wondering: how can I tell which fibers would be suitable for rinsing under cool water if the wearer wanted to clean the piece?
A wonderful lady in Texas & a crazy friend in Baltimore who knits like mad each gave me a bag of yarn remnants to play with. I know how I wear jewelry, and I just know at some point, I will get one of these dirty!
These look like mohair, wools, some homespun by another friend- & just- everything you can imagine in yarn! I have two grocery bags of these I'd really like to play with, reuse & recycle rather than just have them sit there.
Because of my small business, I have access to 150+ different kinds of amber beads-I work with amber & some turquoise: here's an example of a piece I designed:
http://www.amberjewelry.com/detail.aspx?ID=208
Also, we do carry lots of seriously amazing beaded jewelry handcrafted in Russia & I'm not trying to compare my efforts to those, or to get to that skill level, I don't even think I could- but.
These tiny little colored strings are driving me mad! They are laughing at me.
Are they going to shrink on me? Is there any wisdom anyone who works with fibers regularly can share- a formula, a percentage, for shrinkage I could use? Something like: To get six inches after rinsing, use 9 inches of fibers? Is it just- rinse them first & air dry them & work with what's left? I really don't want them shrinking afterwards, because they could become brittle, break, or stretch the design out of shape.
If I came up with sucessful designs, these could be for resale eventually but right now I'm interested in just some personal jewelry. I do want them to be one of a kind & unrepeatable.
Posted by Mary, Queen of Knots on 2006-11-20 04:10:29
Post Subject:
I crochet hats, scarves, scrunchees, afgans, purses, and pillows and sell them as a part of Harrington Artwerkes, an art & crafts studio I share with my family. My daughter makes bead jewelry, and has her own line of hand-made stuffed animals called Spunkies.
You can see it all here: http://www.Harrington-Artwerkes.com/crafthome.htm
