Seach kwteam on Etsy to see goods listed by affiliated artists.
We are looking to affiliate with a local charity. Let me know about your favorite charity that helps people in our area.
Click on the website below to learn more
Monday, September 7, 2009
New Artist group for the Kitchener Waterloo Area
So I recently created a new team of Artists from the Kitchener/Waterloo and surrounding areas. This site is dedicated to the promotion of local handmade goods. You will find a wide variety of artist ranging from clothing designers, photographers, jewelry makers, knitters and many, many more. So far we are 43 members strong and growing all the time. If you are interested in joining our group please email me at MelanieMiljan@yahoo.com
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Making my own Fine Silver Ear wires and Headpins
So my 2 1/2 year old daughter has been away with my mother at the cottage so I have had quite a bit more time to do some work and try out my new torch. Yah... so exciting.
Thing you need for this project.
Fine silver wire anything between 20 - 22 guage
Butane torch
Measuring tape
Fire block or anvil
Long nose pliers
plate
1. So i started out by cutting 2 and 3 inch pieces of wire. It depends on how big you want your ear wires. I didn't find that you really lose any length in the making of the ball.
2. Read the instructions for you torch. Fill and adjust the flame to be bright blue and about and 1" long.
3. Hold the piece of wire with your pliers with the end that you want the ball on pointing down.
4. Fire end of wire until it drips down to make a ball. I found that i had to count to 5 with my torch and i would have a nice 1.5mm ball on the end. If i wanted it more like 2mm then it took about 8 seconds.
5. Let them cool for a few minutes on a plate before handling
Caution.... even when using a 3" piece of wire the whole thing got very hot. Don't touch.... the metal ends of your pliers will also get hot.
Thing you need for this project.
Fine silver wire anything between 20 - 22 guage
Butane torch
Measuring tape
Fire block or anvil
Long nose pliers
plate
1. So i started out by cutting 2 and 3 inch pieces of wire. It depends on how big you want your ear wires. I didn't find that you really lose any length in the making of the ball.
2. Read the instructions for you torch. Fill and adjust the flame to be bright blue and about and 1" long.
3. Hold the piece of wire with your pliers with the end that you want the ball on pointing down.
4. Fire end of wire until it drips down to make a ball. I found that i had to count to 5 with my torch and i would have a nice 1.5mm ball on the end. If i wanted it more like 2mm then it took about 8 seconds.
5. Let them cool for a few minutes on a plate before handling
Caution.... even when using a 3" piece of wire the whole thing got very hot. Don't touch.... the metal ends of your pliers will also get hot.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Welcome
This is my first post of hopefully many. I started this blog for a few reason... Mostly to keep track of all the other great artists I have come across from all across the world but also to provide a resource for supplies and techniques.
So since this is my first blog i will talk about the first frustration i had when i first started to macrame with gemstones. At this time i was working with hemp and waxed cotton. So i would comb the net for the most amazing stones. They would arrive and 50-80% would not fit onto the cording that i was using. I finally another product called waxed linen. This seemed to work a lot better but again it was not fine enough for beads any smaller than 4mm and even those sometimes did not fit. The waxed linen is also just a bit sticky when you work with it as well and has an almost hair like quality that sometimes makes things look a little messy if you don't smooth the cord before you knot it.
Question. Has anyone found any other natural fibers that knot well, hold the knot and are still available in a very small diameter?
This is what has led me to start working with the fine silver wire. It is malleable enough that I can do simple knots with it and the great thing about it is that I never have to worry about the beads not fitting on the wire.
On my next silver order I plan and trying out an even higher gauge (smaller diameter) wire to see if I am able to do some of the more complex knots. Just have to sell a few pieces and my husband won't complain that i am spending more money on my hobby...lol
So since this is my first blog i will talk about the first frustration i had when i first started to macrame with gemstones. At this time i was working with hemp and waxed cotton. So i would comb the net for the most amazing stones. They would arrive and 50-80% would not fit onto the cording that i was using. I finally another product called waxed linen. This seemed to work a lot better but again it was not fine enough for beads any smaller than 4mm and even those sometimes did not fit. The waxed linen is also just a bit sticky when you work with it as well and has an almost hair like quality that sometimes makes things look a little messy if you don't smooth the cord before you knot it.
Question. Has anyone found any other natural fibers that knot well, hold the knot and are still available in a very small diameter?
This is what has led me to start working with the fine silver wire. It is malleable enough that I can do simple knots with it and the great thing about it is that I never have to worry about the beads not fitting on the wire.
On my next silver order I plan and trying out an even higher gauge (smaller diameter) wire to see if I am able to do some of the more complex knots. Just have to sell a few pieces and my husband won't complain that i am spending more money on my hobby...lol
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
