My Creative Space - Finished Brooch

It's so exciting to finish something, isn't it? Yes the journey is fun, but oh wow, the feeling of reaching a great destination is pretty cool sometimes too!

I had a lot of help from my teacher but I've really got the proud face at the moment :)

My first fully completed silversmithing piece :)

For my lovely friend Alain.

See more creative spaces at Kirsty's.

My Creative Space - Following through

My Creative Space this week is about finishing projects and following through on ideas. Plan B dress is finished and my fabric-rolled silver now has threads and a selvedge (of sorts).

I've been toying with the idea of drilling lots of holes and using floss to do a simple cross-stitch pattern on it. Final decision was to leave this one as is (I do like it's simplicity) and do another one for the cross-stitch.

Find more creative spaces over at Kirsty's.

Fabric-ating Silver

Silversmithing update: I'm in the process of making one of my bits of fabric-rolled silver look more like fabric. I've been cutting out little squares on the edges to replicate that irregular thread weave of cloth. I know what my teacher will say... "If you can't file and polish it, then you shouldn't cut it"... but I'm having fun :) Is it a break-the-rules-babe and try-something-new day for you too?


p.s. just read my stars for the week from Mr Crazy Brezsny (his horoscopes are always good fun if you're into that kind of thing!) Anyway, I thought they were kind of fitting for this post too :)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): 

If I were you, Pisces, I'd make interesting fun your meme of the week. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be fully justified in making that your modus operandi and your raison d'etre. For best results, you should put a priority on pursuing experiences that both amuse you and captivate your imagination. As you consider whether to accept any invitation or seize any opportunity, make sure it will teach you something you don't already know and also transport you into a positive emotional state that gets your endorphins flowing.

My Creative Space - Texture

It's Creative Space Day again - pop over to Kirsty's to see more spaces or to join in yourself.

An update on my silversmithing classes... I've been experimenting with texture. Working silver through two huge rollers with fine layers of muslim, I've been trying to make silver look like fabric... an irregular surface of delicious texture.

I had grand plans of folding the piece like a kind of origami...

... but my kind teacher suggested I start with something simple (he seems to be aware of my tendency to try and run before I can walk!) 

I was thinking of attaching a crochet square with rivets, but now that I look at it maybe some drill holes and thread-stitching would look best. I do like its simplicity and graphic lines. 

This is my brooch with a pin if you're wondering about size.

Hope it's a wonderfully creative day for everyone :)

Inspiration: Stephanie Schneider

A fashion and textile designer by trade, Stephanie Schneider has branched out into jewellery design to make these exquisite pieces. Her collection is continually evolving with meticulously interwoven mediums of mohair, silk, linen and traditional silversmithing metals.

I've started back at my silversmithing course and collections like this remind me why I started in the first place... a slavish love of mixed media :) Visit Stephanie Schneider's website here. 

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My Creative Space - Silversmithing Workbench

Okay, so it's not a 'real' silversmithing workbench, it's an Ikea desk, but I'm so excited to finally have a dedicated space for all my silversmithing bits and pieces :) I've slowly been accumulating tools and have many still on the list but there's enough for now to get working on some pieces. I'm still fascinated by mixed media and have been working on pieces that incorporate crochet with silver. Like this one...

These are the bits from a brooch I'm making. I still have to solder on the pole on the third tree, give them a good polish, then attach all the pieces together and add the pin at the back. When it's finished it'll look something like this... (if all goes well)...

Actually, hopefully they won't look all shabby and dirty like that! My trees do need a clean and a polish ;)

I've also been fascinated with the negative spaces left after sawing out the tree shapes. Still thinking of what I can do with these...

For more creative spaces, visit Kirsty's at Kootoyoo.

Inspiration: Tithi Kutchamuch

Still thinking of silver smithing... I made a trip to the supply shop yesterday and bought a few necessary pieces to set up my workbench. Thanks for all the lovely encouragement with my soldering dilemma. (I bought some holding wire in case my plaster idea doesn't work, Christina!) I've also been thinking of more screen printing ideas and wondering just how many different genres I can juggle without dropping them all ;) I think that's why I find Tithi Kutchamuch so inspiring...

Aren't these vase rings amazing? The detail and artistry is certainly inspiring enough – but to also have such an exquisite resting place for them; one that has a 'stand alone' design quality of its own... well, that's genius I think :) What is so encouraging for me, however, is that this isn't all that Kutchamuch makes. I've posted about her work before when she produced a collection of paper rings. It's good to know that if you start doing silver smithing that everything else you make doesn't necessarily have to stop. See more of Kutchamuch's work on her website.

Structural Integrity

I haven't spoken much about the silversmithing projects I've been working on. I thought if I finished it and then showed the process etc it would be more interesting... but I've come up against a problem. This little thing above is a tiny 3mm bit of tubing... I have about 30 of them and I've been trying to work out a way of soldering them together.

I haven't come to the difficulties of soldering yet actually, I just need to figure out a way to hold them in place so that I can solder them! I've tried placing them on blu tac and then pouring plaster over them to hold them in place, but there must have been some kind of chemical reaction between the blu tac and the plaster because it didn't grab.

Is there a good egg out there who knows how I can get these cylinders to hold together so I can solder them? Any suggestions gratefully received :)