Baubles, Bangles, Bright Shiny Things...

 

In the "can't stop playing" department, we find my most recent creative jewelry projects. Having enjoyed making Boho beads and bead dangles to the point where there are a multitude of them along with charms just sitting in my sewing room, I knew they needed a home. Where better than on my arm? And so these bracelet wraps were born. it doesn't take many supplies or much time to fashion them, and they are fun to make. My Fiber Art Bee friends expressed interest in how to make them, so recently we had a little demo at our Zoom meeting. One piece of good news we heard is that the group is now  cleared to meet in person starting in August.

This is the bracelet I began in the online demo and have since completed. It's made using memory wire as a base. The wire is wrapped with sari silk ribbon to cover it. For this bracelet, I did wrap the wire first with strips of muslin just to provide a bit of padding and to conserve the sari ribbon, which is the final outside wrap. This one features vintage sari silk ribbon, lampwork bead dangles, and charms which include my initials. I've also done an over-wrap of fine gauge wire with seed beads to add more bling. I'll share the steps below in case you'd like to give this a try yourself.

One reason I like these bracelets so much is that I have thin wrists, so finding a bracelet that fits and doesn't slide off is a task. These bracelets conform to any size wrist- one size fits all! The above photo shows the bare bones of a bracelet. I begin by wrapping the wire around my wrist and then using wire cutters to cut a length of memory wire that has about three loops. Any more than that becomes difficult to handle when wrapping with ribbon. Then I use round-nose pliers to form a closed loop at each end of the wire so there are no sharp ends to catch on clothing or poke uncomfortably.

This tray shows the tools of the trade for making the bracelets. Once the wire is cut, you'll need some fabric glue to secure the ribbon or fabric strip at one end of the wire while you wrap. The memory wire is shown in the upper right- it's kind of like a slinky, forever holding its loops. Also shown are wire cutters and the pliers. In the center of the photo is a bobbin used for holding fibers when doing Kumihimo (a braided cord technique). If you are old enough to remember Spoolie hair curlers... the bobbins are like those. And, oh my goodness, they still sell them! I've wrapped the sari ribbon around the bobbin and closed the top to hold it while I wrap. It's a handy tool to have, but not required. You can just form the ribbon into a skein to keep it manageable for wrapping.  Once you have your bracelet wrapped, just over-wrap it with thin wire and seed beads. Then add bead dangles and charms with jump rings to decorate it. Have fun and make one to match every outfit!

Happy 4th!

 

BoHo Beads Galore, Part 2... Now What?

 

What to do with the myriad BoHo beads I've been making? That really is a quandary, because I just can't seem to stop making them. But I'm happy to report that there are some uses for them. In the photo above, I used one of the longer beads as a hanger for the Crazy Quilt heart hanging. And I stitched another one to the bottom of the heart to embellish it and balance it out. So there's that.

I'm using a number of lovely fabrics and trims to create the cover of a journal. One of the beads stitched on the surface looked just right. This is a work in progress, so I'll show it completed in an upcoming blog post.

And this is a BoHo bead used in a fiber tassel embellishment for a journal cover. I showed the whole cover in a previous post. But here's a close up of the wire wrapped bead. So these pretty fiber treasures do find their way into projects,  which is reason enough for me to keep on making them.

Here are three more beads which I started while doing the demo for the Fiber Art Bee I belong to. I finished them up and wanted to point out that the beads can be made with matching ends, or random bead stacks at each end as these three are. You can find the steps for making these and see more beads in the previous post.

After the Zoom demo I did on the beads, fiber artist Ellen Casile Kostewicz found that she can't stop making them either. Here are some of her beautiful creations.

And one more by Ellen.

She strung a group on wire to make this pretty display. She found her own style with the decorative wire wrapping. And Ellen agreed with me that it was very satisfying to find a way to use the beads and fibers we've collected for so long! 

BoHo Beads Galore-Part 1...

 

When it comes to making these pretty BoHo beads, you can see I was unable to stop at just one! Having recently done a Zoom presentation for a fiber group on making them, I thought I'd share the steps here in case you want to try it yourself. I bet you have the makings for these, or at least many of them, on hand! First off, let's start with the name. BoHo is a term that describes a free and unconventional style in fashion, home decor, art, and various crafts. The style became popular in the 1970s and it reflects Hippie and Bohemian influences that create a look with layers of color, texture, pattern, and trims. Sometimes the terms Gypsy and Bohemian are used interchangeably when describing the look. That's because of the Gypsy or Romany people who lived in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. They had a unique style of dress and were known for their vagabond wandering lifestyle. Artists and hippies felt like kindred spirits and so were referred to as Bohemian. Then in the early 2000s the term BoHo Chic was coined, and we've embraced it since.

So with the concise history lesson complete, let's see what you'll need to make your own BoHo beads. In the photo above, starting at the left: core material for your bead such as a recyled plastic straw; fabric glue such as Aleene's or Fabri-Tac; small strips of fabric or ribbon (in the basket at top); metallic threads and floss (upper right); jewelry wire in both heavy gauge such as 18 or 20 and finer gauge such as 26; and assorted threads, fibers and yarns to trim the beads (eyelash yarn works nicely).

Here are some examples of core material. Some makers use paper straws, but I find they get a little soggy, so prefer to recycle plastic straws. You can see the various diameters in the photo. I find the narrower the core, the less "play" there is in the finished bead. On the far right is a plastic lollipop stick (with a small hole) which is my current favorite core material. You can find them in the cake decorating area of a craft store, or on Etsy. I've even seen other fiber artists who have used the plastic inner core of a spent ball point pen, which has a nice diameter.

You'll also want some fancy beads and findings such as jump rings, spacers, and bead caps. These pretty lampwork beads are ones I purchased from Sheila at BoHo Daydreams.

To make a bead, take a strip of fabric about 2 1/2" by 6". Vary these dimensions if you want a longer or fatter bead. Smear a little fabric glue along the core about the width of the fabric strip; press one narrow end of the fabric onto the core to secure it; then roll the strip around the core, keeping some tension on it; and finish with fabric glue to secure the end. Set it aside to allow the glue to dry. Because the core material is long, you may be able to make several beads at one time, or save the trimmed off core and use it later for other beads. The bead on the left, above, was made on a trimmed off piece. I added fabric glue to the outside and pressed some seed beads into the surface to give some added shine and texture. The bead on the right is made using batik fabric. One note: don't spend too much time choosing just the right fabric as you may completely cover it, or nearly so, as you add layers. You'll trim that core material before assembling the bead with other elements and findings to complete it.

You can see what I mean here. Once the glue is dry, it's time to add the next layer. In this case I wrapped the bead with eyelash yarn so not a lot of the fabric underneath shows. Again, I used fabric glue to secure the yarn at each end of the bead. A piece of styro-foam is handy to insert the core while the glue dries. There are some other beaded projects drying there, too.

If the eyelash yarn seems a little untamed, you can reign it in by wrapping it with fine gauge wire. The wire even comes in colors! I like to wrap barber-pole style down along the bead and then back up to achieve the criss-cross look. Finish the wire by wrapping it around one end to secure it, or "style" the end like this one by forming a decorative spiral.

Here's another way to tame the yarn. String a few seed beads on fine gauge wire and wrap the wire around the BoHo bead, spacing the seed beads as you go. This one is still on the lollipop stick core which will be trimmed  with scissors so it's even with the ends of the bead.

And this example shows the use of metallic yarn to also contain the eyelash yarn. Once your BoHo bead has enough layers, and is to your liking, you're ready to complete it by assembling it on a heavier gauge wire with a loop for hanging. In our next "episode", I'll show you  how to complete the BoHo bead along with some others options for the layers. AND, I'll show you a couple of uses for the beads. That's always a question people have. "What are you going to do with those?" I rarely have an answer when I start a project, but ultimately I'll find a use. More to come!

About Faces...

 

As I work on projects, I sometimes notice a theme emerging. It's not my goal, but it just seems to happen. This time the theme became faces. I began seeing faces everywhere. This shabby chic girl finally found her home in a journal cover I made to encase a composition book. She's a machine stitch-drawing done on music paper, mounted on cardboard, and layered with old lace and trims. I added a fabric tassel and a Boho bead and glued the whole collage to the front of the book. 

This shows the back cover and the pretty floral vinyl fabric I used to make the cover. I'd never sewn with vinyl before and I like the cushy feel it gives to the cover.

Twin faces! I read an article about fiber artist Brianna McCarthy (see her works here) in an old issue of Cloth, Paper Scissors. She makes large masks and faces in both fabric and paper. They looked like so much fun, I had to try my hand at making one. Or even two. Mine are very small renditions and didn't take much time to put together. Just fabric scraps, a dab of glue, some free cutting and a running stitch is all it took. Don't even ask what I'll do with them. I just never know the answer to that, and I've given up trying to find a use for what I make. I'm a process person- I just find my joy in the making!

Look who we ran into while riding bicycles in Yankeetown, FL! It's a famous face- Elvis in all his array. His movie Follow That Dream was filmed in Yankeetown, so there are lots of references to Elvis there.

Our guild had a meet up in a local park and had several freebie tables. Someone had donated a stitcher's estate collection of fabrics and more. I found these two cute panels (almost vintage) for stitch-and-stuff dolls. I don't know why I'm drawn to these, but always enjoy assembling them for some reason. I'm sure I'll find a place to donate them when they are finished. Each girl has a little pet, too. Aren't their faces cute?

Now here's a face you can't forget.... that is if you can figure out which end is the face! We had an unusual number of these Tussock Moth Caterpillars around this year. So many of them that people were commenting on social media and asking what they are. I'm going to guess the end that has red on it is the face. These are pretty, though weird looking, but don't touch! They can produce an itchy rash. It didn't take them long to cocoon and emerge as moths, of which there were also great numbers.

Oh, and I forgot to show you the fabric pocket journal I made as the demo in the Zoom class I taught and shared in my last post. I plan to use it to store various bits and pieces of watercolor exercises I've tried with instructors Joanne Sharpe and Alisa Burke. 

Going Above and Beyond...

 

You may remember these cute fabric pocket journals from an older post. Recently I taught some other quilters how to make them, and am so impressed with their creative results! We used the Zoom platform to conduct the class, and we all felt that Zoom works really well for this kind of workshop. We met in the morning to go over the initial steps. Then we all sewed through the morning, and returned in the afternoon to cover the remaining steps. These are two of the sample journals I made.

Everyone agreed that the benefits of holding class on Zoom meant no lugging our sewing machines to a classroom, having everything at our fingertips so no chance of forgetting a necessary supply, and enjoying a relaxing day of stitching with friends from the convenience of home. I said it's like having friends over to sew together, but you don't have to tidy up your sewing room! This photo shows the insides of the sample journals.

One of the fun aspects of making this journal is adding a cover collage made from all sorts of bits, pieces, trims, and images. The students really showed off their creativity here. Char pieced part of her cover and then added buttons, shells, lace, and beads. So much texture!

Here's the inside of her journal, which she has started filling with mementos. Cute trims on the pockets!

JoEllen used this vintage fabric image along with beads and frou-frou trim in this journal she made as a birthday gift for a friend.

Here's the inside with decorative stitching on the pockets and a cute sewing machine charm.

Brenda printed one of her watercolor originals onto twill fabric. She then enhanced the colors with embroidery and beads. What a great way to showcase a piece of art.

Here's a close up of her stitches and beads. Brenda admitted that she spent more time on her cover than on the rest of the project as she became so absorbed in it.

Buffy incorporated giant rick rack and an extra quilt block from another project in her cover. Then she went to town with a yo-yo, a discharge printed leaf and a palm tree embellishment.

Here's the inside fabric with the pockets. A great fabric print!

Fold out again, and she has a pen holder and has already started filling the pockets with ephemera.

JoEllen made a second journal for her own use and again used decorative stitching to accent her pockets and edges. I love how she modified one of the pockets to allow her to slip in a small notebook she can change out when it's filled. She plans to use this for a travel journal and is determined that travel will soon be in the works again. She's ready now! I'm sure all of the class members will be making more of these journals soon. Their creativity definitely went above and beyond!

Greetings!

 

Making this spring-like fiber postcard for a swap reminded me that I've done quite a few of these cards in the past, and it's time to get out the supplies to make more! They are a good repository for scraps plus a place to try out some different techniques. I love the butterfly print fabric that became a focal point in this piece.

The postcards can go through the mail, though may require extra postage or hand cancelling at the post office. I used a rubber stamp to create the postcard back. The Pentel gel pen for fabric is a permanent pen that worked nicely for the message. Unfortunately, these are hard to find. I'm not even sure they are manufactured anymore. 

Fusible applied to the back of fabric scraps are then collaged onto the liner, which is Peltex cut to size. Simple bits make a pretty collage design. Then I added some machine decorative stitches, layered the postcard front with the back and finished the edge with a machine satin stitch.

This postcard is one I received in a previous swap and was made by Sarah Boblit. So much handwork on this one! I like how Sarah used a raw-edge binding hand stitched in place. It's just full of texture. And she used cardstock for the back address and message area. She titled it "A Summer's Day in August."

Seed beads and French knots combine to form the large flower center. Postcards can be small yet densely rich in details like this.

And here's another flower center packed with French knots. Sarah clearly spent a lot of time making her postcard.

I used a watercolor on fabric technique to make this image with details added in Micron pen. It was a new method for me at the time, and making something small really suited the learning curve. This one has rat-tail cord couched along the edge to finish it.

And this postcard was a good place to practice Zentangles on fabric along with machine quilting. Again, this one has a close zig-zag stitch edging. I've got some Peltex all cut and ready to make some more fabric greetings. Quick, easy (as easy as you want them to be anyway), and fun!