Ship brooches - glamour shot

Trying to take a quick glamour shot of the two ship brooches I made last night.  Not quite happy with the shape of the mainsail on the second one, though the 'hull' is better.  The photos would look better edited (this one needs to be re-cropped to lessen the empty space on the right, but it had the best colour), but I don't have time at the moment.

It's good practice, though, trying to spend less time on setting up, taking and selecting product images.  Hopefully if I get it working I can step up the pace!

All washed up...

New ship brooch

Just a quick photo to show I've made some more ship brooches.  3 hours to make two - not bad, that's the same as it took me to do the single one previously!  Using solder paste instead of chips has made a massive difference.  I love the way the open wirework came together - I'm getting better at making smooth shapes and marrying them up.  I might try using it in more pieces, perhaps some shapely dangly filigree earrings. 

I need some better surfaces to beat things on, but I don't mind the texture too much.  I'll try and take better photos later.  Now, time for sleep, though my neighbours make that impossible in my house...

Tired from doing nothing...

I find days when I don't do anything far more wearing than days packed full of achievement.

 

When I've nothing to do or just have done nothing the time simultaneously drags and evaporates, suddenly it's the end of the day and... I wasted it.

 

My blood's not moved more than sluggishly, my brain hasn't stirred itself up out of the silt, the day has had no flow to wash away the debris of overthinking.   

 

I've not even enjoyed the day, just been killing time.

 

When a day's been like that, I need is good to achieve just one thing, just so the day has a little concrete hook, so the sour taste of a wasted day doesn't carry over to taint sleep and waking.

What can that be tonight?

Petite wren

A little brooch I made to accompany my friend and jewellery-sensei Robin on her move up to E'burgh.  It's not a robin though, it's a wren!  Made from .9mm sterling silver sheet, it feels very heavy and luxurious, and I was delighted with how well the partial texturing came out. 

I love that pose!

Also, a wire doodle for an Industrial piercing bar.  It apparently wasn't comfortable enough, but it's an interesting technique which allows some very expressive forms.

Swirly!  Stubbly!

Silver ship brooch and peacock earrings

This was one off the fiddliest things I've ever made.  It took about 20 mins to cut and shape all of the pieces, then approximately THREE HOURS to solder it all together.  I foolishly only have one grade of solder, so the old joints would fall apart as soon as the new would flow.  I very, very nearly gave up but stepped back, took a deep breath and tried again, and I'm so glad I did.  60th birthday present for an awesome aunt.

It can work as a scarf pin or a brooch.

I love the little wiggle in the pin, that helps it lock in place securely.

As I had my brother's cameras in my hands, I thought I'd take the opportunity to snap a photo of my old, massive stylised peacock-feather earrings.  These are set with labradorites (my first cabochon settings, with thanks to Robin, my jewellery sensei!) and have my logo pierced into the back.  They're a bit unwieldy but really make an impression.  I've had someone demand I sell them to her there and then...

Pity I wasn't able to capture the colours in the labradorite, it's one of my favourite stones.  beautiful.

Costuming in progress - abyssal mermaid

I really need to learn to keep on top of this better - I've made absolutely bucketloads of things recently and not-so-recently, but I haven't been keeping track!

Anyway, this is part of a costume-in-progress for a White Mischief show this Saturday, theme of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'.  The basic concept is an abyssal mermaid.  Another incarnation was octopus-based, but I couldn't figure out how to get the movement right without helium, so that'll have to wait.

Oh yes, and I <3 thermoplastic, that stuff is the bomb.

From the back, thermoplastic spines roughly double-sided-taped on back, and draft ear-spines. Still needs white LED lure and scaly body-paint - might try and colour the spines to match, or keep them fish-bone white.

From the front, slightly better view of the high-waisted fishtail skirt.  I safeteypinned a tulle underskirt halfway down a petticoat to puff out the flare of the skirt.

The top bit could use some work: really wish I had an overbust corset without shoulders!  Could also latex-body-paint octopus/squid suckers to the inside of arms, not sure yet.  I think it definitely needs something glowing stuck down the sides to mimic lateral lines on an abyssal fish.  Lots of silveryness, and paler on the front.

Things left to do:

• Create another ear-spine
• Make lure with LED light on
• Add glow-in-the-dark dots down the sides of the dress, if I can find something suitable
• Make jellyfish parasol when parts arrive
• Bodypaint.  Lots and lots of bodypaint.

Interesting fabrics

A few bits I spotted at the local fabric shop which might be useful in future projects, especially the light corduroy in various colours.  I was hoping to combine it with some nice rivets to make an everyday fishtail dress...  Haven't quite worked out the sketches yet though.

So, so soft!

Mess and new machine!

Having spent four or five days sewing and wrapping presents, my front room ended up a little untidy...

And that's after I hid most of the fabric.

However, I got an awesome surprise for christmas this year!

So excited to use it.   Can't wait!  I'd just finished a skirt using a borrowed machine, and the fitting turned out so well I want to use the same shape as the bottom half of a dress or three.  Photos of that to follow...

Chubbiest frocodile

One of my more gormless creations.  Love the belly though...

Hedgehog rolls

So simple to make - roll the dough into an egg shape, and snip at an angle into the back to make spines.  Nom.  

So cute, even if they did smell of tuna.

Knitting bags

Quite a few of my friends and family have started knitting recently, so I made four knitting bags.  They're one of the most fiddly things I've made, despite being quite simple: a bag with quilted, reinforced base, with a divider down the middle, bias trim or facing around the handle for prettyness, and elastic loops down the side to hold either end of the needles and stop your workpiece getting all muddled up.

Four bags!  Took me two days.  Each one is sewn slightly differently...

Loops for securing the needles!

More papercuts

Didn't get great photos of these before I posted them, but here are a couple more gifts:

A4: wren, stump and clematis

A3: misc. flowers including clematis, lily and my favourite, which I don't know the name of.

CHIKKINS

A small trio of felt, buckwheat-stuffed chickens, perfect for juggling or throwing at people's heads...

Horns

I made these a while ago and they're due for an overhaul, but I thought that, as I have two photos to hand, I might as well post them.  Constructed from circles of corrugated cardboard strung onto a folded length of wire with spacers in between, each 0.5mm different in radius, curved around, coated with plaster-of-paris fabric and smoothed with an extra coating of plaster, then stained with tea and mounted on a wide hairband.

If anyone has any more photos of these, I'd love to have them.

 At a steampunk convention with Scary, hideously hungover, taken by some passing photographers.  Scary doesn't normally have sideburns like that...  

Late-night costume prep pic - fear the effects of the pirate corset coat.  Which I really should get pics of.

Papercut note - mixed flowers

What are you supposed to bring to an engagement party?  I went with a note...  Well, went overboard with a note.

1 sheet of A3 + ikebana image search + a craft knife + several hours = a very fancy note.

Was really happy with the way it turned out.  Didn't have any coloured paper to back it with though, so went with a dark blue napkin at the event.  

 The recipients seemed very pleased, and say they're going to get it framed.  Woot!

BEHOLD

Eeehehehehe...

OK, it took me nearly four hours but I think you'll agree...totally worth it.

In summary: a wireframe top hat with crank-rod which drives the motion of flags at the end of long rods, which are positioned by a wire network on the top of the hat.  Very simple, straightforward and oh, so satisfying.  I am filled with GLEE.  Better pics and perhaps even a video should follow at some point. 


Notes for the next version:  The mechanism is a bit sticky somewhere.  Provided I can sort that, I intend to replace the masking-tape flags with more brightly coloured, larger ones, and fill in much of the wire structure of the hat to make it more stable and look more awesome.  I may add a fabric lining, to prevent your hair snagging in the cranks.

Abstract sketches

Just a few of my abstract images that I wanted to share, though some of them aren't finished and I don't think I got the best one.  I need to scan them in, but currently don't have access to a functioning scanner.  These are so satisfying and have so many variations I want to explore.  I'm hoping to develop it and work the pieces on wooden board.

Commission - brooch

I love making the most of packaging, to make something I'd myself be delighted to open, to make the recipient feel special.  First the pink/red velvet pouch, then the thin balsawood presentation case tied with a ribbon, with the image inked into the front...

Then a first peek at the contents, snug and secure between the layers...

Three finely sawn cut-outs of the design in sheets of satin-finish sterling silver.  The ear wires are recessed into the cover to keep the packaging flat and secure - the earrings simply thread on.

The back of the packaging shows my logo, printed on the third sheet of balsawood which has a cut-out to house the pin back - incidentally the first one that's really worked well, and I wish I'd taken better pictures of it. 

I wish I'd been given more scope to do a single, more ambitious and complex item, but it's more important to make the customer happy!  Perhaps one day I'll make the things I had sketched out, with layers of purpleheart wood and handmade chains.

Mrowr

A friend's dressing up as a cat/leopard tonight, and after discussing the ears and make-up and checking out DA I got a fizzle into my head to give it a go myself. I may look silly but it was quick and fun, even without putting contact lenses in!  This would look much better with white, but I didn't have any.  This is just liquid eyeliner and silver, copper and gold eyeshadows.

I think it looks quite cool...  things of course which could be done much better, but it's a start!

Now, for the next photodump installment:

This is my GirFrock.  If you don't know Gir, it'd only take too long to explain!  The power of green compelled me.  Pattern is a duplicate of a very pretty dress I bought for my brother's wedding, minus the zip and plus pockets and an obi-style belt (which is reinforced and quilted, no less!).  Lovelovelove it, even though it's already getting bobbly.

A keyfob I made for a friend's birthday, the initals 'DW' sawn into copper, hammer-textured and with a swivelling bail attached with my first ever successful rivet!  Well, for a given value of 'successful'.  I really love the style, and just wish it would work with 'MH' so I could have my own.

These were so cute I had to share!  Little sweet 'slider' buns - I made tiny beefburgers to go in them when we had an awesome bbq: thai pork skewers, mustard-rosemary chicken, hoisin veggies, tiny burgers etc.  Yummy.