Christmas /home deco

Christmas will be soon, so it is time to think about how do we decorate our homes and our trees. I thought it will be nice to make something myself and I have decided to choose paper as a main source I will be making decorations from. Easy you would thing. Nothing more misleading as I found out very quickly that even most simple looking pieces are not so easy to make as I thought, and it takes long time and patience to be able to make them look really good. 

First decoration I have decided to make it was very challenging and time consuming flower ball inspired and based on ancient Japanaise technique called KUSUDAMA ("The Japanese kusudama (薬玉; lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that is usually (although not always) created by sewing multiple identical pyramidal units (usually stylized flowers folded from square paper) together through their points to form a spherical shape. Alternately the individual components may be glued together. (e.g. the kusudama in the lower photo is entirely glued, not threaded together) Occasionally, a tassel is attached to the bottom for decoration" (read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusudama )) You have to be very precise to make it look perfect but it is also fun to make, especially when at the end you can be very proud and satisfied with what you made. The flower ball is made from 60!!!! separate pieces - 12 flowers where each is made of 5 leaves - glued together. I have decided to make it just out of white paper and finish it with pale pink ribbon but you can make it of any paper you like. 

Another decoration I made were paper stars with music notes and finished with pink and green ribbon. Each star is composed from 12 pieces. I have decided to make my own print on a paper and I have used for it some Ludwig van Bethoven "Adelaide" notes (listen it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zEfJ3CGALQ )

 The hardest part of making this stars was to sew 12 of them together with ribbon perfectly aligned and on the middle. My sewing machine was braking the thred few times and making ugly noises before I managed to do it.

I think I will be making some more decorations this and next week as although challenging it is still fun :)

introduction to structural jewellery City&Guilds course - week 3

For our homework we had been asked to make design for an arm piece we supposed to make in another 3-4 weeks time. We had to decided about it's shape, texture and material as today there is finally time for some shopping :))) I have made few hand drawings for different ideas. I have been discussing it with my life partner Sebastian which option would be the best and from making of which one I might learn the most. Have decided for two options and I made paper models for them. Now it is up to Felix to help me decide which one should I choose, so I can finish it on time. Both of them I would like to make in silver.

Option 1 would be from two wider and thiner pieces of silver which would be joined together by setteling between them 3-4mm five black onyx stones. Both silver pieces would be decorated with drilled holes in the same size as onyx stones and filled with the same stones and 5 empty ones as the places after the ones being used for joining.

Option 2 would also be made from two ider and thiner pieces of silver and 3 rubber washers in between them, everything joined by 2 paraler pieces of silver.

We all discussed with Felix our bracelets ideas individually to make our shopping lists. She told me that I would not be able to finish option 1 on time as it would take long time to settle it so many stones. So I go for option 2. Now I have to decide how much silver I have to buy. Very good tool for that is Cookson Gold website http://cooksongold.com/  where you can choose material you would like to use, it's thickness and lenght and it will calculate for you how much does it cost. Now I have to say, the true is devastating. I knew silver is expensive but I havent expect it to be so so expensive. If I would like to buy 2 pieces of the 0.7mm silver in a width as I designed I would need to pay £76!! So I had to cut it down by half to be able to aford it. So now I end up with 2 pieces in a mesurmets 20mm x 210mm  (this one I have to cut in two to make rings), 7mm x 85mm so I will spent for it £34 - look at the pictures on the top on my calculations - I haven't writte down the one for £76.

Before lunch time Alex, Vicky and I we went to Hatton Gardens for our silver shopping. We went to two shops, one is Rashbel http://www.rashbel.com/ where apparently you can see what you are buying and it was the one I spent money in and where I have be served by the biggest, tatooed and pierced and very nice at the same time man I ever saw in such a delicate shop :)) Vicky didn't get there everything she needs so we went to Cookson Gols ones I mentioned above. This one has look more like a bank - lots of counters, secutity guy and you have to take number before being served.

                                I also bought 2/0 sawing blades

Just shame I havent take picture of the silver I bought before I worked on it, maybe next time ;)

In a week 3 we have learned how to ANNEAL metal and how to use ROLLING MILL.

Annealing metal is used to make metal more flexible and soft and less springy. To anneal metal piece you have to heat it up with torch untill it will gain cherry red color. You have to be very carefull to not overheat it, especially when you do it with silver (new piece of silver first goes black then cherry red immediately after). Pickle it and wash it. Silver would not be shiny any longer for now, it will be mat and almost white, but don't worry you can polish it later :)

To make texture on a metal you have to use ROLLING MILL. First you have to anneal metal piece. Then cut textured material into metal shape and sandwitch it wita a paper which you have to cut into shape as well. Set up rolling mill placing your sandwitch in between so it is tight but not too heavy to roll it. Now roll it roll it roll it until it will comes out from the other side. How exciting!! I choosed for my texture cotton lace I brought from Mexico even that Felix was saying it will not comes out as clear as something harder. I just wanted see :) And look, she was right, but I think it still looks good even the texture is not very deep. You can see it better on a piece of paper I used to make my textured sandwitch sandwitch.

Looks like we done so much work today! :)

introduction to structural jewellery City&Guilds course - week 2

SWEAT SOLDERING

In week 2 of our exciting course we have learned about sweat soldering, negative cut and drilling. Sweat soldering is used to solder one piece of metal on the top of the other. For this exercise each of us had to cut out using piercing saw blade two shapes out of cooper and brass, file it to make it look smooth. Then we had to cut out a hole (in the shape we want) in a smaller piece of metal using first stationery drill. To do it you have to use piercing tool first to mark a pleace of drilling hiting it with hammer (remember to do it only once otherwise you can damage your metal piece) and then using drill and do not forget to put a protective glasses whilst you using it. Another stap is to put a saw blade into a hole, cut out a required shape and file it. Now is a time for swaet soldering. First you have to file a bit edges of the smaller piece in an angle shape to prevent solder to flow out whilst soldering. Put flux and few pieces of hard/medium solder on a back of the smaller piece and picke it. Then Flux both parts and put one on the top of the other (pin it together with a small metal split pins to avoid the movement) and heat it with torch until very red, pickle it, wash it, DONE! :))

introduction to structural jewellery City&Guilds course - week 1

On 19th of September 2011 I proudly started "introduction to structural jewellery City&Guilds course" at City Lit, London. It was nice to meet new people and our lovely tutor Felix who tries very hard we all feel comfortable and she hopes we all become friends. First we had to talk to our neighbour sits opposite, ask few questions, make for this person name card and introduce her to others. Mine was Jitka, retired school teacher who has all ready some experiance with soldering. Look how she made my name card, as she described it is Gosia's fireworks :) 

But enough talking! We had very busy first lesson after fun introductions each of us got piece of copper and brass, piercing saw, big files (the one for jewwelers are with cross cut) and prepare two pieces of metal to fit perfectly to each other to be able to solder it later using technique called butt soldering. First we had to set up our sits correctly at jeweller's bench, apparently you have to level middle of your arms with the top of the bench. Then everyone had to try to fit sawing blade into saw without getting any instructions -first torture prepared by our Felix :) With a bit of help from Bill (he is mettalurgist and he tries now to play with metals in totally different scale) who showed me how to make a blade to be tens on a saw I did it. Then we saw and filed our copper and brass pieces which wasn't so easy I you could think. Hands are hearting quite a bit. Copper is the one which is easier to work with as it is softer but you can damage it quicker plus it gets hot whilst you file it. You must to know there have to be no light comming through if you place your metal piece on a straight flat line of file to be able to solder it well. Soldering was the most exciting moment of the lesson for me. First you have to make both pieces flat, you do it with help of a wooden hammer. Then you put flux (ie. borax  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax ) onto part where two metals will be soldered, so on a sides and edges). Cut few couple of pieces of silver hard or medium solder, put flux on it and place it onto joining part in an iqual intervals. Now there is the time you lighten your torch, do remember to put far away your lighter after you do so!! Now you heat both pieces of metal all over it so both pieces gets very hot and orange when the flux bubble and the solder flow through joining - magic! :) You can leave your perfectly soldered piece to cool down itself (which is better for metal) or put it into water. Then place it to copper pickle with copper tweezers. Wait until it washes off then clean it with water. DONE! :) 

 

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baby and toddler costumes

Some time ago, exactly for Red Nose Day 2011 we (read parents :) ) have been asked to dress up our children at the nursery as one of the characters from very famous book The Gruffalo. First I looked for a costume for my 20 months old daughter at Internet. I went through many pages and suprasingly I didn't find what I looked for. I have decided to make costume for her by myself. I bought quickly not very expensive sewing machine (I planned to do so long time ago so now was a good time). I looked at this monster for some time as I didn't even know how to set up threds on it. Finally we have made friends and look what I have done - Mouse inspired by The Gruffalo book. I was so proud of myself, yes yes I was as it was firts time in my life I have used sewing machine. On the way to and back from nursery and at nursery I ve heard many nice oppinions. One of it was: "It is the cuttest Mouse costume I ever saw!". After some time I have decided to make a new one for some little people who would like to have a fun day to be a such a cute Mouse :) It is made from scratch by myself (design, pattern and sewing) and includes hat - mouse head with big ears and lovely face - and dress with stuffed belly.

Then after some time I have decided to make few more costumes. There is Monster costume insired by The Gruffalo book, Baby Dragon and Bunny. See my cutest model ever in them :)

I will be making some more in a future. I make them from scratch - everything by myself with bit of help of my sewing machine ;)

I sell them on folksy just have a look if you are interested:
http://www.folksy.com/items/2346125-mouse-costume?shop=yes
http://www.folksy.com/items/2350081-baby-dragon-costume?shop=yes
http://www.folksy.com/items/2346117-monster-costume?shop=yes
http://www.folksy.com/items/2350177-bunny-costume?shop=yes