Filed under: 2022 Christmas in Williamsburg, Needlepoint Shops, Needleworkers Delight, Silver Needleminders and Earrings
I took 2 classes with Michele Arsenault to make silver pieces and forgot to take pictures of my Day 1 class where I made 3 needle minders. So, here will be the photos of my Day 2 pieces before firing and polishing. She takes them home and finishes the process and mails them to us.
Believe it ot not, the “silver clay” is 99.99 silver content. The clay burns off in a kiln leaving the silver particles which bond together.
The clay gets pressed into the molds. Then, you pop it out of the mold. I used a cookie cutter-like piece to cut out the round pair and a different tool to carve around the other. Besides Michele describing the process, the longest part of class is going through her molds to find what you want. She has hundreds of them.
For the first class we worked with 10 grams and second class was 20 grams. So, I made 2 pairs of earrings and poked a hole near the top so that Michele can make them into earrings. The Day 2 class was more in depth than Day 1. And, if I were to take the Day 3 class, I could try making a ring which offers the opportunity to join 2 pieces together. But, I’ll pass. I’m good with what I have now. More pictures once these are returned.
I finally got around to finishing my Kumihimo bracelet. I needed help with attaching the clasp on each end. Thanks to the ladies at The Bead Garden in Havertown, PA – they have everything! I figured out how to create the pattern all by myself. Generally, I do prefer symmetry over randomness. That does take more time but I like the effect. Of course, sometimes you’ve got to be wild and crazy!
What can you do with these supplies?
All I used were those 2 glues (one for fabric and another for metal), two paper clips, 2 earring hooks, and one 40″ thread of Vineyard Silk Shimmer (S-515, Toffee) to make these earrings:
I cannot take credit for the idea! One of the women from work shared the link with me (http://evie-s.com/news/2011/02/10/art-from-everyday-objects-paperclips-string/. Great way to use up your stash & make something unique, not expensive – just in time for holiday gift giving! They turned out nice.
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 