New Tree of Life

After using up 25 feet of copper wire making the chain in my last post I finally got back to this little project. I experimented combining different gauge and color wire in this piece.

 

Making Chain

I've been practicing making chain from cheap copper wire I got at the hardware store. I love how it is coming out, the weight and feel of it. But I am still perfecting my technique making the links. This I how it looks so far:

This is how the links look. I join them into the chain with two jump rings.

Wire and Bead Experiments

This no longer exists because after finishing it and admiring it for a couple days I decided I wasn't satisfied with it and took it apart. The first problem was that it was too long. When I was making the individual strands I forgot to account for the length of the closure, that I hadn't actually made yet, so I didn't know how long it would be. 

 

The second problem was I didn't like how the center beaded link looked and decided to take it out completely.

 

And finally I decided I would rather use the handmade green bead chain in some other project instead of in this bracelet.  But I learned a few more things along the way and that just makes the next project potentially better.

Never Say Never

I think I said I would not be making jewelry. Well, I went and did it anyway. But I needed something to practice on so I used some beads and wire I had on hand and made this:

Tree of Life

I guess you could say that I am in the initial obsessive stage of learning a new craft. I have been scouring the Internet and print media for information and examples of wire wrapped and beaded art forms. I feel like, and look like, I'm just wasting my time just looking and reading. But I'm absorbing a lot of information, reading about materials and tools, looking at step-by-step instructions, watching videos, deciding what I like and don't like, looking at complex designs and trying to figure out how they did that.

I've seen a lot of examples of the Tree of Life pendent, everything from a six inch sun-catcher to a tiny one inch earring. The first time I saw one I thought I would like to make it but had no clue how to do it. But as usual, all the generous people who share their knowledge on the Internet came to the rescue. I found multiple step-by-step instructions and a few demonstration videos on techniques for making this pendent. The main thing I noticed was that there were two basic ways to approach this project. Once you make your outside ring you either start adding wires at the root and work up to completing the branches or you start at the branches and leaves and work your way down and finish with the roots. I opted for the second method. It seemed to be the easier approach.

And this is my completed first Tree of Life pendent. It's nothing fancy, just copper wire and inexpensive beads. I learned from the experience and plan to do some things differently next time. This design has many possibilities with different choices for wire and beads, or in some cases no beads. The next time I post I will try to include links to some of the sources I came across, but they are not hard to find with a simple search.

Wire and Beads

Each new year seems to bring a new craft to try. Maybe because January and February are cold unmotivated boring months. I can't seem to pick up where I left off with last years crafts so I sort through my craft supplies and look at different ideas and the next thing I know I'm off in another direction trying something new. This year I was inspired by some hand made glass beads I bought 20 years ago when touring a glass factory. I never had any specific plans for them, I just liked them. But then I saw a demo on wire wrapping beads and saw a solution for my little bead collection. I didn't want to leave them in a little bag in a drawer for another 20 years so I got some wire and pliers, watched a few videos on YouTube and made a chain for my beads to hang on the wall. After I finished the bead chain I tried a couple other types of wire and bead projects and found it to be a fun distraction. I may make a few more wire and bead objects but I won't be making jewelry. But I can see the possibility of using wire and beads in collage or other artwork.

 

January Slump

I often don't do much crafting in January. It's cold outside, I'm tired from Christmas, I am busy planning and organizing for the new year, but generally I am not very motivated or inspired to create anything. But everything in my craft space is waiting for me to get back to it when the mood finally strikes.

Before Christmas I'd started experimenting with fabric collages on canvas panels. The clear acrylic medium I use for the collage lends a semi-transparent look to some of the fabrics. I have a number of ideas I want to try with this method. Here is an example of a fabric and acrylic collage: