One Melissa, Two Melissa!

Piece Name: "Golden Scrolls Paisley"

I belong to a lot of Yahoo groups dedicated to various methods of handmade jewelry making. An artist by the name of Melissa Muir was mentioned. I visited her website. Her jewelry is just exquisite. I was taken with many of her pieces, but this one inspired me and just stayed on my mind. Later on I sat down in my studio and started doodling with that piece in memory. I don't use the same techniques as Melissa used to make her piece, but knew I could make something inspired by that piece using the techniques I do employ. And so after much doodling, "Golden Scrolls Paisley" was born. It is almost identical to the final doodle except I removed one scroll.

This one is a keeper and I envision putting it on a burgandy cord of some sort. It is quite large...but I LOVE large jewelry that makes a statement. It is made with rolled gold in wire gauges 16, 18, and 24. The frame and center scroll are 16 gauge half hard. The other scrolls are 18 guage dead soft, and the coiling is 24 gauge dead soft. I worked on this piece on and off for three days. I'd work until I got sick of it!!! Those scrolls were fiddly to attach and the coiling was tedious! But I was diligent and I always returned to make a little more progress. I am quite proud of the result and that it was my very own design from start to finish thanks to Melissa's inspiration pendant! Thanks Melissa! Please do visit Melissa's website.

Completed: Early October 2008

Jewelry Gifties A Plenty!

Piece Name: "Smokey Pearls" Earrings and "Liquid Links" Bracelet

Like I said in the previous post, September is a big jewelry gifting month for me. This post discusses the gifties I gave my sister for her birthday. My sister adores pearls and has several pieces of purchased pearl jewelry from her trips to Hawaii. I figured she'd like one more! So I created these earrings for her. They are made with Argentium Silver, Freshwater Pearls, and Smokey Quartz. The design inspiration is from Marie Lee Carter in the Winter 2006 "Step by Step Wire" Magazine. These use 18 amd 24 guage round Argentium silver wire, 7mm freshwater pearls, and 7.5mm smokey quartz faceted briolettes. These went together in 45 minutes and wear very nicely. They flounce and dazzle with body movement. My sister loves the length and has already requested a duplicate using blues and greens so they have a ocean feeling to them. I'll be happy to oblige!

I love jewelry sets so I just had to create an accompanying bracelet. So this Argentium Silver bracelet was born. The design is by Pepper Mentz in the Fall 2005 "Step by Step Wire" Magazine. The bracelet measures 8 inches and uses 18 guage round argentium silver wire. This one took me about an hour and a half or so. It is easy to make but a bit fiddly so you have to be friends with your tools or if you're a newbie have patience. I'd love to do this bracelet again in a hunky guage of wire. I am happy to report that these gifties were well received!

Both pieces Completed late September 2008.

Earrings! A Jewelry Making Gifter's Best Friend!

Piece Name: "Woven Amethyst Earrings"

My sister's birthday is September 20th and her mother-in-law's birthday is September 21st. They both love jewelry and they both love earrings. This is awesome for me as a gift giver! This post will discuss the earrings I made for her mother-in-law and the post after this one will talk about the birthday gifts for my sister.

These are Argentium Silver and Amethyst Drop Earrings. The design is inspired from Lisa Newton in the Spring 2008 "Step by Step Wire" Magazine. I used 18 and 24 guage round argentium silver wire and 5mm amethyst drops. These earrings took me approximately 4 hours to make, 95% of that the weaving. This was the first time I bent wire to a pattern (the framework) and then had to do it a second time to match. I came pretty darn close and am quite pleased. These earrings are bold but not overly so. If they didn't take an exhaustive 4 hours to make I would have made me a set too. I may just still...one day!

Completed: Late September 2008

Purple Beads Always Work...Even if It's Not as You Originally Intended!

Piece Name: Purple Foil Majesty

This September I had a flurry of jewelry making and quilt making (nothing finished in the quilt arena yet...all still in progress). This is mainly because my studio is sooooo hot in the summer even with the air on that I don't do a lot of quilting or jewelry making then. But come September's crisper nights and cooler days I have returned to my studio again! I missed it!

Upon returning to my studio this is the first jewelry piece I made. It is a Purple Metallic Foil Lampwork bead (maker unknown) and Argentium Silver Necklace. The Design inspiration is from Kerry Bogert's bracelet in the book "Wire Style" by Denise Peck. I originally wanted to make a bracelet too, but I wanted to use more beads than the original design's three. So I shortened up the wires a bit and played. What I found was that this bracelet didn't wear well along the curvature of my wrist and in fact I don't think the original design would have either. It was so pretty though, so I was going to use it come heck or high water! I lengthened it figuring it would wear well as a necklace. I was right. This necklace wears so nicely and has weight but isn't heavy. It is bold and makes a statement but isn't over the top. I love it and wear it often and it receives compliments often. I wish I remembered where I got those beads because they are amazing!

This necklace uses lampwork beads and 16 guage round argentium silver wire and sterling silver beads.

Completed late September 2008.

The Sea Meets the Gem and Silver Mines

This necklace was inspired by one of the necklaces in the book "Simply Pearls: Designs for Creating Perfect Pearl Jewelry" by Nancy Alden (on Page 80 if memory serves). This is a great eye candy and inspiration book!!! I will definitely be making more from it. This took one solid evening of many, many hours worth of work, but it was so worth it. The necklace wears so nicely (especially on a darker colored mock turtle neck) and is very flouncy. I enjoy wearing it and especially love the combined materials for the overall look.

Now for the technical stuff. This necklace was made with 8mm multi-colored faceted Tourmaline drops, a 12mm Green Amethyst faceted disc, 6mm round Fresh Water Pearls, clear seed beads, and Argentium Sterling Silver wire (24 and 20 guage).

Piece Completed: Mid May 2008

Mystery Unveiled

Piece Name: No. 25 - "A-Tisket A-Tasket" Quilt

I apologize that my posts are so few and far between! A lot of what I work on are gifts and surprises so I have to wait to post. This one I am technically revealing even sooner than I should, but I am doing it anyway!!! I taught a Mystery Quilt Class for my quilting guild back in March. I actually finished the quilt back then, but I couldn't post it because it was...well...a mystery! People from my guild sometimes read my blog and I didn't want to ruin the surprise. But I actually made the quilt as something more than a class sample, I made it for my neice (pink pillow several posts back) as her baby quilt. I usually make baby quilts shooting for first birthdays. This time I acually made deadline! I however procrastinated over the label and only did that recently...so I missed the deadline. I know I know, such a little thing to be late over! Anyhow, instead of mailing it, my in-laws are visiting my sister-in-law next week, so I am sending it down with them. This way I KNOW it will arrive safely.

This quilt was from an issue of "The Quilter" magazine from a few years ago. It is bright and cheery and was a fun one to make. It would flatter any fabric choice and even ditch quilting (which I did because it's a kid's quilt) yields a nice design to look at.

Piece completed: 03/14/2008

Another Pink Baby Pillow!

Piece Name: Pink Baby Pillow

You will see baby pillows repeated many times on this blog. I make them because they require not too much time (2 dedicated evenings) but enough time to still show I care for the person for which I am making them. I'd love to make quilts for everyone, but until I am a "kept woman" or hit the lottery and don't have to work, that's just not gonna happen. So this gives me the same sense of making something handmade and allows me to get it done too!!!

This pillow is for my husband's sister's husband's sister's daughter (say that six times fast!) who is expecting her first child a girl. If you have seen my baby pillows before you'll notice this one is a slight departure. It is a little easier for me to make and the results are still lovely.

Piece completed: 03/05/2008

"Winter View" Fabric Postcard

Piece Name: "Winter View" Fabric Postcard

Once again we had a fabric postcard swap among several members of the Love Apple Quilters guild. The theme was winter with no other rules. Being a creature of Spring and Summer, I associate winter with staying warm and picturesque winter views. I combined both of those into this "Winter View" fabric postcard. The pane of glass is really tulle. The view outside includes an evergreen tree and a snowman, though it is hard to see in this picture.

Piece completed 03/01 (one day after deadline of course!)

Toot Toot My Own Horn!

Piece Name: "Florabundance" Quilt

Well, you might recognize this quilt from several blog posts ago. I made it for my quilt guild's 2007 quilt challenge. The pattern is from a book called "Floral Abundance" by Rosemary Makhan. Great book!!!! NAYY! Anyhow, every year a little, quaint shopping village called Peddler's Village in LaHaska, PA puts on their Quilt Show in the Gazebo. We'll this is the third time I've entered and this time I chose this red and white quilt. I have been lucky in the past with my only other two submissions to win Second with the Blue Jacket (see previous blog post) I made for my guild's 2004 Quilt Challenge and a little wallhanging I made took Honorable Mention last year. The show is VERY small compared to what quilters are used to but the judges are sticklers and ribboning isn't easy even with the very small competitive field. They always get me on my binding (and rightly so)!! Anyhow, I entered the red and white quilt into the Potluck category and not the Applique category because Pot Luck allows machine quilting and Applique must be hand quilted (in fact other than Clothing, Pot Luck, and Kids they all pretty much require Hand Quilting). I haven't gotten the official letter yet, but I cheated and went to their website. My quilt took First Place - Machine Applique!! They apparently moved it out of Pot Luck and into Applique, and then split the Applique group into Hand and Machine. I am tickled pink (or would that be red in this case?)! I hoped that I might get a second, but didn't think it would get first because the binding on the back is typical Melissa (meaning not always even, though not too bad!). Yay! I don't quilt to get ribbons, but dangit they are fun to get!

If you go to Peddler's Village in LaHaska, PA between now and April (and I recommend it for the shopping and the brownies) please stop in in the Gazebo and check the quilts out! Some are even for sale (though not mine).

Christmas Windows

Piece Name: "Cathedral Window Ornaments"

I took a Cathedral Window class though my quilt guild with Linda Victor (scroll down a few posts) and really enjoyed it and made a pillow. I wanted to try a few ornaments on a far smaller scale. These were the result. Fun, fast, and pretty! They came in handy too. I have been giving the wife of my former Pastor handmade Christmas Tree Ornaments for years. The fabric ornaments slipped very nicely into their Christmas card!

This was made with muslin and metallic Christmas fabrics and pretty buttons. Pieces completed 12/2007 sometime.

Catholic Rosary

Piece Name: "Catholic Rosary"

My sister's mother-in-law prays the rosary every single day and sometimes several times a day. She wears her rosaries out! She saw the Franciscan Crown Rosary I made and her eyes fairly lit up. My sister told me that if I made one for her it would make her day! Well I did, had it blessed, and we gave it to her for Christmas, and I am happy to report she loved it!

This was made with 8mm Rose Quartz round beads, 6mm purple (her favorite color) Cats Eye beads, Sterling Silver medals and bead caps, and Argentium Sterling Silver 22 gauge wire. Piece started and completed 12/20/2007

All Wired Up!

Piece Name: "2007 Yearly Christmas Craft - SS Wire Ornaments"

Every year going back to my teens I have made a Christmas Craft as one of my gifts to people (at least 16 years). The crafts have encompassed many different materials and

techniques and the people that get them tell me they look forward to seeing what I make from year to year. This year I came right down to the wire (no pun intended)!!! I had a few ideas floating around but saw a picture of a wire ornament (very similar to the simple bells above) on the internet and was inspired. I got crafting that very night! The ornaments would have all been the simple

bells but I ran out of the heavy guage wire I was using and went improvisational with the remaining ornmanets. The star is the only one I kept for our tree.











These ornaments were made with varying guages of Argentium Sterling Silver wire, glass beads, rose quartz beads, and new jade beads. Pieces completed 12/14/2007.

Franciscan Crown Rosary in Pink and Silver

Piece Name: "Franciscan Crown Rosary"

My husband's aunt is a Franciscan Nun. She just celebrated her 70th birthday. I wanted to do something really special for her. So I made her a rosary, but not just any rosary but a Franciscan Crown Rosary that is favored by that order (Google it for more info). It differs in construction from a standard rosary in that the beads on the drop differ slightly and there are seven decades rather than five. We give it to her this Saturday! Can't wait. Just need to have it blessed before that!
This was made with 8mm Rose Quartz round beads, Sterling Silver medals and bead caps, and Argentium Sterling Silver 20 gauge wire. Piece completed 12/12/2007.

Pillowcases A Plenty!

Piece Name: Fun Kid Pillowcases

I went to a Love Apples Saturday Sew In for Charity. We made fun, child themed pillowcases for the charity ConKerr Cancer, an organization that gives bright pillowcases to kids undergoing cancer treatments in hospitals. We ended up making 54 that day!!! I enjoyed it so much I made these two for the children of a family friend for early Christmas presents. Boy were these a hit! Pieces completed 12/02/2007.

Pink In Every Window!

Piece Name: "Pink Cathedrals"

I took a Love Apples Cathedral Windows workshop taught by Linda Victor. What a blast! I decided to use the class sample we made to knock something off my to do list! So this pink, white, and buttoned baby pillow creation was born and is for Mikaela a new cousin to the family. This is really a fun one and the buttons hide a multitude of transgressions! The picture is me at my guild's Show and Tell. Piece completed 10/28/2007.

Feathered Birthday Wishes

Piece Name: Untitled Postcard

This is the final postcard I made for the 2007 RCTQ Birthday Postcard Swap. This is for my online friend Jean. Happy Birthday Jean! The postcard is all machine embroidered and the design can be found at SecretsofEmbroidery.com (NAYY). This took about 2 - 2.5 hours to do. It is very bright and cheery in person. Piece completed 10/28/2007.

"S" is for Sandal

Piece Name: "S" is for Sandal Postcard

This is a VERY BELATED postcard for my quilt guild's summer postcard swap. The postcard swap theme was the "S's of Summer" and had to use a ribbon in some way. I was inspired by the decorations in the cottage of our vacation home when we went to the beach in Corolla, NC for a week this September. The ribbon is 3D...though I am sure it will be squished in the mail. Piece completed 09/30/2007.

I See Pink!

Piece Name: Allie's Baby Pillow

I make baby pillows as gifts. My husband's sister had a baby girl named Alexandria Genieva earlier this year. As they live in Georgia and we live New Jersey we don't get to see them very often. I met Allie for the first time this past week and of course showered her with lots of spoiling as any aunt should do. This was among the gifts. The size is a 20" pillow and the designs are by Hatched in Africa. Pillow completed 09/22/2007.

Argentium Sterling Silver and Rolled Gold (aka Gold Filled) Earrings

Piece Name: Various Argentium Sterling Silver and Rolled Gold (aka Gold Filled) Earrings

Along with my sister's birthday this week it was also her mother-in-law's birthday as well. She recently had a break in at her house (thankfully she wasn't home!!) and lost her jewelry box with all her beloved earrings. While I can't replace what she lost, I thought I'd soften the blow a bit by making her some new ones.

I literally spread all my beads out before me and went to town mixing and matching combinations. It was quite fun actually...though it is hard as a beginner getting the earrings to turn out the same length!! I can't remember the guage wire I used for them or what all the components are, but ultimately three were Argentium Sterling silver and three were Rolled Gold (aka Gold Filled). I am quite happy to report that they were very well received!! Earrings completed: 09/20/2007.

Blue Lace Agate & Argentium Sterling Silver Jewelry Set

Piece Name: Argentium Sterling Silver & Blue Lace Agate Jewelry Set

Finally a new post!! That's what happens when you are working on birthday and Christmas gifts! You can't post about them until they are given!!! Anyhow, I made this set for my sister Cindy for her 30th birthday earlier this month. What is funny about this is my sister was pretty sure she was getting jewelry because we went to a BeadFest together in April and she picked out beads she liked and said make it a birthday gift. I will make those beads into a jewelry set for "a" birthday...it just wasn't for this one. So she was totally suprised when she opened this set up. I am very glad to say she loved it! Now for the nitty gritty...

Necklace and Pendant: The pendant is inspired by a Lisa Niven Kelly design and instructions were featured in the Summer 2007 edition of "Step by Step Wire Jewelry". The chain wire is 20 gauge argentium sterling silver. The pendant wire is 24 gauge argentium sterling silver. The stone is a faceted blue lace agate flat tear drop. The beads are 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals in three colors. The 22" chain is woven in the "byzantine" (aka "bird cage") pattern.

Bracelet and Earrings: The earrings and 8" long bracelet are of my design. The wire on both is 20 gauge argentium sterling silver. The stones are faceted blue lace agate. The chain maille weave is "byzantine" (aka "bird cage").

I worked on this set on and off over the summer, but it was ultimately completed 09/18/2007 when I made the pendant (which took 3 hours!). I thoroughly enjoyed making this and giving it to my sister! I really wanted to do something special for her 30th. :)