Chunky Beaded Ring Tutorial

My Best Friend gave me the most beautiful handmade beaded ring for Christmas this year. She found it at Smoking Lily, which is one of my favourite places to find unique handmade gifts. Their headquarters are in Victoria BC, but they have a handful of stores scattered around Vancouver and a few other Canadian cities. If you are ever in the neighbourhood you should definitely check them out!

The ring was made by Dancing Leaf Designs and has a mix of vintage beads, pressed glass flowers and leaves, a band of tiny metallic seed beads and a backing of soft leather. This ring design is very comfortable to wear, and for those with metal sensitivities like me, the glass beads of the band won't irritate your skin. I have been wearing it every day and I love it so much that I have been trying to make some more beaded rings of my own. These two are what I have come up with so far:

I thought you might like to give it a try, so I have put together a little tutorial (of course, you can always just head over to Dancing Leaf's Etsy store and buy one instead!).

What you need:

• A metal bead cap (see photos below) with many small holes, to serve as a base for the ring
• Monofilament beading line
• A few large feature beads, with some medium and smaller beads for filler (about 10-20)
• A little pile of seed beads or very small beads for the ring band
• A tiny scrap of leather (or you could probably use vinyl or felt)
• E6000 or other very strong craft glue

 

1. Start by flattening the bead cap with a pair of flat pliers. I think you may be able to buy a special flat perforated metal disc made just for beaded rings like this and if you can find one, use it instead of a flattened bead cap.

2. Cut about a meter of monofilament line. Insert the two ends of the line into 2 small adjacent holes from the underside and begin beading the band from this spot.

3. Choose whatever beading pattern you like and continue until the band is long enough to fit just a little bit loosely around your finger (you want the band a little loose because the fit will be smaller after you add the leather under the ring base).

4. Insert the two ends of the line into two small holes opposite where you started the band (be sure there are no twists in the band). Tie the line using a reef knot on the underside of the metal base. Don't trim the excess monofilament lines.

5. Using one of the long ends, begin adding beads to your ring. Go up through the center hole, add your largest bead, followed by a small seed bead. The line then goes around the seed bead and through the large bead again. Feed the line down through the center hole and pull tight. Continue adding beads, working outwards, filling any gaps. The outermost ring of beads can include overhanging leaf shapes, loops of seed beads or your smaller beads stacked like short kebabs. It's a good idea to try it on occasionally to make sure the design looks balanced on your hand.

 6. When you are happy with your ring, pass the monofilament lines to the underside of the ring and tie together with another reef knot. Trim the ends short. Cut a small circle of leather to fit under the flattened bead cap. Coat the sueded side of the leather with E6000 glue and firmly attach to the inside of your ring. Let the glue set according to directions before wearing.

Tadaa! A sparkly and impressive looking ring you made yourself! Good for you!

Little Fabric Scrap Earrings

Last year I had the opportunity to travel to Taiwan. The country is an amazing place to visit, with beautiful temples, fantastic natural landscapes and some of the nicest people I have ever met. In the shopping districts in Taipei, there are hundreds of cool little shops, many filled with trendy, zakka-style handmade jewellery, bags and clothing. In one of these, I saw some tiny little fabric earrings. They were so simple and cute, I still don't know why I didn't pounce on them immediately. The memory of these little earrings has been nagging at me ever since, and today I decided to go ahead and make some of my own.

These earrings are a great way to use up little scraps of a favourite fabric you just can't throw away. They work best with tiny prints, or with a really eye-catching solid like an iridescent silk. Of course, if you have a tiny Japanese kawaii print, that would be great too! Along with the fabric, you need a tiny amount of fiberfill or wool roving, a pair of stud earrings, a needle and thread, and some strong craft glue such as E6000. It is best to use earrings that have a "cup" shaped end, instead of a flat surface (see first picture below).

1. Flip over your fabric scrap and trace a small circle (I used a quarter as my template). Cut out 2 circles of your fabric. In Taipei, they were selling these as mismatched sets, so feel free to use 2 coordinating prints, or simply use different areas of the same fabric so they are not identical twins.

2. Sew a running stitch around the circumference of your circle (you should use a matching thread, I used red to make the stitching clear in the photos).

3. Roll up a pea-sized ball of your stuffing, place in the circle of fabric and pull the thread tight to gather into a ball. Make a few stitches across the gathers to hold the little ball tightly closed. Knot your thread and cut off.

4. Put a tiny amount of E6000 glue on the earring, then carefully attach your fabric ball. Let glue harden overnight before wearing them.


I was considering giving these away but I think I might have to keep them for myself! I really hope you try making yourself some of these. They take only a few minutes to make and are great little accessories.

Happy New Year!

 

I wish you a wonderful New Year filled with creativity, learning and fun!

My blog is only one month old, but already I feel it has had a positive impact on how I approach crafting. I feel more motivated to complete projects that in the past may have lingered with neglect. Documenting my creative process is a challenging new creative outlet; using props, staging and lighting my photographs and making tutorials are all new to me and I hope to get better at it with practice.

I want to keep up my blogging momentum in 2011, and while I have never held much stock in New Years Resolutions (I am usually breaking them by the first week), I do want to set myself some achievable goals for the New Year:

#1. I am participating in the Craft Book Challenge! I like the idea of really USING the books and patterns I already have (see resolution #2). It will also ensure that if I ever suffer from "crafters-block" I have something to fall back on, so I always have something to share with you.

#2. Stash Busting! The Tiny Apartment is crammed full of fabric, trims, beads, paints, paper, glue, tools, canvas, wood, wire, and all manner of odd junk I think could be useful. I want to try to use as much from my own stash as I can, instead of buying new materials every time I have a new idea. (Um, except for this weekend, when my local Fabricland is having a huge sale. You see what I mean about breaking these resolutions??).

#3. At least a post a week. I managed 13 posts in 30 days! That's pretty darned good if I say so myself, but if I am realistic, it might not be achievable throughout the whole year. So I am promising you a post a week, and I mean to follow through.

So that's it from me. What are your plans for 2011? Are you setting yourself some goals too? I would love to hear about them! And if you have a big stack of beautiful pristine craft books on your shelf somewhere, I encourage you to join Liesl's Craft Book Challenge too (see the link in the sidebar).

Happy New Year from the Tiny Apartment!

So Cute! Tiny Needle Felted Fawn

 

Just a quick post to show you this little needle felted fawn. I think she is the cutest thing I have made all year! I was inspired by this little deer made by LuckyNielsen.

I figured out how to make my little deer by breaking down the body into a series of simple shapes. You know those "How to Draw" books we all had as kids that start with simple ovals and cylinders, and with a few extra lines to smooth between them, you have suddenly drawn a dog or a horse or something? I used the same idea, but imagined the shapes in 3D. When you connect the shapes together, using your needle, you smooth the transitions, and with a little extra poking, refine the shapes to look more like the animal you want to achieve. I think you could make anything you can imagine using this principle.

I used pipe cleaners inside the legs for added stability, but I didn't make a wire armature for the whole body, as I have seen other people do. I did it this way because I wanted to felt each leg individually (which is easier) and then attach them one at a time to the body.

This little fawn is only 3" tall. For the base, I made a grassy knoll out of felt that fits inside a large glass tea light holder from Ikea. Then I added a little Japanese cotton lace and some vintage flowers to up the cuteness factor to 100. I considered adding a little bow around her neck, but I thought that might make me pass out from a cute-overload so I held back.

PS: When you start making a super cute little fawn like this, you are just stabbing at blobs of brown felt. But when you add the eyes and the ears and it really starts taking shape, it is like you are repeatedly stabbing Bambi. Which can be a little disturbing. Forewarned is Forearmed.

Present Project: Kimono House Shoes

I made shoes! I really wanted to tell you about these but I had to wait until after Christmas. This project was so satisfying. I have made a lot of different things in the past, but walking around in your own shoes (even if you can only wear them in the house) is so neat. And I made 6 pairs! One prototype for me and then all these beautiful ones for my best friends and family. Before this project I had no idea how small the difference was between shoe sizes. It works out to only a 1/4" difference, so if you try making multiples, I would recommend storing each size in a separate bag to keep them organized through each step. I accidentally sewed size 7 uppers to size 5 soles and size 5 uppers to size 7 soles and ruined 4 shoes with one mix-up! Actually, there are lots of things to be careful of here, as you have to not only pay attention to wrong/right sides, but also left/right sides. Learn from my fail!

I found the pattern for the kimono shoes at ithinksew. They have lots of other cute patterns including these boots! The directions include sizes 5-10, as well as photos and are easy to follow. For me, the tricky part of this project was fitting the uppers to the sole. If you have ever tried to sew a shirt, it is sort of like setting a shoulder. But with a little clipping and shifting it works out every time. I used a really soft sheepskin for the soles, which makes them nonskid and a little more durable. If you try making these shoes with leather soles, use small binder clips to hold the upper and sole together. Also, as you only sew one layer of thin leather, I don't recommend "leather/vinyl" needles. They don't work as well as a regular "sharps" size 12 needle, which makes smaller holes and sews smoother, with no skipped stitches.

I found the wonderful soft sheepskin leather for my shoes at Leather World, in Victoria, BC. I had never bought a whole hide before (I usually use re-purposed old leather garments). The staff at the store were really friendly and helped me choose the right type of leather. After much searching I settled on a particular hide. Its only flaw was was a small hole in one spot. I mentioned this to my helper, she laughed, and said "Well they all have a hole somewhere". I was looking at bullet holes.

After a lot of experimenting, I found that I liked the soft structure and feel of a single layer of cotton quilt batting to line the uppers, but double layers of a dense poly batting for the insoles, as it seemed to compress less after wearing them around.

The inside of these shoes is lined with a cushy aqua cotton chenille. The print (which I am in love with and even used when I made my blog banner) is from the Modern Meadow line by Joel Dewberry. I have some more in my stash and I may even try to make a quilt from it someday! You might notice that it looks like I used the meadow print the wrong way around on most of my shoes. I considered putting it the other way, but really, when you look down at your own feet, the print looks the right way up; and if you are like me and looking down at your own feet in cute shoes makes you happy, you want to see the print the right way up too. After all, they are really only there to please you.

And because swanning about the Tiny Apartment in my super comfy slipper shoes made me feel like I should head to a spa, I made these little silk eye pillows to go with each pair of slippers. They are made with silk charmeuse, lined with the thinnest fusible interfacing I could find, and filled with flax seeds. I made my very first block print for the pillows using the fabric from the shoes for inspiration. The weight of these little pillows is really relaxing for the muscles around the eyes. You can also put them in the freezer or heat them briefly in the microwave which feels really nice if you have a headache. I could have added lavender to make these scented, but I like them just as they are. I don't think you really need a pattern if you want to make these, all you need are 2 rectangles of fabric, some flax seeds and some paper to use as a makeshift funnel. When sewing the end closed, use a row of pins to hold the flax back from the seam.

Have any of you ever tried sewing your own shoes? I would love to see what you came up with! I am sure to be making more, it was such a fun thing to do.

Merry Christmas Blogland! I hope wherever you are, and whatever you believe, you are having a nice time with family and friends.

PS: these fabulous and cute little octopus friends of mine were made using the (free!) Sigmund the Octopus pattern by the wonderful Futuregirl. You should totally try making one.

Last Minute Craft: Hammered Chain Statement Necklace

I made this necklace for myself after work this afternoon. I am planning on wearing it to my family Christmas party this year. But it would also be a great last minute gift for a friend who unexpectedly announces they will be visiting at Christmas, or to glam up your little black dress for a New Years Eve outfit. The nice thing about this design is that you can make it quite inexpensively, but it still turns out looking luxurious.

The chain is only a cheap gold coloured base metal, but the hammered links sparkle just the same. You only need 2 larger beads and 12 small beads to finish it off. My favourite colour is purple, so I chose large Italian glass bubbles in a purple spiral, and my smaller beads were faceted dark metallic purple glass. This necklace would look fabulous in any combination of metals and colours. I find I have quite a few larger beads in my craft stash that I bought on impulse because of their colour or shape, but which I later found too heavy for earrings, or too showy to work well with others in a design. If you have anything like that at home, they are perfect for this necklace.

What you need:

• 12" small to medium chain (if you want a very long necklace, you could increase this)
• 12" large hammered chain (or 6" lengths of different chains grouped together)
• 2 large statement beads, something really fabulous from your stash if you have one
• 1 lobster clasp, to match the metal you chose for your chain
• about 8" of wire to match chain, you can use 20 or 22 gauge
• 12 or more coordinating crystals or beads, about the width of the medium chain
• Flat and Round Pliers, Wire Cutters

I am assuming a basic knowledge of jewellery making in the following instructions. If you have never done anything like this before, it just takes a little practice. The only skills you need for this project are how to make a loop of wire, and how to make a wire wrap. I found this link to a very clear video showing the whole process of making wire wrapped loops.

Instructions:

1. Fold the large chain in half and put both ends in a wire loop. Wrap the wire 2 or 3 times.
2. Add a statement bead sandwiched between 2 smaller beads on the wire and close with a wrapped loop. This loop will be one end of the necklace.
3. Hold up the necklace to find the middle of the large chain, move over at least one link from the center so that the chain hangs nicely. Put this link in a wire loop, wrap wire like you did before.
4. Add the second statement bead and two small beads onto this wire and make another loop.
5. Pass one end of the small chain into this loop and close the loop with another wrap.
6. Make a small wire loop, add the lobster clasp, wrap this loop.
7. Add 3 small glass beads to the wire. Make another loop, inserting the other end of the smaller chain. Close this with a wire wrap.
8. At this point, go and try on the necklace in a mirror. Decide if you want to make it shorter or longer. If you want it longer, make one or more cuts in the small chain and insert lengths of wire wrapped beads (groups of 1, 3 and 5 look nice). If you want to make it shorter, you can cut out a section of chain and add a shorter length of wire wrapped beads. I added beads to just one side of the necklace because I thought it needed a little asymmetry.

 All done! Now you are all ready for a night on the town.