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A foray into Metalworking
Copper tendrils hold the watch face onto my sketchbook cover.
Oh what FUN! For a number of years now I have been inspired by New Zealander Claire Prebble’s wirework in her art-to-wear costumes (her website is here), and have wanted to mess around with wire. Then last summer I took the first of three online classes with Jane LaFazio. In one of them, I “met” Janice Berkebile and several other wonderful women. After the second of the classes with Jane, we decided to set up our own sketching group online (we are globally dispersed from the San Francisco Bay area to northern California to near Seattle, Ontario Canada, Vermont and Maine and in the UK). One day, Janice quietly said “Oh… my first book is just published.” SAY WHAT?!!!!!!! Here it is, and it is wonderful:
If you’d like to see Janice, click here and for the home page to their website, click here.
Well, I’m nowhere near starting on anything as awesomely intricate as Claire Prebble’s work, or even one of the simpler projects in the book, but I sure had a grand start today. See several years ago, my Frayed Edges art quilt mini-group friends and I decided to do a journal-cover swap. I got the lovely one made by Kate Cutko (queen of recycled and all things “green”…her blog is here) which has discharged and also rust-dyed fabric. When she gave it to me, she told me she had wanted to find a watch face to sew to the cover. Well, that year at Quilt Festival/Houston I found just the one!
After several years of use, the monofilament thread which I had used to attach the watch face had broken, so I wanted to re-apply the watch face to the journal more securely. At first I was going to sew beads to set it the way you would use seed beads to couch a cabochon (big flat stone/bead) to something. Ugh. Hard. Then I had a brainstorm–WIRE! So this morning I started to play.
My work table this morning with hammers, pliers, cutters, wire (copper), more wire, and Janice’s book open to the appropriate page.
At first I was thinking of making a network of wire underneath with curlicues that extended to the front and intertwined with a circle of copper (since I bought that because it isn’t as expensive as silver!) on the top. Then I thought…why a second circle on top? How about “prongs” that wrap to the front and have them hold it? SO….I made it!
Janice and Tracy’s book is great because it tells you what tools you need, which are nice-but-optional (especially when starting the cost of tools can be a bit frightening!). I bought a larger bench block than you recommended (only slightly) in the book because I want to eventually work on some larger pieces that may well include shapes cut from sheet metal…. They give all sorts of hints and tips, and have TONS of step-by-step pictures so you can follow along on your own.
Journal, with watch face attached with way more fun and creativity this time!
The tendrils that wrap to the front grip the watch face securely. I sewed the copper “whatchamacallit” to the cover, then tucked the watch face into it, and pinched the tendrils down.
And then for fun I tried to make a spiral…while standing up and rushing. Not the best, but at least it is a start!
Not quite round, but at least it is a tight spiral with a hanging loop!
So now I have their book back by my spot on the sofa and tonight will pore over it to see what I can adapt to use some beautiful beads made by ANOTHER internet friend that I got to meet in the real 4 years ago in Paducah (Caty are you out there?)!
October 16th, 2012 at 7:46 am
What fun! I could see that being another art addiction!