Kiss of Desire

This is my first memory wire project. I used the bracelet pattern “Plume of the Peacock” from Artbeads, and purchased most of my materials from them, with a color change. While I love the colors in the pattern, I already own a “few” pieces of jewelry in shades of blue, purple and green. Blue, in particular, is my favorite color.

Every now and then, it never hurts to shake things up a bit. Red is a good color choice, if you want to be a bit bold. I didn’t do the entire project in red, since there are some pieces in my jewelry box which have shades of pink and rose. There are also some vintage pearls in my stash, which came from a necklace I bought at an antique store shortly after I graduated from high school. The strand broke a few years ago. The vintage pearls are close in size to the iridescent red pearls I ordered for this project, so I swapped out some of them. Overall, this pattern isn’t difficult to execute. I had one problem with it, which was the secondary wire used to wrap delicatas around the pearls. It is strung thru most of the beads on the memory wire. Twice, the wire got a nasty little kink which ended up becoming a breaking point. I would recommend starting the secondary wire after you have 1-2 beads on the memory wire. Keep the next beads in your sequence at least an inch away while stringing the secondary wire thru. It will make it easier to keep the wire from twisting and kinking. Before placing the delicatas on the secondary wire, add 1-2 beads following your pearls to the memory wire. I learned the hard way the delicatas will fly off while the next beads are being strung on the main wire. By placing those beads first, you can secure the delicatas immediately by pulling their wire thru right after they’re strung.

After I finished this bracelet, its colors reminded me of a hybrid tea rose my paternal grandmother had in her garden. Its name is Double Delight and was one of her favorites. This variety, introduced in the 1970s, is now considered a classic which I would love to add to my rose bed, perhaps this fall. This same rose is also responsible for my love of a poem I discovered in the 1990s. I found it on the internet, not too long after my husband and I got our first connection. (Yes, it was dial-up.) Whenever I read it, my grandmother’s favorite rose is the one I picture in my mind.

The White Rose

The red rose whispers of passion,

And the white rose breathes of love:

O, the red rose is a falcon,

And the white rose is a dove.

But I send you a cream-white rosebud

With a flush on its petal tips;

For the love that is purest and sweetest

Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

John Boyle O’Reilly

1844-1890

The Project Queen

Stash Busting and Worthy Causes, Part II

I mentioned in my last post that another item was included with the jewelry I donated. It is a large presentation pouch (or envelope) I made out of Chinese silk brocade. As you can probably guess the materials came out of my stash. In fact, I had everything I needed to complete this project, so it was a great stash buster.

An 8 ½” x 11” piece of black illustration board was used to secure the jewelry and make it easy to display during the auction. To protect the jewelry during transport and enhance the total package, I needed something different than boxes. It’s at such times having a stash comes in handy. After looking through my brocades I decided on a light pink with plum blossoms. And wouldn’t you know, I had a fabric for the lining too.

The approximate finished size is 10” x 13” when the flap is folded down. The pieces were measured 11” x 26 ½” for the body of the pouch. To make the rounded flap at top I used a 10” dinner plate. At the furthest point the flap added 5 ½”. Both pieces of fabric were cut to be the same size. A half inch seam allowance was used. Before any sewing was done the rounded edges were clipped almost to the ½” allowance. Experienced sewers will know why the clipping is done. For those who don’t, it creates a roomy seam or smooth edge. The allowances on all sides were ironed down before the two pieces of fabric were put together. Prior to securing the pieces together, do a dry fit to make sure the edges match up. You may need to do some adjusting to the ironed allowances. Heat & Bond was used on the rounded flap edge to make sure the clipped fabric stayed flat. The liner was secured to the brocade with fusible web cut to the fabric size, minus the seams allowances. Fusible web looks like a light interfacing but it’s basically a sheet of glue that gets ironed between fabrics. It can be found on bolts or comes in a package.

Once the fabric cooled from ironing, I folded the body of the pouch so the bottom edge was just under the flap fold. The side edges were top-stitched together with a straight stitch a ¼” from the edge. A decorative stitch was used on the flap. Two different colored threads were on the machine for the flap. A dark gold matching the lining was used on the brocade side. Pink thread was on the bobbin and showed on the lining side. A single button hole was sewn at the end of the flap. The bottom of the button hole is about 1/2” from the edge. An iridescent glass button secures the pouch.

Overall, it’s a project easily done in a few hours. And it’s great for smaller amounts of fabric. So don’t throw your leftovers away. The size could easily be adjusted to the item it will contain. The flap can be pointed, or if you’re feeling really fancy, scalloped or given an edging such as lace. Have fun with the fastners too. I could have used a frog fastner with the Chinese brocade. Sadly, the ones in my trim collection were the wrong color.

An interesting note about the brocades in my collection. I bought them several years ago on Ebay. The seller was from China and I really agonized about placing a bid. At the time Chinese brocades could only be found at a high-end fabric store in my area, and it was expensive, well over $10 a yard. The Ebay seller had a large selection of patterns and many colors, including a cobalt blue fabric with silver pagodas on it. I couldn’t resist it. It was a six yard piece at a very fair price. After I took the plunge I waited anxiously for my prize to arrive. It had to go through customs so it took a couple of weeks. Imagine my surprise when the package arrived. The box was half the size of a shoebox. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. There was no way six yards of fabric were in that dinky box. Turned out I was wrong. To this day I still don’t know the seller got it all in the box. (Ancient Chinese secret?) In the end, I must have been pleased with my purchase. I went back to that seller several times.

PS – before you get mad at me for “Ancient Chinese secret” it was the catch phrase from a 1970s commercial for a Calgon laundry product. I was a child at the time so don’t ask me why I still remember it. I guess I found it amusing, and it can be a handy quip when someone wants information you don’t wish to divulge. (Secret ingredients, etc.)

The Project Queen

Stash Busting and Worthy Causes

When you have been creating projects for more than 20 years, you tend to accumulate a few things. I spent some of the summer trying to move supplies into my new studio. (Former bedroom of my older daughter. My original work space was invaded, but that’s a story for another occasion.) I still don’t have everything relocated so it may be time to downsize the supplies again. My dream when I started the relocation program was a room that was clean, uncluttered and decorated the way I like it. (Girly, in other words.) When I ran out of the storage space I allotted for stuff I realized it was time to take some action.

Fortunately, my husband and I volunteered to be on a committee for Ducks Unlimited Northwest Prairie Chapter’s annual banquet. Since DU is a non-profit group, donations for the evening’s auctions and raffles make a big difference in the amount of money raised for the organization. Guns, art prints of ducks and Labrador Retrievers, hunting clothing, etc. are all fine things. Many of the ladies attending like those items as well as men. But sometimes a bit of sparkle is appreciated too. There certainly isn’t a better time to remind the hubby that he owes you something for all those mornings he disturbed the household at 2 a.m. while preparing to go duck hunting.

During one of our meetings a request to find more donations was made. Cue my stash. I remembered I had some fresh water pearls and wire-encased crystal beads.  I originally intended to make a bracelet with these items. After I located them, I realized I had enough of the pearls to make a set. Especially if I added some crystal beads in between. Of course, that meant a shopping trip. I found the desired beads, along with the necklace pendant and some dragon balls. They were just the items needed to take the design to another level.

Construction was straight-forward. No fancy bead-weaving. The beads were strung on silver metal wire and secured with matching crimps. I used lobster claw fasteners on the necklace and bracelet because they are more secure. The pendant is a little over an inch across and heavy. It was necessary to make everything sturdy. The most involved part of construction was keeping track of bead count and maintaining the pattern established for the pearls.

The committee members decided to place the set in the live auction, which was definitely an honor I hadn’t been expecting. It was fun to watch the bidding. The set sold for a very respectable amount, and I thank the winning bidder from the bottom of my heart. I hope she receives many years of enjoyment from my small contribution.

There is a second part to the set. If you would like to see what it is and how I made it, please come back for another visit.

The Project Queen