Designing with wire & beads

If you ever thought about making jewelery but did not know where to start, think no further, take a class!

I am very lucky to live in the same city with jewelery instructor & my fellow etsian Albina Manning. So I thought about it, called some friends who'd like to learn it too. We picked a day & time for the Girls Night In Party and got together last Saturday night and hired her as an instructor.

I have to say, the class was amazing! We are beginners, and Albina spent a lot of time with each of us, helping to understand the basics better. The result of a 2 hour class was great. I made cute earrings & matching bracelet. My friends left with newly made gorgeous Swarovski crystals earrings they made that night. I also bought a book Albina wrote with other talented artists and I am hoping to make at least a couple of beaded necklaces I found there!

Albina is a professional teacher and jewelry making instructor. She enjoys teaching at the Bead Museum in Glendale, AZ. She also does classes at the Beaderie in Chandler, AZ and at the J.O.G.S Gem & Jewelry Show which is occuring every year in February in Tuscon, AZ. The photos of her beaded tree Bonsai Shakkan has been used by Fire Mountain Gems (Beading & Jewelery Supplies Company) both as a back cover advertisement and inside their catalog. In 2009 Albina won 1st Place, the Gold Medal award with Inca’s Gold Necklace in FMG’s wirework category. She has been published in the Art Bead Circle Magazine, as well as the book Mixed Media Jewelry Techniques.

You can visit Albina's web-site www.around-beads.info and her store www.aroundbeads.etsy.com

With kind regards -
Tanya at socksandmittens

Patchwork - introducing Crazy Quilt style

I like very much all kind of needle and craft work, it seems like things made with your own hands fill your soul with warmth and home with a comfort... I especially like patchwork.

Patchwork or "pieced work" is a form of a needlework that appeared in England during the 17th century. It involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. Fabric at that time was very expensive, that’s why every piece was put into work. Soon patchwork became very popular, now there are a lot of styles of quilting, including my favorite style “Crazy”. This particular technique gives room to imagination and every piece of work made in this style if very unique and original.

Why do I like Crazy style? It’s fast. And always the piece you make is very unique. Also it’s a great way to utilize scraps of fabric left over from sewing. You don’t even have to use the same type of fabric – say, you can combine cotton and wool.

For creating patchwork in Crazy style one can use pieces of fabric with colorful patterns or mono colored ones. You have to start work in the center, pin your pieces to the base fabric and sew them to each other, going clockwise. The fabric for the base could be any unused piece, since it won’t be seen in the final work. But if your final piece is going to be used as a pillowcase or cover, choose a thin fabric for a base, if it’s a bag or a potholder – use a thicker fabric. Usually, the center of the work has a light and bright colored piece of fabric – say white or yellow. The size of pieces changes from very small in the center to large on the edges. Fabric pieces are combined by color using different ideas. For example, you can sew together light colored pieces first, and after finishing a circle, use darker colored ones, but in the same color gamma (“color stretching”). Sometimes contrast colored pieces can be used next to each other. In any case, it is a good idea not to put together pieces that are too close to each other by color or pattern because they might destroy your composition by creating a large mono colored spot.

Are you interested in patchwork? Can not imagine your day without stitch? Then welcome to Katrinshine shop on Etsy and share your passion.

With kind regards -
Katrinshine