I Am So Sewing

After much hemming (pun intended) and hawing I have one of my mother's old Bernina sewing machines working.

I found a ruin of an old crazy quilt at an estate sale and am working on replacing all the rotten silk pieces.
It's more of a project than I intended, the more I repair the more that falls apart.

Quilting is a certain kind of fun.

Rescuing and repairing old ones it far more interesting to me than making them from scratch.
I don't really understand going to the store and buying fabric, cutting it up and putting it back together.
I like to thrift my fabrics - isn't the whole point of quilting making something from nothing?
I don't know, but I do like rescuing things.

So Many Buttons...

In an attempt to make a dent in my dish of short rods I went on a button making binge.

These, and many more, are all up in my etsy 'Belvedere' shoppe.

In case you're a flameworker and wonder how I make them...
they're worked off mandrel and I use a tool called a 'Handy Andy' to make the holes.

The holes are flame polished so that they're super smooth and will never, ever cut your thread or yarn.

Baked

The summer doldrums.
I am a slug, a mess of creative inactivity.

But I did bake something, a fresh blueberry breakfast cake

Grape Jam

Beads right?
Nope.
It's been way too hot to torch.

Instead of working with the flame I have been painting.
Which is also slow going because my studio is sweltering hot.

You maybe asking "why is she painting it in the frame?"
Because I bought the frame at a yard sale for $10 with a painting already in it, and I could NOT get the canvas out of the frame. The frame was intricately built around the canvas by some mad genius. So rather than just chuck it I decided to paint right over the painting that was already in there. Sorry (not sorry) previous painter.

Miss Dog America

Kiki P. Oodle in repose. Let sleeping dogs lie, in a pile of pillows.

Poodle + Odalisque = Poodalisque.

Warm Outta The Oven

Some earring pairs, a button cab, a nice two hole heart button, some end-of-the-mandrel pendants, etc...

Back To Buttons

I'm selling my buttons in a new shop.
It's called "Little Button," how perfect is that?
(in case you're a Rochesterian, it's on South Ave. in the heart of the south wedge shopping district)

Carding my buttons is something new.
It takes some extra time to get them on there but I like the presentation.

Lightning Can Strike Twice, or Thrice for Hello Kitty

Made to order, a third 'Hello Kitty' charm bracelet. (above)
Pink on pink dichro beads and assorted charms, some new, some vintage.

The second 'Hello Kitty' charm bracelet. (above)

And, the original 'Hello Kitty' charm bracelet (2013) with all vintage charms.

Double Rainbow

'Double Rainbow' earrings
wee flamework beads and sterling silver

for the beadmakers out there:
Cim's Poppy
Cim's Clockwork
Effetre Light Lemon Yellow Special
Cim's Poisen
Cim's Ming
Edp

Loving these new heavyweight sterling leverbacks.
The wire is 18g sterling silver and their construction is a simple rosary chain.

Cosmic Heart Necklace

'Cosmic Heart' necklace
flamework glass heart pendant and beads, vintage chain and vintage silver plate.

The heart is several shades of red and turquoise glass wrapped with silver foil and twisted with an ivory stringer.

The circle is cut from a vintage sterling silver plated serving tray.

This one is available in the museum gift shop of the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York.

Button-mania

Off mandrel buttons are the bomb.

I love their soft, organic shapes.

I double-love using up all my leftover short rods while making them.

That pink heart - the glass is a combo of a couple of new-ish Cim's rods.
'Emperor' and 'Cottontail' are both wonderful.

This gives you an idea of size.
The opalescent green and pink one is full of glittery adventurine.

Oddly, leaves are a lot easier to make than round ones.

They're so much fun to torch.

Skull Island

'Skull Island' earrings - titanium coated hematite skulls, rhinestone rondelles, lampwork glass beads, skull charms (hidden) and vintage island scene charms (reverse painted over butterfly wings).

Spring Seeds

This necklace does exactly what I want my jewelry to do - look like it just fell off a plant.

The beads were made with a cheap-o tong press I ordered on a whim from Devardi Glass.

I am in love with it.

It makes the most wonderful
little 'seeds.'

I had to file off some uncomfortable
rough edges on the handle,
but other than that it's great.

The quality may be rough,
and the beads are technically a mess, but they are perfect for my work.

I can't wait to buy a few more
of these presses to mess with.

*Bonus*
I made the whole thing with glass from my bowl of shorts (with a bit of frit added here and there).

A close-up of the sterling silver clasp and tag.
The chaining is all jewelers bronze wire, with age it will turn a beautiful dark greenish brown.