The goose is getting fat. And all that jazz. The last few weeks have been busy for me, I have craft fairs coming up, christmas to organise for my large family, and pretties to make. I have really been getting into Chain Maille recently, after doing a course with a good friend in the summer. Here are a few of my recent creations......
This is (I am told) a Romanov weave, with Byzantine links and Mookite gemstones. I have used gold plated nickel free jump rings, and gold and antique bronze wire for the handmade clasp. | These are lovely, and I might keep them for myself. They are made with 5mm Sterling silver jump rings, with other Sterling silver, and silver cultured pearls. I adore them. |
I have also been playing with wire and animal shapes, I have done a step by step set of photographs of one project with more to follow.
Step 1- Shape the wire frame into your animal shape, in this case, a horses head in 1mm wire. It will help to draw it first then shape around the picture with your fingers and tools. Step 4- Continue adding swirls, taking care to wrap all touching points neatly with 0.4mm wire. Step 7- You have finished adding swirls. put aside and make the bail. Step 9- Continue wrapping in this way, 6 times round the single wire then 5 times round both until you have about 1.5 inches of weave. | Step 2- Reshaping slightly into a more realistic head, adding in a wire mane made with 1mm wire, wrapped onto the frame at touching points with 0.4mm wire Step 5- Fill in the gaps with smaller swirls, all wrapped neatly at touching points with 0.4mm wire. Step 8- Take 2 pieces of 1mm wire, about 10cm long. wrap one with 0.4mm wire 6 times around an inch along to anchor, leaving a tail of around 2 inches. Step 10- Bend the bail around a cylindrical object ie marker pen until you have a loop then wrap the wire around the bottom a few times to hold it. Kick out the unwrapped ends slightly so they point straight out from the loop. | Step 3- Beginning to add in wire swirls. wrap them onto the frame with 0.4mm wire. Step 6- Adding in even smaller swirls to fill the gaps in. Step 9- Wrap the second wire on, wrapping 5 times around both wires. Make the wrapping as neat as you can. I like the effect that this weave gives, but you can weave any way you like. Step 11- Using the bail wires and the weaving wires wrap your bail onto the chosen point of your piece, in this case i have used the ear tip. Using the long end of the weaving wire wrap small beads on to hide the attachment of the bail. I have used 4mm tigers eye beads. Trim and tuck in the ends and your piece is finished. |
Larger picture of the finished horses head. I love this and I have plans to do lots more animals, I am already working on a cat.
I do hope that you enjoyed this, my first ever tutorial, and will have fun making you