An hours tuition

Amazing what you can make in an hours tuition...and what you can learn!
How to string beads
How to use crimps
What clasp to use
How to manipulate jumprings
What cord to use
How to use elasticity
How to knot elasticity
How to design beaded jewellery





Well done Elizabeth.

I charge £25.00 for an hours tuition which can be designed specifically to your needs...money well spent I hope!

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New ideas and designs...

Since not opening to the public on a Sunday (not sure if I've already to you that) I have had some time to work on projects I've been thinking about for a while. So far so good! I'm planning to launch a new collection of jewellery for the spring,mid March, along with an online shop on Folksy. Exciting times!!




I've been using recycled silver, PMC, pearls, sterling silver and big sparkly stones...some of my favourite things!!

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The Oxford Yarn Store

On Thursday Mum and I visited a new yarn store that has opened on North Parade in Oxford. It's a lovely shop with lots of beautiful yarn. Karen the owner and the guy behind the counter were very helpful and knowledgable. I bought some nice cotton yarn for some coaster, wrist warmer and a scarf project I want to do. It's great to see new craft stores opening up. They offer workshops and knitting groups...have a look at their Facebook page or
Google their website for more info.


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Soutache

Last weekend Lucy (my little sister) and I visited the Craft, Hobby and Stitch show. The show is always really good for us as most of our suppliers attend so we get to see new products, the people we speak with on the phone and demos. On this visit we discovered Soutache a narrow braid use to create patterns and shapes. On the Beadsmith stand we met Csilla Papp, a soutache artist who was making the most wonderfully colourful neckpiece. She sells on Etsy under the name Zooja Designs. Here's Csilla working on her piece and a piece she's selling on Etsy...fabulous!!

We are hoping to organise a workshop with Csilla so we can learn how to use this technique. I'm planning on getting all the materials into the shop as the technique seems to compliment beadwork so nicely.

Watch this space...

The beginning of the week started with an all day workshop at Denman making Precious Metal Clay jewellery. It was part of one of their designer days. As always a lovely group and a lovely day. I even resisted the shortbread...it was difficult!!

A Lovely Weekend

My lovely weekend started on Friday with Kidlington's Friday craft group. Here they all are working hard...


I love visiting and being part of their creativity!
Then on Saturday I had such an enjoyable silver ring workshop too!!



I love my job!!
Xx
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Location:Wilkins Rd,Oxford,United Kingdom

Happy Valentines Day!

Using the Reverse Action Tweezers

The reverse action tweezers are a tool we use when soldering to secure items in place. This set up shows a ring and tube setting being soldered together. You can see that the setting is being soldered from the inside of the ring and upside down. The reason for this is so the setting can sit flat on the fire brick and then the reverse action tweezers can be used to secure the ring shank in place. The set of tweezers holding the ring is supported on the handle by the edge of the brick (very useful) then a second set is used to prevent them from dropping when the piece is heated. The solder will be placed on the joins either side of the setting.

This set up means you can concentrate on watching your heat application and not having to hold any pieces in place.

New Materials

We've just had a successful trip to the Rock and Gem show in Cheltenham. Some new stock and some new materials to start designing with...can't wait to get started!


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Piercing Saw Tips

This week in our weekly classes we looked more closely at The Piercing Saw. It's one of those tools that people use in almost every project but are a bit worried about using it and feel they don't use it efficiently. Maggie, one of my Wednesday morning girls, is making a ring with a 1.2mm chunky section of sheet. We usually use 2/0 grade saw blades in our piercing saw, theses are good for general use, but with something as heavy as 1.2mm sheet I advised Maggie to use a heavier grade so we upped the blade to a 1 grade. When using a piercing saw you should choose a blade that has 2.5 teeth within the thickness of metal. Think of it at its extreme and it makes sense. A blade with very small teeth would take a very long time to cut thick metal and a blade with large teeth would catch terribly on thin sheet.

So, here's some pointers from our workshop...

• Make sure you have a tight blade in the frame
• In most cases cut with the blade at a right angle to your metal
• Choose a blade that has 2.5 teeth within your thickness of metal
• 2/0 grade for general use (Size 4 is the coarsest and 8/0 is the finest)
• Let the blade do the work...if you find your pushing too hard into the metal loosen your grip on the handle and hold it lightly
• Whenever changing direction keep the blade moving
• Never have your fingers in the cutting path
• Don't worry if it breaks!!

Hope this helps,

Amy.x