Well, I am convinced that the wonderful website of the
Masters Registry is missing at least one important item. It should contain a health warning for people wanting to get started on this project .... it becomes extremely addictive! Extremely isn't even the correct word; what do you call it when you can't stop thinking about projects, designs, even DREAM about making jewelery - yes seriously, I am dreaming about it. I look at things and how I could use them in the projects, I scribble never ending little notes and designs into my note book, I can't wait to get home to do a little more ... it is becoming quite all consuming.
In the meantime in "real time", I have managed to get my threads to work :-) - Yeah!!! I have broken the one piece again by mistake - it is very fragile at this point, but it doesn't worry me too much, I know I can just duplicate it. in fact it is drying as we speak ;-). I am very happy with how it looks so far - even in the "raw" state. I think the threads look really pretty. I will try to get the lid done tonight, although I have "real" work as well for tonight and I don't want to work on my piece when I am too tired. It is quite fragile and being tired just invites accidents to happen.
With all the planning and thinking I have decided on my next piece - the one with a "found" item, that is not originally made for jewelery. I bought one already, but I think I will continue hunting for a nicer coloured one and just "practise" on this one.
I need to make a "perfect" 3D mould from one of its parts and in the piece I want to combine the original part with the silver one to create a "new" jewelery piece. My biggest problem is the chain ... I need to sort out what I can do there. I am thinking of making a chain maille chain if that is allowed, but need to confirm that.
I have made a bit of a mess of my "friction lid" piece that I am working on as well. The lid part is made on a cork clay. The metal clay application wasn't as smooth as I wanted it, so I thought I could rehydrate it a bit to make it easier to work on .... well of course the cork also rehydrated and quicker than the silver, which led to some cracks in the silver ... sigh ... I should have thought that one through. So now the silver is looking better, I still want to sand it a bit more and then need to decide how I am going to make the sides for the lid and how I am going to make the bottom ... and finally how we are fitting everything together :-).
At this point I think I will fire the top alone. Then make the rim to fit the top approximately and with the rim make the bottom to get a good fit. Then fire that and at the end shape the top to fit properly onto the rim, use some iol clay to put it together and fire it again.
I could also try to shape the top perfectly round now and make the sides and the bottom for it now. I am just not sure how one shapes a piece of cork clay perfectly when the silver is already applied ....
Anyway, that piece is sitting on my work bench and I play with it in between other things. At least now I know what I want it to look like ... well, more or less :-) - it is still a work in progress.
Oh, and I am collecting little twigs for my paper clay piece as well. I think now is a good time to collect those as the leaves haven't come out yet and the texture is easier to see. I want an interesting texture without it being too "knobby", else I worry that the stone won't sit well.
I have 2 more days at home, then the dogs and I are going for a big competitiion weekend away - 5 days without silver ... wonder how bad the withdrawel symptoms are going to be? I am taking my note book of course, I am bound to have some bright ideas while travelling ....