Category Archives: Wire Work

Metal Work, Necklaces, Techniques, Wire Work

Low Maintenance

I’ve been called many things, but today my husband said I was “low maintenance.” I’m not sure whether to be insulted or pleased.

You see, yesterday he came home with a present, something I’d been wanting for a long time. It’s a Dremel, my very first power tool. If you are uneducated, as I am, in the field of powers tools normally relegated to the garage, you’ll need to know that this is a hand operated rotary tool with all sorts of attachments. It will polish, grind, sand and do about anything that goes round and round. The great thing is that it’s my size and fits my smallish hand.

This afternoon, I used it to PICT05456grind the rough edges and polish a piece that goes out tomorrow. It’s a new neckwire with removable/interchangable charms. It fastens with leather in the back. While the customer may not see a big difference, I do and feel better about my finishing work. I’m thinking that my new Dremel is my friend and I should say thank you, dear.

But what about my husband? Is “low maintenance” a good or a bad thing? I’m going to have to sleep on that one.

Bracelets, Wire Work

Challenging the Directions

ChallPICT05391enging the directions has always been easy for me; therefore, following yesterday’s blog entry, I again attacked the bracelet shown on that day. I changed the wire gauge, utilized a variety of beads including the Imperial Turquoise Jasper I got from Turquoise Magpie Gemstones and went with my favorite “NO Clasp” adaptation. Although I hadn’t planned to omit the clasp, the wire was strong enough that it would have been superfluous to the design. It turned out to be quite earthy and the roughness of the recycled copper wire which I dug from the bottom of the bin at the Green Guy’s recycling establishment added to the look. (One of these days, the men at the recycling place are going to find me with only my feet sticking up out of the top of those big bins - - - but at least I’ll be smiling!)

I do have to talk to myself when I finish these rough pieces. I don’t want to compare them to fine silver bangles that are wonderfully uniformed and polished. For me, earthy is IN. Perhaps one day I’ll be “fine silver”. but NOT TODAY.

Bracelets, Wire Work

Directionally Challenged

For about 40+ years my husband has repeatedly told me that I am directionally challenged. There is, of course, the fact that I am short, about 5’2”, but I didn’t know it until he kindly made me aware of my stature. If you’re looking for something in my kitchen, you’ll want to look down, not up.

I’m also directionally challenged when it comes to geography and getting to a location via a map. I’ve improved vastly since driving myself for consulting jobs all over the state, but getting places is still not easy.

Then, there’s that small problem I have with following directions. I just don’t like them! Last week, while following a pattern to construct a purse and then also sewing a dress, I became painfully aware of my distaste for directions. Whether it’s sewing, cooking, or putting equipment together, I do not like them.

I guess that’s what leads me into design for through that avenue I can make my own directions. Lately, however, I’ve been intrigued with metal bracelets and felt I should learn the basics prior to branching out on my own. I must have listened to Phil Reuter’s wire wrapped gemstone bangle bracelet tutorial, http://wire-sculpture.com/pages/Video_On_Demand.html, four or five times. Finally, I have something that slightly resembles the piece shown on the video.  PICT05294I made myself try to follow the directions rather than venturing out on my own, but can see that I still need a good deal of practice. The clasp was the most difficult part although even wire wrapping is still a bit of a problem. I like the manner in which the clasp is attached as a separate piece to the bracelet. This makes it easier to put on.

In retrospect, I really did need those directions on the video and guess I should continue to work or my directional problem. Thank you Mr. Phil, wherever you are!PICT05324

Creativity, Pendants, Philosophy, Wire Work

A Day in the Life of a . . . designer?

Yesterday started great. It was a beautiful sunny day in Texas and I had a plan. I’d take a day away from the ranch, deliver a jewelry order to a customer, visit my Mom at the nursing home and run that long list of errands. After donning my normal wear (as opposed to ranch smeared garb), and smiling because I was escaping cooking lunch for the ranch workers, I happily set out. Ah, the sheer joy of having no time line or real schedule filled the air. . . No more than 10 miles had metered on my odometer when my husband called to let me know I needed to come home early to meet some visitors to our ranch from Mexico. Taking this in stride (more or LESS), I went about my business with the minor change of eating my lunch from my lap while driving between towns rather than the leisurely sit-down restaurant meal I had anticipated.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting our ranch visitors and, while they visited the cattle with my husband, I garnered new enthusiasm and began work on some ideas. A good pounding on heavy wire with the hammer certainly felt good and you can see some of the work in the pictures. PICT0493 I’m working on armatures for Ralph’s Rocks, mentioned in a previous blog. PICT0486 There’s something about the design work that is very relaxing and by dinner time when my husband returned, I had changed to comfortable clothes and was in a good mood until . . . the phones started ringing. It’s usually a bad sign when they ring in tandem.

On one phone a despondent person shared concerned about a fence problem and on the other, someone was calling to say some of our cows had escaped. In other words, it was time to pull a Clark Kent switching from designer to cattle rounder upper. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to change clothing, since the cattle were making their way to the busy road. It took a bit of time to get in the truck, drive to the jeep location, get in the jeep, open and close the gates and then climb over the permanently locked gate. (Have you even done this in a little pink dress? It’s NOT pretty!) By the time we got to the neighbor’s property, the black cows had disappeared. I’ll spare you the details of locating them, but it took some time. Unfortunately, we could only find about half of them and the bull, that was probably the ring leader of the entire mess, was nowhere in sight. We moved the located girls to a safe haven and looked for the others. Just at dusk we found them. As I stationed myself to turn them into the proper lane, my husband gathered them and pushed them in the right direction. After considerable time, they rounded the corner, took one look at me in my neon pink dress and went right back where they came from. Can you hear my husband yelling? This scenario occurred twice before it became too dark to continue.

Hoping for the best with the runaways, we returned to the barn to give the required shots to our donor cows in preparation for harvesting their embryos. Did you know it’s really difficult to find the black cows you want when it’s dark? Finally, after giving each donor two shots, pulling their cidrs (if you’re not a rancher, you don’t even want to know what this is), and applying their alert stickers (you don’t want to know about this either), we headed for the house. 9:10 PM – designer, turned cattle rounder upper, now cook and doctor (did I mention the blood running down my legs from the cacti scratches obtained in the woods??)

10 PM - - designer again- - I think it’s easy to understand why, by 10 PM, I NEEDED to wrap more of Ralph’s Rocks and pound more wire.

The moral of this saga is that all of us are many things and each person could relate a similar “day in the life of . . . “ story, yet we keep designing, writing, composing music, painting, inventing or whatever we do to create. I used to think it would be outstanding to be able to sit in a studio and design all day, but now I realize that might not work for me. My better work seems to come as a result of NEEDING to design as a release from other stresses. Those stresses mainly come from that rich life outside the studio. Whether it’s made of nursing home visits, chasing cows, going to work, or feeding a family, our innovative work is a sum of our lives and an expression of who we are. Today, the hammer and I will be friends, but I AM going to turn the stereo up loud and pretend I don’t hear the telephone ringing.

Pendants, Techniques, Wire Work

Ralph’s Rocks

My friend Ralph has been bringing me rocks from Wildtype Ranch http://www.wildtyperanch.com/, near Cameron, TX for a year or so. He usually brings these tumbled treasures wrapped in a handkerchief and it’s fun to see what emerges. Originally, we thought I might use them as cabachons in bead embroidery, but the irregular shapes and curved backs have made that quite difficult. Finally, while cleaning the studio this past weekend, I rediscovered them and was determined to make them work for something. Some of the wire-wrapped results are shown in the picture. PICT0475 They have been a real challenge since traditional wraps have not worked for very many of the rocks. I’m hoping that after some buffing to remove the dings from my pliers Ralph’s Rocks will make nice pendants. Do you think I can call this is “freeform” wire wrapping? I’m currently working on a neck armature that these can be used to adorn (one rock at a time, of course).

By the way, if you’re looking for excellent beef, check out the Wildtype website. They market delicious pasture raised Angus beef.

Earrings, Necklaces, Pendants, Wire Work

“. . . just a stringin”

. . . as the song says. I guess the word was really “swingin’” in the song, but that doesn’t fit with today’s entry. Stringin’ is what I’ve been doing all afternoon. Tomorrow I’m having a jewelry show at the nursing home where my Mom lives. While the women “inmates”, as Mother calls the residents, seem to really enjoy spending a lengthy span of time trying on and thinking about the pieces, most of the men simply roll (literally) right on past my display. I guess I really should have cookies for them! While only a few residents actually purchase anything, they do have a great time and some ask me to hold pieces until they have money. One 99 year old woman spent well over an hour selecting her jewels last time and then told me what she wanted. I asked if she had money for it in her room and she told me “No, Charge It.” “Do you have a credit card?” I asked. “No, Charge It!” she said again. Eventually, I was able to convince her to put it on layaway and she has never asked me about it again. Some of the pieces I’m taking are shown in the photos below. Perhaps the staff will also enjoy looking. space  Ralph   PICT0452purple pict0453  briolette  
Bracelets, Wire Work

Sharing Difficulties

I’ve always been a very open person. Although I try not to be a whiner, if you ask me how I am, I’ll tell you the truth, even if it isn’t pretty. I’m the same when discussing my design work. If something was easy, I’ll say so, but watch out if I’ve had a problem. Today, I’m still struggling, but one step closer to where I want to be, with wirework. The problem has surrounded making wire bracelets.

Deciding months ago that “copper is the new silver”, since silver is too expensive to use for learning something new, I visited the local recycling center. After entering the place with a bit of anxiety and uncertainty, I was delighted to find that  the heavily tattooed pleasant men there were very helpful and had an ample supply of copper wire in many different sizes. I made a great haul, carrying home a heavy bag full of wire for a mere $11. It could last for the rest of my copper phase days.

Armed with my expensive Lindstrom tools and inexpensive wire, I set out to make the perfect copper bracelet. After all, how difficult could that be? The answer is “VERY DIFFICULT” for a novice. After many failed attempts, I completed the simple bracelet show here. first I should have stopped with this tidbit of success, but NO, I had to add gemstones!. The first attempts at this feat remain shrouded with a cloth and declared deceased. There will be no picture of them. Finally, remembering that I’m the “never give up” woman, I tried one more time today. You can see in the photo below that this prototype may actually have possibilities. I still have miles to go with learning to weave wire, but it seems to be going more smoothly than when I began. Just as soon as I take more Advil and my arthritic thumb recovers, I may just try another piece. By the way, I especially like the hammering involved with this type of work.  Perhaps now when I’m stressed instead of saying “I need to bead!” I may be saying “I need to hammer!”

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  (By the way, the next time I go for copper, I’m paying more attention to those artistic tattoos. I’ll bet there’s a design idea hidden amongst them!)

Necklaces, Pendants, Wire Work

Start to Finish

I really enjoy starting projects. It may be a new design or just a simple change of beads or shapes that gets my juices flowing, but I hardly want to stop once I begin the work. Then, there’s finishing. Yuk! The expression on Grandson Gabriel’s face says it all. Gabrielattitude I DO NOT like to finish the pieces. If I had a factory, someone else would put the clasps, chains and earring findings on my work. Alas, that isn’t going to happen. But there does come a time when you just have to give in and get it done. That has happened twice this week. My client in Maine ordered a number of things several weeks ago and said, “no hurry; I won’t need them for about a month.” I happily began work on the pieces, laying each aside  before adding the final touches. Last week, I suddenly realized that the “month” was almost over and I’d better get moving. There they lay . . . all 17 pieces had to be finished. Now, as you can imagine, if one doesn’t enjoy finishing just one piece, finishing 17 is not very invigorating. You’d think I would learn, wouldn’t you? Wrong! Tonight I’ve just finished 9 pair of earrings, five necklaces and a bracelet for tomorrow. All of these were previously designed and made without clasps and earring findings. (The one shown here is my first attempt at wire work with sterling silver. My technique needs help, but I’m pushing ahead. silver wire) This reminds me of when my children wouldn’t finish their term papers until the night before they were due . . . or was it that they didn’t START their term papers until the night before they were due? At any rate, I must endeavor to correct the error of my ways. I actually think that finishing so many projects all at once is enough punishment that I may remember to do better in the future. Or . . . Not.

Earrings, Metal Work, Wire Work

Overdone Reversal

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I do not like to make earrings. For years, I’ve mostly made only those that matched a customer’s necklace, but lately a reversal of that phenomenon has occurred. Two things dawned that perpetuated this reversal. First, my friend and wholesale vendor, Szarka (www.magpiegemstones.com) encouraged me to purchase Lindstrom tools for wirework saying they would improve my efforts and ease the hand strain. Unlike many vendors, who may recommend something because they sell it, she doesn’t even have these for purchase; so I took her advise. A good many dollars later, I had the precious tools. My justification was that if the guys on the ranch could have a hydraulic squeeze chute at the barn then surely I could have some good tools. (I only purchased 3 tools and we’re not going to compare cost of tools vs chute unless it becomes necessary!)  With new tools in hand, I started working on earrings. It was actually fun, the ideas kept flowing and Szarka was right about the value of the right tool.

The second thing that encouraged this reversal is that someone purchased 3 pairs of the new designs. (No that doesn’t even pay for one tool!) Thinking that there may be potential in creating earrings, I’m on my way. The problem may be that I’ve OVERDONE this reversal of my previous behavior. I just keep making earrings. I guess I’m like my Father who never made just one something in his woodworking shop. He made several and then Mother wondered what to do with them all. The picture at the bottom shows a mere fraction of what I’ve created in the past few days. I’ve even run out of ear wires. I guess I’m just going to have to go out looking for people with holes in their ears and show them the new designs. The good thing is that at least I’ve been working with less expensive copper. Perhaps I’ll be more frugal when I’m using sterling silver. Anyone out there need earrings?

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Color, Necklaces, Pendants, Wire Work

Medford is Coming

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PICT0397

I grew up in Medford, Oklahoma near the border of Kansas. When my family purchased our first home, my Daddy planted a redbud tree just outside my bedroom window. The winter was really cold in Medford, but the first harbinger of Spring was the blooming of my redbud tree. Upon moving into our current ranch house, my husband planted the redbud tree pictured at the left just outside our den window. Although I’ll take the South Texas winters hands down over the Northern Oklahoma winters, I’ll keep the redbud tree as my sign that Spring is coming. When that tree blooms it still says “Medford” to me.

In honor of the beautiful color of the tree, I made two necklaces. While neither can truly capture nature, they were a pleasure to make as I thought about days long past.

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