Family Roots: Fiber Boot Camp

Carol Dekle-Foss

Hello everyone! I'm very excited to introduce you to my dear friend Sharareh, or Shery for short. I met her over a year ago in a metal smith class and instantly fell in love with her work. Her jewelry designs embrace her family traditions and culture yet have a unique modern feel. She incorporates different techniques in expressing her style and has created a niche for her designs. I thought of her immediately for our fiber boot camp because she utilizes a special Persian fabric in some of her work called Termeh.

For this boot camp I challenge you to look at your very own family traditions using textiles, see what inspires you and create something unique. Feel free to leave a comment here with a link to your design. I would love to see what you come up with!

I asked Shery to tell us a little more about herself and what inspires her. Shery's answer:

A beautiful hand woven Termeh bag with Zardozi embroidery,
passed down to Shery from her mom.

"All my life I have had a passion for making jewelry. Early in my life making jewelry for my friends became more than a hobby. I learned how things are made by repairing my friend's jewelry. It has been especially interesting growing up in Persia where history and culture intrigued me. How old things are, 200, 300 years in Persian antique shops. My grandmother had coins from an ancient empire. Since beginning my new life in the United States in 2007, my handcrafted jewelry has found a niche. I have been taking classes, most recently copper enameling, so we will see how I incorporate this with metal engraving that I've been experimenting with."

Thank you Shery for telling us more about yourself and revealing what inspires you!

Ready for a heavy dose of inspiration? Here are some more of Shery's beautiful designs.

Domed sterling silver charm with Termeh paisley

Sterling silver bracelet 

Etched paisleys with Termeh earrings

Shery made these earrings to represent her love for Iran.
The top pair are etched in Farsi, My love Iran

Beautiful sterling silver and rose quartz paisley necklace
with bezel set Australian pink opal

Gorgeous Sterling silver domed paisley ring

Etched brass domed earrings with intricate bead detail

Here is a You Tube video that Shery has provided for us so we can learn more about this amazing textile and it's origins. 

I've also pinned a few examples of Termeh, both machine and handwoven here on my Inspiring fibers Pinterest board.

Shery gave me this beautiful piece of Termeh a while back. I never used it for fear of not doing it justice. It measures about 4 inches square.

 With Shery's fabric, I took our fiber boot camp challenge and made this bracelet.

Brass, sterling silver and enameled flowers accent the intricately detailed Termeh fabric.

I hope this post has inspired and encouraged you to look at what textiles your family has held dear and create some unique designs that may someday become cherished family heirlooms.

Thank you Shery so much for sharing your beautiful creations and letting us know what inspires you! You can visit Shery's facebook page here to see more of her beautiful work.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial day! Let's honor all those who have sacrificed serving in the Armed Forces. 

Thank you for reading!

Inspiring Fibers

Carol Dekle-Foss

Written by Carol Dekle-Foss for Love My Art Jewelry Blog

Hello everyone! I've been playing with fibers a bit and wanted to share some of my latest creations, as well as display some fiber artists who inspire me. First, Sherri Stokey did a great post here on her beautiful macrame jewelry. I will be honest, I am terrible at small detailed work, I just don't have that kind of patience. I truly admire those who can knit and sew in intricate detail. One of my favorite bracelets from Sherri is below. I love the woven work and accent of tiny beads. So beautiful!!! 

You can visit Sherri's Etsy shop here for more to die for designs. 

I'll admit, working with fiber in jewelry has been a challenge for me. I don't dare show some of my earlier work! Seriously, I think there was a crazy lady was in my studio!!! So now, when I use fiber in my designs, I try to add different textures to balance the softness and also play with different color combinations to try and create interest. With lots of practice, I've gotten better!

 I just finished this bracelet. I used some of Marsha's gorgeous silks that you can find in her Etsy shop. The bracelet bar and tiny leaf are my latest ceramic pieces. I love how the glaze colors turned out.

A simple copper etched leaf bracelet with braided waxed linen cord and ceramic beads from Gaea.

I love this simple design. It can be either a bracelet or a necklace. Ceramic beads are made by me, and the silks are from Marsha Neal Studio.

 This is one of my older creations.  I used one of my sandblasted pendants, lampwork beads from All Fired Up Studio, some enameled charms from yours truly (my brief enameling phase), and some sari silk.

Another older necklace. The Tree of Life design was etched and then enameled. I love how the enameling created a crackling affect. I then braided some sari silk and formed a wire loop for the bail.

Now, for some more eye candy. Here are some of my favorite fiber artists, in no particular order.

 Oh my...I fell in love with Debra Dorgan's work when I first laid my eyes on the above cuff. It brings out my inner la bohème. Wow, look at all the intricate detail!

Her little butterfly is too cute!

 These earrings and the cuff below are from Mary of Queen of cuffs. Holy moly look at those gorgeous textures! Swoon!

 And of course, the intricate and meaningful work of Mary Jane Dodd. She inspires me to be more mindful, not only in my jewelry, but everyday life.

I will leave you with this simple design.

A dainty and delicate pendant from Manya at Humming Needles. I love how she combines silk ribbons with embroidery to create beautiful detailed flowers. Visit her Etsy shop to see more beautiful creations!

Thank you for reading!

Written by Carol Dekle-Foss for Love My Art Jewelry Blog

Fiber in Jewelry: Micro Macrame

Hey, kids!  Sherri Stokey here to tell you a little about my spin on using fiber in jewelry making:  micro macrame.  Haven't heard of it?  Picturing a plant hanger?  (Tell the truth.) When most people think "macrame", they think of thick jute and fist-sized ceramic beads tied together and used to suspend plants from the ceiling.  Or owls (what is it about macrame and owls?). 

 I made my fair share of plant hangers in the day and a fringed belt or two, but I didn't really go crazy for macrame until about a few years ago when I discovered nylon bead cord and found a renewed interest in knotting.  The cord I use is twisted nylon (usually C-lon or Superlon brand) and is available in four different sizes.  I favor the middle of the road size, which is .5mm in diameter.  It will fit through an 11/0 seed bead and an 8/0 bead will accommodate two cords. 

And the best part about nylon bead cord?  It comes in 104 different colors!  That means there's usually the perfect color to match my art beads:

Raku pieces by Star Spirit Studio

Let me show you a feew examples of what you can do with micro macrame, seedies and art beads:

Focal pieces from Dreams and Elements

Ceramic end pieces from Scorched Earth

Lampwork focal by Laurie Ament

If you haven't tried macrame before, but would like to give it a try, you might want to start with something like this piece with some half knots sections and regular old overhand knots between an assortment of beads (free tut here).  It's simple and a great way to use fiber to showcase some beads.  

Ceramic leaf from Marla's Mud

The strap on the necklace below is another easy one - I even have a free tutorial on how to do it on my blog (here).

Pendant by Humblebeads

Have I changed your mind about macrame?  If you're ready to up your fiber consumption (see what I did there?) using nylon bead cord and micro macrame techniques, you can find lots more information on my blog at KnotJustMacrame.com, including links to tutorials and online classes.  Oh, and in case you are still looking for that macrame owl...  You're welcome.

Fibers Galore!

I don't know about you, but I really love the softness and texture that fibers add to every day life.

When it comest to using fibers in adornments, there are so many possibilities.

I find some good books (pretty much anything I can get my hands on to get my mind going) and I let the inspiration fill my mind. Not only from a design perspective, but also from historical, and other uses point of view. 

How do the techniques used many years ago affect our every day lives? It is such an amazing topic, and one I really look forward to exploring here on LMAJ through the next BootCamp!

And one can never quite have enough fiber material and fun tools to play with right?!

Keep an eye back here to see more fiber related posts!

mandalas and growth

mary jane dodd

fragile strength talisman - awakening - mjd 2013

you are a part of something much bigger than yourself

but it wouldn't be complete without you.

never stop working to stay open -

let your heart space be a portal
from which love can pass freely.

you say you are afraid?

may we band together in this mark of our humanity
and gain strength,

marching forward
and 
experiencing the bittersweet
that life has to offer.

for only then
can we fully know
what it means to be compassionate
and understanding,

and to fully participate
in that which is bigger 
than ourselves. 

loose ends

mary jane dodd

mjd - 2013

my work is driven by thoughts and feelings.

i came upon some words of rumi that resounded richly -

'the wound is the place where the Light enters you.'

mjd - 2013

where the Light enters, 

it heals and intensifies.

this results in a need

for its release

so as to share it with others.

mjd - 2013

loose ends 

can have purpose.

mjd - 2013

they are like a hand extended

or a rope thrown to a drowning person.

available and willing 

to anyone who needs them.

creating ties where none existed before.