Tutorial: Silk and Fabric Necklace

by Staci Louise Smith

I have always loved fabrics and its a shame I don't sew much.  Imagine how excited I was to try adding them to my jewelry!  I had some reservations, as I know some of you may as well, and I covered some of them here.

http://www.lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2015/04/silk-and-fabric-care.html

I almost exclusively use them as the back part of a necklace.  I really tend to "go big" on the front portion of my necklaces, so I don't usually bead all the way around.  I found that fabric can keep that interest of color and texture in the design without competing with the main focal.  Also, its nice to have something light to balance the visually heavy front.  Anyhow, its simple to use silks and fabrics in your pieces, and you don't even need fancy or specialized connectors (though some do like them, so I will link to them at the end).

All you will need is your necklace focal portion
(mine used one of my uber chunky boho carved focals, Suburban Girl Studio's rustic yellow drop bead, amber, agate, picasso jasper)

Starry Road Studio batik strips and Marsha Neal Studio 3mm silk

(you can use sari silk or many different kinds of silks, but this is what I used)

round nose pliers

chain nose pliers

flush cutters

clasp (I prefer an "s" clasp)

 chain

I had fun first laying out the different colors with my beads and figuring out which I liked best.  I really liked the blue added into the purples and yellows, but it just didn't work out when wire wrapping it up, so I switched to a more monochromatic palette.

1.  choose your colors

 2.  Wire together focal

 3.  Take a piece of fabric and a 3mm silk together (like to double them up, especially when I use sari silk, which can be thinner, this just gives a little more color and added support).  Some tips: make sure your fabric has no weak spots by gently pulling on it before using it in your design

 4. Feed both through the wrapped loop on one side and fold over

 5.  Hold them tight together

6.  take a piece of 18g wire, about 3", and hold one end with a tail sticking up, tight against the fabric

7.  begin wrapping the wire around the fabric, pushing it tightly into a coil.  this takes some practice, you need to keep tension on your piece as you wrap, holding each end of the of piece in your hands while still using your fingers

8.  when it is done, make sure you tightly crimp the top and bottom around and into the fabric.  the fact that this is tight is what holds it together

9.  You can trim the little tails off

10. now you have one side halfway done

11.  Time to add the clasp

12.  feed the fabrics through your clasp

13.  Repeat step 7 above

14.  Do the same thing on the other side.  I also added a little seed bead detail to one side, just for some more texture and fun

15. You are done!  

Now, just a word about using silk.  I sometimes like to use it only on one side of the design- as I know others do as well.  Keep in mind, your design MUST be balanced, not just visually, but by weight, or it will slide around on your neck.  I always wear my designs for a day to see how they hang, and make sure the weight is correct!  There is nothing more disappointing to a customer then buying a piece that is made to hang one way and it never does.

I leave you with some other artists who use fibers similar to the way to do, and I just LOVE their work! 

Dyeing Silks for Custom Colors and Patterns

by Barbara Bechtel


Earlier this year, I took a eucalyptus dying class with Kim Mailhot at my favorite local studio, Art More Place. It turns out, that the green eucalyptus we see in floral arrangements and the favorite food of koala bears, when heated and steamed in dye bath turns a beautiful rusty color.

Here, you can see the beautiful rusty leaves and the impressions they left on the silk bags.

Another useful technique that Kim shared with us is that sari silk and other dyed silks can often used to add pops of color as well. When heated in a boiling steam bath, the dye transfers away leaving a beautiful watercolor effect to the formerly solid silks!

See those little lines? Those are made using tiny threads pulled from sari silk! On the left, you can see some faint lime green lines left from a piece of dyed green silk from Marsha Neal Studio.

I can see so many possibilities with this to customizing and dying your own silks for use, can't you?

Here are just a few of the silks that I dyed in my class!

In the same vein, recently I saw this tutorial floating around Pinterest and Facebook for dyeing easter eggs with old silk ties and that really got the wheels turning in my head because it essentially follows the same method that I learned with the sari silks!

These follow a similar approach! I can't wait to try this method with a silk to silk dye transfer!

Have you ever tried to dye your own fibers for your jewelry? I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below!

Boot Camp: Fiber in Jewelry

by Staci Louise Smith

Well, we are finally going to get some boot camps in again!  Boot camp is a time when we, as a group, concentrate on one area of jewelry making or design.  We bring you ideas, tips, resource links and tutorials to help you try out a new area of jewelry making.

This one is on fiber in jewelry or fiber jewelry.

You can see a Boot Camp post the 2nd and 4th Monday of both April and May, as well as scattered through the month on personal posts.  

I first fell in love with fiber for jewelry way back when I was making mainly sea glass jewelry.  I went to a bead show and found Marsha Neal's silks.  I was smitten.  I ended up coming home and ordering from her online.  I was hooked on the variety of colors.  

I have never stopped loving fiber in my jewelry.

I thoroughly enjoy the softness fiber can add to a piece- it adds a softness and contrast against the hard beads.  

We will be sharing lots of ways to use fiber in your jewelry, as well as showing you some of our favorite places to buy it!  Fiber in jewelry is not limited to cording!  That is just what I have always been drawn to.  

We cannot wait to have you join us as we explore this medium.

Here are some teasers of my favorite fabric cording to start you off drooling, or in case you want to get some so you have it to try out as we go along!

I love the rustic look of recycled sari silks.  This is my favorite go to shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/goldenonetoo?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count

Marsha had me at hello- and I am still a fan

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarshaNealStudio

And recently, Karen Totten has decided to use BATIK FABRIC to use as cording.  My first batch is on the way.  I have always loved batik fabric- to wear, to drool over, anything......so I am uber excited to use it for some jewelry.  Stay tuned...

http://www.starryroadstudio.com/store

I leave you with some more recent necklaces I have used fiber in......

I started a Fiber in Jewelry Board on Pinterest- you can check out lots of great artists using fiber in many ways in jewelry.

https://www.pinterest.com/stacilouise/fiber-in-jewelry/

Hopefully it brings you some inspiration!
Enjoy!