I had an amazing time at “Brooching The Subject” workshop in Gatlinburg at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.
I spent last week immersed in making brooches. I got in late last Sunday afternoon after driving 6 hours in heavy traffic on I-40. It should have been more like a 5 hour drive! None-the-less I made it. Sunday evening was spent with a short orientation. We then broke to our classrooms and got started!
Our first project was to make a fibula pin. We did so using 14 gauge brass wire. It was not an easy feat to shape and bend the wire. It looks as if I may have been channeling the state of Louisiana!
This pin is best worn with loose knit sweaters as it could have the potential to put holes in tighter knits. I have a couple holes in my black t-shirt as I was testing it out. The key is to get a nice filed tip with a rounded end. It sounds simple enough!
Each day of the week we learned how to make at least one type of pin mechanism. The first day, Monday, we learned how to make the perfect pin back from Marissa Saneholtz. https://marissasaneholtz.com/ I found this pin back to be one of the most difficult and least favorite to make. It can look nice if done correctly but it was not an easy task to bend the stainless steel wire to get it to fit in the tiny tubes!
The next couple of days we continued to work on more soldered pin backs using tubes. I really like the looks of the brass tube pin back.
I think this could also be done using copper tubes. As you can see from this I need to practice my sawing. Not sure that I will ever be able to saw a straight line even with lots of practice. Sawing is not my forte! I would much rather solder than saw.
The Stick pin back can be quite useful with various type pins. We were taught how to make the end cap. I like the idea of making my jewelry entirely by hand including all the findings. However, after spending an hour working on getting the end cap closed and not succeeding at doing so I may have to make an exception! Or maybe practice a whole bunch more. Watching Charles Lewton-Brain do it seems so simple! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvYM2WW4HWw
I think we got the most difficult brooch mechanisms out of the way first. We then moved on to making cold connected pin stems. These are great for materials that cannot be soldered or if you plain don’t like soldering! As you can see from my work I need lots of practice sawing! I have never been one for precision, after all being handmade is part of the beauty. I think, however that I could practice becoming a tad more precise!
We also made brooches using scatter pins, and tie tacs. These are great for heavier pins and also for pins that you want to wear a variety of ways.
The easiest and quickest pin back turned out be my favorite! I like how I was able to make the closing mechanism part of the design. I drill 2 hoes did some wire band and ta-da! DONE!!
I did not spend the time nor did I have all my finishing tools to finish all the pins. Once I do, these brooches and more will be available in my Etsy shop www.MAEartisanjewelry.etsy.com and on my website www.CKSventures.com
Until next time,
ENJOY!!
cheryl