The old making way for the new...

Also known as 'End of Line' clearance, but I thought that sounded a bit formal for a blog title!

In preparation for my first craft fair of the year I've been sorting through my stock and have decided to put some of the few remaining items from 'old' designs that I no longer make up for sale at a greatly reduced price to clear space on my stand for the new designs that I've got in mind. After all, I only have limited space and I don't want to be devoting a quarter of it to the lonely stragglers that have been left behind after all the other bits from that range have gone!

There's nothing at all wrong with any of the pieces but I'd much rather they found a new home rather than lingering at the bottom of a box here so if you pop over to my eBay shop you'll find a few bargains treat yourself with!

And my first craft fair of the year? It's on the 23rd Feb at Henshaw's Arts and Crafts Centre, Knaresborough... free entry, cafe on site and lots of goodies to browse so do come along if you're local!

I'm back!

Oops, bit of a longer break from blogging than I'd planned but things all ended up getting a bit hectic! On the plus side, this does mean I have loads of stuff to show you... I'll try not to send it all out at once though so you won't get overloaded!

A few weeks ago I had a rather efficient weekend and finished off lots of little bits of jewellery that's been loitering partly done in my workbox. Some of them really did only need the slightest bit of work to be finished, but it's amazing how easy it is not to get round to doing the tiny things!

First off, a pair of simple spiral earrings made from silver plated wire. I've got a bit of a thing for spirals at the moment, these came out of wanting to play around with making some double-spiral shapes. All I had left to do was to add the hooks, that's how lazy I was being not finishing them!

Secondly, another pair of earrings, this time solid sterling silver with silk tassles made from silk dyed with logwood:

I also finished off and added jump-rings to two little copper shapes that I made during an 'Introduction to Enamelling' course at York School of Jewellery during the summer. I really like how they've come out even though it was my first attempt at enamelling:

And finally, something that I've been working at on and off for years and had a big push recently to finish. This is a tear drop fossil (can't remember the proper name, sorry!) set in sterling silver which has been chemically treated to give it a grey sheen. I haven't entirely decided what it'll hang on permanently so I'm using a black rubber necklet for now:

Handmade retirement gift

Today I've got a really pretty commission to share with you that was a real pleasure to make. Some of you may know that I finished my previous full-time office job in November 2010 (which seems like it was yesterday and ages ago at the same time). This week a longstanding member of the team I led retired, and I was approached to make the jewellery that was to be given as part of her retirement gift. 

The designs chosen are part of my standard range of fine silver wirework, but the amethyst beads we decided on were a stone I didn't have anything made up in so this set of a bracelet, earrings and necklace was made specifically for her:

I know she's already got any number of plans lined up for activities to fill her day, so I hope she enjoys her retirement! (& her gift, of course)

Making triangle from straight pieces...

Ok, a change from the dressmaking now to show you progress and final pics from a pendant commission I've been working on.

The brief? A 'simple' inverted triangle with a hanging loop at the top. Sounds easy, and in a way it is, but there are a lot of stages involved nonetheless.

I started with a flat strip of silver and filed a v-shape in the centre (unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this so you'll have to use your imagination) then folded the resulting piece up to create the bottom half of the triangle:

Once this was soldered to secure it, I then filed the tops of the two prongs so that they lay flush with the piece going across the top and soldered the top bar in place:

The protuding ends were filed back flush to form a perfect triangle before all the faces were emeried smooth:

I then attached a small ring to the top of the triangle for the jump ring to go through, and polished the whole pendant up. The result is indeed a simple but beautiful pendant:

(although try as I might I couldn't get it to lie flat and not look wonky while photographing it in the box!)

Handmade Mother's Day gifts that really won't break the bank!

Given the speed the year so far seems to have gone, Mother's Day will be here before we've had time to catch our breath. While it's nice to give your mum a treat, I know most people don't have much spare cash at the moment so I've put together a little guide to some of the beautiful handmade items that I've got for sale on my website that shouldn't break the bank.

I've broken them down in to two groups - under £10 and under £20 (of course, if you want to spend more you're most welcome to, but that's not the point of this little guide!) and I've taken my postage charges in to account when selecting them so you really can get them ordered & sent to you for less than the headline amount!

Gifts for under £10

If you've got a mum who enjoys a night out and would like something a little quirky to put in her handbag, how about one of these cute coin purses? They're guaranteed to make her smile when she pulls it out to find her change!

     

     

Whether you think she'd prefer fabric or crochet, these unusual corsages make a great addition to any coat or cardigan:

      

Or, if you've got a creative soul for a mother, why not consider one of these corsage kits? (currently only for sale through my Folksy shop) Each kit contains enough materials to make 2 corsages, and once she's made those she'll still have the instructions so can carry on making more...who knows you might end up getting one back as a gift at some point?

Gifts for under £20 

Pretty much all of my coloured wirework jewellery comes in to the £10-£20 bracket, which gives you a great range of earrings, bracelets and pendants to choose from...and some lovely colours too including purple, turquoise, lilac, blue, red, hot pink and dark green.

      

Alternatively, if silver's more her thing, both of sizes of my silver wirework earrings slip under the £20 mark, as do the pendants (I'm afraid the bracelets just tip over at £21 plus postage).

       

Or, if you think she'd prefer something a bit more practical for everyday use, I have just one sturdy shopper left in stock!

So whatever you think she'd like, go on...treat your mother!

Leaf it out

In a break from posts about clothing, it's time to showcase some of the new jewellery designs that I've been working on. I've been trying to bring a touch of nature in to my work with metal, along with a bit of the gothic-ness that I love. The result is a series of cuffs and pendants featuring handmade brass buttons with leaf imprints (each one different, of course!) on leather and suede.

The cuffs feature three buttons, along a suede or leather strip which in turn runs through a larger backing piece of leather. The fastening is simple and adjustable - the loose end threads through the loop and then will either stay in place of it's own accord or can be knotted if desired.

The pendants feature just the one button plus a leather/sueded strip threaded through a contrasting square of leather. These will sit on black rubber necklets which not only look far better than a leather thong or silver chain for something like this but are also very comfortable to wear.

The only problem now is that I want one for myself, but I also have a show coming up this weekend that they're supposed to be on sale for...will I resist or will I have to make myself one before then?

And if I'm making myself one, which colour do I want?

So what's it all about?

So who am I and why am I here?

My name is Sonia, and I'm a dressmaker and jeweller (mainly textile and wirework, although I do also work in precious metals). I've been both for a while, being quite 'crafty' ever since I was a child, and the last few years have been accepting commissions and selling the odd bit on sites like Folksy and Etsy. After much hard thought and deliberation, I've decided to follow what I really want to do (even though I do love my current day-job), and will be leaving my full-time job towards the end of November to pursue a career as a dressmaker and jeweller full-time.

Rather than focusing on special occasion wear, I want to create (beautiful, of course), timeless feminine clothes that women can wear everyday and feel special in, with a style that sets them aside as not being high-street without being too off-the-wall or haute-couture.

Jewellery-wise, I will be looking to create individual pieces which are different without being too quirky. Eyecatching but affordable, for example this pair of earrings I've recently completed:

This is going to be an interesting journey, do come along for the ride!

Sonia