Heart Strings

With Nina Bagley

This past February, I taught at Artful Journey, and was touched by the sense of tranquility and reverence that radiates from the grounds where we have the retreat. When thinking of a workshop for this time around, I wanted to focus on a project that would involve the ancient, quiet work of embroidery and stitchery, an art form from hundreds – thousands – of years ago. For the past couple of years, I’ve been working a great deal with silk cord and a crochet needle – knotting pearls/gemstones and crocheting them with a simple chain stitch into strands of bejeweled necklace components that remind me of something made under the sea, washed shore. This project will be a relaxed one, allowing us to spend three leisurely days working with metals and textiles, stitching, threading, knotting, and a small bit of hammering. We’ll cover both metal and fabric techniques – wire wrapping, bead drawing for dangling charms, hook and link formation, metal alphabet stamping, metal patina, as well as leather stitching and embellishment, silk cord knotting and crocheting with gemstone beads and pearls. The necklace I’ve designed can be disassembled so that the crocheted sections can be worn as bracelets, and the heart pendant and brass booklace can be interchanged. We’ll also learn how to take vintage papers and coat them with resin, lending a lovely, buttery look for booklace pages that are layered with pages of watercolor paper. Finally, we will create "stick" sections from narrow lengths of brass sheet that are hammered with words on one side and sandwiched with resin paper on the other. I absolutely love the gentle look and feel of this project, and look forward to spending a leisurely, relaxing three days with all of you in a beautiful, tranquil environment.

*Supply List:

Click here for a printable list

For heart pendant:

Ribbon, assorted – I used approx. 2 feet of vintage bias tape ribbon that I aged with tea and then ripped down the middle; non-slipping ribbon is best
Lace trimmings, vintage if possible
Scraps of heavy fabric or suede/leather for stuffed heart pendant – your choice of colors
Small amount of batting – enough to pad the heart interior
Vintage trims – I used mother of pearl buttons, crocheted buttons, tatting, gemstones and pearls
Pearls, gemstone beads, cut glass beads*
Small amount of sterling 26 gauge wire for drawing bead tip on end, for dangling pearls, etc. – ten feet will be enough
20 gauge wire, approx. 10 feet – for loops attaching pouch to rest of necklace (I used sterling, but base metal is fine, such as copper), and for hook clasp; if you wish to wire beads into a section of your necklace, bring more
Small amount of dead soft round 24 gauge sterling wire for drawing a bead – available from http://firemountaingems.com – 6 feet will be enough
Tube of Hypo Cement (available at firemountain, here: http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H201956TL
Two packages #4 perlseide silk bead cord with needle attached, available at Fire Mountain, here: http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H203855BS
#6/1.80mm crochet needle (very small hook)
Regular embroidery needle
Embroidery thread, your choice of colors
Good scissors – for both fabric and paper
Ruler
Awl with thin shaft (mine is 1/16")
Set of tweezers (doesn’t have to have sharp points)
Two or three small binder clips

For booklace pendant:

Wire snips, round needle nosed pliers, bent needle nosed pliers – all available from volcanoarts.biz as a set, or separately – PLEASE bring small set, not big-nosed ones that will be awkward for detailed work
small hammer
cutting mat/pad with inch measurements on it
emery board for filing edges
small hammering block, if you have one (mandatory for hammering designs and letters into metal); available from volcanoarts.biz for around 16.00
if you have a 1/8" metal alphabet stamp set, please bring to share with others; available from fusion beads here: http://www.fusionbeads.com/shop/productchart/4324/ --a very inexpensive set can be purchased from harbor freight tools, here: http://www.harborfreight.com/ I’ll bring my own set as well, and will bring my 2 rawhide mallets for everyone to use.
Ink stamp pad, any type or color
Bottle of Tim Holtz’ Adirondack alcohol ink, your choice of color
eyelet setter
package of 1/8" eyelets, short length
Japanese Screw Punch, with #3 tip (available from Lee Valley Tools, or volcanoarts.biz)
Assorted pearls or beads for trim
Masking tape
One or two small vintage text pages (dictionary, old book, Bible, etc) for making resin paper (we’ll have a few to share if you don’t have them)
Piece of cardboard pre-covered with plastic garbage bag piece (tightly cover and tape on underside; I used a cardboard priority mailing envelope)
Foam brush
Latex gloves
Paper towels
Cup for water
Small paintbrush with tapered handle tip (cheapo brush is fine)

A $12.00 kit fee, collected in class will include:

Square of polishing paper
Brass booklace cover, front and back
Narrow length of brass sheet for layered charm
A few 1/16" eyelets for long metal/resin paper charm
several silver circle "rings"
threader for ribbon
leather needle with sharp edge
resin for resin papers
watercolor paper for booklace pages

(please place kit cash in envelope with your name on it and tuck into your materials ahead of time that you are bringing from home)

I will bring extra booklace covers to sell in class for 5.00 per set, for those who wish to purchase them.

*note from nina:
I realize that this is a rather extensive supply list. After 11 years of teaching workshops, I’ve learned what to include, what not to include. Inevitably, there will be students who complain that I’ve omitted something, and there will also, in the same workshop, be those who complain that the list includes far too many supplies to bring from home. My philosophy is this: bring what you have; purchase what you can afford. If there is a tool (Japanese screw punch, for example) that you feel you cannot in good conscience purchase, I’m sure a table neighbor will be happy to momentarily lend something. Please keep in mind, however, that it greatly slows things down for everyone if you have to keep asking to borrow every.single.thing I’ve asked you to bring. My students are always generous to a fault, but patience will begin to wear thin if they are constantly interrupted while working to lend out a tool or to give up a handful of eyelets.