Chiatanya Designs

Jewellery with the Silken Touch

This workshop is suitable for all skill levels

Workshop description:

Create your own exquisite jewellery using silk ‘paper’, stitch, stamping and embellishments.

You will make your own silk ‘paper’ on the first day, using luscious and colourful tussah silk fibres and textile medium. Several variations will be tried, including silk ‘paper’ with wire inserts.

Silk ‘paper’ is strong yet lightweight, making it ideal for jewellery. It doesn’t fray when cut, and it can be stitched by hand or machine. Patterns can also be added using rubber stamps and acrylic paints. Thicker silk ‘paper’ can also be embellished with beadwork.

Dimensional items can easily be achieved simply by stitching shapes together to construct the desired 3D pieces.

Several off-loom beading techniques (using seed beads, needle and thread) will be covered in the workshop, along with some basic jewellery construction techniques. The tutor will assist any participants who would like some guidance with designing their own jewellery creations.

These techniques lend themselves to many kinds of jewellery, including necklaces, bracelets, cuffs, earrings, brooches, etc.  Depending on the complexity of the pieces each participant chooses to make, one or more items should be completed during the workshop.

      

 

Topics covered in the workshop:

• Making your own silk ‘paper’ from coloured silk fibres
• Adding craft wire to silk ‘paper’ (to facilitate jewellery construction or design elements later)
• Stitching silk ‘paper’ by hand or machine
• Stamping patterns onto the silk ‘paper’ using rubber stamps and acrylic paints
• Seed bead techniques:

– bead stacks

– fringing and branched fringing

–  regular beaded edging (brick stitch variation)

• Basic jewellery construction techniques:

–  turning loops in head pins

–  creating wrapped wire loops

–  attaching clasps and other jewellery findings

–  simple stringing with tigertail and crimps

 

 

Sheer Delight Wall Hanging

This workshop is suitable for all skill levels

Workshop description:

Create a sheer and shimmering wall hanging using silk organza, water-soluble coloured pencils, fusible thread and foils.

Create an organza panel, beginning with white organza, then create your own pattern/picture using water-colour pencils. Add some interesting highlights using fusible thread and foils. Make a fabric frame to encase the organza panel (sewing machines required for making the fabric frame).

Topics covered in the workshop:

• Using water-soluble coloured pencils to create a coloured silk organza panel
• Using fusible thread to add detail to the organza panel
• Attaching specialised foils to the fusible thread
• Construction of the fabric frame, and inserting the organza panel into the frame