Showing posts with label silk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silk. Show all posts

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Kumihimo with Custom Dyed Silk



Earlier this year I ordered some silk thread from Flo at Queen Creek Supply. It was a bit of an adventure: I wanted specific colors, and we had to come up with a color standard that we could both see and that wouldn't be affected by variations in computer monitors. Flo, genius that she is, suggested that I pick out paint samples at a local home improvement store and send her the color numbers. I had so much fun just playing with the little paint cards, it took me nearly a week to decide on colors for the thread.

I love the way the threads turned out! The colors are terrific, not bright or bold, but subdued and elegant. I've braided two kumihimo necklaces so far, one in light and dark green, and one in warm brown and tangerine. I've got a nice lot of colors left to work with, so you can expect more necklaces in the next few months.

I'll be ordering from Flo again, so if you've got a specific color request just let me know. She also dyes a variety of silk ribbons and cords, and I'm anxious to work with something with more bulk than this fine thread. The shop is closed through the rest of this month, but have a look a November--Flo's dyed silk is gorgeous!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Make Something Mondays: Long Silk Kumihimo Cord



A jewelry store owner contacted one of my suppliers looking for finished kumihimo braids. The supplier recommended me (how cool is that! I am still over the moon!). After a couple of discussions we determined that she wanted a thin 2.5mm diameter braid, 36 inches long plus tassels. I think she was going to add a donut pendant and tie the ends in a simple knot.

I braided about 60 strands of 6-foot-long black silk thread into this beautiful braid. At this size I can only braid a couple of inches an hour, so it took a good number of days to finish. You can see my braiding set-up in this post.

Now that I've finished, the store owner has changed her mind and doesn't want the braid. I'm fine with that: I can list it for sale and it will find its way to an owner who will love it. I now have a good idea of how long it will take me to finish many different sizes of braids, something I did not have a good handle on before this project. And I love working with silk thread so much--it feels so terrific!--that I may make a few more braids like this one.

This post was inspired by Jolly Mom and Go Graham Go!, the ingenious moms behind Make Something Monday. We'd love for you to join us next Monday!

Make Something Monday

Friday, June 6, 2008

My Kumihimo Tools

The last time I posted about making Kumihimo I told you a little bit of the craft's history. I brought the materials with me on this trip to make a few new pieces, and I thought you might like to see my tools.

I use this disk to create the braids. I can secure thee threads in the grooves both to keep consistent tension on them and to keep them in order. Tension is critical while braiding: too slack and the braid will be short and fat, too much and the braid will be thin and tight. The worst thing that can happen is to change tension levels mid-braid, because you can end up with a braid that is fat on one end, skinny in the middle, and just right at the other end. Not a good look for a necklace!

Sometimes I wind the thread on these bobbins. I braid with a minimum of 8 separate threads, and each thread starts out approximately twice as long as the finished piece. If I'm working with just a few feet of 2mm satin cord I usually don't bother with the bobbins. These bobbins are each wound with multiple strands of silk thread that are several yards long. Silk thread feels so luxurious to work with! It tangles very easily though, and I wanted to make a 16-thread necklace, so bobbins are a must. I hope to get this braid finished next week, and I promise to post photos when I'm done.

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Joy of Silk



I made this kumihimo necklace several weeks before we moved, but didn't have time to get it listed in my Etsy shop until now. I loved making this--the silk thread felt so nice I was almost sorry to get to the end of the braid! Now I'm anxious to finish unpacking and organizing so I can find the rest of my silk thread and pick out colors for the next one. I love custom orders, so if you'd like one made with specific colors just let me know.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

GilBea--For a Bit of Gorgeous Every Day

I love the feel and the look of silk. It says "Hey! I'm special! Touch me!" The hand-painted silk scarves in GilBea's shop are just gorgeous, and say all those things times three.



This silk mini-scarf is the perfect thing for me. I've never been much of a scarf person, but GilBea's suggestion to use this as a ponytail holder turns this into something I might use quite often.



This blue and purple geometric design scarf is so beautiful I may consider becoming a scarf person.



These laminated silk bookmarks are a unique way to use and preserve painted silk--a bit of loveliness to mark your page.


http://www.gilbea.etsy.com
http://gilbea.blogspot.com/
http://www.gilbea.com