Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Karen Snyder and I've been a crafter for about as long as I can remember. I am a stay-at-home-Mama of two beautiful children with a husband who makes my dreams possible.

This blog is about all sorts of crafting. I am a paper-crafter from early days, a jewelry-maker with an unending obsession for chain maille. I make chain maille purses, many of which will be chronicled in this blog as their future owners await their completion. I love metalsmithing. I am an indifferent beader and don't get me anywhere near seed beads... they scatter, screaming to get away from me. I love to try new things, have a short attention span so if its a long-term project... I'm probably not doing it LOL.

If you have questions, ask. If you have tips, share. Same with suggestions - share! I want this to be a great forum for people to brainstorm and problem-solve with a good attitude. Crabby Apples need not respond, this is a feel-good kind of blog :)

Monday, June 28, 2010

The Japanese 12-in-2 purse continues...




This purse is turning into something even more amazing than I had imagined. The more I do, the more excited I become to see the finished item. I've added some of the crystals to the bag, which don't show up all that great in the picture but it gives you an idea of how they will look.




Attaching the crystals was a bit more challenging than I had anticipated! My first thought was to put them on a link and weave them in... the pattern is too tight to allow for that. My next thought was to remove one of the larger links and replace it with a smaller-diameter wire link in the same size -- thinking that would accomodate the crystals. Didn't work. My third thought, the one that finally worked, was wiring the crystals onto the links they inhabit! I am very pleased with how that works and when I get the body of the purse finished, I plan to do some close-ups of how that wiring-on process actually works in case someone else out there ever wants to try it. I think the look is well worth the effort.




At this point in the game, the body of the purse is 8" wide and about 6" long. I have about another 4 inches to weave before I begin the flap closure of the purse. Then I'll have to weave the circular end caps for the bag, attach them and put the whole thing into the tumbler for days while I'm making the lining.




Hope everyone had a great Monday and that your week is full of blessings!

No comments:

Post a Comment