Mother of the Groom Outfit

There's been a change! I've decided to shift the posting day to Sunday so I can add the videos that I've been working on throughout the week as well as mention any new products listed in the shop. I'm about to add a jewelry category. Instead of being done by Thursday afternoon, that gives me all day Friday to finish things up although, as often as possible, I take that day off for an artist's date.

This is a BIG bead necklace made with polymer clay over aluminum foil. It very light - 162 grams. The beads are 1 1/2" square and 1/2" wide. I made fourteen and used seven in this necklace. I want to try a variation next week using the other seven... this time set flat instead of on the side. One of my favourite things is to take the same starting point to a different conclusion. That journey is not limited to working with fabric or jewelry. It can be followed in any medium and something as simple as changing a texture or a colour makes the end product entirely different. Is this something you enjoy?

Here's the second video on how I made these beads. The first one is the week before and shows shaping the beads. This one shows adding texture and colour. Next week's will show a different colour and a different texture. You'll see what I mean about how that changes the overall look.

The pattern for my MOG dress is out of print Vogue 9268. I changed the neckline to a crew neck so the necklace would stand out better. I also eliminated the center front and back seams. There was enough width to cut the pieces out on fold. The fabric I chose is a knit with a very soft hand and beautiful drape. I am guessing I'll get a lot of patting by my grandsons. I hope! Can't wait to cuddle the three of them. I've sewn this pattern three times and it's so easy to wear and very flattering. It can be super dressy or very casual. I just gave one of the versions to my (soon to be) daughter-in-law in a simple grey knit. It looked fabulous on her and she wears dresses often so I think it'll get more wear with her. Light grey is not really my colour.

I'm glad I bought the pattern before it went out of print. I know I'll make more. Using a pattern over and over is another version of the same starting point. Most of the sewing I've done in the last couple years has been with tried & tested patterns, creating different variations. It's both comforting and a potential rut to be aware of.

This very simple, one occasion, crossbody bag is made from scraps of the same knit fabric. I wanted it to match the dress so the bag would virtually disappear. It's small - a 6" square - and big enough for my car key and ID and that's about it. I can't see myself using it after the wedding since I can't put my wallet or EpiPen in it but it's just perfect for the day.

You can see me wearing the dress, necklace, and bag together - minus shoes and event hair and makeup - in this week's textile video.

Here's a detail of the necklace against the dress. The match looks much better in person. When I was trying to decide if the beads should be on the side or flat, this way looked like a modern, contemporary twist against a floral-ish, old fashioned feeling fabric. I liked that contrast.

It makes me giggle every time I bake beads in my convection oven. It came with the house and didn't mean anything to me until I started to work with polymer clay and then it was the perfect appliance to have. Eventually, I'd like a smaller, high quality convection oven in my studio but so far that's not in the budget. Sigh... budgets!

This WAS in the budget. It's the Green Lion jewelry saw with its gorgeous shape and what fun stickers they sent me. I've been drooling over the saw for years and decided to get it as my Mother's Day present. I'm huge on celebration for you, or by you, or both. I don't want to be sitting around waiting for someone to "notice" me. That can get sad and depressing and is so unnecessary when we can celebrate ourselves and our special occasions. YES YES. One of the things I'm exploring with polymer clay is cutting shapes. That can be done with scissors, a craft knife, or a jewelry saw, basically anything sharp. Using the saw allows for unusual shapes and piercing options. I'm also exploring cutting less than best pieces in strange directions to see what I can do with those scraps by fusing them back together. It's scrap quilting with polymer. I had a friend visiting last weekend and she commented on how similar the way I am working with polymer clay is to how I work with fabric. I've been saying that it feels that way and she totally noticed it right away. I'm so glad I found this method of working with this medium. I don't know about you (... and I'd love to get a comment) but a new medium is completely energizing. I can see how as you age life could get quite stagnant if you - if I - didn't work to keep adding new and interesting challenges.

For the past two weeks, I've been taking a Bespoke Chains class with Lynn Yuhr via MetalWerx. It was my fifth class with Lynn and she has mentioned several I haven't taken yet that also sound interesting. I'm starting to feel like a stalking groupie only her classes are so incredibly well done and I'm learning a LOT. Very slowly metal, polymer, and fabric are beginning to combine themselves into the style of jewelry I've been wanting to make for years.

This piece started at the workshop in Atlanta using liquid clay, was combined in layers with learning from the online class I took earlier this year, and features a handmade chain from this week's class. It's available in my shop - The Atlanta Pendant. If you are enjoying the newsletter, I'd love to hear about it. It's encouraging to receive feedback and helps me keep writing on those weeks that are going less than lovely. You can email me at myrna@myrnagiesbrecht.com with your comments. THANKS. Talk soon,