Puffy Darts

Yes! I finally made my own skirt (with clear instructions from my mother) and some additions here and there. Nothing much yet, but it's a start to my new sewing career - JK;-). It was a very basic skirt with an invisible zipper. I added some puffy darts front and back and a waist band, which was not originally a part of the pattern. The fabric, I got from the Cloth House on Berwick Street in London. Berwick street has lots of great fabric boutiques, but they are semi pricey. Goldhawk Road is another great street in London that is loaded with fabric shops and generally more price friendly than Berwick Street. If it wasn't for my upcoming travels to China, I probably would have bought a whole suitcase full of silks and chiffons!

Silver Gemstone Necklace

I saw these origami gemstones on http://www.minieco.co.uk/paper-gems/ which inspired me to make this necklace

Hollow constructed Sterling silver and sterling silver plated with custom paperclip hinge.

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I constructed these silver gemstones out of sheet metal, hollow and light to wear. Then scored them, folded them and soldered the seems together pretty much using the same idea as when you work with paper - just a little harder.

My class just finished and I already sold one of my pieces (not pictured) It was a smaller and single silver gemstone in a necklace. Pretty exciting :-)  Happy 4th of July \!!/

My First Casting

Final finish of the earrings - Sand blasted Sterling Silver cast and freshwater pearls

Wax model

Plaster mold with liquid metal

Raw Casting with stem and spruces.

DIY - Leather Scarf

I finally finished my deerskin lace scarf. To make it more fluffy and give it structure and volume, I used a patent knitting pattern - (I'm actually not sure what the correct name is in English - patent is the Danish name:-)   The amount of masks must be divisible by 3 - I used 30 stitches with size 15 (10mm) needles. Start with knitting two together. Create one mask and lift one over. Repeat. You should always be starting a row knitting two together and finishing with lifting one mask over.

Irregular Sterling Silver Pentagon Rings

This week we've been learning different methods of setting stones, how to texture metal and create different patinas. I made these rings from sterling silver sheet metal. One of them is polished on the outside and brushed on the inside. The other one is made by reticulation, which means to heat up the metal with a torch so hot that it almost melts but only starts wrinkling or distorting. Tomorrow I'll be going to a gemstone show in KC. I'm really excited to start adding stones to the metal.

Hammered Brass Gold-plated Bracelet

Our first jewelry project was due today ( the other one was just for fun or because I wanted a bangle:-). The "Gypsy" piece is what our professor called it. There wasn't really a design strategy or an idea from the beginning, just start hammering, rolling and soldering. I started with a foot of 16 gauge round brass wire, hammered like crazy, annealed, soldered, sanded and polished and ended up with this leafy shaped bracelet. Gold-plated it. Finally getting excited about metal work!

Audi R8 Model

This Audi R8 was a group project from last year studying a monocoque frame system. The model is made with basswood and acrylic and has a select pine base with a fluorescent tube light that lights up the acrylic etched drawing.

DIY - Ipe Dining Table For Zero Dollars

I guess I'm running out of things to post on here because this project is from last fall. I'm enjoying my days off and being lazy by the pool haha... Anyway, this table was almost free because most materials were reclaimed or "donated" leftovers from other projects. Habitat restore or local wood shops are great places to look for deals on wood or other materials.
I started out by stripping the edges of the decking boards so they lined up perfectly. Then glued them together and clamped them for a day or two. I thought I could sand the surface by hand like I've done before with other woods, but Ipe is extremely dense and hard and demands a lot more horsepower than my little arms. Instead I ran it through a drum sander, which made the top completely smooth. Then oiled it, which made it darker and more even toned as well as giving it protection from general usage. The legs, which is one large piece of Ipe, was attached with a simple stainless steel L-bracket. Hurra cheap kitchen table!

Modeling - Bending Wood

This conceptual model was a project for a beach pavilion my sophomore year of college. It was probably my first  successful model in bending and manipulating wood. If the wood is reasonably thin (1/62" - 1/16" - plus you can layer it) you don't need a fancy vacuum press or a bunch of chemicals, just warm water and a little "massaging"- . When it is in position, tape it or clamp it down and let dry overnight. When it dries, it dries stiffer and is more likely to break than before.

Last Year's School Project - Design and Build

                             

Last year's project was a group project in a design and build studio. We learned how to work with metal, how to weld, wire lights and how to work on larger scale construction. The Hexagon structure is an adjustable facade that moves both vertically and horizontally creating a different facade look from the outside as well as a different viewing frame from the inside. It also casts playful shadows that move two ways. Everything is custom made and designed, even the hinges.

DIY Project - Origami Bracelet

Inspired by the book Folding Techniques For Designers, I started folding a bunch of these and decided to turn one of them into a bracelet. I painted it, which added structure as it got wet and dried stiff and then I added a silver clasp... I've posted the folding pattern if anyone is interested in trying it out. The blue lines are valley folds and the green lines are mountain folds. The pattern can be stretched for different variations.

As promised, here is my super amateur tutorial :-) Let me know if you have any more questions.

More Rendering

Here is another image from my New Orleans Project showing the lobby / exhibition / gathering space.

Photoshopaholic

Photoshop is my favorite editing program. This is a render that I did for the New Orleans Project. Considering making a tutorial as soon as I have time... People, materials and vegetation really makes the image or the architecture come alive!

Jewelry On My Mind

I am so excited to start my Jewelry class in June... This triple ring combination by Andrea Morgan, a KU student, is absolutely gorgeous! I want it please:-)