Dye Project - Forgetmeknots, or maybe Faded Jeans

My latest dye project.

I had some fantastic feathery, papery ribbon yarn in silver which wasn't quite the right colour for what I was going to use it (my latest cardigan, pictures coming soon). I ended up using a different yarn for the project as it didn't dye the way I wanted it to as the yarn I used is from all artificial fibres so I knew right from the start that the dying process would be hit and miss. Also, I was using Procyon dyes rather than acid dyes, which makes it even more difficult. However, I love the new colour, which I am not quite sure why but reminds me of forgetmenots. It is a faded denim kind of colour and the various elements of the yarn dyed differently which gives it a lovely colour depth.

Below you can see the original silvery colour and next to it the dyed version.


Here's a close-up of the two yarn version side by side.

And here's a close-up of the dyed yarn by itself.

Yarn dying is so much fun and if you've always been meaning to try but weren't sure, do try.

I am still hankering after some natural dyes to play with....

Little Flower Garden Brooch for City Dwellers

Always wanted a garden to grow flowers in? Now you can wear one as a brooch and it'll go with you wherever you go.

Here's my whimsical, totally cute Flower Garden Brooch, complete with grass and forget-me-nots.


The brooch has been made from needle felted merino wool in various shades of green (4 different shades!), little forget-me-not blue flower glass beads, Miyuki drops in various shades of blue and little bright yellow seed beads. The brooch sits on a round brooch back and is about the size of a 50 pence coin. Utterly sweet!

Secret Heart and Forgetmenots

More fun with wire. :-)

Been playing with wire shapes as you could see with the Pear Blossom necklace and the Cloudberry Bracelet. This time I've set my heart on a wicker type heart with a little heart hidden inside it.

Secret Heart

I started with a heart shaped wire frame I made from 0.9mm bronze wire, which I hammered flat to strengthen it. Then I added centre supports and a sort of scaffold going out from the centre supports in 0.5mm bronze wire.


I added the little wrapped vintage heart bead in the centre, and finally covered the heart shape in a criss cross pattern with 0.2mm (very fine) bronze wire.


Next, I started on the barbed wire chain.


I used the 0.9mm wire to make little eye pins with eyes on both ends, which I hammered flat. With the 0.5mm wire I then created the barbs for the wire on each of the little links. The next step was making jump rings and a custom made clasp for the chain. I linked everything together and the necklace was finished apart from the oxidisation. The chain - although it does look like barbed wire - is perfectly safe. There are no sharp edges on the barbs, as I've just squashed loops to make them look like barbs, which works just as well but is comfortable to wear.

It looked nice in plain bronze - see the Etruscan necklace - but the secret heart was not very visible and oxidising it made it far more interesting. A bit gothic, admittedly, but I think it works.




Forget-Me-Knots Necklace

This was born from a little sunshine and the pretty blue vintage flower beads (made from lucite) that arrived in the post the other day.

I started off with a kind of sprig in 0.9mm bronze wire to which I attached three flowers made with the lucite flower beads, some ivory coloured size 8 and yellow size 15 Japanese seed beads and some thin (0.5mm) wire.



I made three of these flower sprigs, connected them with handmade jumprings and added some ready made copper chain and a handmade clasp. The copper chain works much better with the bronze wire as the bronze wire looks almost like rose gold and the rosey sheen of it is closer to copper than the grey/gold/green sheen of ready made antiqued bronze chain.



The final touch are the Miyuki drops in yellow, pale blue, deep blue and white I attached as a little dangle next to the chain.