Evolution of The Filigree Butterfly

Hello friends,

Thank God it's the third day of March 2015 now, time flies so fast!
I am so grateful that I can write again today.
As I said in my previous blog, I am going to talk more about The Filigree Butterfly made few years ago. The Filigree Butterfly is a very dear and special project for me because it is the first time I have to create something for a wedding bouquet which is an important part and symbol of a happy wedding, and I really love butterfly!
Hopefully you can get something from the evolution making progress and my learning process that I'm going to share.

It all came from the brief given by a dear friend of mine who is a florist serving a bride wished to have a wedding bouquet with a butterfly similar to the one in this wonderful bouquet:

Butterfly Red Rose Bouquet by Lani Elizabeth 

(image courtesy of www.lanielizabeth.com)

As a response from the brief, I made several designs for the butterfly and finally came out with these alternatives:

                                                     Alternative 1: full filigree butterfly

                                                   Alternative 2: simple filigree butterfly

The client prefer full filigree butterfly but wanted the filigree even more delicate like the one in the example picture, so I made some changes using thinner wire (22g instead of the 20g previously used) for the inner part of the wings.

Arranging more delicate filigree

Marking the filigree positions with permanent marker

Coiling the filigree and placing them in position

One wing is almost finished

                                           The Filigree Butterfly halfway making progress

What I learned through the making progress:

1. 3 wires filigree is possible to create
Creating a wire filigree with 3 pcs of wire (meaning there is 1 stand-alone wire) turns out possible to do but requires combination of weaving and coiling technique (not just coiling) to help them stay in place, and is more challenging to keep the coiling/weaving look neat

2. Beadalon Tacky Bead Mat is very useful helping tool for filigree making
A little tool that I found was very useful to help me work with these delicate filigree parts is what you see in the picture as the blue background, that is Beadalon Tacky Mat.

The Beadalon Tacky Mat

(image courtesy of www.i-beads.co.uk)

Very useful to use when working with beads, as well as wire

(image courtesy of www.riogrande.com)

It is a kind of sticky mat made of perhaps silicone rubber material so I can actually place the filigree "puzzle" on the mat and be sure that the filigree positions stay in place while arranging them. It is also useful when I need to transport them for the client to actually see the design in person, or working on-the-go while travelling. I simply sealed the wire filigree with another piece of plastic on top of the sticky mat to lock them in place and they are ready to go.

Place a mica plastic piece on top of the filigree to seal it

Filigree parts sealed and ready to go

Here is the (almost) finished butterfly, it looks delicate, light and airy:

3. Combining wire with other medium is possible and could create dramatic effect
Now for the finishing, I need to put glitter on top of the wire. At first I was pessimist whether it is possible to put glitter glue on top of wire and attach organza fabric at the bottom part of the wings, aside from my personal preference to have the butterfly simply wire so people can actually see the coiling / weaving and enjoy the handmade parts. However, because it was the request from the first place to create a glittery butterfly and we want the bride to be happy, I give it a go and test the glitter glue unto another test piece:

Test piece, it's working!

I simply used UHU glue to attach the organza fabric to wire, and then use this glitter glue on top of the wire for the glittery effect:

The glitter glue

 (image courtesy of www.perfectparchmentcraft.com)

The finished butterfly half way glittered. 

It works well especially on top of the coiled part 

where the surface is wider and textured from the coiling 

that helps retain the glitter to stick to the wire

The finished butterfly with red organza and glitter, so dramatic!

The final butterfly on the rose bouquet, it looks amazing!

So, that is the story of The Filigree Butterfly. I hope you enjoy it and can get a bit of inspiration for your fantastic projects. See you next time!

Keep smiling, keep shining, keep creating!
Gaby

Christe Jewelry Returns... Wire Jewelry Tips and Inspirations from year 2012 - 2013

Hello all friends...
Yay it's already year 2015 now, and I thank God for the chance to blog again after few years behind now.
I am so grateful and thrilled!

Since my Multiply blog (and all Multiply blogs) was deactivated in 2012, I still keep on communicating with existing customers offline, however I knew that I have to come back to the online world to share more and keep on inspiring. So many changes have happened now in my jewelry making direction and so many inspirations to share later on, but I will start the story in this post with the latest wire jewelry creations I made up to year 2013.

Flashback to year 2012 - 2013, below are several types of wire jewelry creations I made during busy times when I went back to work full time in another field.

Combining Wire Filigree with Organza & Glitter

Materials: brass wire, freshwater pearls, organza fabric, UHU glue, glitter glue

Technique: filigree, coiling

This gorgeous butterfly is made by request for a bride who wanted to place a special butterfly on her flower bouquet. That is why I combined the wire filigree with red organza and glitter as per request, an unusual combination but thank God it worked! If you wonder how to put them (wire, organza, glitter) together, the secret answer is so simple, use glue and glitter glue! Although it sounds so simple, you need to be extra careful and patient to be able to get a neat result. More about the butterfly will be coming in the next blog...

Working with Argentium Silver

Studs and Simple Earrings

Materials: druzy stone, mabe pearls, Swarovski crystal beads, cubic zirconia, 930 Argentium Silver wire
Technique: netting, weaving, prong

Adjustable Prong Ring

Material: genuine amethyst gemstone (point back), 930 Argentium Silver wire and round beads

I found that working with argentium silver is pretty much similar to working with sterling silver, which is a bit harder and more fragile compared to copper based craft wires, but still quite easily formed to get desired results. I got my argentium wires from Rio Grande, an American based supplier that provides premium quality jewelry making materials. However, I found that apparently the argentium still tarnish overtime, unlike the advertisement. So even though the tarnish is a bit easier to clean compared to sterling silver, I prefer to put patina on them to get vintage finish.

Watch Bangles

Wood Fossil Watch Bangle

Materials: wood fossil square cabochon, copper coated wire (black), Swarovski crystal beads, metal beads
Techniques: netting, coiling

Woven Turqouise Watch Bangle

Materials: brass wire, turquoise and howlite beads, red garnet beads, Swarovski crystal beads
Techniques: weaving, coiling

One crucial thing I learned about watch bangle is that the clasp needs to be sturdy, which means that:

• the clasp wire need to be thick enough to hold the watch securely, 
• it does not break easily even though it is being worn daily, but 
• still flexible enough to be opened and closed without too much strength needed. 

The above criterias are not very easy to meet with pure wirework techniques, and for that reason I suggest my customer to try a watch bangle design without clasp. I used 18g brass wire to give the bangle enough strength and flexibility. The result turned out well and the customer is happy.

Cute Hello Kitty Designs

Materials: stainless steel wire, silver coated copper wire, Swarovski crystal beads

These Hello Kitty designs are inspired by Inge Liana's Kitty design

Inge is excellent in wire character and name sculpture, she made beautiful items that you can check out HERE

Simple Swarovski Crystal Pendants

Very easy ways to make a decorated bail for bold Swarovski pendant beads is to use manually twisted wire and twisted wrapped briolette techniques. You can find my Manually Twisted Wire tutorial for FREE HERE and if you are interested in learning twisted wrapped briolette techniques, you can purchase the tutorial HERE

Others (Necklaces, Pendants & Rings)

I hope those gives you a bit of inspiration to create your own wire jewelry design.

See you next time. Meanwhile, keep smiling, keep shining, keep creating!

Love,

Gaby

www.christejewelry.etsy.com

www.christebeadsgemstone.etsy.com