New PMC Chain Maille bracelet

One of the first things I made in my PMC class last Saturday at Not Simply Beads in Plymouth, MA, was some charms. The size makes a good starting piece and since they are small, do not use up too much of the relatively expensive silver clay. A good thing for a beginning project.

I made these four little "flowers" and added them to a simple 2 x 2 Chain Maille bracelet. As with the heart I showed yesterday, the first thing I did was add texture. Nichole has drawers of interesting things to give the clay texture. With these four I used four different designs for texture.




They don't look much different but they are. The big thing I noticed with the charms was that my wrist is not allowing me to put as much pressure on mixing the clay as required to make it smooth. It has to be smooth to start with or everything else is not smooth. I didn't notice it until I looked very closely after the charms were fired and cleaned up. My instructor kneaded the heart piece when I asked her how to make it look smooth. Now I have a new PT move to practice to improve the strength of my hand. More fun than squeezing a ball. At least I learned how to make improvements.

Here is another view of the charm bracelet.




Tonight I took an old deck of cards and made some packs to use for varying the thickness of the clay when rolled. It is the same method as used in polymer clay to make a uniform thickness in clay. I now have 2 packs each of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 cards. Now, I need to gather some more items for my newest jewelry making addiction and make more before I forget all that I've learned.

It is nice have something new to combine with my other favorite, Chain Maille.

B


www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com