Hello again!
Before we get started, I completely forgot to mention that we are offering FREE SHIPPING for the holidays so order now!
I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s Christmas Tree tutorial ’cause here we go again! Its time for part 2: Christmas Wreaths!
Don’t you just love the holidays? My mom sure does and her spirit is certainly infectious. This year she asked me to make some Christmas charms for her to give to our family on Christmas Eve. I really like what I eventually came up with and so I thought I would make a tutorial for any chainmaillers who celebrate Christmas (or want to give a small but handmade gift to someone who does.) These are also pretty fast so they make good last minute oops-I-forgot-someone gifts too!
First off, so sorry for the massive delay: we had a bout of swine flu going around and it took quite awhile to recover from, Mike is still sick although now with pneumonia! (What a week!) But we are all getting better, slowly, and taking it easy.
I am not one of those girls that gets hugely excited about fancy designer purses but, I have been looking for the ‘perfect purse’ (and spent a small fortune on them in the meantime). The problem is that I can’t seem to find one that matches my style and is interesting with enough pockets for all my stuff and so, it in spirit of DIY, I am making one exactly how I want it. This is the first of series of posts chronicaling my purse’s creation, complete with learning a few new techniques. Coming up there will be some knitting, felting, possibly some embroidery as well, and today: chainmail!
Enough blabbity blab – here are some pictures of the chainmail section which will eventually be a small, secure pocket for money or cards on the outside of the completed purse.
Tools of the trade: chain nose and bent nose pliers, black and blue 3mm anodized aluminum rings (approxiametly 1300 blue, 600 black total).
And the finished chainmail section which measures just under 3 inches square, the perfect size for credit card, ID, cash, etc. For some reason my camera thinks the background is pinkish… which it isn’t.. but you get the idea. This section took probably the longest of all and I am very relieved to have it done, micromail is so fidgety and eye-crossing.
In a couple weeks I will make the main section (knit) and then a couple weeks after that I will share the decoration (felted) and make some final decisions about the strap and extra pockets etc for the inside.
Thanks for looking, happy crafting!
Featured here are all of my chainmail tutorials in order by the date of their original posting. More are sure to be added so check back and see what other new ideas we have for you! For other kinds of tutorials, click here.
Incredibly awesome dragons. Made of chainmail. This piece in particular really showed me just how incredibly versatile a medium chainmail can be. Crafted by Michael Stevenson from right here in Ontario, along with a host of other animals, these creative creatures incorporate a variety of ring sizes, metals, and weaves to achieve the incredibly detailed shapes. I found his work over on the Ring Lord Forums where he has a compendium of a bunch more great chainmail pieces.
Completed Flower Earings
Hi there, welcome to my first Beginner’s Do-It-Yourself tutorial! Today I am going to walk you through how to create these fun spring earrings as well as your own ear wires. Its pretty easy, I promise; let’s get started. You’ll need three kinds of pliers (chain nose, bent nose, and round nose) and a wire cutter to complete this project.
If you are using coloured rings like I am, be careful with your pliers as they can scratch the colour off if you are too rough.
The rest of the guide is after the jump! (Click “more…” below)
Every once in awhile, when I find something really spectacular, there will be a post like this. I’ll try not to gush too much but some things just have to be shared. How perfect that just as I am starting this blog, one of my favourite chainmaillers has created something absolutely inspiring.
From the Blue Buddha Boutique’s Rebeca Mojico comes this beautiful necklace, reminiscent of intertwined seaweed and aptly named Poseidon’s Embrace.
Created for a show, this stunning necklace uses over 14 000 coloured titanium rings and took over 100 hours to complete! What a feat of patience! Understandably this piece has already inspired those lucky enough to have been privy to some of the process over on the Ring Lord forums and I am sure it will impress many more. I look forward to hearing the results of the contest (and am very curious about the other entries!)
Make sure to check out their their other awesome work on their site, Blue Buddha Boutique and if you’re feeling inspired too, take a gander at their chainmaille supplies as well!
Good luck Rebeca!
~Emily
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