Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Antique Shop Find + Crochet= Lovely Jewelry

I love browsing antique shops and flea markets, but rarely get to do so now that I live in Kuwait.  When I travel, I am always on the lookout for things I can use in my work.  When I was living in England a few years back, I was planning on doing a mosaic project and collected many slightly damaged plates.  I was inspired by the brilliant work of Kaffe Fassett, and remembered reading about how he found bits of antique china in a park near his home in London.  I wanted to "frame" the broken bits of china in crochet as each part of the plate is its own picture.   Each piece is a different shape and I think that adds to the charm of the bracelet.  I used tapestry wool for the background, which I find I use a lot for jewelry, as I only need a small quantity and it comes in a myriad of colors.  I made each of the frames separately, and then played with them until I had the most visually appealing arrangement.  The finishing touch was the brushed silver sequins and seed beads sprinkled around the china pieces.  It is thrilling to be able to give new life to a broken plate and create a one of a kind bracelet. My hooks and I are looking forward to my next treasure hunt!

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