Crafty Like A Fox

News: New Home

2006-07-24T14:20:00.000+10:00

I will now be continuing all my jewellery-related posts at the new home of Like A Fox—

www.fantasticmsfox.com

Hope to see you all there!

PS. My links list will be updated with all your lovely craft sites as soon as I accumulate a few more sites just to help it look more like a link list!

News: End of this Blog

2006-07-20T09:35:00.000+10:00

So many great craft bloggers I knew were on Blogspot so I thought it couldn't be half-bad, but since starting this blog, I have started regretting it more and more! Blogspot is still tons better than a lot the free blog websites out there but I think I need something a little more customisable. Now it is just a question of whether I should host my own Wordpress blog or start one on another free website...

Jewellery: Earrings

2006-05-06T12:10:00.000+10:00

Spotlight is having a sale on all Ribtex beads and findings. I had a few glass beads left over from my charm bags and rather than see them sit in my beads organiser, made a few versatile dangly earrings. The black pair is where I get a little more creative. The little sterling silver cross was again, from a pair of earrings I had lost the other half of, and the hematite was from a broken bracelet. I quite fancy asymmetrical earrings.

Jewellery: Pin

2006-05-06T11:59:00.000+10:00

I had two glass beads left over from a red choker I had previously attempted and this fae was from a pair of earrings, the other half I lost. I recently bought a light wool top that had a horrible nylon flower pinning it together. I did not hesitate in throwing that flower away but made this to hold the top instead.

Beading: Charm Bags

2006-05-01T22:15:00.000+10:00

These charm bags were so much fun to make! Rather than follow the exact instructions, I chose to use 6mm and 4mm beads whose size variation gave the bag a more elongated shape. It looks more like a croissant bag now, which I like much better. I bought the glass beads from Spotlight for a ridiculously overpriced amount of about $4 per bag even though they are tiny and did the violet one in about 3-4 hours. Since then, I have done the amber one twice with my second round only taking me an hour. Still, my back has been excruciatingly stiff since!

Sewing: Cake Pincushions

2006-04-23T14:40:00.000+10:00

I needed a pincushion as I was constantly stabbing myself with the meagre four pins I had to make clothes. Thank you to Heather for the link because when I saw this felt cake tutorial on Craftster, I knew that they would make the perfect pincushions for me and my friend Fiona. I also picked up some hand-sewing skills courtesy of the funky tutorials on Sublime Stitching. I didn't get too creative with my cakes in the short amount of time I had to make them. The thread boasts a few projects where I think the cake creators invented some designs and techniques of their own. Although I don't think anyone could beat this person who has made hundreds of felt foods and toys.

Materials included various coloured felt pieces I picked up for a measely 70c each and a 2.5m roll of stuffing for $2.50. I have also experimented with stuffing the cakes with strips of satin I had left over from my corset that I could not use for anything else. (See the chocolate/caramel one with two strawberries and a chocolate leaf). The satin actually helped the cake retain it's shape more easily and it's weight helps it feel more like a real mudcake, but you really need to stab the pins in hard. They are extremely easy to make and felt is such a breeze to work with because it does exactly what you want it to. Each cake takes roughly 3-4 hours to make depending on what garnishes you make. Whipped cream is a nightmare but the strawberries are a lot of fun.

Making these cakes have inspired me to have a Mad Tea Party theme for my birthday this year. It's my 21st so I want to do something a little beyond the ordinary. I was thinking I might get all my guests to bring a teapot, teacup and saucer and I could set up a long table in a park and decorate it with colourful confetti. As long as not too many people are coming, I could definitely bake some cookies and cakes that go with the theme.

Sewing: Kimono

2006-04-17T11:55:00.000+10:00

My first ever time putting needle to thread since compulsory projects in high school Design & Technology classes. The kimono was made of six identical panels, all pieced together with straight stitches and cuts (no curves had to cut or sewn at all). After it was finished, I extended the sleeves by double the length with red satin, the same material I used to make the obi, and punched eyelets along the front of the obi and smaller ones on my sleeves to create a corsetted look.

Fabric (from left to right)—black silk satin lining, closeup of woven silk outer layer, and reverse side of outer layer. Total materials came to about $40 and took me over 15 hours over 3-4 weekends.

I was really throwing myself in the deep end with this project and although it may look like I stayed afloat, the seams are terribly shaky. I definitely need more practice with an overlocker. I hope to make a very light version of this when summer comes around again in a soft, white silk and either investigate fabric painting some prints or embroider a few motifs to create a porcelain vase look.

Jewellery: Plum Choker

2006-04-14T20:30:00.000+10:00

After my first practice round of beading a choker, I set off on my first serious jewellery project to make something interesting, but still wearable on a regular basis. I wanted it to be sturdy and able to handle being thrown in the bottom of a handbag, as well as being quite eye-catching. It's composed of both glass and plastic beads (to minimise cost), hemming thread and reinforced with copper wire, and tied at the back with satin ribbon. Materials totalled around $15 although not all the beads were used and approximately 7 hours—the netted part demands extensive patience! Otherwise, it's a lot of fun and super easy to make. (Shall post up tutorial in due course).

Edit: The tutorial as promised. I found the example there quite dated (sorry Paula Morgan!) so rather than using four colours, I used all black. I also found that substituting the "permanent finish bronze" seed beads for a complementary colour while keeping all other beads black made for quite a lovely band too with little arrows that don't look so tacky. Once you get the rhythm down, this band can be quite therapeutic to make.

About Me

2006-04-13T00:00:00.000+10:00

I'm an intense, Plutonic, consuming, utterly sarcastic young woman in the process of obtaining my B. Greed at the University of Sydney. I like snakes, dessert, and leather-bound journals. My favourite sounds include Dir en Grey and Malice Mizer who write glorious songs that make your ears bleed. I also have a soft spot for Debussy and Paganini. Recently engaged but still assuredly unromantic, my fiancé loves me solely for my uncanny ability to make analogies... like a fox! After buying a white gold ring during gold's 25 year high, I've become hooked on the Financial Times aftering reading it just to watch for gold price fluctuations. I enjoy curling up with Keats, painting and photography, hot chocolate with marshmallows, oats and honey, rainy Winter afternoons, writing horror romance, Kendo, bellydance, cooking, beading, and watching standup comedy while roflmho ("ruffle-m'ho").

I'm one of the craftiest people I know offline but was floored with the number of dedicated craftsters I found online. I'm not really hot on the vintage renaissance, freeform ink illustration, le français inutile, random Japanese-esque style we're all drowning in at the moment on the Net, but damn they're cute. Rather, I prefer what people in the 1870's would have considered "vintage". Think quills, wax seals, masks, Pre-Raphaelite art, and everything else that appeals to blue-blooded. My poncy rabbit, Lord Byron approves whole-heartedly.