Stiffen Crochet Items

flickr Vilman Stiffened Crochet

Ususally I’m not interested in stiffening crochet items because I don’t make ornaments.
But when I saw the lamp I knew that I was lost ;-))

I haven’t made much research until now, but via the Google search and the Google image search I have found at least ‘About Stiffeners’ where there are a lot of recipes and instructions and even tips on how to reshape an item where necessary.

Let’s see what I will make…
;-)


Links:
Ball shaped crocheted lamp shade – you must also see the following pictures
via: ravelry project

About Stiffeners – there also hints about reshaping of an item

Google search result for ‘starch crochet’
Google image search result for ‘starch crochet’

Skinner Blend Beads Necklace


unikatissima Skinner Blend Necklace

I made some nice necklaces from very narrow polymer clay beads where the bead colours are blended – and I wanted to present them now.

 

That’s what you do:

 
unikatissima Skinner Blend Necklace
First make a Skinner Blend (a ploymer clay slab with a colour blend).
I blended it from light green to blue.
Cut the slab in stripes and wrap them around one or more kebab skewers – not too firm or you get problems taking them off, later.
Join the edges thoroughly and with care so that the beads won’t fall apart later.
At the top of the photo you see a piece of light green polymer clay, that will become contrasting beads.

By the way: If you don’t have a pasta machine for the Skinner Blend (never use a pasta machine used for polymer clay for food again!) you can find hints on how you can manage without it via the links below.

 

unikatissima Skinner Blend Necklace
Cut the wrapped slab with a small knife down to the skewer at regular intervals, I made my future beads about 3 mm wide.

 

unikatissima Skinner Blend Necklace
Bake the polymer clay following the instructions and get the beads off the skewer(s) carefully.
On this photo you see my light green contrasting bead that I put between the others to make it look more interesting and you see a silver bead where I don’t remember how I coloured it.
I think that I used silver coloured metallic powder that I bought for some Mica shift projects.

 

unikatissima Skinner Blend Necklace
I threaded my beads on a self-dyed violet silk cord and made the clasp from a black braided band and a big, round light green bead.

 

unikatissima Skinner Blend Necklace
And that is a red necklace with Skinner Blend beads that I gave away – I’m sorry for the poor quality of the picture, when I took the photo at that time I didn’t know how to make good photos.
On both sides of the black central bead I let the colour blend go from light to dark red and loosened it up with narrow black beads.
The earrings are simply cones that I rounded at the top and that I carved slightly horizontally to make them match the necklace.

 


Links:
Skinner Blend

Don’t have a pasta machine?
Making A Jellyroll Cane Without A Pasta Machine
via: Glass Attic – Pasta machines – click on ‘No pasta machine?–other ways …guide rails’

Pasta Free Skinner Blend (Video)

Here at unikatissima:
Polymer Clay Mica Shift

Taking Photos from Jewelry
Poor Man Side Flash

Plastic Funnel

instructables Plastic Funnel

Sometimes you need a big funnel – why not cutting the top of a plastic bottle and use this?
I find this instruction great again: with little means reaching something practical and additionally recycling :)

By the way you can use those funnels, too, when pouring little beads from one container to the other, I don’t like to use my kitchen funnels for this.

Incidentally you can use up the rest of your bottle, too ;-)


Links:
Plastic Funnel (Never buy plastic funnels again!)

Here at unikatissima: Entries containing the word ‘plastic bottle’

Shape Book

cheeky magpie Shape Book

I’ve seen some shaped books, at an exhibition e.g. in our public library and I always liked them.
Therefore I’ve been pleased to find a tutorial for shaped books – great! :))

By the way, there are folded books, too which seem to be interesting, too ;-)


Links:
Shape Book Tute
folded books 2

Knitted Plaster Impregnated Bandage and more

Fan My Flame Knitted Plaster Impregnated Bandage and more

Isn’t this a great idea?
A friend sent me the link to the blog where they knit with several ‘unorthodox’ materials – it’s worth a try, I find ;-)
Perhaps crocheting, too!?

By the way, you can knit with polymer clay, too, but unfortunately I didn’t find back the links except for some photos.


Links:
Knitted Plaster Impregnated Bandage and more (Knitting… not as you know it!)
Photos of knitted polymer clay

St.Petersburg Necklace

Cut Out + Keep St Petersburg Necklace

I found a beading tutorial for a beautiful necklace, the St. Petersburg necklace.

Doesn’t only look wonderful but seems to be easy to make, but I have to try this yet ;-)


Links:
St.Petersburg Necklace

Additionally I found (but unfortunately I can’t remember how) a PDF-file with this tutorial: Stitch a St. Petersburg to make a lariat or necklace designed by Hatsumi Oshitani (PDF – ca 600 KB)

Fabric Scrap Scarf

craftstylish Fabric Scrap Scarf

Again a scarf from scraps ;-)
But this time it’s not only about scraps nor scarves: It’s about this technique, where you arrange fabric pieces and/or yarns on water-soluble sheet, where you make it ‘unslippable’ by spraying it with fabric glue where necessary, where you cover it with water-soluble sheet again and then sew more or less wildly in all directions to connect all elements with each other.
After rinsing it (thoroughly!) you get a more or less delicate fabric that you can use as scarf like on the photo, but you can also make a top top top or a one-of-a-kind vest one-of-a-kind vest poncho from.

There is even a book that shows how you can mix this technique with felting.

I really must do this once ;-)


Links:

Here at unikatissima:

 

Hexagonal Box

papirklip og aesker Hexagonal Box.jpg

I always like to look for boxes and I like the hexagonal box very much – just as much as the Washi box because they have both this ‘extra box on the inside’.

Coming soon! ;-)


Links:
Hexagonal Box (Sekskantet papæske Hexagonal box) (Danish and Englisch) – the first text is always Danish, the English text follows in italic font

Here at unikatissima:
Make a Washi Box
Entries with the tag ‘box’

Mini Dress-Form Jewelry Stand

Craft Chi Mini Dress-Form Jewelry Stand

I’ve seen several mini dress-form jewelry stands already but I find an instruction on how to make it yourself muuuch better ;-)

I really have to take a look for appropriate dolls at my next junk market visit ;-)


Links:
Mini Dress-Form Jewelry Stand