Now, my dear fellows, I show you something that I have not done before: behold, Soutache jewelry!
Oh, what does that mean? It means that some soutache cord (hence, the name of the thing) is taken and sewed all together, inserting here and there fragments of your imagination :).
No, not your imagination, but beads, stones, feathers, whatever your imagination (yes, this is it's place) brings up front.
What I like most about these things is that they grow on their own. They have this fascinating tendency to be alive from the begining ( I almost wrote their birth :))) ), as if they are whispering in your ear what they want to be when they will grow up.
I know some other poeple out there are capable of first designing their jewelry, for me every piece is a continous surprise, up to the moment when I look at it and it tells me: I'm ready!
I let you enjoy some pieces that were born this way.
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| painted agats |
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| sun stone and glass beads |
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| glass beads and pearls |
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| glass beads and pearls |
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| glass beads and crystals, kumihimo cord |
Wow!! These are incredible!! I have never seen anything like them, and I want to make some right now (of course I have no idea how and I don't know what soutache cord is, much less have any on hand...)! Do you think you might do a tutorial? How did you learn? I am off to Google this technique.... I can only hope to one day make some that are even half as gorgeous as yours.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you describe "What I like most about these things is that they grow on their own. They have this fascinating tendency to be alive from the begining...." I tend to create as I go along rather than planning things out, especially with beadwork. Sometime it works out wonderfully, sometimes not. This past December I became obsessed with cutting out paper snowflakes (really kind of crazy obsessed... I was upset about Newtown and other things and it was a kind of therapy to make them). Anyway, I made dozens and dozens and they got more and more intricate. Luckily I have a 7 year daughter to appreciate them and she has made some great ones herself! Part of what I loved about it was that it is totally impossible to make any 2 that are exactly alike (I suppose if you drew a template and transfered it you could get pretty close, but that would defeat the purpose). My daughter would make one and ask (competitively) , "Do you think you could do one like this?" and I would answer, "No, I could never do one like yours. All snowflakes are different. One of a kind, just like people..."