A to Z of Crafts - V = Violin Making

As someone who not only plays the violin and owns a violin that was made in London in 1900 by a German violin maker, but who also studied the history of the violin as part of my college course, this topic held special interest.

Making an instrument of the violin family may be done in different ways, many of which have change very little in 500 years since the first violins were made. Hand made violins, called "bench-made" instruments, are made by a single individual, either a master worker, or an amateur working alone.

The violin first emerged in Northern Italy in the early 16th century. From 1530 the word violin appears in Brescian documents and spread all round north of Italy. while no instruments from the first decades of the century survive, there are several representations in paintings.

The oldest confirmed surviving violin, dated inside, in the "Charles IX" by Andrea Amati made in Cremona in 1564. Of course, the most famous of the old 'master' violin makers is Antonio Stradivari, although there are also several other "old masters". These days, many violin makers use the outlines of one of the old masters when crafting their violins.

Here are some current examples I have found of handcrafted violins:

Justin White Violins

Violin made by Chris David Lilley

Strad Model Violin by William Paul Muller

A to Z of Crafts - U = Upcycling

Okay, so maybe I've taken a bit of poetic license on this one but given the huge variety of handmade items that are available, all upcycled items, I believe it is a valid "craft" to include.

So what is upcycling? Upcycling is defined as the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality. This is as opposed to downcycling where the new products are of a lesser value than the original. The term recycling covers both.

The first recorded use of the term upcycling was by Reiner Pilz of Pilz GmbH in an interview in 1994. Talking about the impending EU demolition directive he stated "Recycling - I call it downcycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling where old products are given more value not less".

So here are some great upcycled handmade products that I have found, all made here in Australia:

Trees and Sunset Upcycled China Plate Clock by Twice Loved China

Owl Brooch by Yasmin Ellis

Floral Pin Cushion by Sharon May

Burlesque Sideshow Framed Mirror by Emma Dilemmas Shop

Georgia Cake Stand by Domum Vindenia

Upcycled Doily - Hugging Wolf by Candy Bandits

Black Rutilated Quartz and Crystal Earrings

I was fascinated by rutilated quartz the first time I saw a picture of it. It was actually on a group buy and some others had purchased the stones. I was determined that at some time I had to get some for myself to work with. What fascinated me where the needle like strands of another colour, the 'rutile', interweaving themselves through the centre of the clear quartz.

Well, I finally purchased some black rutilated quartz briolettes. They have a faceted cut so not only do they show of the black strands within the stone but they also capture the light beautifully. I decided to team them with two colours of Swarovski crystal, some Jet to highlight the black rutile strands and some crystal satin. The briolettes are wrapped in sterling silver wire and the crystals have been set on hand forged balled head pins.  All stones are gathered together on jump rings and then suspended from hand forged ear wires.

So that is it - my Black Rutilated Quartz and Crystal Earrings - I hope that you too fall in love with these fascinating stones.

September Birthstone - Sapphire

The birthstone for September is the gorgeous precious stone Sapphire. Throughout history sapphire symbolises truth, sincerity and faithfulness in relationships, and to bring peace, joy, and wisdom to the owner and wearer. In the past the sapphire was also believed to be a talisman that would protect you against evil spirits and other unsavoury creatures of the night. The ancients regarded star sapphires as a powerful talisman protecting travellers and seekers.

While blue is the traditional and most popular sapphire colour, sapphires are actually found in a wide range of colours including pink, purple, yellow and green. Large sapphires are rare and often attract fame and myth. Some of the world's mot famous sapphires include the Star of India, the Logan Sapphire, the Midnight Star and the Star of India.

My Blue Sapphire and Sterling Earrings pictured above are my example of a piece of jewellery featuring this gorgeous gemstone.

Here is some more lovely sapphire jewellery from members of the Jet team:

Isabella Necklace - Sapphires and 14k Gold by Lotus Stone

 

Bold Sterling and Blue Sapphire Knuckle Ring by Metalicious

 

Natural Blue Sapphire Necklace by The Silver Bear

 

Midnight Blue Sapphire Teardrop Briolette Necklace by Silver Smack

Shazzabeth on MadeIt

It was great to receive the newsletter from MadeIt a few days ago letting us know of the updates to the site. Two of the updates that I was really pleased about were the opportunity to create your own categories for your shop, as opposed to having all your categories determined by your listing categories, and also the ability to determine the order that the items in your shop are listed. I therefore spent some time today editing all my items into my newly created categories, and then sorting out the order that I wanted items to show - well, on the front page anyway. I think it all makes my MadeIt shop look much better and more organised.

Friday Favourites

Knit Lace Midnight Blue Cocktail Special

by

Murielle Kniwear

A to Z of Crafts - T = Tatting

Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops. Tatting can be used to make lace edging, as well as doilies, collars and other decorative pieces. The lace is formed by a pattern of rings and chains formed from a series of cow hitch or half hitch knots over a core thread. The term for tatting in most European languages is derived from French frivolité, which refers to the purely decorative nature produced by this technique.

All of the available evidence shows that tatting originated in the early 19th century. As most fashion and home economics magazines from the first half of the 20th century attest, tatting had a substantial following. When fashion included feminine touches such as lace collars and cuffs, and inexpensive yet nice baby shower gifts were needed, this creative art flourished.

Modern day tatters are innovative and creative and every day new tatting techniques are created.

Here are some great examples of tatting work that I have found:

Sunflower Centrepiece by Tatting for Spirit

 Pastel Butterflies Hand Tatted by Sue Runyon Designs

 

Handcrafted Tatted Round Doily by Shop Gift

Fabiola - Tatting Cat Earrings by Congato