Besides posting on
my blog and taking a picture daily I am determined to acquire new
skills this year. So far I have decided on the finer arts of knitting
(sock and cable knit sweater making) as well as complex baking. A 3-D
cake seems complex to me. What I have also always been interested in
is jewellery making. I am not talking about looping beads on a
string I actually mean silver smiting. I adore handmade silver work
and would honestly love to create my own pieces. Etsy is a fountain
of such works and I will tell you I am jealous. I will link several
of my favourite artists below.
So here is my
thought, how does one learn? There certainly no classes at the
university I went to. There are some course you can take at Algonquin
College. They are for beginner and intermediate silversmithing. You
end up with a pendant and a few rings, some of your own design. It
cost at least 425$ plus some additional supplies, per course. The
Ottawa-Carelton District School (OCDS) also provides classes. They
are between 95 – 160$ (all prices before taxes) per 4 week course,
. There are 6 courses in total, and hey seem to cover more than the
Algonquin College ones.
Quilting is
another thing I would like to work on. I made this beautiful
butterfly quilt when I was about 20, it was perfect, then I washed
it. It fell completely apart, I hadn't used a overlock stitch on the
edges. It was before I had a overlocking sewing machine (serger) you
see and I guess my seam allowance were not wide enough. I ended up
making a quilt last year for my Aunt's 50th birthday. It
worked out quite well. It was one of those family picture quilts.
The main part of the squares were white with a bunch of family photos
in them. It was then surrounded by three strips of colour on each
side. It was in fuchsia, purples and burgundy. My aunt, who also
sews, loved it and wants the pattern, I didn't have the heart to tell
her it was mostly free hand.
Anyway, my point is I would like to do a
more involved, detailed quilt. Plus , the last quilt I made I
considered a puff quilt, I attached the front to the back with four
buttons. Not really professional eh? The OCDS also provide courses
for this, 3 priced between 109-125$ per 7-8 week course.
Another thing I
would like to learn would be stain glass making. I would really like
to make a lamp at some point.
Actually I would like to make a hanging
lamp to go over an island in a kitchen. I have always wanted one of
those. (Either that or a metal frame that you hang stainless steel
pots from.) But since I don't have a kitchen or an island right now,
that one can wait. But when I am ready 2 courses are also available
through the OCDS, they range in price from 95 -175$ for 6 - 8 weeks
long.
So if I want to
take them all I guess I am going to have to save up.
No comments:
Post a Comment