Fabric and Stone

Yesterday was my studio day. It was a cold and rainy day, so it was absolutely perfect to immerse myself in my artwork. I had a long list of things that I wanted to accomplish with BronzClay, fabric and enameling (there is never enough time to do it all). Although I did end up with some success, I didn't get nearly enough done. I started out working with a piece of stone that I had gotten last weekend. Looking at it, I think it will make the perfect top on a box or new business card holder. There were two areas on the stone that needed to be ground down level with the remainder. I'd never ground stone before, but I'm game for almost anything - I pulled out my dremel and a grinding wheel and started making noise and dust. It ground down really nicely. Now I need to continue polishing the stone and then I'll make the holder - probably from sheet copper. Maybe I'll enamel part of it. The possibilities are certainly out there. It gave me a great appreciation for people who work with stone, so I thought I'd share this cute product. The artist lives in England and makes these, and other styles, to order. Really nice, clean work and the price is right. Check it out.




The other major project that I've had on my mind (aside from my metalwork) is a cloak. As I mentioned last week, I want a cloak similar to the one that Elrond wore to the camp of King Theoden. I have the fabric and the basic instructions, but I wasn't about to cut into mega-expensive wool without making a muslin mock-up first. I have a 15-yard bolt of muslin for just that purpose. So I cut the appropriate lengths, joined them together to get the right width, and started work on the mock-up. This resulted in a quick trip to the fabric store to get a new pair of dressmakers shears. Then I had to find a room with enough open floor to lay the fabric out on. Geez - this thing is HUGE!!! But I finally got it measured, marked and cut out. Now to make alterations so that it will fit properly and get the hood figured out. THEN I'll duplicate it in wonderful wool and satin.