Think pieces of lace..

*Lace Jewelry update: 

I acquired about 3 yards of this 1900 vintage embroidered lace...trying to figure out how to use it. 

 Stiffened these small pieces of lace with fabric stiffener, added a chain and a couple of findings to make it hang right and for balance. This was fun trying to figure out!!  Simple elegant and re-purposed!!

Beading Vintage Lace

Vintage lace update: In my latest rummage sale vintage  lace find  was a piece of this very delicate lace...I tried beading  a small piece, but the lace was too delicate and tore. I have been looking at large hole beads but nothing has excited me yet and pretty pricey as well. There was a local gem fair, and my friend took me in tow to show me around the exhibits. We went on the  hunt for  big hole beads.  My friend saw these MOP rings strung like beads and wondered if they would work. The rings had the potential to "bead"  my brittle lace. I've worked on this piece most of the day. I reworked it 4 times..lots of ribbon and wire work to support lace. Still needle work to finish and wire cleanup...I'm not sure I like how this turned out, but I did figure out another way to solve the lace-to- chain connection dilemma! (I ran wire  through the lace for support, threaded on a pearl and wrapped the pearl and wire around the wire stringing the "doughnut"connecting ring together. Finished by weaving ribbon around the lace to cover wires ..not wearable with wires poking out)  Sounds complicated?    IT WAS!!!

Wedding necklace..Lots of needlework

I have 40 hours of stitching and threading into this piece.  Whew!!  Wedding necklace.

I used wire and weaved it through the lace to attach the vintage MOP buttons, acrylic crystals and pearl beads.  I hand stitched the bottom two lace pieces together and attached the LARGE beautiful MOP button as a focal piece and anchor to hold the two lace pieces together as well.   It was all done.. or so I thought until I tried it on.  The wires scratched!!  I then had to hand sew a piece of soft ribbon on the back of the whole piece so it would be wearable.

Just because a necklace is pretty doesn't mean it's wearable...always check .. and secure or snip wire ends  or button backs to make for comfortable wearing.

Vintage Repurposed

The box of jewelry findings I was given yesterday, turned out to be a treasure for me today!  This is my most favorite necklace that I have made to date. Most of the green stones are vintage cut glass. I also took some parts from another bracelet belonging to my great-grandmother to make the lower pendant and several of the upper chain pieces.  I had to add a new chain, the older chain was brittle and kept breaking.  Old meets new!! Beautiful and repurposed!

Broken jewelry? or Vintage treasure?

 I received a box of  broken jewelry bits and pieces

today.  I started to do some work on this necklace, but the chain is proving to be problematic. The chain is old and brittle...may require a chain switch out.  Beautiful green glass pieces.  I never know what I'll find in a box of broken jewelry offerings!!  Or what repurposed creation will result.....

Image this with vintage lace....

 This necklace was made with a modern piece of used ribbon from a wedding present...soft satin wired ribbon and some beads.....I'M LEARNING to make mock ups of necklaces using normal findings so I can discover where any difficulties may arise before committing vintage lace etc. to a project.

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Imagine using vintage lace (and large hole beads so as to not tear the fragile lace).....

This would need some wiring to hold the shape with vintage laces, but it could be a beautiful and pretty way to repurpose and display special laces.



UPDATE:   Another piece of ribbon,, another easy necklace!
Also a slightly different version using a scrap of silky scarf material, some beads and a pendant.

Lace and buttons...first try

Latest button necklace creation was fun but irritating. Combining metals, lace, buttons and crystals was difficult and I made a lot of changes figuring it out. So many buttons so little time..