Bangle Magic

I wanted to include the pictures from my one day workshop that I went to last Saturday.

When a friend asked me would I like to go to a bangle making workshop with her, I said yes then did worry later whether I would enjoy it or not. Thankfully I loved the day workshop where most of us students had to shape round a strip of copper metal and work to what ever design we wanted. After the strip of copper metal was heated up with a specialized blowtorch, the metal was then pressed through a small presser using dried leaves. The effects were awesome leaving you a leaf pattern showing all the veins. The pattern round the edge of the bangle was hammered with a fine hammer leaving a lovely pattern. The bangle had to be dropped in some sort of acid, solutions so that the patterns in the design could darken. After the bangle was reshaped to fit the wrist then rubbed with a very fine sand-paper, the next bit of the afternoon were to make some earrings made from offcuts of copper. There was more filing and rubbing down to do but wow didn't the earrings work out like magic, not forgetting the bangle too, just brilliant. I would definitely go on a day course again doing jewellery if I had the chance even though I got very tired between three and four in the afternoon, but it was so worth it.

On the sewing front I have been good, working with Petra my new sewing machine on some dog coats. Scratch tried out her new dog coat midday when she wanted to go for a stroll round the block. It is helping to go on the sewing machine each day if I can just to get used to it. Next I'm working on Scruff's dog coat, then theres Bongos dog coat to work on, I'm delighted how everything is working out, I hope to take some photos tomorrow of my hounds modelling their coats for you.