This is a necklace I made up with one of the disc poppies and leaves I have been making lately for the upcoming bead show. I made up a sample so that customers can see how I have used it, and to give them inspiration. However I am not happy with how I have "strung" it. You can see the back side of the bead in the picture below. I put a long headpin through a small accent bead, then through the front of the flower to the back, added another small bead and wire wrapped it using what I call "birds nest" wrapping. Then I bent the loop upwards with my pliers, and threaded it onto a copper figure 8 link - then added a hammered copper washer. The washer acts as a bit of a ballast and somewhere for the large chain, leaf and bead dangle to hang from. I have worn it several times, and it does not turn around (I was really pleased about this), and is quite comfortable. I want to be able to add one of my disc poppies to a rubber tube/cord type of necklace, and don't think this method will work with that, as I want the flower to be centered on the rubber cord.
OK - now for where I need your advice - how should I go about attaching the flower to the rubber cord? I don't want to just wire wrap it on, as it would possibly cut into the rubber and could flip so it was facing downwards, which is what I want to avoid. The problem is that this disc is not like a regular focal pendant whose hole is from top to bottom - the hole in the poppy disc is from front to back. So I am offering an incentive to someone who has an idea that will work for me with either the rubber cord or to streamline the method above. In about a weeks time I will draw one name from all the people who have given me a suggestion to my problem and that person will receive the ruffled disc poppy shown below. (Or a plain one if they prefer).
5 comments:
Hi Jane,i just love those beads so pretty, so i don't use rubber cord but i do use alot of leather idk how the rubber knots but when i use a focal on my leather i just tie 2 knots very close together in the center & leave enough space for your jumpring or whatever you are usung to attach your focal and attach it inbetween the 2 knots...the 2 knots hid the jumping... sometimes i only use one loose knot in the center and attach the focal right in the knot that look cute too..i also have a very good tutorial to make your own ends and clasp with wire instead of the fold over type ends.. just e-mail me if you want it...good luck Jane ttfn Lana :)
you could use Apoxie sculpt (an epoxy clay) it's an adhesive and easy to work with. You can make it look like a bracket covering over the rubber cord, rub some gilders paste on it. Even texture it to match the disc. you can order it from www.avesstudio.com
I don't know if this will work (but it seems to in my head). Take a piece of wire and make a spiral on one end. Bend the wire so it is centered and perpendicular to the sprial.Send the wire though the hole of the flower--think if this wire as the rung of a trapese. Take another piece of wire and wrap it around the 'trapese' wire just under the spiral--close to the flower. Send the wire up and over the flower and down the back side, wrapping it around the wire that came through the hole, maybe even curling it a bit here and there to look like a tiny vine. This will serve as a sort of bail. On the backside, with the unfinished wire that came through the hole, make another spiral and press it against the flower.
Again, this works in my head, but may not in real life.....and I just realized how difficult it is to write instructions for something that is only in my head. forward.
Good luck!
Here is my suggestion...I would start as you have, pin through the center and then behind the flower this center pin will be wrapped at the center to a thicker gauge pin, upright, parallel to the flower. the upright pin, at the upper end will have a loop at 90 deg. to allow for chain, rubber cord or leather, in fact any type of stringing material. At the bottom end, another loop for the dangle of leaves, buds, etc. The upright pin will not be visible from the front as it will be just a tad short of the diameter of the flower bead, and since it runs behind and parallel it would prevent the flower from facing any other way but front and center. The upright pin at the back should be as close as possible to the flower bead. What do you think?
Thanks for your suggestions ladies - I will leave the "help wanted" sign up until next Thursday or Friday, and will then do a draw. I am looking over your comments, and will give each of them a try. I also have an idea to make a bail out of polymer clay to wire the disc to - probably similar to what Kathy suggested. I was at a polymer clay group meeting today and mentioned the idea and the"professionals" thought it was doable.
Thanks again for your help.
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