Friday, December 03, 2021

How to make a Button Bangle


I bet you all thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth, didn't you? 

Not quite, but it has been busy! 
A nice commission to get through - top secret (had to sign a NDA) so sometime in the future I'll be able to share. :)

Working really hard on the historical button book, it is getting whipped into shape. Still so many photos to take though, as it will be a step-by-step. My title is far too long I reckon, well, the subtitle is. I don't know. It tell it like it is. 

The Historical Buttonmaker Volume 1:
The 15th, 16th and 17th centuries

To be fair, there won't be many medieval, so I might leave that bit out.

Of course, we are also working hard to plan next year's shows and what new kits we press ahead with.

We have our last Craft Store show coming up on the 11th at 10am, and I've got my covid booster next week as well. 

And that isn't even thinking about Christmas. haha!

I hope you enjoy this - I love button bracelets and have quite a few made on elastic, some joined with rings but I do have a soft spot generally for bangles. This actually came about because Anne (from my design sample team) made a fantastic trinket box many years ago using a big yubinuki. Which was awesome. So much work! Taking the whole yubinuki concept big gives a lot of scope I think for using up fabric and card. 

Take care everyone. 

22 comments:

  1. I love those long book titles of yore!

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  2. AHA!!!!! I knew there was an extra plate whirling around there! So glad the commission is filled - I know you will share when you are allowed to.
    I too love button bracelets and have built them on all sorts of bases - I think I will have to give this method a go when I rebuild the black and white buttons on black. Thank you for the film!
    We had a jaunt today - 30 miles south to the University of Chapman Art Gallery for a feast of California plein aire paintings. Sure is odd to turn a corner and see one of your favorite views painted ninety years ago by a Swedish immigrant artist! Peculiar to be out in public and to drive that far - we really have turned into hermits! Lunch across the street in a repurposed railroad station - that heavyily raftered ceiling, deep window embrasures, arched openings - Union Pacific All The Way! More nostalgia and homesickness - amazing what makes us happy!
    Tomorrow morning I get another class in Ukrainian Embroidery - more wool on linen and really simple to do do but takes practice to do well! My library on Ukrainian embroidery is growing but I am trying to keep it to topics I like to work - no point in knowing how to do something that leaves you cold!
    Safe and well. Hugs all around. xxx

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  3. Zoom workshop that starts late and keeps losing sound is not a lot of fun and not terribly educational, but it did get me started on the subject sooner than I might have otherwise, so it is not a complete loss. Hope your weekend ventures went well.
    Safe and well. xxx

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    1. Your day out sounded great! I know what you mean about being hermits, we are too, it now seems such a big deal to venture places - and of course the checklist of what is needed has grown.
      Such a shame about the zoom class. Its fantastic when it works, but so frustrating when it doesn't. Weather has turned cold here and my hip has been aching, think I need to move a round a bit more! Stay safe and well both of you! xxx

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    2. Sorry about the hip ache - it is so unfair that we seem to be falling apart just when life gets really fun and interesting! And yes, do move! You do not need to lose the hip!
      In the process of trying to learn about this particular Ukrainian embroider type I've run across some interesting tutorials and have gleaned a bit from even the most poorly done - I guess it is like anything else you want to learn - just keep looking at books and videos and working at it until you find someone who writes the way you think.
      Stay safe and well both of you - His Royal Tobyness too! xxx

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  4. Happy Sunday Night to us - power back on at 8pm, down since 1pm :( Don says they thought it would take until 9, so I guess we are ahead of the game. Walked down for fish and chips and realize we need candles and lighters - hard to do needlework by flashlight!!!
    Safe and well! xxx

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    1. Oh no! Hopefully that won't happen again! We are bracing ourselves for something similar this year, they seem to be forecasting a lot of bad storms. Keep warm and well xxx

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    2. Exciting episode this noon - I put something in the microwave, pushed 'the right buttons', and went to finish preping food - Don came down and opened the microwave door on a smoking, smoldering mass! Luckily, nothing burst into flames, the smoke alarm did not go off, and I had replacement food. I have never done such a thing in my life - there were still 28 minutes on the timer - completely addlepated! Oh well, no harm done and the smell is going off.
      Regarding electric outage - research into rechargeable LED lamps is going forward, so that worry will go away, although I prefer a candle and matches (very old school there, I'm afraid ;) ).
      Have to go close the windows - the furnace is trying to warm the great outdoors - 61' at 1:30pm - decidedly cool for here!
      Safe and warm! Hugs all around. xxx

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    3. Oh I have done that before, not quite to smoldering, and it is usually Mark's fault (of course!) He does everything in the microwave on high - I use the relevant temperature. I've often create rice concrete by not checking and turning down the power before starting! The problem with anything rechargeable is remembering to charge it! haha! I'm a bit useless at that. I like my candles and matches too :) Stay safe and warm!! A little cooler will feel as drastic for you as for us xxx

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    4. I think the cherry on this week has to be the insect bites on my legs at sock top level - six or seven red, hot, painful, swollen and itching. Actually sent a piteous moan to the doctor, which I cancelled this morning because while still all of the above it isn't quite as bad as it was last night. Some research is leading me to the Boots for an antihistamine cream and some Benadryl to up the defense anti. I do hope this concludes the unpleasantness for a spell - maybe 'til after Christmas? Hold good thoughts!
      Have a fabulous show, sell out, travel safely, hugs all around, etc. xxx

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    5. Oh no! I hope the bites have eased off now. Constant pain like that is so annoying. A nice show, thank you, and got home safe. Tired out, 5am starts are not my thing I'm afraid, no matter how hard I try. So back to packing in the morning! Stay safe and well both of you, and heal quickly xxx

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    6. Miraculously, the bites did go away, but another batch of bugs laid into me - luckily not nearly such a fierce reaction. I have always been excellent bug fodder - Mum and Daddy stopped going camping when I was little because they could not keep enough mosquito repellent on me. And fleas think they have died and gone to heaven with me around - why bother with that tough old cat or dog when I am there? Glad to have antihistamines that don't put me to sleep and a cream that mostly works.
      Glad the show went well - I'll watch it on rewind later. I can understand about 5am ( is there really such a time? ;) ) And the car has to be packed the night before and you just know there is something you forgot, so going to sleep is iffy, and you hope there is no foggy patch full of traffic accidents or diversions, and then drag it all into the studio and set up and revue the product with the production team and get made up and lie feebly in the corner panting for for a cup of tea and a digestive, sell your heart out, pack it all up and stagger home - damn, you kids sure do earn your living!
      Happy packing! Safe and well. xxx

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    7. Well, we finally have some rain - 3"+ on the flat, 5"+ on the hills, and up to 8 feet of snow across the high mountains! It was a little rackety when it hit late last night ;). This storm has been working its way down the coast, threatening floods and mudslides in the burnt areas and making life a challenge. The drains across the area can't always cope so cars are trailing through very deep water - very spectacular when a bus goes by! Any way, we are just fine here and the rain is heading east to trouble Arizona :)
      Nice show - do like the clock idea and the display stands are completely brilliant - yeah for Team GinaB!
      Do stay safe and warm and well and hugs all around. xxx

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    8. Ok - it is official - I am old! Coming back from our walk this evening the young couple from next door met us and I was addressed as Miss Charlotte! Very, very odd to have the grownup honorific!
      xxx

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    9. Oh that is good news about the rain! Of course, rain after so long without can cause its own issues. Sorry, been a lot of catching up to do so falling behind on other things. Never enough time is there? We are hoping to get as much sorted as we can before the weekend so we can begin to unwind a little. Mind you I am very behind with paperwork which is due at the end of the month! Weather for us really quite mild as it goes. Sting dang cold at the unit but it will be with a big metal shutter door! Shame builders of industrial units weren't made to think of energy efficiency when building. Still, I am very very good at layering :) Miss Charlotte - sounds like a character from a Victorian novel! Stay safe and well both of you xxxx

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    10. Told you, sweetie - don't fret yourself about this conversation - I do know how hectic it all is. And to think that Don was actually thinking about a small business! I kept telling him that whatever it was it would be 24/7 and no breaks to speak of, and I hadn't even remembered taxes! Don't know whether it sank in or what, but I'm glad to just be retired. Anyhow, I hope it balances out and that you do squish in a bit of play time, and don't forget the hugs.
      I'm pretty sure your unit is colder than my house but I don't think it is by much - single glazed, aluminum framed windows and door, gaps that mice can run through, steady drafty gusts at all times - my toes and ankles feel like ice cubes by evening ;) Had to tuck my feet into the heating pad in bed to get them thawed enough to go to sleep - I've turned into such a wimp in my old age! Oh - love "sting dang" - sounds like a Texas swear!
      Safe and well, all. xxx

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    11. Good walking today, Thursday 16th - cloudy, cool (57') and not quite misting but shoulders and knees damp when you come inside - London weather! We have been remembering places we've seen and things we've done. seeing museums while they were wonderful instead of dumbed down to not-bright 5 year old level, canals and rivers, really very homesick!
      Could you use magnets to put some sort of insulating blanket on the unit door? worries me to think of all the cold toes, especially Toby pup.
      Safe, war and well. xxx

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  5. Sting dang= autocorrect at it's best? haha (It's dang) Toby is the best off - we have two areas that are closed from the main, a small office and a second area where the laser cutting machine is. Both have heating, and both had cosy beds in front of said heating. He will be in one place or the other, just depends where Mark is. He is a very spoilt dog.
    Foggy day today, will need to take it slow. First real fog we've had for ages.
    Yes, paperwork is the least enjoyable part of business, that's for sure!
    Keep warm and well, and safe both of you xxxx

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  6. Are you sure Toby isn't part cat? We had a cat that used to sleep ON the floor furnace - couldn't touch her fur! Not all the way on, but different bits hanging over the heat.
    Um - fog can be hair raising! Slow is very good! And you probably get very dense patches mixed with thin spots and the non-locals aren't fit to drive in either one. Fingers crossed.
    Actually, sting dang might be a new swear! Let's send it viral? ;)
    Warm and dry and safe and well and hugs all around. xxx

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  7. Those peculiar thuds that rattled the windows was just us, collapsing into our chairs after massive grocery shopping. Cold and frozen put away, do the rest when I can move;) Pork ribs for Christmas dinner with dressing and sweet potatoe, some sort of green veg, and pumpkin pie for afters. Christmas Eve is potato soup (Mum was pretty bright - she fixed a very easy meal while the tree got set up and decorated), then when it was all done Daddy would blow the little green blown glass horn and it was Christmas! I hope you two have some good memories to share as the year closes. Do stay safe and warm and well. xxxx

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    1. Oh goodness, what a fun tradition! We are now "off" (although paperwork calls!) and so have some food deliveries today. I'll bake some mince pies tomorrow. Turkey and all the trimmings for us - even though it is just the two of us. Merry Christmas to you both, and a very happy and healthy - and creative - new year. Stay safe and warm and well xxx

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    2. Can't remember which of my sisters has the horn - the youngest, I think- but it toots in my mind's ear just as well.
      Enjoy the pie and the turkey and the bathrobe. Stay safe and warm and well and good luck with the papework (I don't think the tax man takes holidays, darn him!). Stay warm and well and safe. xxx

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