Wrist Wrap Tutorial and Giveaway

I have been working for some time now on my new line of toggle clasps that work well with silks.  I used the first one in a wrist wrap last January for one of my pieces in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Hop. 

Since then I have fixed a few problems, like making the hole larger and trying out different silks to see which ones will work. Today I want to share with you my tutorial on how to use these toggle clasps (available in my Etsy shop.)  Actually it is very easy to do and with  what a fun result.  

Two different kinds of Silks.  On the left a Silk ribbon    On the right a wide grunge silk wrap.

I am using a silk ribbon that measures about  32 inches and is 1/2 inch wide. It has been finished on the edges.  This one is from Lima Beads, but they are available in other places as well.  I have found that most silks and sari ribbon work.  The idea is to check the length which is done by folding the ribbon in half and making  sure that it wraps around your wrist at least two times after you have taken into account the overhand knot. The silk ribbon pictured works perfectly for my 6 1/2 - 7 inch wrist.

Once you have determined the length,  you will string  your toggle bar  through one length of the silk ribbon.  

Next you will fold the ribbon in half and when the two ends  meet exactly you will make an overhand knot leaving about an inch for a tail. If you think your ends might fray you can dip them into Aleene's Stop Fraying which will  dry clear, soft and flexible.  I got mine from JoAnn's.

The next step is to take the folded end of you ribbon and push it through the smaller hole in your toggle clasp. Either from the back to the front or vice versa. You will be making a larks head knot.  

You make the Larks Head knot once you have a good size loop which you have pushed through the clasp as in the picture above. Bring the knotted end with the toggle bar through the loop you have made and draw it tight.

Adjust you knot until it looks like the one in the picture above.  

And here is how it looks from the back

Now you have the silk securely attached to both the toggle bar and and toggle clasp proper as seen in the picture above. Make sure that you get it to pull through evenly so that your knotted bar lies flat on the end of the ribbon. as seen in the picture above.

 Next  wrap your silk around your wrist a couple of times, secure the bracelet by bringing the toggle bar through  the clasp.  You can tuck in your tails or let them fly. The silk showing through the toggle clasp adds wonderful color to your wrist wrap.

Here is a  photo of some other size silks I have used.   The light blue in the middle is a wide grunge silk and the last one on the right is a much thinner piece of hand died silk.   I don't know how that beaded wrap got into the photo shoot since it has a button clasp.LOL

Sources of Silks

MarshaNealStudio

Example of wrist wrap using a combination of a silk ribbon and a silk string from MarshaNealStudio

with one of my new toggle clasps

Lima Beads

100% Silk  1/2 inch by 32 inches silk ribbon

Sowzere Silks

                                       

Example of a Grunge silk wrist wrap with a hand died silk from Sowzere

(You may have to special request the Grunge size and style silk)

And a very thin hand dyed silk string  from  Sowzere

Group photo of some of my wrist wrap toggle clasps

You can find these toggle clasps in my Etsy shop on  Sunday Sept. 30 at  5:00PM  EST

The GIVEAWAY

I will be giving away one of my wrist wrap toggles clasps with coordinating silks to make a bracelet.  Just leave a comment and a way to contact you.  I would love feed back on the tutorial--i.e what could be better and what is good.  I will pick a winner the Random Generator on Oct. 12, 2012.  Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my blog post tutorial.

Alchemy

These are some drawer pulls that have been hanging around forever it seems.  But now that I am taking Deryn Mentock's The Alchemy of Objects Class  I am looking at them differently.

I am thinking about color palettes

#444433 #996644 #669933 #aaaa55 #bbcc99 dull

#777722 #dd7744 #88ee11 #ccee66 #eeeecc vibrant

and polishing and changing something old.  This is how one of those drawer pulls looks now that I have polished it up--its brass-- and removed that pull handle and cut off most of the tube the screw attachment was for.

Here is a small handle I got at a flea market in Maine this summer.  I thought it might  make a nice mold.

And here is how it looks now all cleaned up

I have been wrapping beads and practicing symmetry for our first class assignment necklace

I added a  toggle clasp I made out of Copper Clay

And some of my handmade beads AND  an old brass plant wall hanger, also from the flea market in Maine

and all together-- viola:   ALCHEMY

If you think you would like some magic in your life, there is still time to register and participate in this great class.  

Here's how...go to Something Sublime and sign up.  You will be so happy !!

Lucky Find

On our way home from spending the weekend out of town I was lucky enough to find these wonderful old looking paper pages

old handwriting

and super cool fibers

All at Michaels

The new Industrial Chic fiber and paper packs.

Wild Windy Day

This T Rex looking  tree branch was ripped off one of our over 100 year old Maple Trees Today.. No harm to property or person.  But the tree is looking a lot slimmer.

Another view

And a long shot showing how this giant piece goes way down the hill and had been very tall before this afternoon.  I was inside the dining room right next to where the tree went down and never heard a sound of the tree falling since the wind was roaring so loudly.

But all is well now.  The storm is over and we expect a sunny day tomorrow.!!  And a lot of unexpected firewood.

Home from vacation

I am back home 

from a wonderful vacation on the ocean in southern Maine.

Great sunny weather, long walks on the beach and great seafood.  It didn't rain a single day we were there. 

Super sized Gulls from all the fishing scraps

We ate at this seafood restaurant , The Rising Tide, where the lobster and clamming boats came in and sold their catch. I had the sweetest steamers I have ever had.

We spent hours walking on the beach and I saw such great things looking down at the sand.

The waves made these beautiful trees in the sand at low tide.

Amazing jelly fished washed up on shore.  They looked like giant Tarantulas.

some beach combing treasures

Endless stretches of sand at low tide

Picturesque fishing boats in the harbor

Now that I am home I am thrilled that summer is still here in Upstate New York with the blue skies and sunshine.  What a dream come true this summer has been.  

I want to thank all of you for the kind vacations wishes I received before my vacation began.  It was indeed a refreshing change.