Monday, September 22, 2008

How to Use Wired Flair


I posted about using Flair and wire to create smoke on my main blog in March of 2007 and I'm repeating the posting here rather than trying to explain what I am going to do with the wizard's cauldron. The principle is the same, I just need to decide whether to use grey or white Flair. I pulled out various colors of Flair from my stash over the weekend but the purples and blues and reds and oranges didn't look as good with the canvas as grey or white do.
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The photo above, when you stop laughing at my pathetic drawing of Aladdin's lamp long enough to notice, shows how to create and use wired Flair. I used 28 gauge green beading wire, turned the ends back into loops, and threaded the wire through the Flair. Actually, this is the hardest part of the whole deal since Flair is slippery and if you don't bend the wire, the sharp end goes through the side of the Flair.

I generally cut the wire to be an inch or two longer than the Flair as I usually scrunch up the Flair enough to expose 2 inches of wire at either end. I use wire cutters to cut the wire, by the way. It is thin enough to use scissors on but I don't want to blunt my embroidery scissors. Once you cut the Flair and the wire, then thread the wire through, poke the thread and wire through the canvas hole to the back where it should come out of the lamp's spout. Secure the wired Flair to the back. In the example above it is attached on the front so you can see. You'll notice that I have a loop at both ends of the beading wire. You only need it at one end to go through the Flair but I've discovered it is easier to tie down the ends if you have loops to stitch through.

Once you have the bottom of your thread secure, start gently bending it into the shape you want. Make loops, curliques, waves, whatever. If you are careful to couch only a few times you will be able to bend things a bit more even after they are couched down. In the example above I couched in four areas only. You will see that I also have some areas where the Flair is smooth and one at the top bend where the Flair is wrinkled. You can use whichever effect suits your canvas. Be careful not to couch your Flair down too close to the end as you still have to poke it through the canvas and secure on the back. You will need some slack to be able to do this. I would not use wired Flair on anything that will be handled often. It is delicate. A framed piece will be best.

The Boring Stuff UPDATED


UPDATE: I added a picture to please Pat.

This weekend I worked on the background of the Joan Thomasson wizard and finished it-Hurrah!

But there are still things to do. I have started putting two rows of tent stitch all around the perimeter of the piece to help in finishing. I have also attached the moon and stars charms using the holes in the charms and also sewing down an arm of a star and the tip of the moon to help everything stay in one place. When you have a star shape with a hole at the tip of one arm, the charm will swing as the piece is moved. To keep movement to a minimum, I stitched across another arm with the same two plies of my purple Accentuate I used to attach the charms. It is visible if you squint, but because it is the same purple as the under robe, you don't notice the stitch much.

I also stitched on top of the wizard's glasses with my #4 gold 02 braid. Oddly, #8 braid was too thick but the #4 disappeared against his face until I stitched the glasses and bridge over his nose a second time. I didn't do the half moon of his reading glasses, just the rim, but that was the perfect touch.

I've added the cauldron's handle by couching a length of the same black Petite Very Velvet I used for the rim. Pretty soon I'm going to have to add smoke coming from the cauldron, but more about that next posting!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow