Anne shares with us a brief overview of the steps she takes to create her wonderful clasp. If you are interested in the full step-by-step please stay tuned. They will be available late February at Whole Lotta Whimsy. They will be in a handy bench format too!
Anne’s project is inspired by the texturally rich steam pipes in this photo. Inspiration can come from many places. Look through books, magazines, or carry a camera. You never know where the next great idea might come from! Glue those pictures into a notebook which can serve as a great source of inspiration when you need a little. Think about texture, color, shape, dimension, and how to compose all those elements.
Using the 2 Hole Punch, TL402, punch out 18 to 24 dots.
Using the fine point tweezers, place the punched dots on the freshly cut clay in a pattern that mimics a Steam Pipe Cap.
Mark the holes to be punched for your stringing connections.
Using the 2 Hole Punch, TL402, punch out the holes.
Take the sharpie and mark the placement for the location of the hook for the clasp. Punch a hole in that marked location and saw out the hole.
Make fine silver wire headpins and rivet the watch parts into place.
Here’s a closer look at her finished product. It’s going to be the perfect clasp to a wonderful piece.
Why not always make the clasp, instead of buying a commercial clasp? After all, we are making wearable art. It becomes the beginning and end to a perfect piece!
We’d love to see you take the challenge as well to make an incredible clasp. Can’t wait to see your pieces. Send them and we’ll post pictures in a future Challenge Gallery. No toggle or c-clasps. Challenge yourself!
Leave a comment Jan 28th on this blog and get an entry into the giveaway. We’ll pick a lucky winner of a pack of 30gm of CopprClay, a Stainless Steel Pan, and a pound of Carbon, courtesy of Whole Lotta Whimsy. Spread the word!
If you are in Tucson visiting the Tucson Gem Show, please come see Anne’s latest work at the Best Bead Show booth SH-9, February 3rd through February 7th
Anne Mitchell started her creative career over 20 years ago as a professional lighting designer. Looking for another outlet for her artistic energies, Anne began teaching chain making and metal working approximately eight years ago for just pure enjoyment. During those years, Anne found that the creative outlet provided by teaching, as well as a consistent demand for her classes was too alluring to deny. Leaving lighting behind in 2003, Anne is now a full-time designer, teacher, and author. Her classes always sell out at the Bead & Button Show. She was the recipient of Bead and Button’s Excellence in Bead Artistry in 2009. She is a dynamic teacher who always pushes the technical and artistic limits with her designs. www.AnneMitchell.net
Click on the photos to make them bigger if you want to see more detail!
Creative Blessings,
Tonya
Great project! Love the Steampunk feel to it with those cool watchparts!
Fun project! It really starts to get our “GEARS” turning to think of other creative ways of making clasps! Thanks so much Anne! 😉
Woot, Woot! What a great way to start off the Master Muse’s Tutes!
Really interesting design! I’ve never seen a Steampunk clasp before. Great way to kick off the program!
Great idea! I love hand made clasps.
Terrific clasp, great ideas Anne!
I love when people make their own clasps!
I’m new (5 months) to this metal clay addiction and whenever I find myself looking at findings or metal beads I hear the little voice in the back of my head “but you could make those! you just need to figure out how”.
Love this… and the idea of the master muses – AND WLW – you guys fueled my addiction w/ you PPP supplies and tutorials – LOVE PPP! :o)
Love the clasp. And love this new design team Tonya.
Looking forward to lots of great stuff (as usual)
This is Fabulous!!! It’s like a think tank!! The team is outstanding, what a wonderful resource. I look forward to every “Muse”! Thank you so much for creating this.
great clasp! can’t wait to try it.
Love this first piece! I can’t wait to see more from Anne. And all of the other designers!
Cheers,
Bronwen
Wow,that’s a great design and great idea. Love it! Thanks again for the post!
This is wonderful. I’ve been wondering how I would use those little gears and things I bought from WLW a while ago. Now I have a couple of ideas inspired by this project.
Love it! Love it! Love it!!!!!!!!!!!
And how did Anne know I was looking for a new clasp design!!!!!!
These tutorials are very exciting.
This is a very wonderful idea!!
As a person that loves to learn everything about Metal clay, I can’t thank you enough!
Thank you so much Tonya
Blessings to you always,
Candi
I’m encouraged by any and all unique ideas that come my way. This is one of the best! Thank you.
Gretchen
I’m definitely looking forward to getting the tutorial!
And how about showing the flip side on designs?
Great project! Thanks for the inspiration. Love the new site too!
Hi Donna Allen,
First, thank you for suggestions! We love feedback 😉
You’ll be able to see the front and back of the pieces and have all the details on the projects in the full tutorial. The space on the blog is limited to a synopsis, but you’ll love the detailed and complete tutorials. The Masters have done a really great job at leaving no detail out including specifics on materials used, products, etc.
Thank you for leaving a comment! Keep the suggestions coming. We love them!
Cheers,
Tonya
What a great start to the Master Muse tutorials! I’m really looking forward to seeing all the variations on a theme.
Great way to launch the program, with a clasp project! Good incentive to think about that from the start while designing any kind of a piece that could include a clasp.
Yee Ha!! Here we go!! WTG Anne!
Great new program and fun idea…cant wait to see the work that is inspired by this.
Neat idea and program is very intriuging. As a Mechanical Engineer I like the “Industrial” feel of the clasp. The imagination is reeling with concepts for the rest of the piece!
This is a wonderful idea. I can’t wait for all the tutorials.
Fabulous! I will look forward to more.
Wonderful ideas! I can’t wait for more!
very nice design, appears light and easy to use on a necklace. Sometimes metal clay clasps get a bit bulky. Thanks for starting the Master Muse projects. Looking forward to more and more,
What a great base design! I like the addition of the watch parts…they take the clasp in many design directions.
I love the industrial look and the inspiration for this clasp. Creative to use watch parts to carry out the look. Thank you for sharing.
LOVE IT!
The whole Master Muse Challenge concept is brilliant. Sheer genius. Inspiration, motivation and instruction, all in one beautifully-presented package! And it provides promotional and marketing opportunities for the design-team artists and WLW, too – all of whom we want to support and see succeed. Win-win all around. Kudos to Tonya and the entire WLW team.
And kudos to Anne for this great clasp design. It triggered lots of new ideas that I can’t wait to explore. Thanks, Anne.
Such a nice change from toggles, very clever and I look forward to trying this.
Cool clasp. Love the steampunk look.
You have written an excellent blog that has convinced me to read this! Excellent Job!
This is wondl. I’ve been wondering how I would use those little gears and things I bought from WLW a while ago. Now I have a couple of ideas inspired by this project
This is wonderful. I’ve been wondering how I would use those little gears and things I bought from WLW a while ago. Now I have a couple of ideas inspired by this project.