Gypsy Fairy Cottages and Necklace
Instructor: Nina Bagley

Back by popular demand, but with the added delight of a fairy necklace, are the mica fairy houses  that Nina made a few years back for Valley Ridge; a variety of these houses were featured in Lynne Perrella’s art book Beyond Paper Dolls.   Many students have seen the structures in the common room at Valley Ridge, and requested that Nina teach the class again, but this time with a twist. 

We’ll spend a day working on little fairy cottages – simple or complex, detailed or not – using natural items such as twigs, moss, stones, combined with mica, transparency images (if you wish), ribbon, and whatever “stick” like items you might wish to incorporate for the four corner supports (pencils, paint brushes, vintage knitting needles – you get the idea).  Day two, we’ll stitch and wire a lovely gypsy fairy pocket necklace, using simple sewing and wiring techniques to attach gemstone and pearl beads, charms, to create a whimsical trinket fit for any fairy aficionado; some very basic wireworking techniques will be reviewed for attaching beads to fabric or chain.  Day three will be spent working on your choice of houses or necklace.  This workshop would be especially fun for … anyone who would love to wander around in the woods with a little friend and come back to create an homage to the fairy and gypsy spirit in all of us.  No advanced skills necessary – just a desire for creative play.

Material fee covers antique “frozen charlotte” porcelain doll – most are missing arms or feet, but that is the beauty of sewing the pouch, floral Styrofoam for aid in working with mica houses and miscellaneous student supplies.

Material for Houses:

• 5-6 packages large mica pieces
• 1 roll 12"" x36"" fine copper mesh screen
• 2 pkg. 1/8"" short eyelets
• pkg. of 1/8"" eyelet washers ­ (will hold in mica MUCH better with these)
• eyelet setting tool
• small hammer
• Japanese screw punch with no. 3 tip (worth its weight in gold!!!) ­ an awl is a poor substitute, but will suffice in a pinch
• fabric and lace scraps + enough fabric length to tear into thin strips of ""ribbon"" ­ sheer fabric is good for see-through mica; heavier is good for scraps as hinges
• PVA glue (dries clear, and quickly) 
• 2 small binder clips
• transparency film imagery 
• x-acto knife and cutting pad
• metal ruler and scissors
• twigs, pencils, paintbrushes for ""trees"" and fencing ­ we’ll also make a short field trip into the surrounding woods for these!

Materials for Necklace:

• Ribbon, assorted
• Scrap chain (link style) – two feet is ample (I used base metal for mine; good source is etsy or ebay)*
• Scraps of heavy fabric or suede/leather for pouch
• Scraps of lighter fabrics and lace for embellishment
• Vintage trims – sequins, flowers, etc
• Pearls, gemstone beads, cut glass beads*
• Fine wire – I used 26 gauge sterling, but other metal will be fine; just make sure it is small enough to go through beads; amount is up to you, but it is good to have enough to feel free to create. I’d go with at least 20 feet.
• Small amount of sterling 26 gauge wire for drawing bead tip on end, for dangling pearls, etc. – ten feet will be enough
• Small amount of 20 gauge wire – for loops attaching pouch to rest of necklace (I used sterling, but base metal is fine, such as copper), and for hook clasp; 3 feet will be ample
• Sharp leather sewing needle (available at etsy.com – just do a search)
• Regular embroidery needle
• Embroidery thread, your choice of colors
• Good scissors ruler
• Wire snips, round needle nosed pliers, bent needle nosed pliers – all available from volcanoarts.biz as a set, or separately

None recommended.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM INFORMATION