Finding a Hobby in Craft

Last week, I finished up making several different types of beads. This week I am working on making some hemp jewelry for my sister for her birthday. I had motioned in an earlier blog that she really loves hemp, so I cannot wait to see how much she likes the anklet and necklace I am making her. I will be using the only glass bead I bought at Hobby-Lobby. I will also be using the spiral hemp knot pattern to make her necklace, so it should be really interesting to see how that’s going to turn out. Her anklet I made out of one of the mushroom clay beads I made and the navy blue hemp with a flat hemp knot pattern. The other clay bead that I made last week I will be using to make hemp jewelry for myself. You see this By Hand project has turned an assignment into a craft or hobby of mine. I love to make hemp jewelry now and I have learned so
many things about art, craft, and Do-It-Yourself along the way.

What I enjoy most about hemp jewelry is that I get to spend my time making presents for others. There is no greater joy than seeing the smile on someone’s face when you give them a handmade gift. The pieces of jewelry that I make are so different from ones that are mass produced. Mine are not standardized and they are extremely personalized. I can make a piece of hemp jewelry any way I want to. I found that crafting is a good way to straighten your community and social relationships, when I made some hemp jewelry with my little brother and boyfriend. I have found that I may not be efficient or make a whole lot of hemp jewelry, but the stuff I make is far from being cheap. It is very durable, good quality, unique jewelry. I have found a lot of value in my project because of the durability, style, and price. I can make a variety of different types of jewelry with fairly decent workmanship. My product is somewhat “sound,” meaning that it is made to withstand ware and tare in the way that the designer intended with no hidden flaws. I am not perfect at making these necklaces so I am sure there are some flaws present somewhere. It is also “calmly” because it has the aesthetic look I intended it to have. I have experienced a lot of the pleasures of work. It is calming to do the repeated motion with my hands. The aesthetic value of the piece of jewelry after it is finished is wonderful to experience. Craft is a tangible accomplishment with makes it pleasurable to work on. My by hand project has given me new inspiration to do other DIY things like grow my own garden.

Craft Inspiration and Tradition

Much of craft has to do with inspiration and tradition. In the Barbara Kingsolver book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; A Year of Food Life,” she found inspiration for growing her own food for her family. She wanted her family to be healthy and eat healthy, fresh food. Also, inspired by the horrible conditions of food production, she did not find it overwhelming to deal with all the manual labor and upkeep that came with her craft. The inspiration of a crafter shows a lot about the final product. If the crafter is not inspired at all the final product will not have been made with the time and care it otherwise would have been made with. This is why during assembly line crafting of a product, people do not care if they make a mistake or two. Money driven food corporations do not care what kinds of chemicals they add as long as the food can be preserved for longer. My inspirations for making my craft are the people I have been giving my products to as gifts. I want them to really enjoy my gift, so I take my time on it and make sure I make it is made the best it can be.

Craft is also very much about tradition. Many aspects on the process of making the craft are traditional to Native American crafters. Morel mushroom hunting is also a lot about family tradition. Hemp jewelry has also been a tradition for many, many years. This week I have been inspired by the morel mushroom presentation and I have been making traditional mushroom hemp beads. These types of beads are very popular and are usually made out of glass. Hemp jewelry is a very earthy kind of jewelry which is why many of the bead designs have been inspired my other things in nature. Next week, I will be making some necklaces and bracelets for my sister because it’s her birthday next weekend.

I will include pictures of all my final crafts on my next blog post.

Learning About Craft from Hemp

I have learned many things about craft while making my beads and hemp necklaces. First of all, it can be extremely time consuming. It takes me two to three hours or more to make a couple beads and a necklace. It is extremely frustrating when I cannot get my design exactly right and I have to start over several times. Patience is the key in crafting. I like to find motivations for doing my crafted items, like making a gift for somebody. When I have a goal in mind I feel much more accomplished when I reach it. Farmers have to make very specific goals for when they are going to plant and harvest their crops. Fortunately, my goals can be slightly more flexible because hemp necklaces are always in season. I do think that hemp jewelry targets the younger customers. This is probably because in the 1960’s, when it became extremely popular, mostly young adults made hemp jewelry. I have had a lot of trouble being creative with my bead making. I am not very good at coming up with designs and I am running out of ideas. I am going to start looking online for inspiration as well as asking the people around me what designs I should try making next. The best thing about craft is forming a product you are extremely proud of and you know others will really like it as well.

Finding Value in My Product

This week I have been working a lot on my bead making. I am using different colors of the bake in the oven clay to construct various designs. I will be posting pictures soon. While I was sitting down kneading the clay together to form the beads I realized how much supplies I had. I can probably make over 20 different types of necklaces and bracelets with all of the supplies I have. I spent forty dollars on all my supplies, so I am making an item of hemp jewelry for about two dollars. At a store people will usually pay around fifteen dollars or more for a handmade hemp necklace at a head shop type store. Ones that are sold premade are also usually at least ten dollars. I am saving large amounts of money by making my own hemp jewelry. I am finding a lot of product value in my handmade items. The materials I am using are very durable. Hemp lasts for a long time and the oven baked breads are also extremely durable. After firing, the clay beads are very hard to break. I have a large variety of items I can make, and the best thing is the price tag was really not all that bad when I think about it. The hemp jewelry is very functional. It makes really comfortable necklaces and bracelets that will always be in style.

Teaching Hemp 101

I went back to my home town this weekend and decided to do something new with my by hand project. I still continued to explore the more traditional hemp jewelry work. I made a bracelet and some beads, but this time I had some help. I decided to include a couple of people in my project for the week. I wanted to teach my little brother how to make hemp jewelry because he liked the bracelet I made him last week so much. My boyfriend was also at our house and he decided to join in on the crafting. We started out by picking our supplies. I let my little brother pick what hemp he wanted to use. He chose the navy blue hemp twine again. We also choose to make our beads out of the oven clay. Then, we measured out our twine lengths and started playing around with the clay to find what type of bead we wanted to use. The beads had to be crafted before the bracelet was completed because they had to bake for ten minutes to harden. I made a blue rectangular bead with a white marble swirl pattern. My boyfriend made two square beads with a similar pattern using the blue, green, and purple clay. Once we put the clay beads in the oven we began crafting the bracelet. I attempted to teach the knot pattern used to make hemp jewelry to my little brother, but this first lesson was most definitely unsuccessful. He is only 11, so the knot pattern is very confusing for him. He attempted to do a couple of knots but never could get it right. He had me finish the bracelet for him, but hopefully we can try again another time. Even though my brother didn’t learn how to make hemp jewelry he enjoyed watching me make it for him and enjoyed spending time with me. I also enjoyed spending time with my little brother and boyfriend. Crafting can bring social networks closer together. You are all doing something together and you all feel accomplished together when the project is finished.

First Hemp Bracelet

This week I made my little brother a hemp bracelet. I used the navy blue hemp and a white clay bead that was left over from my keychain project last week. Ever since my little brother has heard about the hemp projects I am doing this semester and seen my first couple of projects, he has been begging me to make him something. He told me he wanted a bracelet that was very simple and did not have a bunch of beads on it. So, I told him I had some navy blue hemp I could make him a little bracelet out of so it wouldn’t be too plain and boring and he loved the idea. I started out measuring the hemp around my wrist because I figured we have relatively the same sized wrists. I then made this length twelve times its size because remember the two outer twines must be six time the length of the final product since they are the ones that are being knotted. I wanted to make a loop at the end so it can work as a clasp with the bead at the other end. I folded this twine in half and I had my loop and the two outer twines six times the size or the final product. Then, I cut another twine that was twice the size of the final product, folded it in half, and I had my two inner lengths of hemp. I made the bracelet with the flat hemp pattern again because I thought it would look more masculine and professional. I am getting very good at these knots. I did not make a single mistake in this project! Last, but not least, I tied on a white clay bead at the end so it would serve as a clasp with the loop. The bracelet looks awesome and I can’t wait to give it to my little brother. I am going to get lots of hugs for making it.
During this project my brother was kind of like the patrons we spoke of in class and I was the artisan. He told me what kind of hemp jewelry he would like me to make him and gave me some guidelines about what to include and what not to include. I, in turn made some of my own subjections and we came out with a product that he will really love. During this project I was in the Lifestyle DIY category that Atkinson speaks of in his article. It was construction with a conspicuous consumption. I made the bracelet for a class project, as well as to get hugs from my little brother and be his favorite sister for the weekend since I do not get to see him that often.

Colts Keychain

Last week I made an Indianapolis Colts keychain out of hemp as a gift for my boyfriend’s birthday. I thought this would be a really great present for him because he loves the Colts and his birthday was on the same day as the Super Bowl this year. It was a perfect gift for the occasion. I started by making the beads that I eventually put on the key chain. I made the beads out of the clay I bought. The clay can be baked in the oven which causes it to harden. I rolled up several little balls of blue and white clay. Then, I took a tooth pick and poked it through the middle of the little clay ball to make a hole for the hemp to go through. I had to make a bead with a big enough hole so that the thicker hemp could thread through. I simply used the tooth pick to hollow out a big enough hole on the bead and then attempted to thread hemp through the hole to make sure it would fit. I made eight blue beads and eight white beads, but ended up not using all of them. To make the Colts pendant bead I put on the key chain, I used the blue clay to construct most of the bead and then used the white clay to construct the Colts emblem onto the bead. First, I rolled up a bigger ball of blue clay and then constructed the Colts emblem with the white clay. I then stuck the emblem onto the bead and added small blue dots along the Colts horseshoe. Again, I used a toothpick to hollow out an opening for the hemp to thread through. The bead did morph a little from its original shape as I created the hole, but it still looked pretty good so the beads were ready to bake. I baked the beads at 300°F for ten minutes, took them out of the oven, and let them cool for a few minutes. Finally, I made the keychain using the flat hemp pattern and alternated blue and white beads on the outside of the keychain. At one end of the keychain I put the Cults pendant and at the other I beaded on a round, metal key ring. My boyfriend really liked his gift. He said that now he would never lose his keys!

I have been making very functional projects that differ from the traditional hemp jewelry. This was not my original intention when I picked hemp jewelry for my By Hand project, but I thought it would be really cool to make things other than your typical hemp necklace or bracelet. We have discussed in class that a lot of the time a crafts form will reveal a lot about its function. This is true about my crafts as well. The dog color I made has a clasp on it for easy removal and a metal ring for a dog tag and leash to attach to. The key chain is very long so it can serve its purpose as well and keep keys from being lost easily. According to Atkinson in his article “Do-It-Yourself: Democracy and Design;” I would fit into the Pro-active DIY category. I fit into this category because I have manipulated the design of my projects to differ from original hemp jewelry in order to make functional products that I could use or give away to people as gifts. For my next projects I will make more traditional hemp pieces like bracelets and necklaces, but I will also be giving them away as gifts to some of my family members.

Hemp Dog Collar

The first project I decided to make was a new dog collar for my pup, Gucci. I got online to find some instruction and I came across http://www.beadage.net/hemp/index.shtml, which was very useful for my first craft with hemp because it provided me with very simple instructions to make the basic hemp knot patterns. Hemp jewelry, if you did not know already, is made by a series of knot patterns one after the other. The first step was to measure out the twine to the appropriate length. I needed four lengths of the thick hemp that where six times the length of the final product. I then tied a regular knot with all four twines at one end to keep them in place. Next, I began alternating the two basic knots that you can find on the website listed above. I needed to alternate these two knots because this would give me the flat hemp pattern. If I were to keep making the same knot, the same way, the patter would end up appearing spiral, like a double helix. After I completed about an inch of the pattern I added on a pink bead. This is where I came across my first problem. The hemp I was using was very thick, so I could not string it through both the inner twines. I decided to string it on the outer left twine and secured it with another knot in the same pattern I had been doing. This technique placed the bead on the outer part of the collar instead of the middle. I actually ended up really liking that look and I would alternate putting a pink bead on the left side and then one on the right side about every inch of pattern from the previous bead. I ran into some technical difficulties at the beginning too, because I had a hard time remembering which knot I had just done and hadn’t I had not gotten a hang of the pattern yet. So, there are some spots on the collar that I was not alternating the knot patterns and it got slightly messed up. Once I understood how the pattern worked it was smooth sailing until the end. After I added on the metal ring that holds her name tag and is where you can attach a leash, I had to add on the buckle that snaps the collar together. By the way, I cut the metal ring and the buckle off of Gucci’s old collar. I was having troubles trying to tie the buckle on the collar tightly, so that it would not come off of her if I was tugging on it with a leash. My roommate figured out a great way to place the knots that hold the buckle onto the leash to face the outside, and the smooth part of the buckle face Gucci’s neck. This way the knots would not bother her neck at all and they were also strong. I had problems with getting the collar to be the right size, too. First, it was too tight. So, I added more knots on and tried to stretch out the hemp a little. Then, it was too big and I had to remove some knots. I finally got it to be the right size; I put it on Gucci’s neck, and took her out for a walk to see how it would work. It works awesome and it looks super cute on her! Overall the project took me about two hours to do with all the resizing and everything. So hemp and beading may be pretty expensive, but it really isn’t very time consuming. It also makes long lasting products because hemp is a very durable material. So, if your dog has a beat up, old, collar--recycle it by taking it apart, and keeping the metal half moon ring and the buckle. Put these recycled peaces onto a hemp necklace, and you have yourself a pretty heavy duty, durable new collar that really looks great on dogs.

Preperations for First Hemp & Bead Craft

I started my first project yesterday afternoon. My roommate and I went to Hobby Lobby when we got out of class, to get some materials I needed to start my first hemp and bead project. We went back to the beading part of the store, but ended up wondering all around the store for quite some time. You would be amazed at all the different kinds of supplies for different crafts Hobby Lobby has, and they were all so entertaining to look at. When we realized that we were getting off task we returned to the bead isles and began picking various beads and hemp styles. We spent a lot of time there too. It was hard to pick out what beads I wanted to use because again there was a huge selection to pick from. I purchased two balls of hemp twine in the signature “natural tan” color. One of the twines is a lot thicker than the other. I wanted some variation in thickness to see how the different twines work with beads and the overall process. I also purchased two types of beads, pink and copper small round beads and one glass charm type bead. Finally, I got a small ring of dark blue hemp and some clay. I will bake the clay in the oven to make different types of beads. I think I am good on supplies for now. My total purchase was $40.00, so hemp jewelry making is not the cheapest craft out there, but I think I will be very pleased with my final products. I will now be surfing the web to find some easy instructions on how to make hemp jewelry and in the next couple of days I am going to make a dog collar out of the thicker hemp twine and the pink beads. Pictures of my supplies are included above; please let me know if you guys know of any helpful websites or books that can teach me the steps for basic hemp patterns and beading.

My Chosen Craft: Beading and Hemp

When I was confronted with the By Hand Project, I had no idea what kind of project I wanted to do. With all the different types and variety of crafts out there today; the ideas appeared nearly endless. I wanted to find a craft that I could relate to; one that seemed to bring out my personality. I wanted a project that I would enjoy working on throughout the course and maybe continue crafting it when the semester ends as a new hobby. I also wanted a craft that would allow me to create really great gifts for people that they would enjoy using or wearing because I have several birthdays coming up. My boyfriend’s birthday is in February, my sister’s birthday is in April and let’s not forget about Valentine’s Day which is in a few weeks. My roommate recommended jewelry making, but I had already taken a jewelry class in high school in which we made different types of charms, necklaces, and earrings out of a variety metals. I wasn’t good with metal, never seemed to cut the darn thing out right, so I knew that wasn’t for me. Also we are not allowed to do a project we already have done. That’s when I remembered about hemp jewelry. Hemp necklaces and bracelets have always intrigued me, they seemed to have the most intricate, almost mesmerizing beads on them and the rope patterns are really cool. All threw high school I had friends that would make hemp stuff like key chains, necklaces, and bracelets. I always thought they looked really cool, and even bought a couple necklaces from stores, but was always too scared to try and make my own for some reason. The patterns of the hemp seemed challenging and I am not a very “crafty” person, but my little sister who is a freshman in high school now has just started making some of her own hemp jewelry so I know I can do it. Which brings me to another reason why I am happy with my project choice, hemp jewelry became popular in the 1960’s and now even my little sister is making hemp jewelry. It seems to be a trend that has been around for generation after generation and will continue to strive in generations to come. Today there are even hemp hats, clothing, and shoes. I will be focusing on hemp necklaces and bracelets throughout this project, but maybe I will find something cool to make. I will start my learning process on the internet, surfing various sources, and then I may try and find a book to go beyond the basics. My roommate, Lexie, has also agreed to help me. I will be using a variety of charms, beads, and hemp colors for my crafts. I will also be making my own beads in the oven, which I had no idea was even possible until a couple of days ago when my roommate told me she used to make them when she was little. This weekend and next week I will be focusing on gathering my materials. I plan on beginning with Hobby Lobby and we will go from there. I may need to order some materials off line if I don’t have success in the stores. That’s all for now folks, wish me luck!