Karon - Chain maille: jewelry workshop

EDITOR Rebecca Behan

TECHNICAL EDITOR Pat Harste

ART DIRECTOR Liz Quan

COVER & INTERIOR DESIGN Lora Lamm

PHOTOGRAPHY Joe Coca

PHOTO STYLING Ann Swanson

ILLUSTRATOR Bonnie Brooks

PRODUCTION Katherine Jackson

2012 Karen Karon

Photography and illustrations 2012 Interweave Press LLC

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Karon, Karen.

Chain maille jewelry workshop : techniques and projects for weaving with wire / Karen Karon.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-59668-645-8 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-1-62033-079-1 (PDF)

ISBN 978-1-62033-158-3 (ePub)

1. Wire craft. 2. Jewelry making. I. Title.

TT214.3.K37 2012

745.5942--dc23

2011052805

Acknowledgments

Id like to thank the following people for their encouragement and support:

The first thanks go to you, Ma, for everything! Next, Id like to thank all the exceptional metals instructors whove taught and encouraged me, especially Munya Avigail Upin for planting the seed, Sarah Nelson for making it fun and always including food, Cynthia Eid for the introduction to Argentium and the affirmations, and Ann Cahoon for her chain-making expertise and meticulous attention to detail. My heartfelt appreciation goes to Lindsay Minihan and Kelly Tzannes at Metalwerx for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. To the wonderful people at Interweave, especially Allison Korleski, Rebecca Campbell, and my awesome editor Rebecca Behan, my thanks and gratitude. To my Wednesday jewelry buddies (you know who you are), thanks for all of your support, encouragement, and friendship. To my wonderful friends and family, and especially my husband, Tommy, and son, John, all my love.

Most important, I want to thank my students. I have been blessed with the most exceptional and talented students in the world! They teach me far more than I could ever teach them. This book would not exist without their encouragement. I send my sincere gratitude and love to every one of you. You are all rock stars!

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Ive always felt the need to make things. I am the oldest of three children, the quiet one, the different one, the one whod be in the house with a pile of yarn scraps and ice-pop sticks, school glue, and construction paper. In the years since, Ive tried tons of craft techniquesknitting and crocheting (still a favorite), sewing and quilting (I love fabric), polymer clay and metal clay, needlepoint, cross-stitching, tatting, decoupage, fabric painting, macram, rubber stamping. But the obsession that started it all which eventually led to this bookbegan when I was just ten or eleven years old. I begged my mother to buy me a small bead loom I had seen in a local store. We didnt have a lot of money, but she indulged me anyway (thanks, Mom!). I taught myself how to use the loom and never looked back. No matter what handicraft I took up, I always returned to jewelry making. Still, it took years for me to begin using metal in my creations. The day I wove my first chain, I fell in love with chain maille.

Today I share that love with students from the New England area as an instructor at the jewelry and metal arts school Metalwerx in Massachusetts. Perhaps, like me, youve been creating handmade objects, accessories, gifts, and trinkets for years. Or, perhaps you are just approaching jewelry making for the first time. Chain maille has much to offer. You can create jewelry, objects such as bags, baskets, boxes, and bookmarks, and even clothing. (Yes, Ive seen chain maille bikinis!) You can create a wonderful gift in a short amount of time. Bracelets and earrings work up in an hour or two. That sure beats quilting! Best of all, chain maille items have permanence. With proper care, items made of metals, especially precious metals, can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

How to Use this Book

I love chain maille. For me, the simple act of interlocking jump ring after jump ring brings a quiet, meditative pleasure. Plus, chain maille projects are portable, unlike most metal arts, and the weaves just look so cool!

As a teacher (and as a student), I prefer a technique-based, workshop-like approach. In this book I have presented many chain maille weaves, along with tips, tricks, various approaches, and project instructions for each family of techniques. This is not a make-this-project-this-way type of book, although you will find plenty of design inspiration. Instead, the chapters develop skill sets in order of complexity, from simple chains to intricate Dragonscale, so youll build your abilities step by stepand be making tons of jewelry along the way. Practicing the ?

Transform your chain into a slender anklet. Working on the ? Join units together using jump rings to make a pendant.

A solid foundation in chain maille techniques opens up a world of possibilities. My intent for this book is not to provide projects for you to imitate but to empower you with the tools to design jewelry that reflects your unique personality.

If you are a beginner, then you should start at the beginning. Familiarize yourself with the tools and materials in Chain Maille Basics and learn how to use them in Getting Started. At the end of the book, youll find a list of my favorite sources so you can find the materials youll need. Then, work your way, chapter by chapter, through the chain maille techniques; each one builds upon the others. Step-by-step instructions are accompanied by illustrations that show jump rings in assorted colors so its easy to determine where to place the next jump ring in the weave. More experienced maillers will find a wealth of approaches to help them find just the right method for making any weave, including speed-weaving techniques to increase efficiency and alternate finishing methods and embellishment ideas to spark creativity. Ive also included aspect ratio and conversion charts to make exploring a wide range of sizing options even easier.

People are always amazed to discover that the chain maille jewelry I wear has been made by hand. I hope that with the lessons in this book youll soon be proudly accepting compliments of your own, saying, Thanks, I made it myself.

Chain maille (sometimes spelled chain mail) is an ancient art form of linking metal rings together to form a fabric-like mesh. The technique dates back more than two thousand years and originated, perhaps, with the Celts. Medieval warriors wore chain maille armor in battle, and as its use spread east from Europe, slight variations developed in linkage patterns. Over the years, classic weaves such as European 4-in-1 have been expanded upon and adapted for decorative and practical purposes.