If you are looking for my BSBP8 post, it’s HERE!
About a month ago, Diana Ptaszynski had the brilliant idea to host a blog hop using waxed linen. Quick as a flash I signed up, as I really really like using waxed linen cord in my jewellery designs. I first came across it in Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegel ‘s book Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry, which is a fantastic book, and one of my go-to books for inspiration. I love how both of these designers incorporate waxed linen into their designs, they are both a source of great inspiration to me!
What do I like so much about waxed linen? It comes in a whole range of colours, like teal or lavender, denim blue or rusty red, chocolate brown, black or naturally off-white. It comes in several sizes, or plies (which refers to the number of strands incorporating the cord, usually 4 or 7, but as few as 2 and as many as 12!), so you can find one to fit most beads, except perhaps those tiny-holed pearls and small seed beads. And the waxing makes it kind of sticky, so knots really stay where they are supposed to stay. It’s lightweight and drapes nicely in a necklace, and is strong enough for bracelets too. And it adds a textural element to all jewellery designs that wire just doesn’t have.
For this blog hop I did a couple of pieces. The first is a necklace that is similar in design to the owl necklace I did a few weeks ago for BSBP8. As I have mentioned before, I am a member of Rebecca Anderson‘s Curiosity Club, and the April kit, entitled “Delft”, contained a combination of blue, aqua, white and translucent beads as well as two disk-shaped lampwork beads made by Helen Chalmers. And, like all of Rebecca’s kits, there were 2 skeins of waxed linen, in orange and denim blue.
In my stash, I had a polymer clay pendant in copper and blue-green from Erin Prais-Hintz, with a bird on one side and the phrase “Mother knows best” on the other: perfect as I planned to give this necklace to my Mum as a belated Mother’s day and birthday gift. I combed through my stash for some more beads in similar shades of blue, adding the white and blue floral ceramic beads and some blue seed beads to the mix. A copper chain at the ends of the beaded section allows the length of the necklace to be adjusted.
My next design also used beads from one of Rebecca’s kits, this one the March kit, called “After the Rain”. Rebecca included a piece of Liberty print bias binding, and I was racking my brains to come up with an interesting use for it. Inspired by one of the other designers, I decided to wrap it around a Vintaj creative hoop to make a bangle. Instead of the more common wire wrapped around the fabric to help secure it, I wrapped some yellow and orange linen around instead, with a few tiny translucent pink Czech beads (both the linen and the rounds also came from the kit). I found an interesting lobster clasp in my stash and used it to close the bangle.
I also made a pair of earrings from the same kit, using orange waxed linen to dangle yellow and orange flower beads and “mushrooms”—piggies on top of a round bead—from a brass ring.
Finally, I thought I would show you some other earring designs using waxed linen (these were made a few months ago, not with this blog hop in mind). The first pair uses a pair of ceramic rounds from Jennifer Heynen, with seed beads knotted on waxed linen dangling below. The second pair uses some porcelain charms made by my Mum, with a sweet little floral decal adorning them. A small Czech coin with an embossed bird is knotted over the charm.
Mum and I have also collaborated to make sweet bird ornaments: a porcelain bird with waxed linen “legs” knotted onto an antiqued brass or silver branch.
It seems like there are a lot of other fans of waxed linen out there with Diana and I, as 44 people are taking part in this blog hop. If you have time to visit some of their blogs, the links are below.
Melissa Trudinger <– YOU ARE HERE!!!
beadrecipes 
Gorgeous! Love the waxed linen – and the beads of course!
All your creations are lovely, but I especially adore the creative use of the linen twine for little birdie feet!
OMG it’s all wonderful but those birds with the waxed linen legs….ADORABLE! Thank you for participating!
What a fabulous collection Melissa – so colourful and full of fun. I very nearly did similar bangle.
Hi Melissa, The necklace is beautiful. I bet your Mum will love it. All of your earrings are great. I especially like your Mum’s porcelain charms. I have been wanting to add some of the piggy beads to my stash, after looking at your earrings I have another idea on how to use them. The birds that you and your Mum made are adorable.
Lovely creations! The necklace is wonderful. Your bangle is so clever and pretty. Love the “mushrooms” in the earrings and your mother’s porcelain is beautiful as well.
oh my goodness those birds are adorable!! I love all the color in your necklace – it’s really lovely.
Those birdies are so sweet! Love all of your thoughtful designs!
Your wrapped fabric bracelet is SO COOL! It’s so different from anything I’ve seen. I literally gasped when I saw it. I love all of your earrings too. Great work!
Everything is beautiful, but I could not stop admiring what you did with the beagle bracelet. So creative!
Lovely designs! I am sure that your mother will love the necklace you made for her. I love the little bird legs! Those are soooo cute.
Your designs are so so CUTE! I love all the earrings – the yellow bells are my favorite. The birds are too cute! I just love them & the way you “hung” the feet!!! You & your mum did a great job! 🙂
Great designs and so many creative uses! I really love the necklace for your mom
Love these pieces! I think that first necklace is my favorite with all those great blues and the mix of waxed linen colors. Those birdies are super cute too!
I really like the disc beads with the linen wrapped around and through them. That necklace is very pretty. And the bangle is really neat with the linen instead of wire around it. Very pretty.
Oooo…Melissa. I LOVE that bangle bracelet! Super cute! Thanks very much for mentioning Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry. It makes my heart so happy to hear you are using it and finding inspiration among the pages. Thank you so much!
So many pretties! Thanks for sharing. Wonderful inspiration……something else for me to try!
Great designs using the waxed linen. I love all the earrings that you designed and the colorful bangle bracelet. What a cool idea!
I always love all of your work as well, and I love your necklaces, but I really love the earrings and the charms and birds your mom made! Very special!
Hi Melissa,
I love all of your pieces they are so fun and beautiful. My favorite are the poka dotted earrings and the cute little bird ornaments.
Therese
What fun colors, what nice designs. I love dangly things, and I like your mixed media style.
The wrapped bangle is very clever! I like the bird ornaments, too!
I LOVE the look of the waxed linen wrapped around the fiber bangle. Very clever. And the bird legs are too cute.
Gorgeous! All of it! I love that blue necklace, the fun bangle, and those polka dot earrings. Thanks for helping me see more with my waxed linen!
That bangle! I know you are probably tired of hearing this, but, omg, its so creative and innovative and all that! Love it! and also the earrings with the little bird.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I love your pieces. I would wear all those earrings. I especially thought the little flowers with the red beads were very clever.
I love all the brightness of your pieces and the texture!!!!
A very creative collection in a wide range of colors. Plus you came up with so many ideas, great stuff!
How danged cute are those little birdie ornaments?! I love them with their spindly little legs on the branch. So clever! I wish that I had had more time to participate in this fun hop. Of course you know I love to see how my pendants get all grown up. This is definitely a favorite! Enjoy the day, Miss Melissa! Erin
I think you get the award for most creative use of waxed linen for this hop. I don’t think anyone else (that I’ve seen anyway) has used it to wrap around a bangle instead of wire, nor used it as bird legs. I love all the designs, but my favorite has to be all the earrings. Super cute!