here's a necklace i made from a piece of abalone shell that i found on the beaches of northern california. i wrapped it in peyote stitch and strung it with coin pearls and seed beads. i make most of my necklaces with a bead and loop clasp, rather than a metal clasp, to give each piece a cohesive, circular design, that also creates a nice tail along the back of the neck and is adjustable.

thanks for all of the kind words!

using a magnetic closure was an after-thought, but I'm tempted to sneak it in there somehow. i hand-stitched around all of the applique, though, so taking part of it apart may create lots more work. i found these tiny snap fasteners (size 5/0) which look like they are half the size of the average snaps, so i may use those.

here's a pic of the inside.


adding the tiny snaps wouldn't take away too much from the beauty, would it?

this is my first posting with pictures! i've wanted to make this forever and i finally got the courage to do it. my sewing skills are elementary, but i managed to pull it off. i used cotton batting in between the 40's era applique placemat and the orange lining to give a bit more shape. i added a few glass flower beads, to cover a stain on one side, then added them to the other side for symmetry. i only wish i could find more of these beautifully made placemats.

front view of clutch


backside detail


me modeling clutch