So the Jo-Ann's in my hometown had a corduroy sale.  I'm in love with corduroy.  And this insanely stripey stuff just jumped out at me.  Later, I found a soft purple remnant that would make a decent lining .. and here it is.





Unfortunate thing .. a little error in planning out my pattern led me to make the little flaps on top that attach to the zipper .. well .. inadequate    So there's a ton of the white zipper exposed, because if I sewed it so the zipper was covered, the bag kinda puckered at the top.  Oh, and I can't sew a straight line for the life of me *sigh*  Perhaps this should have gone in "Stitch and Botch".

So I just got initiated into a sorority .. the music one    and my pledge year is required to put on a fund-raiser.  If we lack any creative ideas, we will do the traditional sell-roses-at-performances thing.  However, I refuse to be accused of lacking creativity    Besides, the proceeds go to help pay our dues!  Hehehe ..

One of the motifs of the group is roses, so I was thinking of duct-tape roses, maybe around V-day.  But I'm certainly looking for other cheap, useful ideas.

Anyone?

I was just flipping through an old Vogue my roommate had lying around, and came across this in an ad :



It looks like the rows are alternating plain rings and twisty-looking ones.  I'm intrigued.  And, naturally, wanna make something like it.

Now .. I know how to make chainmail, having helped my boyfriend make Dagorhir armor more than once.  And I know that I could weedle my way into using his coil-making thing to make the plain rings .. but the twisty looking ones puzzle me.  I don't think it would work to just twist a few strands of wire together and then coil the bunch, either .. it seems like, once you cut a ring from it, it would fall apart.  All the mail I've made is butted, not welded, and I don't have the equipment to seal the ends together anyway.

So .. has anyone come across rings like this before?  Or does anyone have a better idea how to make them myself?  (Following the design in the ad, it wouldn't be a problem if the twisty rings weren't cut.  It might actually make things a lot easier if they weren't!)

I drew out the pattern from a photo, peyote-stitched it together and here we are, a choker.  It droops less than I was afraid it would.



A belled anklet.  Must be careful not to wear it places like a library.



This was for a friend with little hands who liked my chainmail handflower but wanted something girlier.  The silver beads have roses on them.