Vintage scarves have become my new addiction, but how to clean them is the problem

Vintage scarves dating back to the Forties or Fifties were made from an early type of acetate or from silk. Buying them from a variety of sources – charity shops being just one – I tend to find that these pre-used items are frequently stained with traces of old perfumes or make up. I’ve tried hand washing very gently, which has worked in some cases, while in others just laundering them reveals more stains than were originally visible to the eye. Has anyone discovered a safe bet for cleaning and if so – with what? Is dry cleaning the only way?

I’ve discovered how to knit with telecomms wire!

Has anyone else tried this? While walking along the road,  I came across an office that was being stripped out and the wiring was left out on the pavement for the dustmen to collect. Inside this type of cabling are multiple strands of wires of about 1mm thickness, encased in plastic in coded colours such as blue, orange, leaf green, brown and cream. The copper wire inside makes them bendy enough to be wound onto a French knitting bobbin (remember those from your childhood?) and knitted up into colourful tubes. (Pictures to come – honest!)

In fact, making necklaces using this method is taking up all my spare time at the moment, although I’m not always using recycled material. Sometimes I use wool or 0.2mm copper wire or a combination of both! I was inspired to try this method when I saw the work of an excellent jeweller, called Sarah Keay, who uses textile techniques to make exquisite bracelets and necklaces that have a very sculptural quality. Find her work here and have a look for yourself sarahkeayjewellery.blogspot.com

Soft drinks bottles never looked so good!

A few more pieces to add to the gallery.

I’m posting these to give you more idea about what can be achieved. All the brooches pictures here are very flower-like in shape and have been painted using glass paints with gold highlights in some cases. The bead-encrusted ones use stones that I’ve taken from other, broken pieces.

I like to browse charity shops and find clasps, findings and beads from second hand jewellery items. Then I re-use them!

Jewels, jewels, jewels

Watery and shell-like

Reinvent plastic drinks bottles

I am an artist currently experimenting with the possibilities of reusing and recycling plastic soft drinks bottles that would end up as junk in landfill sites. The good news is that I have refined a new technique that anyone interested in jewellery-making, sculptures or other hobbies, can do in their kitchen. It doesn’t requires any costly equipment other than scissors, tongs and a gas hob. I will be posting a video clip on YouTube very soon that gives a step-by-step guide to how to do it.

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Check back with this blog to find out more.

I’d very much like to hear from other crafters out there who are also using recycled materials, or simply reinventing old pieces of jewellery in their own way. Does anyone have any work or methods they’d like to share?