GreenCraft: Making an Upcycled Suede Necklace

It's an honor to have my suede fringe necklace featured in this month's GreenCraft Magazine! This is one of my favorite jewelry projects to make, and it's a great way to use up a variety of miscellaneous suede and leather scraps (which I happen to have a lot of around the studio). My whole handmade jewelry business Once Again Sam is centered around using recycled materials, and leather has always been the most dear to me. I enjoy searching for outdated suede clothing at the thrift store, and giving it new life, once again, in a whole new way as bold but wearable jewelry. 

Below is a step by step tutorial on how to make the statement necklace shown in the GreenCraft article, as well as a #MakersEyeView sharing a time-lapse video of the process from start to finish. Enjoy, and happy crafting!

How to make a suede fringe necklace: 

1. Gather material: I use thrift store clothing as my suede and leather source, but just about anything will work as long as it doesn't fray when cut. 

2. Cut strips: use scissors to cut an assortment of 1/4" wide strips (the length is up to you, mine are about 2 1/2 to 3"). The necklace in the photo used over 150 pieces total, in 20 different colors. 

3. Create pointed ends: give one end of each piece a pointed shape, so they'll have that "fringe" look when strung together. They don't have to be perfect!

4. Punch holes: use an 1/8" circle leather punch to punch a small hole through the top of each piece (the flat end, not the end with the point).

5. Make your chain: cut a length of thin chain around 18-20" (depending on where you want the necklace to lay on your chest), then add a clasp to one end so the leather pieces wont fall off once you begin stringing them on. The chain needs to be thin enough to go through the punched holes. I attached a needle to the end of my chain to make threading easier, because my punched hole was just barely big enough to accept the chain.

6. Start stringing: once you have your colors in the order you want them, begin adding your suede strips one by one until you're happy with the overall size.

GreenCraft has featured two of my upcycled jewelry projects in the past, and those tutorials can also be found on my blog:

Click HERE for suede fringe earring project

Click HERE for suede cuff project

Architecture Meets Jewelry

Architecture and jewelry have a lot in common: form & function, balance, personal connection, and materiality, just to name a few. It’s no surprise the A & D industry has contributed to the jewelry world, and vice versa. Recently, I was commissioned to make a small contribution of my own, and the experience was the ultimate collision of my career and small business.

My background is in commercial interior design. When I’m not running my handmade jewelry business Once Again Sam, I’m working as an interior designer part time for LS3P, a major architecture firm in the Southeast. I’m part of the Worship Studio, which consists of a dedicated group that helps design traditional and contemporary churches all over the country. Interior Design and Jewelry Design influence each other in ways I never imagined. I have designed floor tile patterns that became leather cutout cuffs, and I have chosen wood veneer for pendants that ended up appearing on feature walls. Design is design, oftentimes applicable beyond it’s intended application.

Women in Architecture of the Upstate recently commissioned me to create a special gift for their upcoming event, to be given to the speaker, Kate Schwennsen. Each year, they feature a different artist, and have commissioned a variety of work that ranges from painting, to film, and fine jewelry. I was glad for the opportunity, and a little curious how the design committee process might go.

Working as an interior designer means I regularly meet with committees to present concepts and material finishes, and share sketches of potential designs. I’m used to feedback, managing a range of different opinions, and communicating ideas with clients. However, working as an independant jewelry designer and small business owner, I’m used to working alone, having almost no feedback, developing ideas from start to finish with zero outside influence. Designing jewelry with a committee was an entirely new opportunity, a combination of my two skill sets, and the experience ended up being incredibly enjoyable thanks to the wonderful ideas and productive interaction with the WIA group. I’m also thrilled with how the final gift turned out and hope the recipient is too!

This is the final gift set - it includes a mahogany jewelry box with a laser engraved top, and matching leather lining. Inside is an orange laser cut leather bracelet, a pair of bocote stud earrings with orange leather insets, plus a geometric bocote pendant with brass tube detail (the orange is a nod to Clemson’s colors, because Professor Schwennsen is director of The School of Architecture at Clemson University).

So how did we end up here? Where did this design come from? The process went something like this:

The committee shared what they knew about the speaker, her style, what kind of jewelry they thought she’d enjoy. We also wanted to portray an abstract storyline about the “bridge” between an education in architecture and career to inspire the geometry and connections within the jewelry itself.

• We looked at examples of jewelry I had made in the past, so that the group would better understand the kind work I’m able to create, plus we reviewed color and material options available.

• I developed 4 concept sketches showing different wooden pendant ideas, which was our primary piece. Some ideas were similar to pieces currently in my jewelry line, others were 100% new.

• The group provided feedback on the sketches, asked questions, brought up some excellent points, and I made a few templates and prototypes before getting final approval to proceed with an option.

• I began making the final pieces based on a majority vote in favor of option #1 (and had some help from my handy husband making the box to contain the set).

The final gift set was presented at the AIA / WIA meeting on October 20th, following Kate’s talk titled “We’ve Done More than Stir: Celebrating Women Leaders, Creating Cultural Change”. It was easy to see why she’s one of the most admired educators in the USA, and I was really inspired by her message. Women have been making headway in the field of Architecture, which is exciting, but there’s still a long way to go!

Learning Shibori Dying

Getting my hands dirty is something I look forward to. Dying my hands blue….well, that was new for me until recently. I took a Shibori dying class this weekend, and as always, learning something new and unrelated to anything else I’m involved with, tends to inspire me in unexpected ways. Not only did I learn about the historical significance of indigo, but also practical information about working with natural dyes. I can admit this now, after the fact, that I didn’t realize indigo was a plant. I guess I always assumed it was a mineral or chemical compound, but it’s actually a crop, one that’s making a major comeback on American farms. Who knew! Well, you might have known, but I certainly didn’t.

The class was organized by The Maker’s Collective, taught by Catherine Cross of the Summer Blues Indigo Dying Workshop, and hosted at Knack here in Greenville, SC. Our group spent the first hour watching demonstrations of different techniques, learning an overview of Shibori dying, followed by two hours of our own hands-on experiments. We used clothespins, rubber bands, clamped plywood, and lots of other random stuff to resist the dye in certain areas, creating all sorts of interesting and unpredictable patterns on test fabric, and eventually “real” stuff like clothing. I brought some white leather scraps from my studio, just to see if it would work, and was thrilled with the results. It was such a blast!

A few of my finished pieces

Some of my pieces turned out beautifully, but most did not. I couldn’t get the dye to do exactly what I wanted, but it’s nice to give up control sometimes. Here’s why my so called failures are actually good for the health of my creativity:

I need freedom to fail sometimes. I need freedom of process, to experiment with new mediums that may or may not complement the work I do for my handmade business Once Again Sam. My average day is filled with production, making finished items to fulfill orders, all of which have to look a certain way. My business is booming, which is exciting, but I don’t often have time to just dabble and screw around in the studio like I used to. I have to be diligent with my time and make make make, otherwise by business might fail.

The thing is, my business won’t fail just because I took a few hours one Saturday afternoon to go learn something cool like Shibori dying rather than working on orders. It’s healthy to get out once in awhile and try something new, just for fun, just to keep my creative juices flowing. Experimenting with different mediums is how my business started, and I have to step back and remember that, and choose to pursue more of it, because it will help me grow. Afterall, I’m a maker (who currently has blue hands), not a factory.

American Made Finalist

I was finishing up lunch with my husband at our favorite Indian buffet when I got the email informing me I was a finalist for the 2015 Martha Stewart American Made Awards. I read the email several times through before the words truly sunk in. Once they did, I got lightheaded and my hands started to shake. I never expected my delicious chicken makhani to come with a side of such incredible news.

Thousands of talented makers are in the pool of nominees each year, and just small percentage make it this far. The program puts the spotlight on emerging makers, those who have dedicated their lives to their craft, and are striving to succeed as creative entrepreneurs. It’s a huge honor to be a finalist in the Style / Jewlery category this year, regardless of what happens next. Being recognized in a national competition of this caliber is a pretty big deal for a little business like mine. These things don’t happen everyday!

Because of my big big news, I was lucky enough to be featured on Studio 62 with Jamarcus Gaston recently, and share about my media experience in a blog feature with the ever-so-informative Academy of Handmade. I was also able to share my story on local talk show Your Carolina. 

Martha Stewart and her panel of 16 judges have gotten me this far, but the rest is entirely up to voters like you. Would you please take a moment to send some votes my way? We set up an easy-to-remember sub domain that takes you directly to my nomination: www.vote.onceagainsam.com and once you create a login on the Martha Stewart American Made page, you’ll be able to vote up to 6 times per day until October 19th. Winning something like this would change my business forever, in so many fantastic ways.

Thanks a million!

Indie Craft Parade 2015

The 6th annual Indie Craft Parade was this past weekend, and as always, it didn't disappoint. Far from it! This highly competitive, well-organized regional craft fair showcases 80 artists and brings out 6-7,000 attendees in Greenville every September. I was pleased to participate once again this year, and just as in years past, it was one of my best shows ever. How does that keep happening? This particular craft show is just THAT good!

I saw so many familiar faces, people who have been coming to my booth year after year. I always enjoy seeing "vintage" Once Again Sam jewelry in the crowd, pieces I made several years ago, still being enjoyed. That's probably the coolest part of the weekend - having happy customers come back again and again.

This is a big weekend for my business, so I spend a good chunk of the summer preparing for it. I'm proud to say, this was the first Indie Craft Parade when I didn't run out of bags or dollar bills. In previous years, I vastly underestimated how many shoppers would come through, so I'd double up on supplies the following year, and of course the number of customer would double up too, so I still had the same problem. Not this year! I took $150 in singles, and over 500  paper bags (which I hand stamped one by one) and it seems I finally have a feel for just how to prepare for this show. It only took me 5 years to get it right! 

Here's the rundown of my weekend in numbers, just as I shared last year, plus a peek inside my shopping bag at my fabulous finds. I always enjoy supporting other artists, and at a show like this one, you truly have to restrain yourself! There is so much talent, so many gift ideas, so many splurges to consider. In the end, I brought home items from 12 other artists. 

My 2015 Indie Craft Parade purchases will full artist list below:

1. Origami flowers by Paperform

2. Mixed media block art by Heather Murphy

3. Ceramic bowl by Daniel Bare

4. Paper wall art by Paperform

5. Lip balm by Hello Soap

6. Weaving on woodblock by Twenty Two West

7. Mixed media assemblage by Jon Andrews

8. Wood block paintings by Sunny Mullarkey Studio

9. Brass stud earrings & ring by Melting Sun Apparel

10. Print by Elizabeth Foster

11. Painted wood sign by Olive + Grey

12. Handbag by Hawks & Doves