There's something lovely and surprising about tying, twisting, or hanging fibers to your mixed media jewelry pieces. In addition to adding color and texture, a melange of fibers can provoke visual interest and give your work the feeling of movement.
Our Objects and Elements Recycled Silk Sari Ribbon is a dream to work with. Brightly colored silks and other fibers are sewn together to make fairly long strips. The colors are rich and vibrant, and each fiber bundle is handmade. We also carry Recycled Silk Sari Yarn, which gives you a hand spun skein of 100 yards of fiber, enough for a scarf or purse if you knit or crochet.
Actually the silk sari ribbon and yarn are perfect for a variety of arts and crafts projects. We can see them used as bindings for bookmaking, attaching found objects to college and assemblage, used as gorgeous trim for altered couture and, of course for mixed media jewelry. Pair it with a hank of our hand-dyed Fiber Bundle for even more color and texture.
Here's a beautiful detail shot of a necklace made using the Recycled Silk Sari Ribbon by Design Team Member Deryn Mentock. We love the way she wrapped her handmade charms from her fiber necklace "chain".
In addition, here's a tip for working with fiber in jewelry making. Attachment is often the biggest issue. While you can purchase inexpensive base metal findings usually described as ribbon closures at most bead stores, a simple solution is to tie a knot in the ends of your fiber and simply wrap 16 or 18 gauge wire around the knot a few times. Loop the end of the wire with your round nose pliers and wrap the remaining end around your fiber knot. Lightly hammer your loop to work harden the metal and attach with a closure.
