Scale Mail Halter Top - Part 3

Linking all those scales together can be a chore, but the result is so lovely, it's hard to complain.

Updates this week will be light and I'm building up inventory for Madison, but I'm looking forward to jumping into this project again when I get back.  Look at those cap sleeves!  I just want to spend all day working on this.

But for now, I'm making plenty of new designs, like little star earrings:

Deadlines, chainmail, and all other things

I wish there were enough hours in the day.  While I was working on the costumes for Queen Amarantha, I wanted to make a chainmail headdress out of aluminum.  Sadly, because I need to eat AND sleep like a mere mortal, I didn't have enough time to finish it.  However, now that I've properly recovered from Bead&Button (and the unfortunate food poisoning I suffered from there, ugh), I was able to finish it.

Hopefully it'll make an appearance at Bristol Ren Faire.  Or, maybe I'll wear it while I practice belly dance moves to feel a little fancier.

Vanessa
Aluminum jewelry
Handmade chainmail jewelry

Belly dance

I recently started taking belly dancing classes at Arabesque Dance & Fitness in Chicago.  After a long, cold winter, I wanted to start moving again.  After seeing a friend perform at one of their haflas, I decided to sign up.

I absolutely love the classes so far, so much so that I decided to design a chainmail belly dance belt.  I had disks, rings, and chain, and when I got an idea, I quickly doodled it on a scrap of paper.

I started working obsessively on it immediately.  I finished it last night, and I'm so thrilled with how it turned out.

Now that it's done, I guess I'll go back to knitting that sweater I started a couple weeks ago.  If I finish it soon, I might be able to wear it once before it gets too warm.

Vanessa
Aluminum chainmail jewelry
Handmade jewelry

Night at the Musem 3 chainmail

Last year around this time, a friend and colleague contacted me about doing a huge commission on a really tight deadline.  As soon as he said it was for Night at the Museum 3, well, I was in.

The next thing I knew, I was getting an overnight delivery for 20 pounds of rings that I had to link together and then overnight to Hollywood in a week.  I had some help, thankfully, or it wouldn't have gotten done.

Did I mention that this happened right before the One of a Kind show last year?  I still can't believe I got it all done while making inventory for the show.

Anyway, despite the rush, I had sense enough to take some photos.  They aren't the best quality, but I'm publishing them for posterity.

I wish I had taken a photo of the two HUGE bags of rings I received in the mail.  We all have regrets.  However, I did take pictures of the rectangles.  Here's the first one.

Then I took photos as I made more strips that I linked together into rectangles:

Finally, I had to get everything in the mail the same day I was setting up my booth for the One of a Kind show.  So I took a blurry photo at the book showing all of the pieces.

The most fun part of the whole experience was taking the package downstairs to FedEx.  When the guy at the counter saw that it was addressed to "Night at the Museum 3 - Costume Department" he asked, "Really?"  When I said yes, he then called over the other staff members and we all had a fun chat about chainmail and costumes.

So, go see Night at the Museum 3 and tell your friends you know who made some of the chainmail for the movie.

Vanessa Walilko
Aluminum chainmail jewelry
Aluminum costumes for stage and screen

Chainmail for Pippin--recap of the week's work

When I got an email from the people at Pippin to order a new chainmail tunic for their new lead actor, I was happy to take on the project.  Making chainmail for a Tony-award-winning show is one of the highlights of my career. 

So after sending the invoice, I ordered 22,000 rings and got started.

Starting a huge project is daunting, especially when you're working with that many rings.  There were enough rings to fill more than a 14" x 11" x 3.25" bin. 

From working on the chainmail wedding dress, I learned that the only want to get through a huge project was by making lots of little squares and then linking them together.  As soon as the rings arrived in the mail, I got working.  After 2 days, I had made 45 little squares.

After day 3, I had linked 70 squares:

After day 4, I had linked together 95 squares:

 Posting lots of little squares doesn't really give a sense of scope of the piece, so I made another 25 squares and started linking them together into sheets.  (The pliers are for scale.)

Tonight or tomorrow I'll start linking all the sheets together and work on the shaping.  It's amazing how a piece like this comes together.

Vanessa

Handmade aluminum jewelry
Aluminum chainmail jewelry

Make Something Beautiful - Chainmaille Belt

I've been futzing with this belt for months. It emerged after I altered the ring size I used for one of my pieces of chain mail jewelry and suddenly had a plethora of rings in a size I couldn't use. And then I thought the former bracelet design would work great as a belt. The ends of the belt, however, thwarted me for months. I wasn't sure how to finish it off so that it looked polished. I came up with a solution just a couple of days ago, and now I have a belt that I can proudly wear. I am a happy lady.

Vanessa Walilko
Chain mail jewelry

Make Something Beautiful - Day 48

It's done--12,000 jump rings, 6,000 scales, 10 leather straps and countless hours of work. Yes, I put the finishing touches on my scale mail jacket today. I feel a mix of relief at having finished something that consumed a good portion of my life and the sense of loss of no longer having that project take over my life. There's always the Tiamat dress...



Chainmaille armor
Chainmaille jewelry

Make Something Beautiful - Day 33

I'm really into long necklaces lately. Here's a red one I put together.

Facere pulchrum,

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, beaded jewelry, chainmaille armor, beaded armor, beaded sculpture, and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 29

It was a freakishly warm day today. I love the weather, but I really miss Spring and Fall as seasons. One week of 60-degree weather does not a season make.

In any case, since I'm gearing up for a show on Sunday, I thought I make some more Dragon Tail Earrings.

Also, I added a couple hundred stars to the Tiamat dress, truly my most epic project.

I may also be working on a new project. Maybe the eye will tell you something.

Facere pulchrum!

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille clothing, bead embroidery, and beaded art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 26

After making a pink and black chainmaille scales bracelet, the idea for a necklace kept buzzing around my head until I finally made it today.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille scales jewelry, custom chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille fashion, beaded armor and beaded dragon sculptures

Make Something Beautiful - Day 20

Okay, before it's a new day and before I pass out with exhaustion, here's a new bracelet: half-persian 5-in-1.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille clothing, chainmaille scales jewelry, custom chainmaille jewelry, bead embroidery, beaded armor, fashion armor

Make Something Beautiful - Day 19

Aside from working on the Tiamat dress (photo below) and a dragon headpiece (still a ninja-secret project), I also managed to squeeze in work on another piece in the bubble series: a longer version of the necklace. I'm tired from thinking of all these ideas. I think it's time to veg out and watch Highlander (the show is now streaming on Netflix... hooray!).

Facere pulchrum, dear readers!

Vanessa Walilko
Custom chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille scales jewelry, chainmaille fashion, beaded armor, and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 18; and a blog about SNAG

I'm finally back in business. I started to come down with a stress-related cold some time last Monday and, in a desperate attempt to will myself healthy for the SNAG conference in Houston, I spent two days in bed, drinking fluids and overloading on vitamins. I managed to make it to Houston with a little cough, but otherwise asymptomatic. (No chills and no fever = joy and rapture.)

There are no real words for how incredible the SNAG conference was. Even if I didn't have pieces in the shows, it would have been worth the trip. To be in a room with that many serious artists/artisans was divine. Being around other artists is one of the most incredible experiences, and gave me the sense of, "Hey, this is what's been missing from my life." And everyone was so nice. Really, where else can you find out that Andy Cooperman is not only insanely talented, but also a really awesome person? Where, I ask you?!

Of course, the biggest thrill was seeing my pieces go down the runway in the eXtreme Exhibition in Motion show. (Click for the short video of all the pieces.) In fact, I was initially only supposed to have two pieces in the show, the Dragon Lady beaded armor, and my chainmaille shrug, however, because one of the designers wasn't able to make the show, the Egyptian collar I was wearing was given to another model to wear. It was a Cinderella moment.

My beaded talons were also featured as a part of the eXtremities: Exploring the Margins of the Human Body exhibit. I really loved this show. Many of the pieces captured this longing to overcome the limits of the human body. While I always wanted claws, someone else wanted to be a unicorn, and a lobster. I guess we're all looking for something a little more magical.

I'll wrap up this post about SNAG by giving a big thanks to Andy Cooperman, David Gooding, Barbara Kile, Angela Gleason, and
Suzanne Ramljak, all of whom I was able to meet, and all of whom made my conference experience that much better.

Oh, before I forget, I made something today, too: a choker from my new "Bubble Series."

Vanessa Walilko
Kali Butterfly - Chainmaille armor, beaded armor, and art jewelry

Make Something Beautiful - Day 16

A ring made with anodized aluminum F20s. I love the combination of violet and black.



Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille scales, chainmaille fashion

Make Something Beautiful - Day 14

Today I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to make a piece a little outside of my usual aesthetic, and use some materials that have been sitting around (I have a lot of beads and rings sitting around). The result is this necklace, which strikes me as some sort of talisman for a dark goddess. I'll use any excuse to use skull beads.

Many of the components of this piece are used in the Tiamat dress: the onyx talon, the star bead, the seed beads. They are also reminiscent of my skulls and scales chainmaille earrlngs.

Scales come up a lot in my chainmaille jewelry. I love the texture of the scales aside from the noise they make. Now, if only I could sit down and finish the scale body piece I'm working on... That's the goal after the Tiamat dress. Oh, an obsessive's work is never done.

Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko
Kali Butterfly - Eclectic chainmaille jewelry, unique handmade gifts, chainmaille fashion and art.

Make Something Beautiful - Day 9

I made a two-strand necklace with lots of scales. For someone who wears black all the time, I really like making colorful jewelry.



Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille jewelry gifts, chainmaille jewelry and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 8

Today I realized that the most important thing that any artist/bohemian/iconoclast can have is someone who understands why you do what you do. I have that, and I am thankful.

Oh yes, another pair of earrings... although I did work on the Tiamat dress some too. I'll take a photo of that when I'm not busy yawning and typing.



Facere pulchrum, lovelies!

Vanessa

Make Something Beautiful - Day 7

This will have to be quick, as I'll be out all day. Jens Pind 5 Bracelet in red. Oh, how I love red...



Facere pulchrum! The sun is out today! I feel excited!

Vanessa

Edgy, eclectic chainmaille jewelry, unique jewelry gifts, fashion armor, and art.