Strip-Cut Construction in Glass

Layout on paper.

Pattern bars surrounded with strips of glass in pink striker color. The piece is dammed and fired in the kiln.

The strips of glass strikes into a deep cranberry color.

I'm a vendor at Handmade Mart, Silver Spring, MD

The outdoor market will take place on May 31, Sunday. Q&A with JumpSheep at the Handmade Mart blog here.What is your craft all about?
I make glass jewelry and plates for fiber lovers. I also produce wool batts and bumps for spinning and felting, as well as handspun yarn and handdyed yarn for knitting.
What inspires you to make what you make?
For my jewelry, I draw inspiration from the passion of fiber lovers; that's why I choose to work with images (in silver or copper) of furry animals. For my plates, I look to the works of quilters; I translate their quilt design into glass.
What is your favorite piece/product you will have with you at the Handmade Mart?
Glass and silver pendants with the sheep's silhouette. I have the Black Sheep made of glass and copper, and the Sheep in Pasture made of glass and silver.
Where can folks find your craft outside the Handmade Mart?
My etsy store: jumpsheep.etsy.com.
Find me at booth #30!

Pattern Bars

Strip-Cut Construction at Vitrum Studio. The pattern bars (left) are piles of glass scrap melted together to form a serendipitous design; they are later cut and polished to be used as inserts in a bigger piece, such as a plate (right and bottom). The rest of the plate is made up of 3/8-inch strips that are made to stand on its side to form a flat construction.

Coming Soon: Sheep in Pasture Pendants

I got very encouraging feedback from people who saw my pendants (like the one I'm wearing here next to Ysolda) at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Right now I'm out of stock, but I'll be firing them up in the kiln very soon. So, if you'd like to order, please email me. Alternatively, you can watch out for it at my etsy shop, JumpSheep. They should be available on etsy by June 1st at the latest.


As door prizes at Guido's MSWF After Party. (Photos by Woolarina)

Back in DC: Lexi (a.k.a. pluckyfluff)

It was so nice to again see Lexi whose class I took back in the Fall of 2005. Organized by Angela and Reenie of MaterialWhirled, her students then included Natasha of Luxe, Jacey of insubordiknit, and Heidi of mypapercrane.

Lexi came to A Tangled Skein this evening after a two-day camp in Hyattsville for a signing of her second book, Intertwined. The camp was organized by Steph of Loop and Carissa of Treadle to the Metal.

It was great to hear an update on her upcoming projects and they are all so exciting! There's a book, collaboration with a manufacturer on a new wheel for her brand of yarn, a teaching stint in Tokyo in the Fall, a new house,... and it looks like the pluckyfluff camp will be an annual event in the Maryland area around the Sheep and Wool Festival weekend. Yay!

I should add that Lexi is very excited about going to the festival tomorrow. "It's my first time," she chirped.

In the photo above Lexi is signing the copy her publisher sent me for having contributed to Intertwined (it's the felted shoe laces on a pair of boots). She's wearing a glass pendant with a black sheep that I gave her.

And here's Carissa, also wearing my pendant, a silver sheep on green glass. She's my first-ever customer for the pendants. I'm so excited!