June Challenge - Persian Weaves

For the month of June the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild members were set the challenge of creating pieces with Persian weaves. We have some great entries, so let's go look.

Catinalife

BathorysChainmaille

VikingJonesJewelry

BarbsDesigns

Nightmaiden

Wonderful creations as always! Thank you to those that participated.

Please don't forget to vote for our next theme on the left of the blog.

September Challenge - Halloween

We are back again to see the fabulous creations made by members of the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild for the September Challenge. You voted for the theme Halloween, so let's see what they came up with.

Copper Mobius Chainmaille Halloween Charm Bracelet

HaffinaCreations

Deirdreas Nightmare

littlemetalmerchant

Chainmaille Bracelet Purple And Black Full Persian Ladder

barbsdesigns

Wonderfully work by all. Please remember to vote in our poll to the left of the blog and help us choose our next theme.

Question of the Week - What is your favourite wire gauge?

It is time for another Question of the Week. This time the question posed to the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild was 'What is your favourite wire gauge and why?' Let's see the answers we received.

Little Metal Merchant -
It's hard to choose because I think I get just as much out of one gauge as I do with another gauge. But with stainless steel, 16 is definitely easiest to open and close since there's more to grip on to than the smaller gauges.

Harmony In Metal -
I use several gauges for clasps and other things but my favorite gauge for my maille work is 20 gauge. I like how it gives a more delicate look to the various weaves.

Barb's Designs -
I like 18g. It is a good size for men and women, and the rings don't pull apart as easily.

Haffina Creations -
I love the density and chunkiness of 16 and 14 gauge, but I also love the fragility of making micromaille with 24 and 26 gauge.

Mailler Question - Structural Maille

It has been a few weeks since we had a Mailler Question of the Week, but we are back. This week the question is 'Have you ever considered making a structural maille piece, and what would you make if you were going to make a structural piece?'

This sparked something of a conversation on our forum, so let's see what was said.

Harmony In Metal - I would love to do a structural piece. I have no idea what though, maybe some kind of home decor item like candle holders to start with.

Liv N Good Jewelry - I've seen some very cool bowls, but they seem a little advanced. I'd probably start with a hackey sack or something.

Barb's Designs - No don't know if I will try that as of yet. They are awesome to look at though!

Little Metal Merchant -
I thought about doing a bag once but only got as far as half a bag and ended up taking it apart and using it for jewelry. Chainmaille curtains would be pretty cool but they would take forever to make.

Harmony In Metal -
Curtains would be fabulous. I've actually started one for a small window in the house but it will probably take me years to finish because I only work on it in spurts.

Elements Challenge

For the last couple of months the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild members have been contemplating 'Elements' as a design challenge. Here are the creations that have come about.
We also ask that you vote in our poll to the left to help us choose our next challenge.

 

Celtic Chainmaille Bracelet

Barb's Designs

 

Ocean on my Mind

Little Metal Merchant

 

Ocean Flower, Handcrafted Copper Necklace

Harmony In Metal

 

Chainmaille Waves Bracelet in Blue

HaffinaCreations

 

Chainmaille Ice on Trees Earrings in Blue

HaffinaCreations

Question of the Week - What sort of pliers do you prefer to use?

It is time for another ArtFire Chainmaille Guild question of the week. This week we asked 'what sort of pliers do you prefer to use?'.

Harmony in Metal - Hands down my Lindstrom RX. I use a flat nose and a chain nose. They are so much easier on my hands.

28 Sides Designs - I have some cheapos I got from Joanns that work pretty well...Don't know the brand but I really like using the round nose pliers since they have really fine tips so it's great for working with tiny rings and they have no edges to mar the rings.

Barb's Designs - Flat nose but don't know the brand...not expensive though.

Haffina Creations - I prefer to use my Baby Wubbers, they are the perfect size for my little hands. I have a pair of flat nose and a pair of chain nose.

Question of the Week - What is your favourite weave?

We are back with another Artfire Chainmaille Guild Question of the Week. The question posed this week was - "What is your favourite weave and why?"

Harmony In Metal - Such a tough question. I think my absolute favorite would have to be Viperscale. I love it's bold, chunky look but it still has an element of sleekness. It has flex but is still very solid and sturdy.

Little Metal Merchant - It's a toss up between the byzantine and the barrels. Both just seem practical and easy to throw into a design, especially when working with pendants or focal points.

Barb's Designs - Wow, I really like so many. I figure any one I can finish is a good one. I just did Turkish round maille and really like it but love to wear tryzantine.

28 Sides Designs - I am still have a ton to learn but I love elfweave, it makes me think of celtic knotwork.

If you have any questions you would like answered by the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild, leave us the question in a comment here and we will answer it.

The Sixth Day of Spring

As the first week of spring draws to a close, more lovely green Chainmaille creations appear.

Barb's Designs

HarmonyInMetal

MetalMeditations

Tora Jewelry

Creations by Uli

The first day of Spring

It is the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.. and to celebrate we will be featuring lovely green Chainmaille items for the next week.

Barb's Designs

Lanza Creations

RedPanda

Silver-Haunt

Unkamengifts

Love is in the Air!

As a bit of a fun challenge for our guild we created some pieces with 'Love' in mind.
There have been great pieces made - and here they all are.

There are lovely pieces from NightMaiden, ChainedToTheStrange, BarbsDesigns and HaffinaCreations.

We are asking visitors to vote for our next theme - there is a poll to the left of the blog.

Eclectic Earrings

We are back with another fantastic feature of the talents of our ArtFire Chainmaille Guild members.
This week we thought we would showcase just a few of the different earring possibilities.



There are so many different possibilities, just with a change of rings or the addition of beads. You can see even more examples by visiting our member studios by following the links to the left of the blog.

We will also take this opportunity to welcome our newest guild member, MetalMeditations.

For the Love of Maille

 Welcome back to another spotlight on the talents of our wonderful guild members. This time around our theme is Valentine's and Love, and the items we are featuring are full of heart and love. They would make fabulous gifts for that special someone in your life.



If you are looking for a special gift for a loved one, chainmaille is a fabulous choice. You are sure to find something special in any one of our member studios, so click the links to the left of the blog and browse our stores.

As always, feel free to leave a comment on the types of items you would like to see in the future.