Quilled Rakhi

Today Sravana Poornima-(full moon day of month named Sravana) is celebrated as Raksha Bandhan in Northern India. Sisters tie Rakhi (silk or cotton thread) on the right wrist  of the brothers, seeking their protection and love life long . Sisters also pray for happiness and well being of their brothers.

The silk or cotton thread can be as simple as a thread. They can also be made of silver, gold and other precious gems depending on the budget and taste. These days one can see Rakhis of many designs. Many young girls and women make their own Rakhis and it is an art in it self.

Well I was very busy yesterday with Vara Lakshmi Pooja. Then I had to run around on various errands. At the end of the day, when I went shopping for Rakhis, I could not find one that interested me and they were also costly.


So today morning I made this. Well I had to manage with whatever material was available in my work basket. 

These are the materials I used. A piece of cord left over from one of my projects, two circular (not exactly) pieces of card stock, some quilling paper, a piece of satin ribbon and glue. 


First I made some tear drop shaped petals of yellow coloured strips. Then I made one tight coil from two strips of light brown shade to form the inner coil and one strip of dark brown shade on the out side. One green coloured strip was used for leaf.


First I stuck up the two circles. Then I stuck the center brown coil to it, followed by the petals by using glue on the base (card stock), on the sides of coil as well as the petals.


But then I felt that the base was not strong enough. Then I stuck the cord on the other side of card stock in circular shape.

Then I stuck the green satin ribbon (just enough to tie on the wrist). I placed this piece under a heavy book so that everything  properly sticks together.

 This is the Sunflower Quilled Rakhi. I tied it on my brother's wrist.

I could have done better, like decorating it further, but I din't have any time at all. May be I will explore this idea more and post my experiments.


Hope you like it. 

Quilled Shapes-7

Heart Scroll

Take a strip of quilling paper. Length, colour and width can be according to your requirement.  Mark the center. Fold the center. Roll each end towards inside, by using quilling needle or tooth pick. 

After removing from the tool let the coils settle down according to your choice. Use tooth pick or pin to arrange the coils. Adjust the shape of the heart by adjusting the coils.Both coils touch each other.

The size of the heart can be varied. The size of the coils can be same or different. The coils can be tight and fill the entire heart shape or can have one, two or required number of rolls according to the requirement. The coils can be glued together or left loose. One coil can be smaller than the other.

I have posted two variations above. I will be posting more once the basic shapes are finished with.


I am busy making quilled jewellery . I will also posting once the basics are over.


So keep an eye on my blog.

LAC JEWELLERY

Lac Jewellery

Lac has been used since ancient times in India, in making jewellery as a cosmetic, for dyeing wool, silk, leather and also in medicines.

Lac is the red resinous secretion of some insects. These are very tiny plant sucking insects, which attach themselves in millions of numbers on branches of trees. Their secretion is red in colour and coated on the branches of the host trees. These branches  are cut and harvested as stick lac.

The stick lac is crushed and sieved to remove impurities. Then it is washed a number of times to remove insect parts and other soluble material. The resulting product is known as seedlac.  It is used in  violins and varnishes etc.  Seedlac is again  processed into shellac by removing the impurities it still contains.

In India Lac is produced in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Maharastra

Lacis used for making jewellery, key chains, framing mirrors, boxes, pens, pen stands, table tops, coasters, napkin holders and many more.  

Lac Jewellery is hand made and the entire family is involved in its manufacturing process. It is made mainly in Rajasthan and to some extent in Hyderabad too.

Here is the process of making of this jewellery:

http://lacjewelry.com/manufacturing.php

Kundans, stones, beads and mirrors etc are also used to enhance the beauty of the pieces besides enamel paints. The price depends upon the craftsmanship, design and how delicately the piece is made. There are no doubt pieces to suit every ones pocket. Its just that we need to strike a balance between the price and the quality.

I love collecting them. here is a glimpse...

These are ear studs available in two sizes-studded with stones. Below are the danglers. All are available in a variety of colours.

These are light weight too. Some more next time...keep a watch....