I am really appreciating what it takes to make seamless Steampunk jewelry because it is incredibly hard and I only have little pieces on my new hand felted gnomes.
First off, let’s talk about epoxy. This is some toxic stuff, but unavoidable as it makes the perfect glue for these pieces as it’s strong and clear. It was really important to me that the gears be firmly bonded and that you couldn’t see the glue. However, this stuff made my head swim after five minutes, so making the pieces was time consuming.
The inevitable stitching of the jewelry was the next hurdle because there is no way I was gluing them on. I hate glue on hand felted pieces. The only glue I use is hot glue on the bottoms to attach the pots or wooden disks that allow the gnomes to be free standing.
Regular thread, I felt, would be too noticeable and I figured if gnomes really had adorned themselves with metal, they would do it seamlessly and magically. Well I am not magic, but I did have some invisible thread (this is the stuff of fairytales). Try sewing with a number 10 quilters needle and transparent thread, I dare you. I couldn’t even take a picture of it. What I found, however, was that the thread is incredibly strong, especially when doubled up. Luckily, I didn’t have to use too much to secure the jewelry.
I must say, the result is really special. I love the jewelry and it really does bring these little guys together. I didn’t want to put too much on the hats because it would obscure the batt underneath, which I spend allot of time on also.
The end result (these little guys will be up in my shop shortly):
