Hiding words in pattern

In thinking about ways to put pattern into pattern, so that there was a hidden pattern which was not very noticeable against the obvious pattern, I started thinking of putting words or messages into my pieces, possibly using code to hide them. after looking at codes like morse code, I found the braille alphabet. Braille uses raised dots, each letter a different combination of dots, in a 2 x 3 grid. I thought I could use this alphabet with my folded squares, and make the letters using different coloured squares or a different material.

Metalwork: More enamel.

I really liked the effect of the enamel in folded copper squares, so I decided to make some more, to place in a grid, so that they create a pattern together

I might also try hiding a pattern in this pattern, possibly having a few squares different, maybe brass or a different technique.

Ceramics: Creating pattern through repetition

I made these round ceramic pieces with my plaster stamps, and they have been biscuit fired. I then decided to use these to push into squares of clay, to get a negative of the designs on the circles. this meant that as well as the original pattern from the stamps, it also transferred the surrounding circle.

I think these tiles could be used as wall decoration, set out in the same grid as the circles they got their pattern from.

Textile and mixed media: repeated diamonds.

 I have been looking at Polly Binns and Ealish Wilson, who both use a technique similar to smocking, but on a very large scale. Wilson uses various methods of securing her fabric, including cable ties and different threads.

 I tried out the same method, using embroidery thread to secure my calico. I knotted each piece of thread and left the tails long for added decoration.

 I then thought about possibly adding pieces to the textile backing, in the holes, so that there are smaller pieces of pattern, inside the textile.

 I have decided I would like to try to make quite a large wall hanging, so I wanted quite a few diamonds, to put in various places in the textile piece. I made diamonds from both clay and metal, using punches, enamel, pewter casting and reticulation to make the brass crumple and make a texture. I also used stamps to decorate some of the clay ones. I then used seed beads to weave one.

Metalwork: Making a copper bangle

I made this bangle with the same method I made rings before, by stamping patterns onto the strip of metal before I bent it into the right shape. I used a file to smooth out the marks that the punches had left on the other side. I wanted the outside to be completely plain and not patterned, to look simple and sophisticated

I started using a fairly rough file, to make it flat, and then smaller, smoother files to make the surface smooth. I decided I wouldn't polish it, because I wanted to keep the satin finish that I got from the wet and dry paper.

My main aim for this bangle is so that the pattern can only be seen when the bangle is not being worn, and much of the items beauty can only be seen by the owner of it.

Ceramics: Natural pattern.

After a visit to West Midlands Safari Park, I started to think how pattern is used to hide animals in their natural habitat, and started thinking about how I could hide things in pattern, instead of hiding the pattern itself. I think this will make my jewellery a lot more patterned and decorative, but also keep the idea of hiding  something in it, so what you see at first is not all that it is, and the jewellery will be more special and valuable to the person who owns it. I first looked at the pattern on zebras, and how this helps them to hide and be protected from predators  I then thought how a zebra shape could be hidden in a patterned background, carrying on the stripes outwards.

I used a photo of a zebra I took at the safari park as a guide for the outline and stripes, then continued the stripes out, up to the edge of the piece of clay. when the clay was a bit drier, I carefully took the zebra shape out, then stuck the outside part onto another piece of flat clay with slip.

 This made a base which the zebra fitted in, and could be taken out like a jigsaw piece. I am planning to fire them with the zebra in, using a powder to stop it from sticking. Because clay shrinks as it dries, when it is fired, the thicker base part may shrink at a different rate to the zebra, so it may not fit exactly, so by leaving the zebra in it, I am hoping that this will be less likely.

I have made two small tunnels on the back, which will hold the weight of the piece, which I hope to use as the centre piece of a necklace. I have left a gap between them, to leave space for a small metal clip, which will hold the zebra in place. I hope to use oxides when it has been fired, to make the indented stripes black, and leave the more prominent parts white.

Metalwork: Making a brooch.

I wanted to make my piece of patterned copper 'wall' into a brooch, without just shoving a pin on it. I decided I wanted most of the pattern to be on the inside, so only the wearer knew it was there, and to keep the outside fairly minimal. I thought of what would be on a wall, like railings, and because the pattern was similar to patterns of paving slabs I have looked at, I also looked at what would be on floors, like footprints. I decided finally on drainpipes, because that would be a decorative way of attaching it to something, because a pin or a few pins could go into the pipes to hold it on. I also went out and did some observational sketches of how pipes fitted together, and how they were attached to the wall, to get ideas of how I could arrange the pipes on my brooch.

I decided to have one straight piece of pipe, and one bent, so I could have one long pin that would go all the way through the pipe, and not fall out. I soldered a bent piece of wire to the straight piece of pipe (it is solid wire not pipe because it doesn't need to hold the pin, and wire is easier to bend without miss-shaping it) and then made small loops from thinner wire, and used lead solder to join them on without melting the previous soldering.

 After polishing it in the tumbler, I super glued the brass pieces on so they would stay still while I was drilling, and centre punched each side of each brass piece so I knew where to drill.

I drilled the holes, then neatened them and made them a little bit bigger so the rivets would go through.

 The rivets are decorative on the other side, so it will still look nice when worn so that the main pattern is hidden.

I wanted the pin to go through the pipe, and hold on to the garment at both the top and bottom, so it would hold on securely.

 I used a piece of wire, and melted the end so there was a small blob, which would stop it going through the fabric. I also curved the wire slightly, so the tension would keep it held in the right place.

Ceramics: Using pattern in clay.

I wanted to try making some relief patterns in clay, from my photographs and observational sketching. I made small pieces, with the intention of using them to test out different glazes, and see how they work on the textured surfaces, but also to test how the patterns look on a very small scale, with a view of possibly using ceramic pieces in jewellery.

I made two pieces using a weaving technique with strips of clay, based on both the pattern of woven fabric, and also based on a pattern I found inside an envelope. I then made a piece with the pattern of a cabbage leaf, with parts that were pressed in to create depressions, and also adding strips of clay to create veins. My last two flat pieces were based on patterns from floors, one a paving slab, and the other a mosaic floor. 

I then created a cube, using six squares of clay, with a different pattern on each square. I then assembled the pieces so the pattern was on the inside of the box and lid, hidden.