How to Make Jewelry with Tatty Devine

how to make jewelry with tatty devine

 

Check out the Tatty Devine jewellery crafting tutorials book. Make jewellery so personal a high street fashion store will probably try to copy it…

As we hope you know, this month has seen cult DIY jewellery designers Tatty Devine calling in the lawyers after they’ve spotted virtually identical jewellery designs in high street fashion store Claire’s Accessories. Yes, we know there could be a trickle-down effect. Tatty Devine aren’t the only DIY gals on the block who have thought of working with moustaches, Andy Warhol bananas and hipster glasses. But for so MANY Tatty Devine items to be featured at Claire’s Accessories? And such a close visual match (check out the dinosaur’s little waggly forearm – exactly the same shape at both TD and CA)? There is very little doubt in our mooky minds that the Tatty Devine designs have been copied – there are far too many points of similarity (see the pictures below and judge for yourself).

Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens a lot. Many DIY crafters putting on shows and displays operate a strict “no photos” policy, knowing that the large fashion and accessory stores demand that their interns to go to small shows and photograph everything there – with an eye to, quite frankly, stealing the designs and bulk-manufacturing them in China. If you are one of these fashion interns, we know it’s not your fault. You’ve been given a job to do. We’re blaming the unethical practices of the corporate sharks, who should be approaching these DIY craft outfits and engineering deals of mutual benefit to use those designs legally.

There is NO WAY DIY arts and crafters can afford to drop their prices to compete with mass-produced crap (even if it’s occasionally pretty and charming crap). In most cases, DIY designers NEVER find out their ideas have been stolen. In rare cases they might, in the same way that Tatty Design Jewellery – found their designs being sold on the high street. But many Etsy-style designers in this position will simply feel they cannot afford to take on the big corporations because they cannot afford the lawyers.

We want to higlight this, to encourage you to support DIY craft designers. Although we’re preaching to the converted because we know you already do, when you can.

In support of Tatty Devine, we also want to encourage you to check out their excellent book, How to Make Jewellery With Tatty Devine. Not only do Tatty Devine not – as far as we know, but it’s a pretty safe bet – copy other people’s ideas, they’re also altruistic enough to share their ideas with you, and show you how to make unique crafty jewellery of your own.

How to Make Jewellery With Tatty Devine (From £5.62)

We consider this to a handy but also very endearing guide to making jewellery (although, if you’re partial to Steampunk jewellery, we also recommend DIY steampunk how-to bible the Steampunk Emporium.

The Tatty Devine book starts with the basic tools you’ll need, then takes you through a variety of jewellery making techniques and concepts so you can decide what you’re most personally drawn to: gluing, cutting, filing, beading and arrangements / stylistic composition. Expect statement pieces as well as easy pretties, and the Tatty Devine girls are even kind enough to offer suggestions on how to wear clothes that bring out the best in the jewellery you’ve just made.

So that you know right now, the book mainly focuses on brooches and pendants for necklaces (although you will learn how to make a sovereign ring, and other bits and bobs). You won’t learn how to make a celtic entrelace friendship ring here. This how-to book seems designed to inspire the soul and encourage you to bring new ideas to your crafting table, and it’s by no means a serious jeweller’s course inna book.

‘How to Make Jewellery with Tatty Devine’ is warm, intimate and inspirational, with a real DIY arts and crafts ethic running through its veins. It’ll help you source the stuff you need, but one of the book’s great strengths is its attitude to upcycling found bits and bobs and looking at them with a new eye. It’s all about crafting beautiful things that are unique. That are personal to you. That will – fingers crossed – never be found in Claire’s Accessories.

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