Sunday, January 10, 2010

Wire Wrapping Class in Rockport





See the deal was that if Renita took the lapidary class with me then I would take the wire wrapping class, and it seemed to be pretty fair deal to me, but as the class drew nearer I started to quaver a bit. It didn't help when another resident of our rv park told Renita that the first class would be on making earrings. Good grief, what have I gotten into?
So before we entered the building,I told Renita that if I said that I was going fishing with George tomorrow, it would mean that I was going to fake a headache and leave. Prepared with an out we entered, found the class room, and got comfortable.
Our instructor, Mary Beth Orrision, came in, sat down and introduced herself to us. She then cut a piece of wire and told us to get close and watch how she made the head ring.
Three hours later we both felt almost overwhelmed with all the information she had taught us. We had learned how to make an ear wire, hammer a paddle, give the bends strength, or temper , and form coils, spirals, loops, and headrings. It was really amazing how she showed us to turn a simple piece of wire into so many things.
A former student of hers stopped by and showed us her wire wrappings, using beach glass, and I could see that we could do the exact same technique with our lapidary specimens. It was obvious that we had taken the right class and that Mary Beth was a really good teacher!
The instructor had made us feel welcome and guided us as we made mistakes. Her patience, gentile demeaner and expertise made it a fun session. I felt chagrined as I remembered my trepidations about making earrings and the wire wrapping class. We both agreed that the class had been excellent and that we were looking forward to the next session. Clear skies.

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