A RARE ART NOUVEAU “BUTTERFLIES AND BATS” POCKETWATCH, BY RENE LALIQUE Of gilt-finished jeweled lever movement, the openface pocketwatch of circular outline with blued-steel moon-style hands and applied black enameled Arabic numerals, against the gold ground accented by blue and white enameled fluttering butterflies, within a polished gold case, the reverse depicting numerous flying purplish blue enameled bats, with scattered moonstone accents, further embellished by a sculpted gold serpent bow, circa 1899-1900, with French export marks.
Can you believe the main components of this DIY Steampunk Skull cost only $2 from the Dollar Store? And the eyes light up?
Follow EPBOT’s extremely detailed tutorial to see how Jen created this DIY Steampunk Skull. And how did the skull look before Jen did a makeover? See below.
I see a lot of watch innards in my work. Using a disassembled movement, the “skeleton” of any watch, as the basis for a tiny city has been rolling around in my head for a long time. Most of the holes for the “buildings” are already there. I sometimes need to pop the “jewels” out, usually low grade rubies, so all the holes are available. Many of the “buildings” are seriously tiny, sub 1 mm wide and a few millimetres high. They can also be very sharp. My first attempt wasn’t great as I couldn’t get the “buildings” straight and parallel. Take two using putty hardened before installing all the “buildings”. Third time’s the charm. A little futuristic city with a range of buildings, tiny details and a central “lake” using clear resin. You can’t really see it in the photos.
Here is the dilemma I faced:
It needed to be photographed without the glass so you can see the details, texture and how light plays off it at different angles. It is designed to be a pendant on a chain but for that use I have to stick down the glass dome permanently. If you want it as a piece of art, sculpture, desk ornament, assemblage - I can leave the glass unattached. If there was a way I could do both I would but I can’t see any way to do that using my current skills, supplies and equipment. If it’s displayed on a shelf close to eye level it would be great to keep the glass on to avoid dust but also be able to take the glass off to see all the minute detail. It will also get a lot of attention as a unique jewellery piece on a long chain.
So I leave that option to you - just let me know. It will be the same price for either option.
Components:
Silver tone tubing - polished
Two part putty
Vintage silver tone watch movement
Assorted watch stems
Assorted watch bar springs
Assorted winders
Assorted balance staffs
Earring posts
Pins
Electronic probes
Clear resin
Assorted tubing
Miscellaneous parts
Assorted crimps/beads
Pinions
Glass dome
Brass disk
Brass setting tray
Eye up loop
Build time: 7 hours
Under the glass dome the pendant is just under 2 inches (4.5cm) high and 1 inch (2.4cm) wide. The chain would be brass gold tone rollo link at the length you would like to wear it at with a lobster claw clasp.
Updated Post on the DIY Bat Dress Pattern from EvaDress
Updated 2019
All photos in the main collage are by Cynthia DeGrand here. They can be found on EvaDress’ Blog here.
This is an advanced sewing project from EvaDress. The Bat Dress was inspired by the illustration Travestissement Chauve-Sourisin in La mode Illustrée, Journal de la Famille,1887 below.
About the EvaDress Pattern
The $28 pattern by EvaDress can be bought at evadress.com here. You can also buy the Bat Dress Pattern on myshopify.com here.
The 21 piece pattern includes:
pieces for the wings
corset bodice
flounced skirt
gloves
polonaise
fichu
The dress comes in the following sizes:
Size set A: 33" to 39" bust, 22" to 28" waist, 33" to 37" hip
Size set B: 41" to 45" bust, 28" to 34" waist, 39" to 43" hip
You can find a post on making the Bat Dress Gloves here.
The Bat Dress Crinoline Progress is detailed on EvaDress Blog here.
EvaDress’ daughter made the Bat Bust Ornamentation using paper and fabric mâché.
Other Bat Dresses
Sewing to Distraction has an entire post dedicated to her experience sewing the EvaDress Bat Dress here.
For another interpretation of the Bat Dress, check out Darling and Dash’sposthere.The Bat Headpiece was made from, “Black striped netting over the shoulder drape gathered and pinned to front with furry bat.”
Bat Dress Background
There is an excellent post on Victorian Bat Dresses on Cogpunk Steamscribe here, titled:The Victorian Batgirl: a Steampunk Feminist Perspective
Below is a Victorian German photograph of a “Bat Woman” costume found here.
Another Bat Costume photograph is from the Museum Victoria here.
Lastly, check out this Bat Fan from the 1900s that sold at auction.
“Hand painted, exceptionally rare miniature bat fan. On thin shaved wood. One of the most unusual items we have seen. Wingspan 3.5 inches. Circa 1900.”
What a dapper chap! I was inspired by a few posts and popularity of my LED experiments in design. Found an old skull charm, gave him goggles and cobbled together a top hat from an XL brass eyelet, some cut brass tubing and walled setting. I attached it at a slight jaunty angle. Couldn’t resist installing a tiny LED within the skull set in resin. Like my other pieces it’s powered by putting a small clutch battery pack on a small post. The whole piece is set on a stick pin so it could be worn on a cravat or dress coat. Unfortunately, the LED has made it very difficult to photograph accurately. The light seems too bright but in reality it’s just an eerie green glow. Perfect finish to a gentleman’s outfit who dabbles in the macabre and dark arts. The batteries are easy to replace.
Happy Halloween/Samhain/Late Autumn folks! As promised last year, for a little while I’m bringing back some special moss pendants in time for the season; ones made with some local cemetery moss.
All of this moss was collected in a small pinch taken from a local historic cemetery.* I have nine pendants available this week, six small ones featuring “Worm Moss” (Bryoandersonia illecebra), and three larger rectangle pendants featuring “Palm Tree Moss” (Climacium dendroides). I should have a few more pieces available in the coming couple of weeks, as well.
Grave moss has long had a folkloric and symbolic association with spirits and the dead - perfect for the time of year when the veil, they say, is most thin.
(*No graves were disturbed in the harvesting of the moss, the moss was harvested from one of the oldest parts of the cemetery, far away from any plots that may still have mourners, the moss was taken from the ground, not a headstone).
All of these will be available tomorrow, Sunday the 20th of October at 12pm EST!
We’re now well into November, but I still have one, finalbatch of these to go! I was all ready for last week to be the last time these were available for the year, but as I was going through my dried specimens I realized I had an additional box of the specimens that wouldn’t quite fit in the main box.
I’m out of the Palm Tree Moss but have about 7 of the larger pendants with big feathery specimens of the Worm Moss, as well as 24 small pendants.
Thislast batch will be available tomorrow, Sunday November 10th at 1:30pm EST!
This is made from a gold plated fuse, used in high end stereo for superior sound quality. They have such a great look - atompunk/mid century - I didn’t want to really alter the look. The internal gold plate “S” connection has such great form I couldn’t improve on it. I’ve sold several attached horizontally on a cord for men’s jewellery. Audiophiles love them.
But I wanted to highlight it with light. On the bottom of the fuse I’ve installed an LED with a connection post running through the base cap. The light is turned on by plugging that pin into a small silver tone battery pack. It holds tight to the pin. The battery pack unscrews at the top so batteries can be replaced. The bracket holding the fuse is not fixed so you could turn it up the other way and have the battery pack on the top of the fuse. To balance the piece without the battery I created a similar post on the other end.
Why should fun jewellery, brave jewellery design using light be the domain of gaudy kitsch - plastic flashing Christmas earrings, disposable dance/rave accessories and cheap novelty toys for kids? Why can’t it be used in high quality unique design? Yes, it’s a bit mad scientist and will certainly attract attention whether the light is on or off.
A Jewel of a book. Another hand made special commission piece based on the classic Universal picture of Frankenstein 1931 - 15 x 10 inches. In this unusual project my skills were really tested but exceeded expectations. I gave a new dimension to this ring binder - a kind of realistic skin feel and touch. Leather has real soft touch like human skin. The body of the book also has a very rustic effect encompassing the decaying monster from the film. The skin parted exposing it’s wound ~ quite perfect.
