Final Explorations with first McCaw Cane Endeavor--A Covered Tin and Earrings

I decided to make a quilt with some of the canes.  I reduced parts of the cane and combined canes into smaller components and then I started building a quilt layout pattern with repeating and alternating squares.  I looked at the quilt and decided to try covering a tin with quilt patterns.  This quilt would be on the top of the tin.  I had to make sure that there was enough overlap to cover the sides of the tin and I had to butt the corners together and cut off the excess clay.  I carefully sliced above the hinges as close to the edge as possible in a dual attempt to assure the mobility of the lid and at the same time, decorate as much of the tin as possible.  It worked out pretty well and it seemed to help to bend the lid back a liggle and clean out the clay that was trapped inside the hinges.

Next it was time to construct the bottom of the box.  I started a new quilt with a diamond shaped cane as the central design.  I used a border of marbleized clay scraps, then a panel of turquoise, and then a layer of purple interspersed with reduced and combined diamond canes like the central design but much smaller and kaleidoscoped.

Next, I decided that the new combined cane design would make some very fine earrings, so I cut two slices the smallest width on the Marxit tool and lined them in turquoise.  I really like the new intricate design and feel I am making progress.  I took a half slice of this cane to make a handle for the Mystery Box.  I am almost finished with these first canes and will have to construct new ones soon.  I have revisited the tutorial and hopefully have internalized more of the directions and hints and tips so that the next batch of canes should come out better and even more beautiful.

I love this technique because even when you are a beginner with it, you can obtain beautiful patterns and designs that are well worth keeping.It will be interesting to see what direction my journey with the McCaw cane technique will take on the second pass.  It is hard to guess at the inspiration awaiting after I combine the light and dark portions of the canes in the correct manner, unlike my first foray.  I am preparing to be dazzled.