Dazzle: Miss Molly's Designs

Grandmother's Quilt Micro Mosaic and Vintage Button Necklace

Talk about “aha moments.” There we were, cruising around the Internet, when we stumbled on Arizona mixed media artist Molly Alexander’s etsy site. We were immediately drawn to the rich colors and uber-modern lines of her Grandmother’s Quilt necklace, which showcases her stained glass micro mosaic work set in a handcrafted copper bezel.

The pendant measures 3.5 inches by 1.75 inches and hangs from a hand-wrought copper wire chain studded with beads and vintage buttons. Although it doesn’t have a shred of actual fabric, it has the lively color and random design that so many of us modern quilters appreciate. (And what else is mosaic work, if not a cousin to the art of improv patchwork? It’s all about fitting in those pieces, people!)

The piece, which retails for $85, was created for a monthly challenge issued by the editors at the Art Bead Scene blog. True to its name, Molly says she created it in honor of her grandmother, one of her favorite people. It’s based on a quilt used in the Art Bead Scene challenge. (Plus in the photograph above, the piece is sitting on a coverlet her grandmother actually made, using UFO blocks from her own mother. Sort of a double homage, she says.

“She taught me so many things, and was an incredible influence on my character, on the woman I am today,” Molly says.

She is also the person who taught Molly to sew and embroider—something Molly says she’s not very good at. (She says she often jokes that her best sewing technique is duct tape.) But her grandmother was patient and persistent.

“I loved the stories she would tell me as we sat together at the sewing machine or with our projects on our laps,” Molly says.

Caged earring and necklace set

Molly is based in Goodyear Arizona, and has been making jewelry for about 12 years. She started working in mosaics after picking up a big box of scrap stained glass for cheap and making planters. It quickly became an art addiction, but she’s also partial to copper and other metals because of their versatility. (Sort of like us stitchers, who crave solids and modern prints, but can get our heads turned by an edgy new batik.) And lately, bead embroidery is making her artist’s heart beat faster.

“I have been really getting into bead embroidery in a way that is fusing my jewelry and mixed-media techniques with the same processes I use when I am planning a mosaic piece,” she says. “I am absolutely hooked! I love that I’ve been able to combine my love for color and line and continue to challenge myself with another technique.”

Visit her inspiring and thought-filled blog, http://www.beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com, where she shares more about her latest passion.

Opulence beaded necklace

Pricing varies widely, from $85 for Grandmother’s Quilt; to $125 for Caged, a set of earrings and a necklace with a handmade window and silver wire “stitching.”