Far east

Print Helen Cant’s bold indian-themed motifs onto shrink plastic to create this striking set

Inkjet printable shrink plastic is a fun and easy material for creating bold jewellery. This eye-catching set, complete with striking paisley, elephant, dove and peacock motifs, has a real Indian flavour and is guaranteed to make a statement.

Download the template for this project here.

The Motifs

1. Visit http://www.makejewellerymagazine.com and download the PDF files for this project. File one contains the motifs for the necklace and earrings and file two contains the motifs for the bracelet and brooch. Open them using image editing software such as Photoshop, or GIMP which is available to download for free (see 'Shop at...' for details).
2. For optimum printing quality, ensure the resolution of the documents is set to 300 pixels per inch. In Photoshop and GIMP this can be set in the 'import' dialogue box which appears when opening each document. Also ensure the documents open at US letter size which is 215.9mm (8.5”) wide by 279.4mm (11”) high, as this is the size of the shrink plastic sheets. If you’re using Photoshop, also ensure that crop to 'media box' is selected in the drop down list under the page options.
3. As the colours will intensify once the plastic is shrunk, it's best to lighten the motifs before printing. In Photoshop and GIMP this can be carried out by reducing the opacity which can be found in the layers palette. If you can’t see the layers palette, it can be made visible in Photoshop by clicking the Windows menu, then the layers option, or in GIMP by clicking the Windows menu followed by the layers option in the drop down list under Dockable Dialogs. You may need to experiment a little to find what works best with your printer, but as a guide for most, the opacity will need to be reduced to around 60% to 70%.
4. Before printing, double check that the documents are set to US letter size measurements. In Photoshop you can look for this when you click the file menu then print option. In GIMP click the file menu then print option and look under the image settings tab. Also ensure that the paper size is set to US letter size under your printer's own preferences menu.
5. If all the settings have been correctly applied, as a size guide, the elephant should be 9.5cm in height once printed. Ensure that your printer is set to its highest print quality then load the shrink plastic sheets into it, print the motifs and leave to dry for at least an hour.

Necklace

1. Roughly cut out the elephant and two large paisley motifs from the shrink plastic sheet with scissors, leaving as much white space as possible around the edges. Press down on these white edges rather than touching the printed motifs whilst neatly cutting around them.
2. Use a small circular single hole punch to make two holes at the top of the elephant and at the top and centre of the base of the paisley motifs. Place in an oven or use a heat gun to shrink according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once shrunk leave to cool, then to protect the designs apply three coats of acrylic spray, allowing to dry between each.
3. Connect a paisley charm either side of the elephant using 8mm jump rings. Thread a 6mm purple glass bead, a gold calika bead and another 6mm purple glass bead onto an eye pin, trim the excess and form a loop with round-nosed pliers. Repeat to create another.
4. Attach one of the pins to the top of each of the paisley motifs using 6mm jump rings. Cut two 14cm lengths of chain then attach to the beaded eye pins. To finish, secure a lobster clasp and extension chain to the ends of the necklace with 6mm jump rings.

Bracelet

1. Cut a small paisley motif, a flower and a dove from the printed shrink plastic as before. Punch a hole at the top of each, then shrink and allow to cool before applying acrylic spray. Measure your wrist using a piece of chain then double the length adding an extra 5cm.
2. Cut sparkly purple and pink and orange saddle stitch ribbons to the same length. Secure one end of each into a ribbon clamp. Using a 6mm jump ring, attach one end of the chain to the ribbon clamp, then secure to one part of a toggle clasp using a 7mm jump ring.
3. Stick the toggle clasp and end jump ring to a flat surface using a piece of tape and plait the chain and ribbons together. Continue until it reaches the correct length to comfortably fit around your wrist. Secure the plait again to a flat surface just above the position you have identified as the correct length then cut any excess chain and ribbon.
4. Secure the ends of the ribbon into a ribbon clamp and attach the chain to the ribbon clamp using a 6mm jump ring as before then add the second part of the toggle clasp.
5. Thread a 2.5mm gold spacer, a 6mm purple glass round, a gold etched bauble bead, another 6mm purple round and a 2.5mm gold spacer onto a head pin. Trim the excess then form a loop with round-nosed pliers. Repeat to make up a second pin, replacing the gold etched bead with a purple version.
6. Create two more beaded head pins, one with two 2.5mm gold spacers and a 10mm faceted amethyst bead, and another with two 4mm gold spacers and an ornate purple acrylic bead. Attach the beaded head pins and shrink plastic charms to the chain along the length of the bracelet using 6mm jump rings.

Earrings

1. Cut two dove motifs from the printed shrink plastic. Punch holes at the top of each before shrinking, then allow to cool and apply acrylic spray. Slip two 6mm purple rounds and a gold calika bead onto an eye pin, trimming and looping the end, then attach one of the dove charms to the bottom with a 6mm jump ring. Secure an earwire at the top then repeat to make a pair.