I'm Margaret Cherre, the artist behind Second Wind Jewelry & Weaving. I do all of the designing and weave every scarf and create every piece of jewelry by myself, working in my home in rural upstate New York.
Handweaving is my latest passion. I love working with a wide range of fabrics, experimenting with colors and textures, widths and lengths, weaving patterns and methods. I like to make handwoven scarves that are warm and cuddly and others that are lightweight and dressy. As you'll see from my Handwoven Scarves page, I use a wide variety of fibers and weights in my weaving, including environmentally friendly bamboo and organic cotton, Egyptian cotton, rayon, and a variety of animal fibers (wool, alpaca, and more).
I love to use a variety of gemstones and precious metals in my jewelry, combining them using both coordinating and contrasting colors, patterns and textures. I rarely make more than 10 pieces of a single design and gemstone, ensuring that you are purchasing a unique and high-quality piece of jewelry. I also create many of my own clasps, adding yet another artistic detail to necklaces and bracelets. When needed to complete the design I intend, I also make my own earwires or posts. I consider my work wearable art, and approach each new design from that perspective. My work ranges from lightweight and delicate to chunky and funky; my only limitation is that the final piece must please me and be of high quality.
I have been working in various media - from knitting and crocheting to sewing and macrame to gardening and home decor - for more than 40 years, most recently adding handweaving to my repertoire.
The name of my business - Second Wind Jewelry & Weaving - comes from four facts:
- I started this business later in my life, when I got my second wind,
- I do all my weaving on a vintage, handmade floor loom that I brought back to useful life, imparting its second wind,
- I use vintage beads and other components whenever possible, giving them their second wind, and
- virtually all my packaging, which I make with help from my sister, is from recycled materials, again giving them second wind.
I love to learn new processes - from enamelling to metalsmithing, handweaving to web design - and then to incorporate them into my designs, my work, and my life. I feel free to play with materials, processes, and media, often in unusual ways.
I strive to make my work reflect my multiple interests, from personal adornment to environmental consciousness, and to combine grace and beauty, playfulness and quality. |
