Tiny Dress Shoes

[Mary Beth van der Horst]

I just finished with my second formed rod project.
I mentioned this one in my post about the double sided float mount I did for the seashell basket. In some ways this one was harder, some easier, but holy cow I'm having a fun time playing with making mounts now!
Formed rods, no big deal... cove mats... still annoying AF. For some reason every time I make one, it's bigger than I want it to be. This one barely fit into the frame so I'm worried about it bowing or the corners gaping open over time.

The big achievement on this one though, was managing to mount each little shoe with ONE singular rod. I had 3 per shoe, and then I realized that the most complex shape I had designed for each pair was enough on it's own to hold it. The red shoes were gripped tightly around the heel... and the blue shoes have a brass rod that sneaks in the toe and then snakes around inside like a W shaped spring to hold it snug from inside. I stress tested them first by waving them around like little wands because that's the vibe you get from little princess shoes from many decades ago.

I've literally been sitting on this project since July with the promise of finishing it before Christmas. No motivation like procrastination, right?

 

[Bruce Papier]

You should be waving a wand. You're a magician! Those are really clever mounts.

 

[alacrity8]

Very nice work.

When working with awkward mat designs (like a cove), try making the mat before making the frame.

 

[Rick Granick]

Excellent job. Those are some pretty hefty rods.
Rick

 

[Mary Beth van der Horst]

Excellent job. Those are some pretty hefty rods.
Rick

Do you think they might be too hefty??
I ended up buying a bunch of 3/32" brass rods for my seashell basket project. They're soft enough to bend/form easily but thick enough to support a good bit of weight. Granted, the shoes didn't weigh anything but I already had them on hand. Before I got the brass, I had ordered a pack of assorted steel piano wire off of Amazon, but it all seemed far too thin to do anything with. So yeah, I guess I'm still looking for feedback on metal and gauge, but this felt really good to work with.

 

[wpfay]

Nice solution, and well done.
Next trick for your bag is magnets.

 

[Rick Granick]

Do you think they might be too hefty??
I ended up buying a bunch of 3/32" brass rods for my seashell basket project. They're soft enough to bend/form easily but thick enough to support a good bit of weight. Granted, the shoes didn't weigh anything but I already had them on hand. Before I got the brass, I had ordered a pack of assorted steel piano wire off of Amazon, but it all seemed far too thin to do anything with. So yeah, I guess I'm still looking for feedback on metal and gauge, but this felt really good to work with.

You should be fine with the way you did it. Very clever shaping of those mounts.
Experiment with the piano wire. You'll be surprised how supportive it can be, especially with fairly lightweight items like those shoes.
It really depends on the item. I like the springiness of piano wire when I can use that. I have used thin brass rods too. Brass can also be hammered at the end of the rads to make a wider contact point if necessary. I think there is an example of this in Jim Miller's shadowbox mounting book, and in articles he has written for PFM.
Rick

 

[Julia]

WOW! What a beautiful design and the mounts are well done.