Gaudí's Folly Earrings
©2020 by Cynthia Rutledge

Antoni Gaudí was the greatest proponent of Catalan modernism of all time. Gaudí's one-of-a-kind style, led to his creation of numerous architectural wonders in and around Barcelona, Spain.

Gaudí's Folly Earrings were inspired by two different aspects of his work. The first, being the architectural flowing shapes, arches and spires. The second, was to capture the essence of his use of color and light. Then, the more I worked on these diminutive 3-D shapes, the more I thought of them as follies!

In England, a folly is an architectural structure, constructed primarily for decoration. Many would call them feats of fancy, as these diminutive structures were created to please the eye or lead the eye to see something beyond the structure. Many were miniature versions of the castle that shared the same land. A great example is Highcleare Castle (home of Downton Abbey) and its multitude of follies.

Each earring has a tassel shape consisting of three shaped components, laced together to form "windows" of color and structure. At the top of each of the tassels is a four-sided CZ beaded bead, reflecting light as it is worn. These earrings make a statement. They are bold and contemporary, but reminiscent of the true Gaudí style!

Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced

Workshop length: This is a 1-day workshop

Earring length: 2 ½ inches long (from the top of the ear wire to the bottom of the tassel shape) by 1 inch wide at the widest point of the tassel shape.

Techniques:

• Bezel work

• Flat peyote stitch with increasing

• Filled netting

• Stitching-in-the-ditch

• Tubular peyote stitch with decreasing