Time Stamp : Summer 21 505
"Taylani, your dance instructor has requested you work on your sickle feet. Remember, pretty feet, when you leap or stretch your leg keep your toe pointed but your foot straight." The mellow alto voice calls from the adjoining room, into the living area where a red headed child dressed in a short skirt with tight leggings elongates her body her arms held akimbo over her head, her body bowing backwards into a controlled 'fall". The red head was about ten, her hair tied back in a tight braided bun, secured by simple silver-colored pins. Already her body was willowy if not curvy, her face pointed into a heart shape but the edges around her bright blue eyes blurred as a child only can. Though the red head Taylani is only ten, her face is full of concentration as she practiced her routine. Her body falls to the floor, her arms landing splayed out in front, her hips twisting so that her legs are on their side one on top of the other, in what can only be a closing stance.
From the other room steps a woman with a tray loaded with items, her own red hair the exact same shade as the dancer was tied back with a kerchief, her green eyes lined around the corners to show her age, but her lips are lined as well from many years smiling. Angelia smiles warmly down at her daughter, one that she had thought she might never have, as she settled the tray on a small wooden table. Angelia and Selvesto had married young in life, but had bore no children until late. Angelia's bloom of her youth was all but faded though her body was still trim from heavy work. Due, perhaps, for their difficulty in conceiving their one and only child Taylani was doted on, though they tried hard not to spoil her.
"Come Tayla," Angelia's voice beckons, her pet name for her daughter rolling off her tongue. "Come, dance practice is over for now child. Now it is time for a jewelry lesson." With patient hands, hands that showed work in their scars and callouses, Angelia laid out an already pressed piece of metal, a very small piece and thin but perfect for what she wanted.
Young Taylani groans, but it is a groan of habit and not real dissent as she picks herself up off the ground. "But Mama, I am not going to be making jewelry. I am going to be flying like the birds!" As she says this the child leaps in the air lightly, her legs spreading gracefully before landing, poised and proud.
Angelia doesn't even stop from laying out the equipment, a charcoal stick, a cutting knife, a silver thin chain, and a lens that magnified. She quirks one brow, "You will fly, Tayla, you will fly proudly...if you learn not to sickle those feet. For now you must keep your feet on the ground and learn how to make something. I suppose a bird that you so wish you were like." Finally the older red head looks up and smiles at the child. There was nothing Angelia would not do for her, and she fully admitted it.
Taylani moves over to her mother's side, her grin widening as she looks into the magnifying lens with a giggle. Angelia straightens the thin sheet of metal on the table and gently guides her daughter to stand between her legs, and then guiding her daughters hands onto the table. "This is simple sheet metal Taylani, while it is not precious it still costs money to buy. Every one wasted either eats into our profit, or drives up our prices causing less Jewelry to be sold. When you are older I will show you how to beat it into a thin enough sheet. The thinner the sheet, the cheaper the costs but also the less sound the outcome is."
While Angelia's voice was quiet and warm, there was a quality of confidence as she picks up the special charcoal stick and gives it to the child. "This is the first thing, because if you make a mistake with the charcoal, nothing is lost. If you make a mistake with the cutting knife then you might ruin the metal. I want you to make a simple bird, do not worry about details, just a general outline."
Taylani looks over her shoulder at her mother, the same concentration on her features when she was dancing falls back over her face as she bent over the metal. A tiny pink tip of her tongue darts out and lays at the corner of her mouth as she begins to sketch. First one line, then two, then a quick to erase before beginning again. All the while Angelia nods her head and smiles, whispering encouraging advice in the child's ear, "Perhaps the body is too thin?" and a "Why does the bird have no feet? Oh it's nesting?" Still she does not once take the pen from her daughter, instead lets the child draw as she wishes.
For a long while Taylani draws, if Angelia ever grew impatient she does not say, if Angelia ever wanted to hurry the child along she does not show it. Instead she watches, offering quiet words, but for the most part her still-bright eyes watches as the child's pen glides across the surface. Taylani herself finally looks up, her back straightening and stretching, and her hand that had been drawing shaking out a cramp. But she puts down the pen, and with charcaol-stained fingers picks up the square sheet of metal to show her mother. The figure on the metal was medium in size, definitely not something one would be able to easily place on a ring but it was amulet sized. It was the general shape of a bird, crouched in a nest, its head raised in alert. There was no detail, just the outline, even the rounded outline of a nest beneath, but that was ok because detail would be etched with an etching knife.
"Very good my little bird!" Angelia praises her daughter, her thick arms enfolding the child's tiny body against hers in a tight embrace. "Now we will take this cutting knife, it is very sharp so be careful, and carefully poke..a little harder.." Angelia places the knife in Taylani's hand, but she does not let go. Instead she guides Taylani's hand with the knife to the top of the outline, the pointed end of the angle against the sheet metal. "More pressure Tayla, " she murmurs and the child grimaces gently until the tip of the knife pierces the thin metal. "Very good child, now we are careful, because we do not want to cut ourselves but we trace the shape that you drew." Again Angelia does not move the knife herself, but neither does she remove her hand. Instead as Taylani moves the knife, slowly and carefully around the charcoal drawing, her tongue poking out again in concentration, the bird began to become free of the metal.
When the very last line was snipped, the bird separates and Angelia picks it up carefully. "Now, this is too dangerous to work with as is, Tayla. The edges are as sharp as that knife. We must now smooth the edges." A smile is given, and Angelia holds the bird up a little higher as Taylani reaches. "No little bird, I will do this part until you are older." Angelia looks at her own scarred and calloused hands and then looks at her daughters smooth one. Yes she teaches her daughter a few basics in jewel making out of pragmatism, but she knows her daughter is destined for entertainment. She does not wish to see an old woman's hands on her little child, this is the real reason she does the smoothing.
"Just like a blade, the edges of the metal can be dulled." Angelia picks up a piece of rough paper, scratchy and pebbled and deftly runs the edges of the bird briskly over it. This does two things, it dulls the edges, leaving them harmlessly smooth, but it also helps remove any traces of the charcoal liner that was used to trace the outline.
Once the bird was sanded down to her liking, she rolled the pendant on her hand to ensure there were no sharp parts, Angelia hands the small piece back to Taylani. "Now the knife again, but this time when you press, do not press so hard as to poke through the metal. This time we want a gentle pressing so that it etches but does not cut." Angelia picks the knife back up, and this time moves the magnifying lens down so that both she and her daughter could look through it. It caused the bird to become larger, to be able to see minute mistakes. She places the knife once more in Taylani's hand, "This time we are going to add details. Remember, see in your mind the bird that you wish to be. Think about what you would see if you were looking at it right now, where would its wing be, where would its eye, its beak. How are the twigs arranged in the nest." Even as she speaks, she allows Taylani to begin moving the knife. This piece is not slated to be sold, unless it comes out really nice though Angelia does not expect it to do so, this being one of the rare times she allows Taylani to work out the details on her own. Too much was at stake selling pieces that were not up to par with her own. Perhaps when Taylani was an adult if she wished to make jewelry with her mother they could show pieces together.
Taylani did this as she did anything, with great enthusiasm and gusto. Her eyes squint as she painstakingly etches the wing, a simple half circle to depict a folded wing. Her birds eye was a little lopsided, but not much and the beak was just little crooked. However the twigs that she worked was her proudest work, each were purposefully crooked. Each line curved and bent, to achieve the maximum effect of a hodgepodge of limbs, twigs and dirt that make up a nest. When she was finished Taylani was a little disappointed that her bird did not look as good as her nest but she was pleased with the end result.
"We will practice our proportions, but for the first detailing job, it looks very nice Tayla." Still using that same warm voice, Angelia then picks up the silver chain, that already had an hook and eye attached, and a small flimsy metal ring. "Now we must attach the ring to the bird, so that it hangs delicately from the chain. First we must poke a hole, then thread the metal through." Taylani nods her head, and picks up the knife carefully. She places the point down near the birds back rather then head, and presses. Once more her tiny face grimaces until the point pulls through, then she lifts straight out. Angelia then picks up the pendant, and with a deft hand she slips one side of the metal loop through, then using only her hands she squeezes the ends together giving a experienced twist. It would take deliberate work to untwist those tiny wires, they would not untwist on their own. Then the last thing to do was to thread the chain through the loop, and hold up the finished amulet. "See Taylani? See the beauty your hands created. When your older, you can practice more and you will find you can make many beautiful things."
"Taylani, your dance instructor has requested you work on your sickle feet. Remember, pretty feet, when you leap or stretch your leg keep your toe pointed but your foot straight." The mellow alto voice calls from the adjoining room, into the living area where a red headed child dressed in a short skirt with tight leggings elongates her body her arms held akimbo over her head, her body bowing backwards into a controlled 'fall". The red head was about ten, her hair tied back in a tight braided bun, secured by simple silver-colored pins. Already her body was willowy if not curvy, her face pointed into a heart shape but the edges around her bright blue eyes blurred as a child only can. Though the red head Taylani is only ten, her face is full of concentration as she practiced her routine. Her body falls to the floor, her arms landing splayed out in front, her hips twisting so that her legs are on their side one on top of the other, in what can only be a closing stance.
From the other room steps a woman with a tray loaded with items, her own red hair the exact same shade as the dancer was tied back with a kerchief, her green eyes lined around the corners to show her age, but her lips are lined as well from many years smiling. Angelia smiles warmly down at her daughter, one that she had thought she might never have, as she settled the tray on a small wooden table. Angelia and Selvesto had married young in life, but had bore no children until late. Angelia's bloom of her youth was all but faded though her body was still trim from heavy work. Due, perhaps, for their difficulty in conceiving their one and only child Taylani was doted on, though they tried hard not to spoil her.
"Come Tayla," Angelia's voice beckons, her pet name for her daughter rolling off her tongue. "Come, dance practice is over for now child. Now it is time for a jewelry lesson." With patient hands, hands that showed work in their scars and callouses, Angelia laid out an already pressed piece of metal, a very small piece and thin but perfect for what she wanted.
Young Taylani groans, but it is a groan of habit and not real dissent as she picks herself up off the ground. "But Mama, I am not going to be making jewelry. I am going to be flying like the birds!" As she says this the child leaps in the air lightly, her legs spreading gracefully before landing, poised and proud.
Angelia doesn't even stop from laying out the equipment, a charcoal stick, a cutting knife, a silver thin chain, and a lens that magnified. She quirks one brow, "You will fly, Tayla, you will fly proudly...if you learn not to sickle those feet. For now you must keep your feet on the ground and learn how to make something. I suppose a bird that you so wish you were like." Finally the older red head looks up and smiles at the child. There was nothing Angelia would not do for her, and she fully admitted it.
Taylani moves over to her mother's side, her grin widening as she looks into the magnifying lens with a giggle. Angelia straightens the thin sheet of metal on the table and gently guides her daughter to stand between her legs, and then guiding her daughters hands onto the table. "This is simple sheet metal Taylani, while it is not precious it still costs money to buy. Every one wasted either eats into our profit, or drives up our prices causing less Jewelry to be sold. When you are older I will show you how to beat it into a thin enough sheet. The thinner the sheet, the cheaper the costs but also the less sound the outcome is."
While Angelia's voice was quiet and warm, there was a quality of confidence as she picks up the special charcoal stick and gives it to the child. "This is the first thing, because if you make a mistake with the charcoal, nothing is lost. If you make a mistake with the cutting knife then you might ruin the metal. I want you to make a simple bird, do not worry about details, just a general outline."
Taylani looks over her shoulder at her mother, the same concentration on her features when she was dancing falls back over her face as she bent over the metal. A tiny pink tip of her tongue darts out and lays at the corner of her mouth as she begins to sketch. First one line, then two, then a quick to erase before beginning again. All the while Angelia nods her head and smiles, whispering encouraging advice in the child's ear, "Perhaps the body is too thin?" and a "Why does the bird have no feet? Oh it's nesting?" Still she does not once take the pen from her daughter, instead lets the child draw as she wishes.
For a long while Taylani draws, if Angelia ever grew impatient she does not say, if Angelia ever wanted to hurry the child along she does not show it. Instead she watches, offering quiet words, but for the most part her still-bright eyes watches as the child's pen glides across the surface. Taylani herself finally looks up, her back straightening and stretching, and her hand that had been drawing shaking out a cramp. But she puts down the pen, and with charcaol-stained fingers picks up the square sheet of metal to show her mother. The figure on the metal was medium in size, definitely not something one would be able to easily place on a ring but it was amulet sized. It was the general shape of a bird, crouched in a nest, its head raised in alert. There was no detail, just the outline, even the rounded outline of a nest beneath, but that was ok because detail would be etched with an etching knife.
"Very good my little bird!" Angelia praises her daughter, her thick arms enfolding the child's tiny body against hers in a tight embrace. "Now we will take this cutting knife, it is very sharp so be careful, and carefully poke..a little harder.." Angelia places the knife in Taylani's hand, but she does not let go. Instead she guides Taylani's hand with the knife to the top of the outline, the pointed end of the angle against the sheet metal. "More pressure Tayla, " she murmurs and the child grimaces gently until the tip of the knife pierces the thin metal. "Very good child, now we are careful, because we do not want to cut ourselves but we trace the shape that you drew." Again Angelia does not move the knife herself, but neither does she remove her hand. Instead as Taylani moves the knife, slowly and carefully around the charcoal drawing, her tongue poking out again in concentration, the bird began to become free of the metal.
When the very last line was snipped, the bird separates and Angelia picks it up carefully. "Now, this is too dangerous to work with as is, Tayla. The edges are as sharp as that knife. We must now smooth the edges." A smile is given, and Angelia holds the bird up a little higher as Taylani reaches. "No little bird, I will do this part until you are older." Angelia looks at her own scarred and calloused hands and then looks at her daughters smooth one. Yes she teaches her daughter a few basics in jewel making out of pragmatism, but she knows her daughter is destined for entertainment. She does not wish to see an old woman's hands on her little child, this is the real reason she does the smoothing.
"Just like a blade, the edges of the metal can be dulled." Angelia picks up a piece of rough paper, scratchy and pebbled and deftly runs the edges of the bird briskly over it. This does two things, it dulls the edges, leaving them harmlessly smooth, but it also helps remove any traces of the charcoal liner that was used to trace the outline.
Once the bird was sanded down to her liking, she rolled the pendant on her hand to ensure there were no sharp parts, Angelia hands the small piece back to Taylani. "Now the knife again, but this time when you press, do not press so hard as to poke through the metal. This time we want a gentle pressing so that it etches but does not cut." Angelia picks the knife back up, and this time moves the magnifying lens down so that both she and her daughter could look through it. It caused the bird to become larger, to be able to see minute mistakes. She places the knife once more in Taylani's hand, "This time we are going to add details. Remember, see in your mind the bird that you wish to be. Think about what you would see if you were looking at it right now, where would its wing be, where would its eye, its beak. How are the twigs arranged in the nest." Even as she speaks, she allows Taylani to begin moving the knife. This piece is not slated to be sold, unless it comes out really nice though Angelia does not expect it to do so, this being one of the rare times she allows Taylani to work out the details on her own. Too much was at stake selling pieces that were not up to par with her own. Perhaps when Taylani was an adult if she wished to make jewelry with her mother they could show pieces together.
Taylani did this as she did anything, with great enthusiasm and gusto. Her eyes squint as she painstakingly etches the wing, a simple half circle to depict a folded wing. Her birds eye was a little lopsided, but not much and the beak was just little crooked. However the twigs that she worked was her proudest work, each were purposefully crooked. Each line curved and bent, to achieve the maximum effect of a hodgepodge of limbs, twigs and dirt that make up a nest. When she was finished Taylani was a little disappointed that her bird did not look as good as her nest but she was pleased with the end result.
"We will practice our proportions, but for the first detailing job, it looks very nice Tayla." Still using that same warm voice, Angelia then picks up the silver chain, that already had an hook and eye attached, and a small flimsy metal ring. "Now we must attach the ring to the bird, so that it hangs delicately from the chain. First we must poke a hole, then thread the metal through." Taylani nods her head, and picks up the knife carefully. She places the point down near the birds back rather then head, and presses. Once more her tiny face grimaces until the point pulls through, then she lifts straight out. Angelia then picks up the pendant, and with a deft hand she slips one side of the metal loop through, then using only her hands she squeezes the ends together giving a experienced twist. It would take deliberate work to untwist those tiny wires, they would not untwist on their own. Then the last thing to do was to thread the chain through the loop, and hold up the finished amulet. "See Taylani? See the beauty your hands created. When your older, you can practice more and you will find you can make many beautiful things."
I recommend splitting up your solo posts, this post is worth about 2-3 medium-length posts. 
