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Showing posts from February, 2017

Zig-zag bead bracelet - a tutorial

Becky Guzman has an article in the February 2017 issue of Bead&Button , which took me right back to Girl Scout camp!  Do you remember making chevron bracelets with some rawhide cording, large holed beads, and some soldered jump rings?  The ones Becky shows are much much prettier, but they're based on the same pattern that has been around forever.  Clever girl...she has created a chart will help you figure out all the sizes and counts for your beads, leather, and rings.  Buy this issue: you are going to want all of Becky's helpful tips, the chart, and all the variations that she comes up with! I decided to experiment a little bit with some waxed linen cord instead of leather.  I had these cute little copper hex links that I used instead of soldered jump rings , and I chose two colors of crow beads , making a double wrapped bracelet.  Although you can see the holes in the hex links quite easily in my photo, they are not very noticeable when the bracelet is being worn.

heART beats from other blogs!

Berry bead bubble bracelet...part one Cool cabochons from around the world Ballet flats to go with any outfit DIY patina mixes Free online crazy quilting class schedule

Bracelets projects galore! - beadweaving and stringing

Here's the next installment in my round-up of bracelet projects that have been posted over the years.  Check this link for fiber bracelet projects , and this one for wirework bracelet projects . Spiral herringbone bangle A wire bracelet featuring beaded beads Easy seed bead woven bracelet Crystal bead bracelet Cobalt and crystal bracelet Black jasper and crystal bracelet Zig-zag bead bracelet Copyright 2017 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

heART beats from other blogs!

Jewelry supplies from places you never thought of - Part one and Part two Toggle pendant necklace Swarovski is already working on 2018!

A charoite bead embroidered pendant - a tutorial

I bought this beautiful piece of charoite several years ago.  I quickly stitched it into a piece and then just as quickly took it back apart!  The original design was just too big and busy, and the stone got lost.  And so it sat in my pile of "I'll get to 'em laters". This design came together very quickly once I had picked a palette.  It's hard to tell from the photograph, but the pinkish seed beads in the bezel match the lighter shade in the stone itself perfectly. Step-by-step instructions for putting together a bead embroidered piece, including back stitch, edging brick stitch, and stack stitch can be found in the free first chapter of Every Bead Has a Story .  Chapter two has instructions for stitching a peyote stitch bezel, and Chapter three teaches the square stitch bail.  The first chapter of Bored By Back Stitch covers how to convert beadweaving stitches to embroidery.  I've used the Russian spiral stitch to surround the bezeled stone.

heART beats from other blogs!

How nature helps your creativity Softflex wire and a square kumihimo board New jewelry making supplies and hot trends

A spiral herringbone bangle - a tutorial

This pretty bangle bracelet simply couldn't be easier to make!  Find four colors of size 11/0 seed beads that you like together.  Use a bead tray with compartments to keep them separate, and get ready to stitch.  In only two hours of TV "watching," I had a new bracelet! 1. Cut a piece of heavy gauge wire (I used 12 gauge) a bit longer than you expect to need.  Leave a longish tail of thread, and start your bead weaving with a circular row of double ladder stitch in an even number.  Then begin to stitch spiral herringbone stitch around, stepping up at the end of each row. 2. I ended up with four colors, but one of them appeared alternately between each of the others.  You can choose your colors as you please, just make sure to keep an even number of beads in the row. 3. When you get the beadwork as long as needed, finish off with a double row of ladder stitch.  Trim the wire and stitch a size 6/0 seed bead topped with a size 11/0 onto the ends to cov

heART beats from other blogs!

Here are some links I had stored in my blog-reader...not necessarily new, but still good! How to frame bead embroidery For those pieces that aren't to be worn! Wire and scrapbook paper jewelry Totally handmade! Making jewelry using techniques taught in a tutorial Oh, that sticky copyright thing...again!