Beading Arts

Irina's Metal Clay Collection for Beaders: A Master Instructor's Favorite Projects by Irina Miech Kumihimo Wire Jewelry: Essential Techniques and 20 Jewelry Projects for the Japanese Art of Braiding by Giovanna Imperia Creative Beading Vol. 8: The Best Projects From a Year of Bead&Button Magazine by Editors of Bead&Button Magazine Polymer Clay Jewelry: The Art of Caning by Mathilde Brun Showcase 500 Art Necklaces (500 Series) by Ray Hemachandra and Chunghi Choo Aimee Ray's Sweet & Simple Jewelry: 17 Designers, 10 Techniques & 32 Projects to Make by Aimee Ray and Kathy Sheldon Bench Magazine's Guide to Stonesetting by Brad Simon, Tom Weishaar, Jurgen Maerz and Gerry Lewy Warman's Jewelry: Identification & Price Guide by Christie Romero Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

I'm not very much of a cuteness person.  Occasionally, but definitely not a steady diet of it.  However, I know from perusing many pinterest boards, that many many people are.  That's why I want to offer you the chance to win a free copy of Aimee Ray's Sweet & Simple Jewelry .  Aimee and 16 other popular Etsy and indie designers have come up with 32 simple jewelry projects for you to try. The commonality is the cuteness.  You probably already know Aimee's style from Doodle Stitching .  Aimee writes: Each project tells you everything you need in terms of tools and materials (feel free to sublstitute to suit your own style), and has step-by-step instructions.  If templates, patterns, or graphics are needed, you'll find them at the back of the book.     See?  Simple!  No prior experience needed.  Some of the techniques covered are embroidery essentials, knot tying, making cabochons, needle felting, working with shrink plastic, and basic wirework.  My favor

July cabochon, finished I chose chevron stitch to make my July piece for  the  Bead Journal Project   and ended up loving all the open spaces this stitch creates!  There's lots of room to tuck pretty accent beads all around the design.  I've used this stitch a few more times since I worked out the count and how to make it into an embroidered stitch.  Below is part of a free form piece I've been working on: The original motif at the top appears on the cover of (and inside of)  Bored By Back Stitch , my recently launched e-book Bored By Back Stitch  will teach you how to create twelve different bead embroidery motifs, using nine different beadweaving stitches.  Learn how beadweaving stitches can be morphed into beautiful bead embroidered motifs, created to surround and enhance your cabochons or accent beads. The specific motifs you will learn are designs that use embroidered forms of basic peyote, Cellini spiral peyote, brick, Russian spiral, herring

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!  Jean reviews Stitch Workshop, Herringbone Stitch, basic techniques, advanced results, and is thrilled to further aquaint herself with this fabulous stitch, also known as Ndebele!  About.com Jewelry Making   Catch up on a few new book reviews, one sweet and one artistic.   Art Bead Scene   Check out this week's featured designer of the week - Tres Jolie Designs by Sue - and the stunning necklace which caught Erin's eye!   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Tribal women in traditional regalia As I mentioned last week in the post I wrote about Tlingit beadwork , the totem poles were just too massive for my camera to get good pictures, so I concentrated on shooting the smaller art forms that I thought you'd enjoy seeing.  If you do want to know more about totem poles, you can click on the image below and it will open up to a much larger version. Here are some of the other wonderful things we saw: Wood carving knives, raven and wolf designs, 1979 Baskets, 1970s through 2004 Tribal men in traditional regalia Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

This book on mixed media jewelry design, The Jewelry Architect by Kate McKinnon , has a secret...it has a DVD included!  Woot!!  Kate has arranged the book into chapters based upon the primary medium being used in the pieces.  It is a heavily project-driven book, but there is an intro to each new topic and also an excellent section at the very end which covers basic skills needed.  Since this is mixed media, there are quite a few skills covered just as there are chapters: stringing, beadwork, wire, and metalwork. One of my favorite things includes a very cool sculptural S hook that adds metal clay to the wire.  I also found myself wishing that I were into rings, but Kate includes a bunch of very very striking designs to try.  The stringing projects are like nothing you've seen before...they include felting, bead weaving, and wired elements.  My very most favorite thing though, is that gorgeous bracelet on the cover, called a Riverbed Bracelet with a Garden Gate Clasp.  The d

You all probably know how I feel about these Showcase series books by Lark Books by now...I drool over them for days.  They sit endlessly on my coffee table, at least until the next one comes along.  And sometimes, when they include my own work, they sit there even longer!  Well, this time, my work was not included, but I am nonetheless thrilled with the selection that was chosen for Showcase 500 Art Necklaces . The examples range from the traditional and beautiful to the weird and bizarre.  Some made me say "meh", but not very many!  Being wearable is not always the issue, but technical excellence most certainly is.  One of my very favorites is by a South Korean artist, and no matter how I searched and googled, I could find no more information.  I'd love to show it to you, but unfortunately I cannot.  However, here are a few others to give you a little idea of the scope: Time Jewel by  Krisztina Németh Kente Reversible Collar by Linda Rettich Wal

Last week, I showed you how to make the fabric and the wire beads for this necklace.  Today we're going to finish it up!  See the post at the link above for the materials and tools list and for the first half of the tutorial. 6. Cut 5 pieces of 20 gauge wire into 5 inch lengths. Slide a fabric bead on each and create a wrapped loop at both the top and bottom, filing smooth. 7. Attach each fabric bead to the middle of a wire bead using a jump ring. Create small clusters of ceramic beads as follows: *Place a lentil bead and a small rondelle on a head pin and close with a wrapped loop . Make 3 of these. Attach 2 to a jump ring. Open another jump ring and attach it to the first jump ring and the third wired bead. Open a third jump ring and attach it to the second jump ring and to the end loop of one of the wire beads. Repeat from * until you have 10 clusters, one at each end of the 5 wire beads. 8. On 5 head pins, place a 2mm metal round and a small

Carmi's Art/Life World   My exotic felted collar was featured on the Cousin blog. Here is how I made it.   Resin Crafts Blog   When you learn how easy it is to make pendants with transfer paper you won't be able to stop making them! Snap out if it, Jean! There's beading to be done!  Jean shares a super informative and fun article on peyote stitch by Jennifer VanBenschoten of Beading Daily!  A Bead A Day   There's nothing like creating a piece of jewelry to remember a special trip. Check out Lisa's balloon show ankle bracelet.  About.com Jewelry Making   Tammy takes a look at yet another new jewelry book. This one is all about metal jewelry making.   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Button blanket - eagle/raven design, 1980 The Tlingit (/ˈklɪŋkɨt/) are a native people group of the Southeast Alaskan coast.  The name translates to "People of the Tides".  In the town of Ketchikan, on our recent Alaskan visit, we went to the Totem Heritage Center , where we found far more than totem poles on display.  I didn't take any pictures of the poles, because the sheer size of them made it impossible for me to get good images of both the details and the scale of them with my little point-and-shoot.  However... Beaded dance collar, shark design Yeah, the beadwork!  Beautiful and very interesting.  The museum has both older and contemporary pieces in the collection and they invite picture taking.  There are some unfortunate lights overhead that reflect in some of my shots, but they did prevent me from needing to use a flash and thus annoying other guests!  Here are some of the highlights: Headband, killer whale crest Miniature button vest, kille

I was very excited when this book was released because I really love Nancy Zellers's precise seed bead work.   Metallic Seed Bead Splendor does not disappoint! Nancy starts out by helping you figure out what beads to use...there are so many more choices than a few years ago, and it can be confusing.  And then we are right into the projects.  This is not a book of previously published designs that have just been compiled around a theme.  There are 29 brand new projects, using all of your favorite bead weaving stitches: peyote, RAW, spiral rope, Cellini spiral, Dutch spiral, St Petersburg chain, daisy chain, netting, herringbone, brick, square, Russian spiral, and probably more that I can't quite remember right now!  Nancy is comfortable with them all.  This is a terrific book if you are an advanced beginner or intermediate bead weaver, and it will encourage you to try new stitches for sure! All of the basic how-to illustrations are in the back, Kalmbach style, so if y

Are you afraid of using a torch or other metal fabrication tools?  You won't be for long if you get ahold of Kay Rashka's Bead Meets Metal , published by Kalmbach Books .  This book was written specifically for 'fraidy cats like me, who love beads, (and even lampwork) but who fear metal. Kay has a learn-as-you-go style which starts you off with mini exercises and then progresses to professional techniques including how to rivet, etch, solder, dap, saw, drill, texture and more.  Whether you work with glass, semi-precious stones, polymer clay, pearls, crystals, or metal beads, pairing them with custom-made findings will make your work truly unique. My very favorite project is Kay's Collector's Necklace , which you'll find on page 78 and is shown above.  This one doesn't even have to be soldered if you'd prefer not!  But the real point is that with Kay's help, you'll no longer fear to solder! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade

Drum Beat in progress I love mixing materials that aren't supposed to go together! Like, for instance, fabric beads mixed with wire and ceramics. To prevent your piece from causing sensory overload, choose a color palette with harmonious hues. I used an earthy, natural palette, but you can substitute another for the one I outline below. When the piece was finished, it had such a primal feel to it that one of my helpful online friends suggested that I name it Drum Beat . Materials: Muslin, torn into a 2 x 24 inch strip Waxed paper Tsukineko walnut inks in eucalyptus, walnut, and terra cotta Jacquard Lumieres acrylic paint in burgundy and bright gold 30 inches of 2mm white satin cord Fray check 2-3 plastic drinking straws Beacon’s Liquid Laminate or other thin glue 53 inches of 20 gauge brass-colored craft wire 35 – 5mm ceramic rondelles 30 – 12mm ceramic lentils 15 – 9x5mm ceramic barrels 5 – 2mm gold metal rounds 40 jump rings 35 head pins Tools: Sp

About.com Jewelry Making   Beads and bugs...yup...that is the focus of this new book review.   Art Bead Scene   Check out Gaea's free Orbit Earrings tutorial here!   Resin Crafts Blog   An old doll eye becomes a cool watchful brooch with resin clay.   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!  Jean is hosting a wonderful jewelry design book giveaway; Aimee Ray's Sweet and Simple Jewelry. Come and enter to win!  Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

We recently returned from an amazing trip along Alaska's inner passage, stopping in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.  If you'd like to see more pictures from the trip, I'll be sharing them on Mixed Media Artist .  Hit the link and it will take you right to the "Alaska" category of posts!  But there are several posts that I need to share with you here on Beading Arts , because they will more directly interest all of you. Gold, diamonds, tanzanite, and ammolite are the big things pushed by the tourist industry in the towns where we stopped.  Although ammolite is gorgeous, it's not local, so I couldn't get too worked up about it.  However, by asking around, I found out about a locally owned and run shop filled with geodes, fossils, all types of agates, bear claws, fish teeth, etc etc.  Great stuff. Back Alley Rock Shop Literally located down a narrow alley between two other shops on Broadway in Skagway, Alaska. I bought a polished and mounted agat

JewelryAffaire Deadline: 08/15/13 Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Unless you don't read any beading magazines, you have to be aware that the centuries-old art of soutache has been showing up everywhere in jewelry design.  Now there is finally an English language text to teach you all you need to know to get started with this elegant art form: Soutache , by Anneta Valious and published by Lark Books ! Soutache is a flat fiber braid with a groove down the center, comprised of two rows of piping or cording wrapped in viscose, cotton, or synthetic fibers.  First developed in France in the fifteenth century, soutache embroidery has made a decorative appearance throughout history in and on jewelry, clothing, military uniforms, and more. Soutache projects are a blend of sewing and bead embroidery, with elegant swirls of braid hand stitched together and decorated with beads, crystals, gemstones and more, and then attached to a fiber backing.  You'll learn to make earrings, rings, barrettes, pins, necklaces, bracelets, and pendants. Mayb

Infinite Love is a very small art quilt that I stitched, using the hybrid beadweaving/bead embroidery motif method that I developed for my newest e-book, Bored By Back Stitch .  The beaded motifs look like flowers, sea life, or just geometric designs, depending upon the stitches chosen.  For the piece above, I used the embroidered versions of the Russian spiral and the African helix (shown below).  I used buttons instead of cabochons for the centers.  More information on the stitching can be found at the link above. Russian Spiral Bored By Back Stitch Copyright 2013 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. Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton   Andrew announces a writing contest hosted by Allegory Gallery in conjunction with the latest art exhibition by artist and jewelry component maker, Diane Hawkey.   About.com Jewelry Making   Summer time means it is time for a silk and shell necklace tutorial. Art Bead Scene   Check out this month's challenge piece! Picasso's Portrait of Olga in the armchair.   Carmi's Art/Life World   This week Carmi will show you her preparations for Canada's Longest Charm Bracelet.  Resin Crafts Blog   Ever wonder what an eraser might look like embedded in resin? You'll be pleasantly surprised!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!   Andrew Thornton showcases the great designs of Diane Hawkey at Allegory Gallery, and hosts a competition which Jean wishes to enter. YOU can too!  Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

I am taking a week off to spend time with my family!  I'll be back with you next Monday, and until then, be good and make lots of stuff!