Beading Arts

Here's the next installment in my round-up of bracelet projects that have been posted over the years.  Last week was wirework :-)   Stitched freshwater pearl bracelet Crocheted bead bracelet Wild Caterpillar bracelet Shamballa ribbon bracelet Mini-Shamballa bracelets Shamballa bracelets with larger beads Beaded wrap bracelet Other beaded wrap bracelet alternatives - part one , part two Double-wrapped ribbon bracelet Leather bracelet with oval links 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.

I made a list for myself of bracelets that I have made and written up instructions for over the years, and my goodness...there's quite a few!  I don't want to just post a list of them, because some of the names don't mean much, so I think I'll try posting them by materials or techniques. Here's a batch of bracelet tutorials that center around wirework: Maruti bead bracelet Cup chain bangle Another cup chain variation Beaded beads bracelet Lampwork beads bracelet Winter Dreams bracelet Easy seed bead woven bracelet Twisted wire bracelet Pearl and crystal cuff 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.

One of the first beadweaving stitches that many people learn to do is the simple spiral stitch.  It's a stitch that I find myself coming back to from time to time, trying new variations, or sometimes just enjoying the simple rhythm as a way to clear my mind in between larger projects.  Just before Christmas, I found myself with a free evening and no energy to start a large project, so out came the beads and in no time I had this pretty spiral rope.  Now to figure out what to do with it...   I posted a hand-drawn tutorial years ago, and although it's a bit embarrassing in its simplicity, it still gives you the basic steps.  For my current spiral, I used size 6/0 seed beads for the core (shown in black on the illustrations) and 3mm druks surrounded on each side by two size 11/0 seed beads (shown in white). Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Repeat from Step 2 This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique Copyri

Bored By Back Stitch has been re-launched as a single e-book rather than as three independent chapters.  Written over the course of two years, this is the work that probably moved my bead embroidery work along the furthest in terms of innovative combinations of stitches.  It's also the work of which I am probably most proud :-) Bored By Back Stitch begins with twelve different motifs, stitched from what are usually regarded as beadweaving stitches rather than embroidery stitches.  From there we move into combining these stitches into ever-increasingly complex patterns, and we end with wonderful new materials that add surface interest to your bead embroidered pieces. More information on this 298 page e-book can be found at the link above.  Information on all of my e-books is located at this link.

A couple of years ago, I made a cute little crocheted bracelet with the beads you see above and some C-Lon cord .  As it had started to look a little worse for the wear, I decided to repurpose the beads into a new bracelet.  You don't have to start with an already-existing bracelet if you don't want to...just grab the beads you like and some wire.  I used heavy 12 gauge wire for the cuff, and 22 gauge craft wire for the wrapping.  The beads included 4mm Czech druks , large glass pearls , 8mm faceted Czech rounds , and shell chips .  I also used some size 8/0 seed beads as spacers. The tools you will need are as follows: Wire cutters Chain nose pliers Round nose pliers 1. Cut a piece of heavy wire a bit larger than the proper size for your wrist.  Since you will be wrapping the beads around the cuff, you want to make sure that there will be enough room to accommodate them and not dig uncomfortably into your wrist.  Turn simple loops at each end, and string

I play with fire, knives, and power tools to create objects of beauty which bring joy to people. Unfortunately, they also require a sacrifice of the blood of a non-virgin. If you want to join in, leave a link to your blog post in the comments!

Just as soon as I can shake off the last of the post-holiday lethargy, I'll be posting a tutorial for this bracelet .  And, as a preview of what's coming up, let me say that my next e-book is in the works, and it just MIGHT have something to do with bracelets...  :-)