Beading Arts

  Last week was a vacation week for me, but I worked anyway.  This week I really really really mean it!  See you next week <3

10 Pans that Nicole from Baking Bites thinks every baker needs A new design contest from Jesse James Beads with their Afrika Afrika collection!! Changeable spiral earring tutorial Rosette of Thorns stitch for embroidery How to make strawberry cake with real fruit and no Jello! Post contains an affiliate link: Jesse James Beads

A bead embroidery pendant in progress, featuring beads from the Afrika Afrika collection of Jesse James Beads ! This post contains an affiliate link: Jesse James Beads

What is white mountain "jade" really made from?  The answer is below!  There is nothing wrong at all with using dyed, stabilized, coated, and imitation stones.  It's only wrong when you're not getting what you pay for.  When you click on the stones listed below, you'll find full disclosure of materials which will help you to figure out what is and is not worth paying a premium for! Stabilized white magnesite Natural white howlite Rainbow moonstone Coated white riverstone White mountain "jade" (Dolomite marble) Snow quartz White agate Antique white Hemalyke (tm) Italian "onyx" (Banded calcite) Malaysian "jade" (Opaque quartz) Previous posts:  How well do you know your pink stones? How well do you know your turquoise stones?

  I had lots of beautiful dyed freshwater pearls left from last week's project, so I decided to use up some of them on this experimental bracelet.  This easy to stitch piece works up fast, and you can substitute any pearls of beads that you want, but I highly recommend wonky irregular pearls like these. Materials + Tools   Pearl mix   Flat cotton cord , 4mm Beading needles Scissors Nymo beading thread, white, size O A special button  1. Cut a piece of flat cotton cording about 12 to 15" long.  Make an overhand knot at one end and stitch through it several times with your Nymo thread, burying the tail in the knot.  Before stitching, make sure the loop will fit over whatever button you've chosen.    2. Stitch down the length of the cord, adding pearls on alternating sides as you go, until it is almost long enough to go completely around your wrist.   3. Stitch back up the length of the cord, adding pearls of a different color in th

From the Afrika Afrika collection: Tribal Stripes I received this collection of beads yesterday from Jesse James Beads , and I'm very excited to get going on a series of designs that will feature these.  Just as soon as I clear my worktable...stay tuned! This post contains affiliate links: Jesse James Beads

Gimme the Blues Cyndi Lavin, 2017 Named by my friend Kate :-) I left you last week with a half-finished pendant project !  No fair, right??  Well, here you go...the second half of the bead embroidery tutorial featuring gnarly dyed freshwater pearls and a glorious piece of blue magnesite ! We left off with the second row of African helix completed.  Here's what's next: 6. In the outer loop of African helix stitches, insert a size 8/0 seed bead, stitching it down, and also stitch down one of the central beads in the size 11/0 bead loop, just to keep the work flat. 7. Choose a set of dyed freshwater pearls and arrange them in a fan as shown.  Anchor your thread on one end and stitch up through the foundation fabric.  Pick up a couple of size 15/0 seed beads, and then alternate a pearl and a size 11/0 seed bead across.  Pick up two more size 15/0s and stitch back through the fabric.  Stitch through the whole row again, and tack down at least the middle pearl by sti

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Is this turquoise??? Answer below... Turquoise, especially imitation turquoise, is one of the materials most often mis-labled.  If you buy from a reputable dealer at a show or from a catalog company with a good reputation, you've got less to worry about.  But be aware that imitation turquoise, at a few dollars per strand, is sometimes passed off as Sleeping Beauty turquoise, which is over a hundred dollars per strand! There is nothing wrong with using imitation turquoise in your work.  It is often beautiful, and should be considerably less expensive.  Just don't get taken by unscrupulous dealers on eBay or at shows...know your materials! Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Imitation Turquoise Imitation Turquoise with Matrix Mosaic Turquoise Dyed Howlite Dyed Magnesite African "Turquoise" Czech glass Previous posts:  How well do you know your pink stones?

Gimme the Blues!! A piece of bead embroidery like this might look complicated, but it's really pretty easy when you break it down.  And that's exactly what I'm going to do today and next week!  So grab your seed beads, a pretty focal, some foundation fabric, and join me in this project. Materials Focal mix, magnesite Pearl mix, cultured freshwater Size 8/0 seed beads (I used Dyna-Mites) Color-lined aqua blue Size 11/0 seed beads (I used Preciosa and Dyna-Mites) Opaque blue Opaque sea blue Iris blue Black Size 15/0 seed beads (I used Dyna-Mites) Black Tools Nymo, black, size O Beading needles Scissors Foundation fabric, like ultra-suede Double sided tape 1. Stick your stone down with a small piece of double sided tape, or glue it if you prefer.  Back stitch around the stone, stitching size 11/0 seed beads in groups of four.  If you absolutely can't make it work out to be divisible by four, you can add a second ro

The Autumn issue of Crazy Quilt Quarterly is out! Wire-wrapped gem shades...seriously wonderful An adjustable sliding leather bracelet tutorial All about pliers...the essential tool

I know a lot of beading magazines are heavy on featuring shaped beads and multi-holed beads right now, but my personal preferences still run to regular old-fashioned seed beads.  And yet, there's a lot of variety within this bead family as well.  You've got Delicas, which are the cylindrical beads that make weaving a snap.  You've got Dyna-Mites and Tohos, which are Japanese round seed beads, and you've got Preciosa, which are Czech seed beads.  Of these, the Tohos are the most precision shaped.   Because I do mostly bead embroidery rather than weaving, my personal tastes run primarily to Dyna-Mites for economy and Preciosa for glorious shades not found elsewhere.  But each of these bead lines has its benefits! Miyuki & Delica Seed Beads Dyna-Mites Seed Beads by Matsuno Toho Seed Beads Preciosa Czech Seed Beads Bugle Beads