Beading Arts

There are over 225 iron-on transfers in Heirloom Embroidery from Brian Haggard , specifically from his book Embroidered Memories .  The designs are classic for crazy quilts, and come in a variety of sizes.  There is only one page of embroidery stitch instruction in the very back, but surely you've got plenty of other books that cover the stitches!  This book is about pure iron-and-go!!  By C + T Publishing. This post contains affiliate links: Amazon

In a couple of weeks, I'm going to be blessed to be able to be with my grand-girls for Christmas!  Since they don't read blogs, I feel safe in showing you some things I've made for them  :-) Here are instructional links to the stitches that I used.  I didn't make any of these things exactly as in the tutorials, but rather I used the ideas and recombined them to suit myself.  Fingerless gloves (except I did the tops with V stitch and crocodile scales...and smaller!) V stitch - used for both gloves and hat Crocodile stitch Hat pattern - I made mine smaller, added crocodile stitches, and left the top open for a long ponytail! Copyright 2018 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 can't wait to have a few moments peace to read through this book!  Yes, you heard that right...this is not so much a review as a preview.  It's the only book on my pile right now, but with all the busyness of the season, I just haven't been able to get to it. So here's what's in store for anyone who wants to take the chance on The Visual Guide to Art Quilting , compiled by Lindsay Conner! Chapter 1 covers design theory and inspiration.  Where do you get your ideas?  How do you work with a theme?  Design ideas like grids, slice and rearrange, realism, and abstraction.  Color.  Working in a series. Chapter 2 is about materials and supplies, including how to create a design wall. Chapter 3 covers working with fabric, including organizing your fabric stash, different ways to applique, and improvisational patchwork. Chapter 4 includes many surface design techniques, like dyeing, adding texture, freehand painting, stamping and printing. Chap...

I came across this really pretty stitch that I found on MyPicot , called the Honeycomb Stitch.  It takes about 7 rows to complete the entire pattern, but you can then choose to add another few rows without actually having to do an entire additional repeat.  I thought that 10 or 12 rows made a wonderful width for a scarf and am thinking about using this pattern again for something else in the future.  As you can see in the photo below, I used two very similar colors of yarn for this scarf.  If you want the pattern to really stand out, use multiple colors like the sample on MyPicot shows.  I recommend printing out the diagram provided.  Since each row is slightly different, it is much easier to follow the diagram than written out instructions.  I found the that I caught on to the pattern very quickly this way. On each long edge, I finished it with single crochet.

I was kind of sad when I had to put away my yarn for the summer.  Not only do I really love crocheting, but I also really really hate the heat!  Thanks to climate change, even New England is beginning to experience summers that are almost unbearable. But finally autumn is here!  Yay!!  I don't need to be wearing scarves quite yet, but it is a lot of fun to be able to pick up where I left off last spring and get my fingers moving again! Shown above is a wave pattern scarf, stitched crosswise.  You might remember that I made a bunch of them last spring, and mostly showed them in the lengthwise stitching pattern.  I want to give credit to Cori Dodds , who designed the first wave pattern scarf I saw.  She's the one who set me off on this adventure! Instructions for Wave Stitch Other examples, crocheted lengthwise and as infinity scarves Copyright 2018 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit....

It was a long hot summer here in New England this year.  At the end of the summer, I was asked to make this shell necklace for a young girl from the shells she and her Mom gathered on the beach.  We chose light blue cord to string them up, and here's how I did it: Cut three cords to about a yard each.  I knotted them all together at one end and set them aside.     Choose the shells that you want to use and lay them out in order, more or less.  I chose shells that already had a hole in the top curve, and if need be, enlarged it slightly with a thick needle tool. Always working with two strands at a time, overhand knot them for a few inches past your initial knot.  Alternate which strands you are using.  When you get to the section where you want your shells to be, string one cord through the hole and knot that cord with one of the two free cords.  Continue this process, alternating which of the three cords you are using, and ...

I love love love this bracelet that I made several years ago, and I still wear it a lot.  But with all the gorgeous summer colors that are available right now in suede cord , cup chain ,  and ribbons , I think it's worth revisiting and maybe making some more! Instructions for this unique take on the Shamballa bracelet are at the link! This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique

It seems that I never get tired of the color turquoise.  No matter what material the beads are made from, I always end up buying the turquoise colored ones! Since I have a large collection of vintage beads, I decided to indulge myself with a mix of glass, plastic, wood, and fabric in this turquoise and kiwi colored bracelet.  I even had the perfect turquoise colored satin button to complete it!  And look how great it looks with the current seasonal palette: My instructions below are pretty abbreviated.  If you need more detailed step-by-steps, please visit my page of bead embroidery e-books .  The first chapter of the first book, Every Bead Has a Story , is free. Materials  Foundation fabric Lightweight fusible interfacing Fusible web Ribbons, Offray 1/4" Simply Sheer Asiana, mallard and kiwi Sewing thread to match foundation fabric Shank button Nymo beading thread, size O, black and white 8" rhinestone cup-chain Size 11/0 seed beads , ...

I found my production level starting to slow as March approached, but I was still churning out more scarves than I had friends to give them to! I made countless infinity scarves (aka mobius scarves ), using double crochet, netting, or any combination of the two.  Eventually I settled on the wave pattern shown at the top of the post, and made half with the waves going lengthwise and half with them going crosswise.  I'm now officially obsessed with waves too! Waves scarf (shown above and at the top of the post) Somehow I didn't end up getting a picture of one of them where the pattern goes crosswise! V-scarf These were really fun and easy to make.  I made two in super-bright colors (not shown) for my grandchildren.  You can make these in stiffer yarn, like above, or extra-soft yarn like below. Yoga socks and boot toppers My final obsession was to make these yoga socks, with the heels and the toes uncovered.  With only a fe...

I have made several pieces of jewelry over the years that prominently feature zippers, but the more recent wave of zipper jewelry and ornaments completely takes my breath away.  Here are a lot of links to tutorials, and lots of pictures for inspiration on my Zipper craft Pinterest board. 

Fingerless Gloves Last week, I shared some tutorial links with you and some sample pieces that I made to try out various stitches. I used to crochet a LOT when I was much younger, but I haven't for awhile, so my fingers needed to get back in practice.  I think it's a really good idea to "cross-train" on different art forms from time to time, don't you? :-) Here are a few of the pieces that I ended up obsessively   compulsively diligently making over January and February when I was so sick.  It felt good to just hunker down and stitch away. I've been doing my own version of this hyperbolic spiral form to make a scarf, shown directly above and also on last week's post in brighter colors. Fingerless gloves Shown here and at the top of the post.  Here are the component parts: Ribbing... Elizabeth stitch Dragon scarf My suggestion is that you use a very soft yarn for this one.  I used yarn that was stiffer, because I thou...

Hyperbolic Scarf It seems kind of funny to say that there are tutorials for how to do free form crochet!  After all, isn't the point that there is no pattern?  Yes, true, but I'm finding that it's really helpful to learn some of the fancy stitches, patterns, motifs, and techniques first, which will help you put together a more polished, lovely finished piece.  It's like free form beading...you still need to know how to do peyote stitch (for example) before you launch into making a decent looking finished piece! So, here are some of my samples and the tutorials that I used to teach myself how to do them.  You can find much much more on my Pinterest board, Crochet . If you haven't crocheted much (or at all) before, I highly recommend Theresa Warrior's series of video tutorials . Magic loop (not shown) Free form spiral I stitched into the back half of each chain and added a single crochet row to the spiral to emphasize it. Nautilus shell...

Turquoise, glass, sterling silver $40 This is an adjustable necklace which slips over your head and then tightens all the way down to 16 inches, if that's your style! The turquoise stone donut pendant is complimented by the glass beads, sterling silver wire and beads, and black cording. Hit the button above, or leave me a comment if you are interested.

I made this for my Mother for Christmas this year...it's just a little tiny thing, but it was so much fun to do that I might have to make more next year!  It all started with a set of vintage table napkins that I swear are silk... Google "embroidery alphabet letters" and you will find more inspiration that you could ever believe.  I picked a fairly simple, but nicely curved letter and stitched it onto the napkin through tissue paper that I had drawn the letter on.  It took awhile to pick out the tissue shreds afterwards, but it was worth it.  My napkin was very thin and delicate, so I lined it with plain muslin in the embroidery hoop, which you can't see. Once it's done, choose a smaller hoop for mounting.  I traced around the inside opening and cut a piece of foam-core that size.  Place the embroidery into the hoop and center it properly.  Pull it snug.  Use double stick tape to attach another piece of napkin fabric (or other...