Tuesday 1 June 2010

Seed bead inspiration, please!

OK, so I have attempted to work with seed beads before, and have had limited success. But after seeing the gorgeous creations on this blog, I want to give them another go. And I found these beauties in my stash, just begging to be used for...something:


The beads are size 9/0 (apparently) and are a delicious shade of reddish-pink. They're making me think of summer berries, and raspberry ripple ice cream. :D

I need a simple-ish beginner's project really - maybe beaded beads? I would also love to be able to make a pendant from a ring like the ones used in Sarah's gorgeous necklace:



I thought I could make one of those rings and use it as a pendant, or make two smaller ones for earrings. Is it too complicated? What is that stitch even called?

See, I need your help, follower bead stash busters. :D Please suggest some nice, simple seed beads projects I could try. Thanks in advance!

7 comments:

Ciren said...

heres a few links for you
http://www.beadseast.com/spiralprimer.html
http://jewelrymaking.allinfoabout.com/subjects/allprojects.html
http://www.tarnhelm.com/NeedForBeads/Tutorials.htm
most bead shops online have tutorials you can look through, also utube is brilliant for finding video's of design tips and designs.

good luck and don't forget to share with us how you get on :D

Maneki said...

bead-patterns.com is also a good website to check out. They've got instructions as well as projects, some free and other for a fee.

If you want to make rings I guess tubular peyote would be a technique to try out. I say "geuss" as I'm no fan of peyote, but it's one of the most commonly used stitches partially because it's so versatile and many others do like it. I just prefer netting, herringbone, RAW and that kind of stitches.

Sarah said...

Those beads are gorgeous! The rings I made are even count tubular peyote. Here's a link for you to try http://www.beadjewelrymaking.com/Arts_and_Craft_Idea/even_count_tubular_peyote_stitch_instruction.html . Once you've made it long enough, you just zip up the two ends, I can't find a link at the mo, but I can always try to photo something if you need it later. One tip, the rings were quite hard to form into a circle, so don't use too rigid a tension.

Clair said...

Oh Kitty! I admire your determination to try something new. I started out learning netting, which works up really quickly (comparatively, of course) and is nice and light for summer. Right-angled weave is also relatively easy.

Beading Daily (Interweave) has lots of downloadable projects, though some are a bit more advanced, and a really helpful forum if ever you need advice.

Kitty Ballistic said...

Right then, I will have a look at those links and try to decide on what to make over the next few days. I had a fall on Monday night, and I landed with most of my weight on my hands and wrists, so I have very sore arms at the moment. Not great for wire work, or even making loops, but I reckon I could do a bit of seed bead work. :D

Thanks for the advice, all!

Sarah said...

Ouch Kitty! Hope you heal soon!

Liz said...

Ooh they're a gorgeous colour! Can't wait to see what you make with them.

Sorry to hear you had a fall, hope you're pain free soon :)