Refelctions Bracelet Tutorial

Ok, so I liked Sarah's tutorial so much i wanted to give it a go. Only problem I had was that i didn't have a swarovski ring. Typical eh?

So i thought i would adapt the design and make my own version, so here it is. A Spinner Style Bracelet.

Carol XXX

Reflections Bracelet Tutorial

This weeks tutorial is for this super simple but pretty Swarovski Ring and cord bracelet. I've had the ring for a couple of years and really wanted to bust it out of my stash as it's far too lovely to languish in a box unused.

Materials required: 1 x Swarovski Crystal Ring, 2 x 8 inches (or length to fit your wrist) 2mm wide faux suede cord, 4 x cords ends (to fit 2mm), 2 x open jump rings, 1 x toggle clasp. 1. Place one end of your cord inside the cord end and, using flat nose pliers, close the cord end over the cord.

2. Repeat until all ends of the cord have a connector.

3. Fold one length of cord in half and pass the folded end through the Swarovski ring.

4. Take the two cord ends and pass them between the ring and the folded end of the cord.

5. Pull snug and repeat steps 3- 5 on the other side.

6. Using round nosed pliers, open a jump ring and thread it through the holes in the cord ends on one side of the bracelet.

7. Thread the jump ring through one part of the toggle clasp and close. Repeat steps 6 & 7 on the other side.

Happy Beading!

Sarahx

Podcast Review - Bead Circle Episode 2

As well as beading, I also knit and have long been a fan of knitting podcasts. So I was very excited to discover that Mandi Ainsworth from the Bead Circle Network http://beadcircle.com/ has launched a beading podcast and thought I would do a quick review of it for anyone who has not found it yet. I'm not going to go to in depth as I don't want to give away too many spoilers.

So far there are only 2 episodes, the 1st episode was published on the 26th February and is a very interesting interview with Nancy Zellers http://beadcircle.com/2011/02/bcp-01-nancy-zellers/. Episode 2 http://beadcircle.com/2011/04/bcp-02-talking-with-the-lone-beader%c2%ae/is an interview with Diana Grygo aka The Lone Beader http://blog.thelonebeader.com/.

Mandi starts off the podcast talking about the beading by the Bay Retreat, which sounds fabulous and then goes into the interview. Diana talks about how she got started in beading and bead embroidery and talks in more detail about some of her pieces such as The Diva's and The Time Traveller's series. They also talk about how to find and enter your beaded art in appropriate juried shows. They touch on registering your name as a trademark, which was unexpected but interesting, although the laws and regulations are most likely different on this side of the pond. Diana also gives a bit of information about her tutorial on bead embroidery, which is available in her Etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/thelonebeader?ref=pr_shop.

I found the podcast very enjoyable to listen to, Mandi asks great questions that resulted in a fun interview and Diana's enthusiasm for her work shines through, it's definitely worth a listen if you are a bead enthusiast!

Happy beading!

Sarahx

April Moodboard

Two more submissions for our April Moodboard to show you this week!

Carol has made this gorgeous pendant...



And Lesley has made this wonderful gothic style ring...



If you'd like to join in with us this month and create something for April's black, white and red moodboard, please see the original post for details.

Magazine Review - Bead and Button Issue 102 (April)

Bead and Button will need no introduction to most beaders, I know. However, I picked up my copy at the weekend and thought I would review it for those people who do not buy it on a regular basis. B&B has a special place in my heart as it is the first magazine I ever bought and is largely responsible for my obsession with beadweaving. Over the years, I have made quite a few projects from this magazine and learnt a lot from it. Some of the issues have had very few pieces that appealed to me, but that is just a matter of taste and after all the magazine does need to appeal to many different tastes and styles. This issue has 17 projects and also included a free booklet with 6 bracelet projects. As I expected, the main focus is on beadweaving techniques (hooray!) but also includes other techniques such as stringing, wirework and metal clay. You can have a look at the contents page here http://www.beadandbutton.com/Magazine/Current%20Issue.aspx

There are some lovely projects in this issue, a couple of which I think I will actually make! First on my list is Cathy Lampole's Daisy Spiral, a lovely colourful spiral necklace featuring tubular netting, beaded beads and heavy weight chain, I think it will be lots of fun to both wear and make. My 2nd favourite is the beautiful trillium ornament by Diane Hertzler which I think I may make for my mums 60th birthday later this year, I rarely make non-jewellery beaded items but this one is really special! The cover bangle by Cynthia Rutledge is also gorgeous and may well end up around my wrist at some point! There are lots of other lovely seed bead projects to choose from too. I also want to mention the Chic & Easy stringing project as it is a great one for beginners to start with and would also be a good stashbuster for us ottbs'ers!

As well as the beautiful projects there are also some nice features and I particularly enjoyed Robin Atkin's article on Transylvanian beadwork traditions, it is well worth a read. I was really pleased with this issue, I liked a lot of the projects and enjoyed reading the features, the FMG advert is also well worth a look as always!

Happy beading!

Sarahx

April Moodboard

Here we have our very first submission for the April Moodboard. Eva has created this beautiful necklace using used red magnesite nuggets, red round corals and black agate and onyx. Thank you very much for joining in with us Eva!



If you're up for a challenge and want to be in with a chance to win Sarah's gorgeous kit then please see the original post for details of how to join in with us this month.

Basic Stitch Tutorial - Peyote

Welcome to the first of our basic stitch tutorials! In this series of tutorials we'll be showing you the basics of different stitches and techniques, building up a collection of tutorials that you can refer to whenever you need them. Because you can do so much with the basic stitches once you've learnt them we won’t be including instructions for finishing or embellishing.

We’re beginning the series with peyote stitch, a very versatile technique which is well worth adding to any beaders repertoire. In this tutorial I’m using size 8 Japanese seed beads to create a strip of peyote 6 beads wide. This is a quick and easy way to learn peyote as you only need to add 3 beads per row and the bead size means it works up quickly. I’m also using C-lon beading thread and a size 10 beading needle.

Before you start, thread your needle with a comfortable length of thread. Pick up a stop bead, move it down to about 8" from the end of the thread and sew through it again in the same direction, being careful not to split the thread. The stop bead is a single bead in a contrast colour, it stops your beads falling off and helps you to achieve a better tension when you work the first few rows.

You may find it easier to work the first few rows on a flat surface.

Pick up 6 beads and slide them down to the stop bead.



Pick up 1 bead, skip the first bead on the row and sew through the second bead.



Pick up 1 bead, skip a bead on the row and sew through the next bead.



Pick up 1 bead, skip a bead and sew through the final bead to complete the row. Pull the thread taut to line up the beads.


You’ve just completed 3 rows of peyote (the 6 beads you picked up at the start count as rows 1 and 2) and now have a small strip that has ‘up beads’.

Onto row 4...

Pick up 1 bead and sew through the first ‘up bead’.



Pick up 1 bead and sew through the second ‘up bead’.



Pick up 1 bead and sew through the final ‘up bead’.



Continue picking up 1 bead and sewing through the ‘up beads’, adding 3 beads per row until the strip is as long as you need. You can change the direction that you sew or you might find it easier to flip the strip over after every row. Make sure you keep the thread taut as you work.



Here’s a bracelet I made with the above instructions, using a 'Salt & Pepper' Miyuki bead mix.



I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial, if you have any questions then please ask away!