Bead Arts

Here’s a really quick and easy pin that you can make in a snap…

My tutorial is on Jewelry & Beading.

Technique Tuesday!

The loop
The loop can be made from quite a number of different jewelry parts. I’ve used earrings, pendants with holes in the middle, toggle rings, charms with holes, and a plain loop of seed beads. The most important thing is to make or choose a loop that is large enough to accommodate whatever dangling bits and decorative beads you wish to use. The strands must be able to fit through the loop at the same time, at least up to a point.

Comfort
Consider what beads will rest against the back of your neck. Try to make that section, maybe 5 to 6 inches, from smaller rounder beads for comfort’s sake!

Dangles
Again, there are many choices for what to add to the ends of your lariat. Just make sure that they are going to fit through the loop. For a little extra movement, I like to have these dangling bits attached via head pins or bails of some type so that they swing freely.

Miscellaneous tips
Use the finest diameter beading wire that will still be strong enough for your beads, and chose a brand with the softest drape possible. Stiffer wire may be less expensive, but your piece will not hang nicely. Cut the piece too long. Longer is better with lariats!

 

Link to another summer necklace:
Fishing for Trout

 

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

Technique Tuesday!

PMC and Art Clay Silver
An online manual for success with the new precious metal clays.

Making metal beads
Register with the ArtJewelry site and receive a free download of Nanz Aalund’s tutorial.

Metal clay lenses at Squidoo
The very best informational and instructional lenses you’ll find anywhere.

The Art of Metal Clay by Sherri Haab
Artist and instructor Sherri Haab demonstrates metal clay’s remarkable versatility, showing how it can be textured, molded, carved, and sculpted to create gorgeous beads.

Metal Clay Magic by Nana Mizushima
Packed with color photos showing each step of working with metal clay. Covers more than just beads, but has lots of techniques that can be used in making beads.

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Technique Tuesday!

The leaves that I showed you yesterday are really easy to make, but take quite a bit of time. Plan to do them when you’ve got other projects going on so that you don’t have to sit around waiting for the silver to dry.

1. Pick small leaves with deep veins. You will be applying the paste to the bottom of the leaves.
2. Dilute a small amount of Art Clay paste and brush it carefully onto the leaves. Allow to dry. Apply a few more coats of the diluted paste, drying between each layer.
3. Switch to non-diluted paste, and apply around 10 layers altogether.
4. Let the leaves dry overnight.
5. Fire them according to the directions in a kiln. (Note: the low-fire clay can be done in a hot pot instead. Also, some folks prefer to use a torch, but I like the even results of the kiln)

metal-clay, jewelry, art-clay, silver

Not everyone would want to make their own wooden jewelry or beads, but for those who decide to give it a try, I would definitely recommend Lee Valley Tools for your woodworking needs! I’ve already recommended the DIY Network for some interesting tutorials on making wooden jewelry. You can also find some like-minded people over at Craftster.Org too, who like to mix wood into their jewelry projects.

Any other suggestions for good places to gather info or share pieces?

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Technique Tuesday!
One of the things I love most about making these pins is that you can cut out a bunch of base pieces all at one time, and then you can spend a little time here and a little there putting the pins together using whatever little scraps come to hand. Or are lying around on top of your work table!

There are lots of materials that you can use for a base, but one of the easiest to work with is good old Foam-Cor. It’s easy to cut, you can stick wires into it to embed things if needed, and it can be toughened up when you’re done by a coating of two-part resin. Like I said, I usually cut out a bunch of pieces in one session, and then work on them little by little.

This particular pin is called The Key to My Heart, and it features an antique skeleton key, some origami paper, a couple strands of fiber, and a couple of beads. Here’s how I made it…change the directions to suit your own projects!

1. Peel the upper layer of paper off the top of your Foam-Cor base. Paint the piece front and back, and adhere a piece of decorative paper to the front. Use a gold-leaf pen to do the edges.
2. Use E6000 or resin to glue heavy items like the key onto the pin front. Diamond Glaze is a good choice too for lighter objects. All will leave a glossy area if they leak out from below your items, so clean it up while it’s still wet.
3. Attach fibers and beads to the bottom of the piece. Since the key had a natural opening, I tied a lark’s-head knot around it.
4. Flip the pin over and use E6000 or resin to attach a pin back.
5. When all glue is completely dry, give the pin a coat of two-part resin to toughen up the Foam-Cor. For this pin, I only did the back since I wanted a matte finish on the front. For others, I do both sides, letting one dry completely before attempting to turn it and do the other.

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Technique Tuesday!

Making a necklace like Moonstone Rainbow is very similar to the instructions previously given for making Blue Bells. I strung moonstone chips onto 28 gauge wire and crocheted a chain that ended up being folded into thirds. Most of the technique is outlined in the tutorial for Blue Bells, and I suggest reading it now if you haven’t already!

Moonstone Rainbow

1. Using 20 gauge wire, twist around the ends of the crocheted sections to keep them together, and take the wire through a large bead on each side. Create a wrapped loop.
2. Crimp a piece of beading wire like SoftFlex to each wrapped loop. Add beads for a strand that’s as long as you desire on each side.
3. Crimp one beading wire strand to a hook, and the other to the end of a length of chain. Make a dangle on a headpin, and attach it with a wrapped loop around the free end of the chain. Easy peasy, huh?

Copyright 2007 Cyndi Lavin. 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.

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Technique Tuesday!

Segments from your favorite beading and jewelry shows right on your computer screen! Next time you miss a show, check it out here: you will have to register to watch, but I don’t think that’s really asking too much! How To TV Online

beads, beading, tv online, jewelry-making, tutorials

I found this wonderful vintage rolled-brim felt hat with a built-in scarf in an old musty antique shop. I loved the style and the color, and knew immediately that the structure of the hat would stand up to a lot of altering! Sifting through my collection of vintage buttons and jewelry showed me just what direction to go with this hat. The name, “Dreaming of Spring” came to me before the hat was completed. I filled the brim, but still something was missing. The final piece was still sitting on my work table: a small vintage bee pin. Obviously, the bee was to be the focal point, the one who was “Dreaming of Spring”!

Now as cold weather approaches, I can wear this hat with the promise that spring will one day return to New England.

Materials and tools:
Vintage hat
Buttons, beads, seed beads, and vintage jewelry
Black nymo thread, size O
Beading needles
Fabric glue

1 Consider carefully the structure of the hat you choose. I was attracted to this rolled-brim style because there would be no need to line the inside after finishing the sewing: the style itself hides all the loose ends. I also looked for a hat with the structural integrity that could stand up to the weight of the embellishments I wanted to add.

2 Gather together all of the embellishments from your stash of button, beads, and jewelry (broken or whole) that you think you might want to use. Choose a theme or a color palette to unify your choices. Although I chose a solid colored hat, multi-colored would be a lot of fun to work with too. The color of my hat led me to develop a springtime theme in a monochromatic palette, with gold-toned accents.

3 Stitch shank-style buttons around the top of the brim, using nymo beading thread.

4 Stitch or pin your major focal pieces into place around the face of the brim. I used some larger vintage pins to divide up the surface.

5 Stitch buttons and beads in a pleasing pattern between the larger focal pieces. Use size 8 or 11 seed beads to decorate the threads holding the buttons. Take an extra anchoring stitch or two before and after stitching on each new piece.

6 After all your buttons and larger beads are attached, go back and “fill in” each large gap with a size 8 seed bead. I used bronze iris beads to add just a hint of extra color.

7 Use a small dab of fabric glue on each knot on the inside of the hat. If you’ve used a roll-brim hat like mine, there will be no need to line it, but if you’ve chosen a different style, consider adding a line lining fabric to protect your hair from getting tangled in the underside of the stitches.

Copyright 2007 Cyndi Lavin. 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.

For more inspiration, check these posts:
The Best of the Basics Online
Bead Embroidery Techniques

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Technique Tuesday!

The pendant necklace I showed you yesterday is very similar in construction to one I made back in April. The tutorial link is included.

Link to tutorial

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Technique Tuesday!

If you simply can’t wait until the new Lark book, The Art of Jewelry: Wood, comes out, check out DIY network’s tutorials in the meantime!

 

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Technique Tuesday!

After showing you how simple the beaded beads were last week, I received questions about the bezel and bail. Well, yeah…it’s pretty easy too! I’ll be glad to share how to make it.

I used single-needle RAW (right angle weave) for the base rows, and then eased my way into peyote stitch to cinch the bezel around the stone. Here’s how:

1. Stitch a flat strip of RAW, just a scant 1/8 to 1/4 inch shorter than the stone’s perimeter, using 11/0 seed beads. This little bit of stretch will keep the stone snug.
2. Turn your strip and add 3 or 4 more rows of RAW, enough to cover the edge of your stone and extend past just a bit. Stitch the ends together to make a loop.
3. Switch to peyote stitch. Still using 11/0 seed beads, add one row of peyote stitch on one of the bezel edges. Slip it on the stone and pull the thread snug. Remove from the stone again.
4. Add one row of peyote stitch using 15/0 seed beads. Slip it on the stone and pull the thread snug. Work the thread to the other bezel edge and repeat the two peyote rows on the other side.
5. Work the thread to the middle of the bezel and set it aside.
6. Create a beaded bead according to the directions from last Technique Tuesday.
7. Use the thread and needle from step 5 to stitch the beaded bead onto the bezel to form a bail.

Copyright 2007 Cyndi Lavin. 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.

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, tutorials

Technique Tuesday!

These beads are extremely simple to make, so they’re a great place to start in learning to weave beaded beads. Start with a 24 inch single strand of Nymo 0 on your needle, and two different colors of seed beads, preferably Delicas or some other cylinder-style of seed beads. I used a dark galvanized amethyst and bright gold to match the Tigerskin (or Wood!) Jasper necklace that I showed you yesterday.

In 2-drop peyote, you stitch the same as in regular peyote, except that you pass your thread through 2 beads each time. Check my post on seed bead basics for instructions if you need to. Here’s the pattern for these little beads:

1. String on 12 beads, alternating colors, two of each color at a time. Start with 2 gold and end with 2 purple. This will be the 1st and 2nd row after you complete the next step. Leave a 5-6 inch of thread.
2. Weave the following rows in single colors, following this pattern:
   3rd row - gold
   4th row - purple
   5th row - gold
   6th row - purple
   7th row - purple
   8th row - gold
   9th row - purple
   10th row - gold
   11th row - gold
   12th row - purple
   13th row - gold
   14th row - purple
   15th row - purple
   16th row - gold
3. Wrap the bead into a cylinder so that the “in” and “out” parts mesh. Use the thread still on the needle to weave back and forth, “zipping” the two edges together. At the top, tie the two thread ends together, and work them both back through your work to bury them.

Copyright 2007 Cyndi Lavin. 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.

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Technique Tuesday!

Right angle weave is such a useful stitch, and there are so many variations, including single- or double-needle varieties, that it can seem really overwhelming. I’ve found an excellent online source of instructions on Bead Jewelry Making that you might want to take a look at. In fact, I’ve added this excellent website’s tutorial list to our list of the Best of the Basics Online!

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, tutorials

Technique Tuesday!

Here are the items I used to make Breezy. You can vary the ingredients to your heart’s content!

Materials:
3 pieces of teal green cord, 60″ each
3 pieces of teal green cord, 12″ each
6 turquoise ovals, 12×18mm
9 turquoise rondelles, 13mm
12 turquoise rondelles, 7mm
9 turquoise rounds, 4mm
Bronze 8/0 seed beads
Antiqued copper bail tube with loop
Antiqued copper 3-holed end bar and clasp set with chain

Tools:
Scissors
Tweezers
Tape measure
Fray check
GS Hypo-tube cement

1. Use fray check on all the ends of your cord pieces. Fold the 3 long strands in half and attach each one to one side of the clasp set, using a lark’s head knot.
2. Knot the beads in place, criss-crossing strands occasionally. Use two strands to attach each large rondelle, lacing strands through the hole from the opposite sides. Add the tube bail in the middle and continue knotting up the other side.
3. Knot the loose ends by pairs around the loops in the other half of the clasp set.
4. Fold the three short strands in half and create a lark’s head knot around the bail loop. Add beads to the ends and knot in place.
5. Glue all end knots and trim the ends.

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