Indice dei contenuti per February 2018 in Bead&Button

In 2001, Jill Wiseman discovered beads while at a quilt show. She went to that show on a whim, having no idea that her life was about to change. The ensuing 17 years brought her ups and downs, and she had to pivot several times. Her path wasn’t always an easy one, but she has found success keeping beads — and the joy they bring her — front and center all along. I love stories like Jill’s, because they remind me to keep an open mind, stay positive, make the most of opportunities, and to not let setbacks deter me from achieving a goal. Jill is an inspiration in many ways, and she has earned her place in the hearts of the beading community. You can read more about Jill…

does this sound familiar? While you’re working on a project that involves layers of embellishment, you notice that the beads in a previous layer are starting to fill with thread and it’s getting difficult to get the needle through them. You just have a bit more to do, though, so you persevere, force your needle through, and ultimately break a bead! Then you have to decide — live with the broken beads or take apart the beadwork to the point where the break occurred and re-do it? Either way, you’ll likely end up frustrated and unhappy. Or maybe you are using larger seed beads, grab some thread you got on sale years ago, and get your needle ready. As you stitch, you find the needle keeps slipping off the thread.…

DIFFICULTY cubic right-angle weave materials pink/green/gold earrings 11⁄16 x 17⁄16 in. (2.7 x 3.7 cm) • 2 12 x 16 mm pear-shaped drop beads (opaque turquoise Picasso) • 8 6 mm spiky button beads (crystal copper rainbow) • 2 4 mm bicone crystals (Swarovski, crystal metallic sunshine) • 110 seed beads --4 g color A (Miyuki 4202F, Duracoat galvanized matte gold) --2 g color B (Miyuki 4217F, Duracoat galvanized matte seafoam) --2 g color C (Miyuki 4210F, Duracoat galvanized matte hot pink) --2 g color D (131-01770, Unions vintage copper) • 1 g 150 seed beads (Toho PF557, galvanized starlight) • 1 pair of earring findings • 2 5–6 mm jump rings • Fireline, 6 lb. test • beading needles, #11 or #12 • 2 pairs of chainnose, bentnose, and/or…

DIFFICULTY loomwork Wear your heart on your sleeve this February with a loomwoven band wrapped around a metal bangle. 1) Set up your loom with 17 warp threads. 2) Tie one end of a comfortable length of thread to the far-left warp thread (or far-right if you are lefthanded). This is your weft thread. 3) Pick up all the 110 cylinder beads for the first row of the pattern (starting at the top left-hand corner): one A, five Cs, two Es, seven Cs, and one A. Guide the beads under the warp threads. With your nondominant hand, nestle the beads between the warp threads so one beads sits between each pair of threads. Guide the weft thread around the outside of the far-right warp thread (far-left if you are lefthanded),…

DIFFICULTY Right-angle weave CHANGE IT UP You can substitute the 2 mm round crystals with 2.5 mm bicones, 2 mm round fire-polished beads, or even 2 mm pearls. materials silver/gold bracelet 3 in. (7.6 cm) diameter •136 2 mm round crystals (Swarovski, crystal AB) •110 seed beads - 13 g color A (Toho 711, nickel-plated silver) - 6 g color B (Toho 557, permanent finish galvanized starlight) •6 g 150 seed beads (Toho 557, permanent finish galvanized starlight) •1 3-strand tube clasp •Fireline, 6 lb. test •beading needles, #11 or #12 •memory wire (bracelet size) •memory wire cutters •chainnose pliers kits available at jillwisemandesigns.com Find info for the alternate colorway at FacetJewelry.com/resourceguide basics, p. 66 FacetJewelry.com/basics •right-angle weave: flat strip, adding rows •ending and adding thread Read all about Jill…

DIFFICULTY peyote / bead weaving materials bracelet 6½ in. (16.5 cm) • 1 14 mm rivoli (Swarovski, crystal lilac shadow) • crystal pearls (Swarovski) - 2 6 mm (burgundy) - 4 5 mm (burgundy) - 4 4 mm, color A (burgundy) - 6 4 mm, color B (platinum) • 4 4 mm bicone crystals (Swarovski, amethyst AB) • 1 g color I 110 seed beads (Miyuki 4220, Duracoat galvanized eggplant) • 110 cylinder beads (Miyuki Delicas) - 3 g color C (DB0038, palladium plated) - 4 g color D (DB1850, Duracoat galvanized eggplant) • 150 seed beads - 1 g color E (Toho 222, dark bronze) - 1 g color F (Miyuki 401F, black matte) - 18 color H (Miyuki 4202F, Duracoat galvanized matte gold) - 1 g color J…

THREAD AND KNOTS CONDITIONING THREAD Use wax (beeswax or microcrystalline wax) or a thread conditioner (like Thread Magic) to condition nylon beading thread and Fireline. Wax smooths nylon fibers and adds tackiness that will stiffen your beadwork slightly. Conditioners add a static charge that causes the thread to repel itself, so don’t use it with doubled thread. All conditioners help thread resist wear. To condition, stretch nylon thread to remove the curl (you don’t need to stretch Fireline). Place the thread or Fireline on top of the conditioner, hold it in place with your thumb or finger, and pull the thread through the conditioner. ENDING AND ADDING THREAD To end a thread, sew back through the last few rows or rounds of beadwork, following the thread path of the stitch…

DIFFICULTY bead weaving 1 How to pick up the Arcos beads: With the holes running horizontally, sew through the top or bottom hole, entering from the inside edge (IE) or the outside edge (OE) as directed. The center holes will not be used. How to pick up the tile beads: With the holes running horizontally, sew through the top hole (TH) or bottom hole (BH) as directed. COLUMN COMPONENT 1) On 2 ft. (61 cm) of thread, attach a stop bead, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Pick up an Arcos (bottom, IE), a 150 seed bead, a Demi bead, a tile (BH), a Demi, a 150, an Arcos (bottom, OE), a 150, a Demi, a 4 mm pearl, a Demi, and a 150, and sew through the open hole…

DIFFICULTY tubular peyote / bead weaving materials teal necklace 17 1⁄2 in. (44.5 cm) • 1 25 mm Cabochon par Puca (opaque aqua bronze) • 2 18 mm Cabochons par Puca (opaque aqua bronze) • 75 5 x 10 mm Arcos par Puca beads (light gold matte) • 19 6 mm Super Kheops par Puca beads (light gold matte) • 3 mm fire-polished beads - 19 color A (pastel petrol) - 12 color B (matte metallic flax) • 2 80 seed bead (Miyuki 4202F, Duracoat galvanized matte gold) • 3 g 110 seed beads (Toho PF557, galvanized starlight) • 150 seed beads - 1 g color C (Toho 221, bronze) - 2 g color D (Toho PF557, galvanized starlight) • 2 g 100 cylinder beads (Miyuki Delica DBM22L, metallic light…

DIFFICULTY peyote / herringbone / stringing Clever origami-like folds and hinges take flat beadwork to a new dimension as double triangle components enclose pearls like hugs and kisses. LIGHT-COLORED SQUARES 1) On 24 in. (61 cm) of thread, pick up 20 color D 110 cylinder beads, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Sew through the beads again, and tie them into a ring with a square knot. Sew through the first two Ds added. These beads will shift to form rounds 1 and 2 as the third round is added. 2) Using a combination of herringbone stitch and peyote stitch, work in rounds off the initial ring of cylinders, stepping up at the end of each round: Round 3: Work a corner herringbone stitch: pick up two color E cylinder…

Purple Passage Pendant I love to play with new bead shapes when they come out, and Arcos par Puca beads are some of my new favorites. They offer so many possibilities for designing. I created this to wear for the 2017 Bead&Button Show highlighting my favorite color, purple. Connie Whittaker Milwaukee, Wisconsin cwhittaker@beadandbutton.com The Wayward Heart This bead embroidery and beadweaving bracelet was such a work of love. As someone who travels and teaches, I come up with new designs that are marketable and teachable on a regular basis. Every once in a while I have the time to bead something fanciful with little concern of whether it can be replicated or taught. Some years ago I found an iron-on patch of a winged heart. That was the inspiration for…

Kumi Q&A Q I would like to design my own kumihimo jewelry but don’t know where to start. Are there any apps or programs that will help? A What a great question! Kumihimo (kongoh gumi) is pretty easy to do; but because of the way the cords exchange places as well as the spiraling nature of the braid, it’s hard to visualize how the beads will fall into place to create a pattern. There are a few programs that can help you design your own patterns and with careful study you will begin to understand how the bead stringing order creates the final beaded pattern. CRAFT DESIGN ONLINE A free and handy website, craftdesignonline.com gives you the ability to design your own braid patterns. With more than 25 patterns already…

DIFFICULTY stringing materials gold necklace 18 in. (46 cm) • 1 18 x 14 mm baroque mirror crystal (Swarovski 4142, golden shadow) • 1 18 x 14 mm baroque mirror setting (Swarovski 4142s, gold finish) • 1 10 mm baroque bead (Swarovski 5058, golden shadow) • 1 8 mm Greek cross fancy stone (Swarovski 4784, crystal) • 1 8 mm Greek cross setting, (Swarovski 4784s, gold finish) • Swarovski crystal pearls - 4 6 mm (cream) - 98 4 mm (bronze - 4 3 mm (bronze) • 8 5 mm crystal rondelle spacers (gold plated, crystal clear) • 1 g 110 seed beads (Toho PF557, permanent finish galvanized starlight) • 1 g 150 seed beads (Toho PF557, permanent finish galvanized starlight) • 1 clasp (Elegant Elements) • Fireline, 10 lb.…

DIFFICULTY crossweave materials blue bracelet 7½ in. (19.1 cm) • 16 6 mm crystal pearls (Swarovski, iridescent light blue) • 7 g 2.5 x 5 mm SuperDuos (polychrome indigo orchid) • 17 3 mm crystal pearls (Swarovski, iridescent light blue) • 34 3 mm bicone crystals (Swarovski, metallic blue 2X) • 68 2 x 2.5 mm rondelle crystals (Thunder Polish, light sapphire AB) • 2 g 110 seed beads (Toho 88, cosmos metallic) • 1 g 150 seed beads (Toho 82, metallic nebula) • 1 ½-in. (13 mm) button with shank • Fireline, 8 lb. test • 2 beading needles, #12 Find info for the alternate colorway at FacetJewelry.com/resourceguide basics FacetJewelry.com/basics • ending and adding thread Weave a mellifluous collection of pearls, crystals, and seed beads to complement trios of…