Table of contents for April 2016 in Bead&Button

Spring has sprung and if this seasonal reawakening isn’t enough to get your creative juices flowing, I think we can help. Several projects in this issue of Bead&Button put me in a vernal mindset, including Julia Hecht’s fresh and colorful kumihimo necklace (p. 38), Julie Moore Tanksley and Stephanie Goff’s floral bracelets (p. 42 and 62, respectively), Sveltana Chernitsky’s “Seed of life earrings” (p. 48), and Fatima Mensen-Potter’s really fun beaded bead (p. 59), which we’ve noted — in the right colors — could be mistaken for a sparkly but diminutive Easter egg. And we have lots more in store for you as well, including a new column on gemstone beads, a quiz to help you pinpoint your jewelry style, several additional projects, and more! As always, I hope you’ll…

With the QuadraTile in the position shown (figure 1), the holes will be referred to as top left (TL), top right (TR), bottom left (BL), and bottom right (BR). How to pick up triangle beads: With the point of the triangle with no hole facing to the right, pick up the bead through the top hole (TH) or the bottom hole (BH), per the instructions. For clarity, figures 2, 3, 4, and 6 show the top view of the beadwork. Figures 5 and 7 show the side view of the beadwork. Ring 1 On a comfortable length of thread, pick up a repeating pattern of an 11º seed bead and a color A QuadraTile bead (BL) 18 times. Tie a square knot to form the beads into a ring, leaving…

2.5 x 5 mm SuperDuo bead, color A 2.5 x 5 mm SuperDuo bead, color B 3.4 mm drop bead 3 mm bicone crystal 15º seed bead Earrings 1 On 11⁄2 yd. (1.4 m) of thread, pick up six color A SuperDuo beads, tie a square knot, and sew through the first A again to form a ring, leaving a 9-in. (23 cm) tail. Sew through the open hole of the same A (figure 1, a–b). 2 Pick up a color B SuperDuo bead, sew through the open hole of the same B, and continue through the open hole of the next A (b–c). Repeat this stitch five times to complete the round, and step up through the first B added (c–d). 3 Work in a counterclockwise direction: Pick up…

change it up Alter the look by interchanging pearls, crystals, and firepolished beads of the same size within the design. variable size To accommodate slight variances in the diameter of the wood barrel beads and pearls, the number of RAW stitches might need to be adjusted up or down to fit properly around the center of the barrel. The blue/silver bead started with a flat strip of 12 RAW stitches before being joined into a ring, and the other two beads started with 11 RAW stitches. RAW center ring 1 On a comfortable length of thread, pick up four 4 mm pearls, leaving a 6–in. (15 cm) tail. Sew through the first three beads again to form a ring (figure 1, a–b). Picking up three pearls per stitch, work a…

THREAD AND KNOTS Conditioning thread Use wax (beeswax or microcrystalline wax) or a thread conditioner (like Thread Heaven or 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…

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being a feeling you strongly resonate with), score each of the following words on how much you want your jewelry to reflect that emotional quality. Total each section, and then read the corresponding description of your highest-scoring category. Romantic BEAUTIFUL earthy Bohemian How do I want to feel when I wear this piece of jewelry? A ______ Glamorous ______ Luxurious ______ Elegant ______ Alluring ______ Graceful ______ Sophisticated ______ TOTAL B ______ One-of-a-kind ______ Bold ______ Flamboyant ______ Free ______ Unique ______ Wild ______ TOTAL C ______ Natural ______ Earthy ______ Smart ______ Strong ______ Cerebral ______ Grounded ______ TOTAL D ______ Feminine ______ Romantic ______ Soft ______ Delicate ______ Dreamy ______ Charming ______ TOTAL Where did you score the highest? A…

11º seed bead, color A 4 mm fire-polished bead 11º seed bead, color B 6 mm pearl 3 mm bicone crystal Base 1 On a comfortable length of thread, pick up six color A 11º seed beads, and tie the beads into a ring with a square knot, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Sew through the next A. 2 Pick up three 4 mm fire-polished beads, and sew through the A your thread exited, going in the same direction. Continue through the next A in the ring (figure 1, a–b). 3 Pick up two fire-polished beads, sew through the adjacent fire-polished bead, the A your thread exited at the start of this step, and the next A (b–c). Repeat this stitch four times using a tight tension, but after…

6 x 6 mm Kheops bead 3.8 x 1 mm O-bead 15º seed bead 5 x 7 mm Pip bead 11º seed bead 3 mm pearl 4 mm pearl Strips 1 On a comfortable length of thread, pick up a Kheops bead through the right hole (RH) from bottom to top, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. 2 Pick up two O-beads, a 15º seed bead, a Pip bead, a 15º, two O-beads, a Kheops through the left hole (LH) from top to bottom, a 15º, an O-bead, a 3 mm pearl, an O-bead, and a 15º, and sew through the Kheops (RH) your thread exited at the start of this step, going from bottom to top (figure 1, a–b). Continue through the next eight beads to exit the other…

Handy Dandy B&B’s Guide to 2-hole beads Over the past few years, a flurry of two-hole and multi-hole beads have hit the market. To help you make sense of it all, here is a roundup of the many beads that have come out so far. We’ve organized them by general shape so you can easily see which ones might have potential for substitutions or combinations. Oval / pinched oval Square / tile Rectangle Cylinder Triangle Round / disk Other shapes…

Explore, Create, Resinate Jewelry by Jen Cushman and Susan Lenart Kazmer If you enjoy mixed-media jewelry, this comprehensive book on mixed-media techniques using ICE Resin® is the book for you. The book covers resin basics, embedding objects, using photographs, open-back bezels, making resin paper, and casting. The techniques are easily explained with the aid of many photos, tips, and tricks, guaranteeing success for any skill level. Ranger Industries • ISBN: 978-0-692-29226-6 • www.rangerink.com Beautiful Elements: Creative Components to Personalize Your Jewelry by Heather Powers Learn to create custom components for your jewelry using metal, wire, and polymer in this new book from Heather Powers. Rich with gorgeous designs in Heather’s signature style and clever ideas, like using embossing powder to mimic electroforming, this book offers inspiration and information galore. Heather’s…

Meet Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Ann Leckie, and Kathryn Ptacek, three women who spend their days creating with words. They’ve made their names writing and editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror, three genres collectively known as speculative fiction. They dream up galaxy-spanning empires, worlds of magic and beauty, and evil we can only be thankful doesn’t truly exist. And they bead. Something about building things with little sparkly stones and glass has captured all three writers in a way that complements the ways in which they build their fictional worlds, and all three describe a creative synergy between beading and the hard work of constructing a universe. Math and meaning Ann Leckie, who recently published Ancillary Mercy, the third novel in her award-winning “Imperial Radch” trilogy, was already an expert with…

8º seed bead, color A 8º seed bead, color B 5º seed bead 11º seed bead 8 mm gemstone 5 mm bicone crystal 60 seed bead Spiral 1 On a comfortable length of thread, pick up a color A 8º seed bead, two color B 8º seed beads, a 5º seed bead, three 11º seed beads, four 8 mm round gemstones, a 5 mm bicone crystal, a 6º seed bead, two Bs, and three 11ºs. Sew through the beads again to form a ring, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail and exiting the first A (figure 1, a–b). note If your 11ºs slip inside the 5º, add a B between the 11ºs and the 5º in the ring just completed and for the remainder of the beadwork. Also, it is…

Side 1 1 On 3 yd. (2.7 m) of thread, pick up 40 color A 11º seed beads. Leaving a 1-yd. (.9 m) tail, tie the beads into a ring with a square knot. These beads will shift to form the first two rounds as the next round is added. Wrap the tail around a piece of cardboard or a thread bobbin to keep it out of the way until needed. 2 Work rounds of tubular peyote stitch as follows, stepping up at the end of each round. Stitch using a tight tension throughout, and end and add thread if needed. Rounds 3–9: Using As, work seven rounds (20 stitches per round) for a total of nine rounds. Rounds 10–11: Using color B 8º seed beads, work 20 stitches per…

Q: Why did you decide to open Tokay Beaded Art? When I started to bead art pieces, I looked for a way to sell my work other than online, where I didn’t feel the true artistry of a piece could be conveyed. I tried exhibiting at bead shops, art galleries, and art and craft shows, but none were right for my work — and many of those venues tend to lean more toward inexpensive beadwork. So, when I had the opportunity, I decided to open an art gallery just for displaying and selling beaded art, the first of its kind in this country, as far as I know. Q: What type of work is on exhibit at Tokay? Each piece on display has been juried by a review board of…