I had lunch with one of my best bead buddies today. It is always a treat to hang with bead lovers because we all have to wear some of best bead bling. This is what I chose: African stitch bracelet with tigers-eye toggle clasp; a pair of bead and wire earrings from my bead and wire book (Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry: Techniques for Unique Designs and Handmade Findings); and a netting stitch necklace, actually one of my first beadweaving pieces from years ago when I was just learning. I adapted it from this project I found at the beadwork site.

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This project uses the netting stitch around the donut, and then there are peyote dangles from the center. 

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Wow! Imagine going to a beadwork conference in Turkey!

Here’s some info from a press release I received about this international event: The International Bead and Beadwork Conference will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from 22-25 November 2007. Full details and online registration are at www.istanbul-boncuk.org .

While exploring beadwork from Venice to Indonesia to the Subarctic, South Africa or 17th century England, the Academic Program also pays homage to its host country when two fascinating women join forces in Istanbul for the first time to bring their unique perspectives to bear on the topic of prisoner-of-war beadwork within the context of beadwork traditions in Southeastern Europe.

Turkish Prisoner-of-War and Balkan Beadwork
Jane Kimball and Adele Recklies, Ph.D.

Drawing on the rich tradition of textile crafts in the Ottoman Empire, Turkish soldiers incarcerated in British prison camps in the Middle East and Britain during World War I made a variety of beadwork items to relieve boredom and to sell for food and other amenities. Best known are the bead crochet snakes and lizards, but prisoners also used weaving and netting techniques to produce necklaces, belts, purses, and other small items. The presentation will include information on life in World War I Turkish prisoner-of-war camps, illustrations of several types of Turkish prisoner beadwork, beadwork traditions in Southeastern Europe, techniques used in the construction of bead crochet snakes, and bead crochet snakes made by civilians after World War I.

Editor’s note: Jamey  Allen kindly sent me the following information on how to order the IBBC seminar book:

The proceedings can be bought from Kadir Has University. People who

want to buy it can contact me and I will give them the bank account[.]

[A]s you know the proceedings are 50 USD and sending one book is

approximately 15 USD.
I will be glad to help anyone who wants to buy the book….
Best Wishes
Simge Çelik Atasoy

Rezan Has Müzesi

Kadir Has Üniversitesi Sanat Galerisi

Tel: 0212 533 65 32 (1123)

Fax: 0212 533 65 15

simgec@khas.edu.tr

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Post from: Jewelry and Beading

I have a few bead buddies this year to buy little gift-ies for, and one thing I’m considering is one of these beaded key chains from Beads for Education.

I bought one for myself about a year ago, and I love it. The beadwork is exceptional, and I’m constantly getting asked about it. Plus, as an extra bonus, Beads for Education is a non-profit group that helps women and girls in Kenya. So, by purchasing a bead-related gift for a friend, you also end up helping people. Very cool!

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I realized after emailing her back and forth about this that many newbies into the world of jewelry making probably also don’t understand the worms and can when it comes to beadwork or other forms of jewelry making. This is especially true if you’ve done any kind of web surfing and seen jewelry makers posts things like “These are copyrighted designs! Don’t steal them!”

So, here are my thoughts on the issue of copyright and beading and jewelry, and of course, I’m not a lawyer or copyright expert, just a jewelry designer:

• When in doubt, ask. If you want to copy a design and aren’t sure if it’s okay, ask the designer before you do it. In some cases, it may be okay depending on your purpose and the project. For example, obviously I write about how to make jewelry so that others can make jewelry, and I do expect them to copy my projects for their own personal use. Otherwise, why would I post “how-to” projects?
• Remember the web is a form of media, like a magazine, so when it’s posted on the Internet it is “published,” and therefore, it should be treated the same as something you saw in a hardcopy magazine. Just because you get to view it for free doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want with it.
• Most designs have been done, redone, rehashed, whatever you want to call it. I am very sceptical of anyone who claims he or she as “invented” a totally, never done before, one of a kind, 100% original jewelry design. So, get over yourself already.
• On that note, don’t freak if you suspect someone has “borrowed” a design. First of all, if they really did take it, then it’s obvious they have no design skills and while you’ll go off and design tons more jewelry pieces, they’ll still be out there copying others’ work. Plus, really, how much money is someone going to make from your brilliance?
• Give recognition when it’s due. For example, say you are part of a bead group and you want to teach them a project you found off of my About.com Jewelry Making site. Mary, Beth, and Gail aren’t web savvy, so you need to print up instructions for them and others in the group. Be honest about where the project came from. Don’t copy and paste the text into a Word file and had it out as if it’s your own work. Print it off so the URL is visible and explain where the project came from.

I’m going to stop there – for now – as I think about this some more. But, now the can is wide open! The worms are squirming around my beads. So, go ahead let it rip (in a very nice, mature, open-minded way).

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From the top of the loop to the end of the corn, it measures just a little over two inches in length. I made this many years ago while beading with a local bead society, which is now defunct, but one of our members (Marcia Robart) brought us in the core and we used a bead wrapping technique to add the seed beads to it.

I had a heck of a time remembering how I made this thing, and finally, another bead buddy of mine, Ruth, actually managed to dig up the instructions:

Beaded Corn Earrings (from Marcia Robart)
 

1. Cut 4 pieces of Ultrasuede (much softer than leather) 1/8” wide and 2 ½ “ long.
2. Wrap leather pieces tightly with thread from bottom to about ½ inch from top. Leave 4 “leaves” at the top.
3. Thread needle and attach thread at base of “leaves”. Go through Ultrasuede twice, coming out at base of leaves. Thread on enough beads to go halfway down ear, wrap thread around ear, and pass needle through last bead; pull snug. Add enough beads to reach the bottom and anchor. Repeat this process going up opposite side.
4. Repeat Step 3, placing this row halfway between the other beads.
5. Add a hanging loop to the “leaf” end by anchoring another thread in the Ultrasuede, coming out between the “leaves”. String on enough beads to make a loop as long as the “leaves”. Pass needle through first bead in the loop, pull snug, and pass thread back into corn area.
6. Fill empty areas on ear by stringing more beads from top to bottom, passing needle through Ultrasuede to anchor as needed.
7. If needed, take a new thread, anchor it, and wrap it around the ear from top to bottom to tie down the vertical rows.

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Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Bazaar, Workshops,and Educational Programs - More than 160 bead-laden booths.

As always, the Bead Expo Bazaar will be jam-packed with beautiful beads and jewelry from all over the world. You won’t want to miss any day of this bead extravanga, which features more than 160 booths!

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