Technique Tuesday!

I love doing bead embroidery, but it’s always somewhat frustrating to realize that I can’t really share detailed tutorials with you for how to make them. In the materials list below, I listed all the types of beads that I used, but I didn’t list how many. It’s absolutely impossible to guess how many anyone else will need since it depends upon your personal aesthetic and the size of your central pendant. So, pick your piece of paua, and let’s get going!

Step by step instructions

Technique Tuesday!

Materials:
Black polymer clay
Pieces to embed
2 gold-toned jump rings
Diamond Glaze by Judi-Kins or 2-part epoxy resin
Head pin
Beads

Tools:
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Exacto knife
Rubber stamp with crackle pattern (optional)
Small paint brush
Chain nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Wire cutters

Step by step instructions

Make Art Monday!

This is another bracelet made with a wrapped blank as the base. I’ve already shared instructions for making a similar bracelet. This one features a vintage measuring tape! So, think outside the ribbon box for a moment with me…what else could we use to wrap a bracelet?

As I said yesterday, I neglected to take process photos of this piece as I worked on it, so I can’t really give you an exact bead count. However, I can still give you plenty of pointers!

Step by step instructions

Technique Tuesday

Materials and Tools
Silk ribbon, 36 inches or more (Jamn Glass)
Bracelet blank
Ultrasuede
Thin cotton batting
Size 8/0 beads
Beading thread
Fabric glue
Alligator clips
Beading needle

Step by step instructions

Copyright 2008 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.

Technique Tuesday!

Tubular peyote stitch is really easy to do. You can find basic directions at many of the links listed on my Online Basics post. Try Beadwork at About.com to start. The first place I ever personally saw the twisted peyote spiral was in Carol Wilcox Well’s The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving, in a bracelet designed by Suzanne Golden. Since then, I’ve seen many variations on this simple idea, including a recent article in Beadwork Magazine (Jun/Jul 2008). If you want a true step-by-step tutorial complete with illustrations, I would recommend one of these two sources. However, if you’ve already got familiarity with peyote stitch, and odd-count tubular peyote in particular, you won’t have any problem figuring this out on your own with my simple instructions below!

Materials and Tools
At least three sizes of seed beads in different colors
Beading thread
Beading needles
70 inch strands of C-Lon cord
Accent beads for knotted strands
Bar clasp with chain and lobster claw
G-S Hypo Tube cement

Step by step instructions

Technique Tuesday!

Materials & Tools:
Large donut of desired color (40 - 60 mm is a good size range)
Brass mesh necklace, 18 inches (Fire Mountain Gems)
11/0 Delica seed beads
Beading thread
Beading needle

Step by step instructions for bail

Technique Tuesday!

My inspiration picture

My friend Dee recently asked me about cigar box purses, so I thought I’d dig this one out! Starry Night started out as an old cardboard cigar box. I considered several different techniques for creating beaded pictures on it before I settled on my old favorite method, but with a new twist: the beads are embroidered directly on the box, using wire and a couching technique.

Materials and tools:

Black gesso
Black acrylic paint
Foam paint brushes
Awl or nail
24 gauge silver-colored wire
Wire cutters
Chain nosed pliers
Lightweight paper (like tracing paper) and pen (optional)
Beads in appropriate colors and sizes for your design
18 gauge silver wire
Interfacing or quilt batting to line the box
Fabric for the lining
Glue

Step by step instructions

When I posted this Technique Tuesday tutorial last week, I didn’t expect to see such immediate results! But you’ve just got to see what Karen has made, using this basic idea! Thanks so much for allowing me to share your work, Karen!

Artist: Karen in MA
PictureTrail album

Karen writes:

I read Cyndi’s tute and decided to give it a try since I have a drawer full of bracelets that aren’t too ugly but I’ve had for so long I just lost interest. Here is the before pic of the bracelet :

and here it is transformed into a necklace:

It doesn’t lay totally flat but has more of a ruffle look.

Here’s a cuff bracelet that I also repurposed. It started out looking like this:

I pulled the top flower off and transformed into this:

Can you see the turtle? Thanks Cyndi for the great idea! I love giving jewelry new life.

Technique Tuesday!

Over the years, I have managed to acquire some really ugly expansion bracelets, sometimes as a part of some vintage jewelry grab-bags I purchased. They were not signed pieces, and the elastic was worn out. Honestly, I wouldn’t have worn them (and probably couldn’t have sold them) even if I were to restring them on new elastic. Because, as I said…they were UGLY! So they sat and they sat, collecting dust for a long time, since I just never got around to putting them away.

But one day, as I was playing around with some multicolored baroque-style glass pearls, I noticed that the cut glass hearts of one bracelet seemed to pick up some of the colors of the pearls when they were mixed together. That was it! I decided to make a collar-style necklace out of them. As you can see from the pictures above, I did not stop at just one. While I wouldn’t necessarily suggest taking apart a bracelet that is signed or otherwise valuable, this is a great way to recycle some of those old 70’s and 80’s elastic two-holed clunkers.

Here are the basic steps that I took to create the “VintageHearts” necklace shown above. With a few modifications, the instructions can easily be adapted to any set of large two-holed beads you have.

Step-by-step instructions