Índex per October 2016 a Bead&Button

Find the bead strand! for your chance to in ! Of all the reasons I love my job, near the very top is the fabulous BeadDreams competition that we’ve been hosting since 1995 (though it was called Embellishment in the early years). It highlights a wide range of beading techniques, design styles, and artistic visions, and I get to see — up close and personal — amazing pieces of jewelry and beaded art from around the globe. We’re sharing the winning designs in this issue (see p. 16), and once again I want to say how humbled and grateful I am that we had the opportunity to feature these pieces, along with all the other finalists, at the Bead&Button Show. Thanks to all the talented designers behind the amazing designs…

BEADDREAMS 2016 Congratulations to all our BeadDreams 2016 finalists and winners! With tough competition from around the globe, this year’s exhibit at the Bead&Button Show was stunning. Special thanks to the prize sponsors, who generously offered prizes totaling more than $12,000: Fire Mountain Gems and Beads, ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers), Rio Grande, Swarovski Elements, Rings & Things, Cool Tools, Beaducation, Ms. Maddie’s Blooms and The Berelowitz Family, and John Bead. Thanks also to Fusion Beads for sponsoring the display cases for the exhibit. Shown here are the ribbon winners in each category plus Best In Show, Runner-Up Best in Show, and People’s Choice winners. To see all the finalists, go to www.facetjewelry.com/BeadDreams2016. PEOPLE’S CHOICE Prize category sponsored by Fire Mountain Gems & Beads Cassiopeia Tatiana Allieva, Staten Island,…

Earrings 1 On 2 ft. (61 cm) of thread, pick up a color C 110 seed bead. Leaving a 3-in. (7.6 cm ) tail, sew through the bead again to use it as a stop bead temporarily (figure 1, a–b). This bead will be part of the design. Pick up nine color A 110 seed beads and three color B 110 seed beads. Sew back through the last A picked up (b–c). The three Bs will form a picot at the end. Working back toward the tail, work four peyote stitches with As (c–d). Pull the thread tight so the beadwork is straight. If needed, pull on the tail as well to even out the tension. Sew through the end C, and then sew back through the last two As…

Base 1 On a comfortable length of thread and leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail, work a 10-bead ladder using three color A peanut beads, four color B peanut beads, and three As (figure 1, a–b). This will be row 1 of the base. End and add thread throughout the pattern as needed. 2 Work row 2 in brick stitch as follows, noting the different terms for each kind of stitch: Decrease start stitch: Pick up two As, sew under the second-to-last thread bridge in the previous row, and sew back up through the last A just added. Sew through both beads to align them (not shown in the figure for clarity), and exit the last A (b–c). Regular stitch: Pick up a B, sew under the next thread bridge…

Picking up the Half-Tila beads The front of the Half-Tila is the side that is smooth. With the holes running horizontally, you will pick up the Half-Tila through the bottom hole. Necklace Small components 1 On 4 ft. (1.2 m) of thread, pick up a repeating pattern of one 150 seed bead, two 110 seed beads, one 150, and one Half-Tila a total of four times. Leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail, tie a square knot to form the beads into a ring (figure 1, a–b). Sew through the next five beads in the ring, exiting a Half-Tila (b–c), and continue through the open hole of the same Half-Tila (c–d). 2 Pick up an 110 cylinder bead, a 4 mm pearl, and a cylinder, and sew through the open hole…

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…

Visit Bead&Button’s new website, www.facetjewelry.com, for free projects, videos, blogs, galleries, and more, all updated daily. Learn to make harmonius color blends in polymer clay Make a sparkly wire crochet necklace Translate a chain mail weave into seed beads Watch a how-to video on chenille stitch NEW in B&B Extra! Subscribers, download your October issue of B&B Extra on October 1 at www.facetjewelry.com/extra. Phoenix pendant by Cindy Clark Adorable acorn earrings by Lane Landry Pretty peyote scarf ring by Svetlana Dubinsky Global elements necklace by Dana Meredith DiamonDuo bracelet by Marcia Balonis…

We tried a different product for our design challenge this month — stainless steel mesh chain. The chain we used is 10 mm wide and 3 mm thick, and is available at www.t-beads.com. See what the editors and a B&B reader came up with! (These ideas are for your inspiration; instructions are not available.) Penny Dixon (B&B reader) While at the Bead&Button Show this year, I stopped at the Rod Griffin Australian Opal booth (rodgriffinopals@bigpond.com) and fell in love with his boulder opals, exclusively found and mined in South Queensland by Rod and his son. The mesh chain was the perfect backdrop for a vintage style, lacy design of Czech fire-polished beads and seed beads that echo the colors of the beautiful opal. The clasp, with its textured pattern, added…

Prepare the cord necklace Fold the necklace in half, aligning the ends, to find the exact center, and mark that point with a marker or pen. Open the necklace and lay it out straight. On each side of the center, mark the cord at the ½ in. (1.3 cm), 2 in. (5 cm), 3½ in. (8.9 cm), 5 in. (13 cm), and 6½ in. (16.5 cm) points. Clasp the necklace, and lay it flat on your workspace, making sure you can see these “balance marks.” Gradated chenille stitch sheath 1 On a comfortable length of conditioned thread, pick up eight color A 110 seed beads. Wrap the beads around the cord at one end, and leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail, sew through all eight beads again to form them…

Pendant 1 Attach a needle to each end of 3 yd. (2.7 m) of thread. With one needle, pick up four color A 110 seed beads. Cross the other needle through the last bead added, and center the beads on the thread (figure 1, point a and point aa). 2 With each needle pick up an A. With one needle, pick up an A, and cross the other needle through it (a–b and aa–bb). Repeat this stitch nine times (figure 2, a–b and aa–bb). 3 With each needle, pick up an A, and sew through the center A on the other end of the strip to form a ring (b–c and bb–cc). With one needle, retrace the thread path of the join (not shown in the figure for clarity). With…

Ornament Flower motif 1 On 2 yd. (1.8 m) of thread, pick up a 6 x 9 mm teardrop crystal through the narrow end and eight 110 seed beads. Sew through the teardrop again in the same direction, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail (figure 1, a–b). This forms a loop of 110s around one side of the teardrop. Pick up eight 110s, and sew through the teardrop again to form a loop on the other side of the teardrop (b–c). 2 Sew through the first eight 110s, pick up an 80 seed bead, and sew through the next eight 110s on the other side of the teardrop (figure 2, a–b). Pick up an 110, and sew through the next eight 110s (b–c). Retrace the thread path of all the…

Base 1 On 1 yd. (.9 m) of thread, pick up a repeating pattern of an 110 seed bead and a SuperDuo eight times, and tie the beads into a ring with a square knot, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Sew through the first 110 (figure 1). 2 Pick up a 6 mm pearl, skip the next seven beads, and sew through the next 110 (figure 2, a–b). Continue back through the pearl, the 110 your thread exited at the start of this step (going in the same direction), and the following SuperDuo (b–c). Sew through the open hole of the same SuperDuo (c–d). 3 Pick up a SuperDuo, and sew through the open hole of the next SuperDuo (d–e). Repeat this stitch seven times to complete the round…

Opening and closing loops and jump rings 1 Hold a loop or a jump ring with two pairs of pliers, such as chainnose, flatnose, or bentnose pliers. 2 To open the loop or jump ring, bring the tips of one pair of pliers toward you, and push the tips of the other pair away from you. 3 Reverse step 2 to close the open loop or jump ring. Plain loop 1 Using chainnose pliers, make a right-angle bend in the wire directly above a bead or other component or at least 1⁄4 in. (6 mm) from the end of a naked piece of wire. For a larger loop, bend the wire farther in. 2 Grip the end of the wire with roundnose pliers so that the wire is flush with…

Meet Amy the cat, helping me with my Amy Katz project! – Jackie Leisenheimer, Hilliard, Ohio Here’s Francie Pants in her favorite spot. – Lisa Thornburgh, Woodstock, Georgia No, not a cat, but an excellent depiction of how supervisors can sometimes make it very difficult to get a job done! – Barbara Woltenholme, Lake Mills, Wisconsin This is Poly, our polydactyl calico, “helping” me with a Rick’s Beading Loom project! – Kath Hurt, Princeville, Illinois The name of this image says it all: Quality Control. – Carol Brown, Saratoga Springs, New York All this helping wears a cat out! – April Saladino, Chestnut Ridge, New York From the American south to the nether regions of Canada and the far-flung reaches of Italy, France, Belgium, and South Africa, it seems to…

Beading trends, tips, news, reviews, projects, and more! Bead Happenings Oneida Nation beadwork exhibit If you’ll be in the Madison, Wisconsin, area, be sure to check out the Native American Oneida Nation beadwork exhibit, Beading Culture: Raised Beadwork and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Running September 16–November 6, 2016, the exhibit chronicles the revival of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) raised beadwork among the Wisconsin Oneida, who have been established on lands near Green Bay, Wisconsin, since the 1830s. The exhibit will feature examples of their early distinctive raised beadwork, pieces by Six Nations beaders, videos, artist demonstrations, a panel discussion, and gallery talks. To learn more, visit www.wisconsinacademy.org/gallery. Table mat photo by Jim Kelly Strung Together: Beads, People, and History Exhibit The University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History is…

Get in touch with your inner art lover by incorporating polymer clay, metal, lampwork, or other art beads into your beadwork. While there are no hardand-fast rules for using art beads, these tips will get your started on your path to designing incredible jewelry with focal beads. Quick and easy Probably the quickest and easiest way to show off your favorite lampwork beads is to make a pendant or, if the beads are smaller, a pair of earrings. • String an art bead along with any desired accent beads or bead caps onto a head pin or eye pin or a piece of wire with a plain or wrapped loop at one end. • String additional beads as desired, and make a plain or wrapped loop. Color, color, color Many…

The quartz family has been vital to humanity since before the emergence of our species. Doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true. A small flint blade discovered in Spain has been dated to 1.4 million years old, and is thought to have been used by our hominid ancestor, Homo Habilis. Many anthropologists believe advances made in the Stone Age would not have been possible without flint, a very hard yet easily flaked form of quartz used for blades, arrowheads, and fire-starters. Quartz allowed early humans to have much greater control over two of the things most crucial to their survival: fire and food. Our prehistoric ancestors mined and traded quartz long before the development of agriculture ten thousand years ago. Quartz crystals have always been imbued with special powers. Ritual and…

Component 1 On 4 ft. (1.2 m) of thread, pick up four 150 seed beads, sew through the beads again to form a ring, and continue through the next 150, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. 2 Pick up an 110 seed bead, and sew through the next 150 (figure 1, a–b). Repeat this stitch three times to complete the round, and step up through the first 110 added in this round (b–c). 3 Pick up an 80 seed bead, and sew through the next 110 (c–d). Repeat this stitch three times to complete the round, and step up through the first 80 added in this round (d–e). 4 Pick up a 3 mm pearl, and sew through the next 80 (e–f). Repeat this stitch three times to complete the…