Challenge WIPs

So... I tried keep up with Heather Powers' Jewelry Making Mojo Challenge, but because of the schedule it ended up being in the middle of a busy period so this far, this last week of the twelve, I've only finished a few pieces and have a few WIPs that's somewhere between finished and barely started on.

One piece that's finished or not depending on how you look at it is this circular thing.

Inspired by Heather Kingsley-Heath's books on albion stitch (which I reviewed here), I wanted to make something with inspiration from etruscan jewellery for the week 9 assignment "ancient history". If you google etruscan jewellery, you'll soon find a lot of circular pendants and earrings and it's those designs I had in made when making this piece.

The design is very simple, partially because I didn't follow any pattern so this was just a first test. At first, the design ended with a row of picots, but while it looked very pretty it didn't feel etruscan. All etruscan designs I saw had a clean cut edge. So I added a final row of beads, which I really screwed up, getting the bead count wrong so it doesn't lay flat as well as having to back engineer the thread path, making the thread too visible.

I'm hoping the next version will look better.


The second assignment I'm working on is the week 8 colour palette inspiration challenge. For it, I picked out a random palette that caught my eye. It happened to be this one from Pattern Pod (from this pin).

Not my usual type of colour scheme, but still not too out there. After looking through the bead stash and deciding I would have to start focus on my favourite techniques even if they're slow (I often stick to stringing and simple wire wrapping in short challenges in order to be sure I can finish it in time, but many times it just ends up with me being unhappy as it isn't my forte). In this case it meant hand embroidery and I have just the perfect colours of cotton floss of the palette. Finding a silk sample, I even found some grey to use.

Now... That's as far as I've come... I have a design -- flower with light yellow details for a small round brooch or pendant -- but haven't started embroidering it yet.

The metal component you can see in the first pic was just something I took out as the colour combos in this old WIP is roughly the same as in the palette and the floss -- which made it a good fit for the extra challenge of the week, which was to make two pieces using the same palette, but with different proportions between the colours.

Apart from that I'm also working on a few jewelry redos as per the week 5 assignment, but they haven't come very far either. I'm just creating WIPs at the moment -- and dreaming of starting a new big project, but feeling it'd better be left until after the harvest season is over. There's also other ideas like making a maschma/marsma that'll have to wait a bit -- though that's mostly a matter of procrastinating because I'm not that fond of sewing. Embroidering -- yes! Sewing -- meh...

Two more piggy variations

I made a couple of variations on two of the piggy bead samples shown in this post. The first one you can see above. I quite liked the result when first seeing it, but worried I would think it too plain or boring later. I must say the photo didn't make me happy -- it doesn't give me the same good feelings as the sample did. Blame the light I had when taking the photo or blame the big size. Due to the latter, I scaled down the pic a bit to get it closer to natural scale.

Did that make it look better?

I thought about doing a tutorial -- have promised more than one for my blog readers this summer, you know -- for that, but I don't know... What do you think? Fun/inspiring/useful enough? Or do you prefer the previous one I made with bicones (or the one with rizos)?

The second variation is just a very minor altering of the basic stitch by adding a seed between the two piggies and one in each "cup". Make any difference?

The "bud" on the end is filled with a picot of four seeds.


Ooops -- got to go! The thunder is back!

More piggy bead samples

I spent the morning taking a few photos of my latest piggy bead samples. Just as in the previous piggy post, it's all about playing around, seeing how the beads behave when strung in different ways and combined with other bead shapes. I did have to undo a few samples that failed miserably and I haven't made anything elaborate or complex, but I hope you still find these pics of interest.

The first sample began with my trying to do the "pearl in an oyster" thing I've seen others do. However, I only had 4 mm fire-polished beads and bicones nearby and I think they are too big. In the case of the fp, I think they're also the wrong shape, really. For more successful versions of this, see my 2-hole bead designs pinboard or the Piggy Beads board where I got several of the pics/links from.

To the left is a small sample of piggies strung the same way as in my first sample (see previous post), but with every other bead flipped the other way.

Natural size (more or less)

Then I got back to my favourite way of stitching Twins and Superduos. It works nicely with piggies too -- though only if you turn the concave side outwards. It will get too crowded the other way around. You can do two rows, as done on the left, but not more. (I keep flipping these samples so the first stitches made end up to the right and the last ones on the left for some reason.)

You might blame my thread tension, but the sample ended up being very flexible and can be bent into an arc as seen below:

My idea is to try and make a whole circle when I get enough beads and add beads to the outer cups. Perhaps also add a bigger bead in the centres. Keep your fingers crossed it'll work out as planned!

I also made a short piece using the same technique, but mixing piggies and 2-hole lentils (from the CzechMate sysem). Never did try mixing it up, making every other bead a lentil instead of separating them into two rows like this. Might have to do that too, though not at all sure if it'll work...

After that, it was time to try something different and I went back to stringing piggies, testing something I thought of already making the very first samples (see aforementioned post and/or photo at end of this post): stringing as usual, alternating the two threads between centre and edge holes, but adding beads to the centres. First I tried 4 mm fire-polished (with bad thread tension as you can see!), then rizos and finally 4 mm bicones. Did try the 2-hole lentils too, but that didn't work at all... Not in my eyes at least.

Don't know about you, but I kind of like this, especially the bicone section. It's a bit like a flower in a lily pad. In fact, once I looked at it, one of my first thoughts were "wonder if I have some tiny flower bell beads to use instead?". Not sure there is anything smaller than 6 mm, though, and that might be too big. We'll have see: do have such flower beads so I can try it out as soon as I rip up these samples.

Changing the direction of the bead string kind of changes the way the sample looks too, in a way, emphasizing the flower/vine shape. Or maybe it's just me.

And, to finish this post off, just to remind you of what the first samples looked like:

(Click here to read more about it.)

Your turn!

So... How about you? Have you tried piggy beads? Have any pics and/or ideas you want to share? I'd love to see it!

Or haven't you got around to playing with this bead shape yet? Haven't found them in you favourite bead shops yet or just don't like them -- or perhaps like them, but have no idea how you want to use them? Unlike 2-hole beads like e.g. twins/superdous and tilas, these beads are fab to just string so don't let the fact that you aren't into seedbeading deter you. And, besides, you don't have to use both holes if that's what's holding you back. Just use the centre or edge hole -- e.g. like Pearl at The Beading Gem's Journal -- and treat them like glass bead caps, fun-shaped lentil beads or glass charms.

If you're looking for inspiration, may I suggest this pinboard? Mostly bead-weaving, but some ideas could work for strung jewellery too. I've got some piggy inspiration on my 2-hole beads pinboard too, but as said above, many of the piggy designs come from the aforementioned board.

Strung piggy beads

I've had my piggy beads for some time now, got them back in April, but as other things have gotten in the way, I haven't really started playing with them. But at least now I have tried stringing them.

Stringing might sound boring, but first of all, the shape of the bead makes plain stringing interesting -- and stringing a new bead shape in different ways is a good way to learn how the bead shape behaves. Better to start by stringing and learning what the bead itself want to do than to sketch on a design only to realise that when you bead according to the plan, the new bead wants to do something completely different because of its shape and hole placement/direction. By stringing like this, you learn how the bead wants to curve and position itself. You also learn another very important thing: how rigid or flexible a row of beads will be. That's important to know when planning a design as you sometimes want something flexible and supple, e.g. for a bracelet, and sometimes something that'll keep its shape well and act as a support, e.g. for a large pendant.

As I only have a small handful of beads, I only got to these two variations. Now that they have been documented, I'll pick up the sample and try something new. First more stringing variations, then adding more of other beads such as seeds and druks. And when I've done that it's time to create a few designs. Which sounds like a very linear process, but of cause in reality the different phases melt together and you work on designs in your head the whole time you experiment with simple variations and explore all the "what ifs".

I'm thinking about buying enough beads to make a bracelet in the first variation (the not curved one), but this sample is already heavy so it'll turn out to be quite a heavy bracelet in that case. Scrap the idea -- or just use it for one section of the design? Some ideas are bad ideas (or at least ideas that doesn't work as well in real life as on paper), other ideas just need to be tweaked or combined with another idea in order to work.

Endless Leather designs -- part 1

Remember when I showed this pic above as a little tease (or just as a way of saying I haven't totally dropped on the planet, just not blogging much)? Well, finally I'm going to do some show and tell! But first the background:

Some time ago, I was made aware of the shop Endless Leather. After having looked around the shop, I was hooked: I love leather and their range was really inspiring, covering everything from basic leather cords to all sorts of flat braids and unique leather cords such as salmon fish leather. Who can resist that?

The next week I got these gorgeous salmon leather cords and a cool stingray print leather cord plus so stainless steel findings to play with. Due to many things the reveal got delayed several times, but today I'm finally ready to show you the result.

Because I'm redoing a design and searching for the perfect components, I've split the reveal into two posts, the other one to be posted on a not yet defined future date. Perhaps in a few days, perhaps in a week or two depending on the workload next week.

First design is the cat wrap bracelet I made with violet salmon leather cord, stainless steel end caps and d:o clasp. To add a little fun detail while still keeping the design simple and sleek, I slid a cat button unto the clasp's loop before attaching it to the end cap. An easy way to make a quick and simple design a bit more personal.

There's actually a "secret" to this clasp: it was created as a necklace/bracelet. Originally I planned on making it a triple bracelet, which would be a good size for it to be able to be used as a necklace too, but it felt a tad too chunky on my dainty wrist so instead it's just a doubled bracelet. In order to be convertible it need a little something I haven't made yet as I don't have the right purple beads. Yes, it's one of my favourite colour in the leather cord and, yes, I don't have the purple beads to match it! So that'll have to wait until part 2.

The second piece is a necklace made from turquoise 6 mm stingray print leather, stainless steel end caps and d:o clasp with a beaded bezel focal. The focal is attached to the end cap loops using jump rings. It would be possible to stitch the end caps directly onto the bezel, but I chose not to as by using jump rings, it is easy to remove the focal e.g. for repairs or to substitute it with something else. Like a chunky, irregularly facetted focal bead as was my original idea before settling for this beaded component instead.

The focal is made of a crackled mosaic stone with the usual white ceramic back, which I covered with a coin in order to add weight (to counterbalance the clasp) and a more attractive finish to the flipside. Of all the coins in my small collection, only two had the right size and of those two, this one had the most suitable design. I put the change from a Copenhagen visit in the supply box just because of the designs on a couple of the coins. And now it came into use.

The last piece of the day doesn't have a clasp, hence the oddly cropped photo. This is more of a fun thing I whipped together last night. I love the brown salmon cord as it looks like bark (though much, much softer!), very earthy and so totally my thing. Of cause nothing works better with bark than flowers and leaves. In this case a small bouquet of paper roses on wire. I simply wrapped the wires onto the cord for a quick, whimsical piece of jewellery celebrating the summer season.

More to come: a metal free necklace, a necklace made from the cat button bracelet -- and who knows what else as I do have more leather cord left. So stay tuned for part 2!

Having fun with rizo beads

No, I haven't disappeared from the online world, though for some reason I haven't blogged since new year's eve and I've forgotten a Meowy Monday. Partially it's been because I've had fun with a couple of "late christmas gifts" I got offered during boxing week.

During christmas, Karin from swedish bead shop Fru Pärla asked me if I wanted to have some new rizo beads to play with and blog about. Fru Pärla was the first swedish shop to get the new beads that were presented by Sabine Lippert in December. If you're into beadweaving, you've probably heard about these new rice-shaped top-drilled little beads. While they've been developed by and for bead weavers, they do work very well in all sorts of beading/jewellery making, from stringing to chain maille. As I hope to show here.

These are just my first designs: I still have beads left and hope to use them soon.

This isn't the first thing I made, but of the designs here it's the pièce de résistance. My own original design, but most of all a design where everything just fell into place. No frustration at all: no ripping up, no re-thinking the whole thing, no design issues at all (apart from choosing whether or not to add the big daggers). If only it was always like that!

sideview

I was really keeping my fingers crossed the colours would work as I picked them out at night in poor light... The preciosa rivoli is crystal honey, the rizo and seeds topaz, the 8 mm daggers crystal apricot and then I don't know the colour name of the 16 mm daggers.

This is actually the first thing I made, partially to show that the beads can be used for more than just bead weaving. It's a simple 2-in-1 chain maille bracelet with two rizos added to each jump ring. Maybe it'd look better with slightly smaller rings, but this is the only size I had. Still like it, though, and the topaz amber rizos have a ½ coat with a metallic finish that matches the rings and clasp beautifully.

Then I tried a few variations of the rizo chain, adding e. g. flower bead dangles, drops etc. However, the next design came about when I wanted to vary sizes rather than shapes. So why not add daggers? Well, it didn't turn out as planned at all as I forgot that even 11 mm daggers are too big to hang as freely and dangle as easily as e. g. rizos, drops or even long magatamas. Instead they form a much more stylized pattern. To keep that interesting new pattern still, the chain was turned into an earring rather than a bracelet.

I don't wear earrings so I'm not sure that the ideal length for this one would be. Any suggestions? Longer, shorter, as it is?

(I'm considering doing a new free tutorial for either the bracelet or the earring -- anyone want that? And if so, which of the two would you rather have instructions to? The earrings might need a little tweaking first, though...)

Last -- and least -- I made a tiny beaded bead. I'm thinking of making a handful and use them as space beads in a necklace or bracelet so it isn't a finished design, but I still wanted to show them now that I got photos of the other stuff I'm been making.

By the way: the colour used in the beaded bead and the earring is called emerald azuro and if you love jewel tones, you might want to check it out. Lovely emerald greens and metallic dark blues in that finish.


I'm going to play some more with my rizo beads today and hopefully I'll also get to work on few things with things I got in a blog partner programme (more on that later!). Then I hope to get some time to work on my first Bead Journal Project panel. So plenty of fun things to do. Don't feel like I'm on a creative roll at the moment, but I'm still being creative and that's a step in the right direction. The year seems to be beginning just fine. Not with a big, fabulous bang, but relaxed and filled with little progresses. And that's pretty decent, isn't it? Whether big or small, every step you take is a good thing. Even if it's slow, it propells you forward.

WIP: wide twin bracelet

I've been working on this bracelet on and off. Just haven't been able to decide if I like it or no, whether I should finish it or frog it.

I began by doing a row of stitches just like the ones used in my twin bead sampler here. I then wanted to make a wider band by adding one or two more rows. As you can see  neither of the rows are finished: I stopped making the second row as I wanted to see what it'd look like with a third row before deciding whether it was time to rip it up or keep working on it. It's pretty slow in making so it doesn't feel worth continuing if the results are mediocre.

Below I've "isolated" the section with two and three rows respectively to get a better look of what the two versions look like.

double version

triple version

As you might've guessed from the number of threads I'm working with a double-needle technique. Basically just because that's how I made my first version (with a single row). Tried a single-needle technique first, but had trouble with the thread tension and keeping the beads straight.

I'm also going to do wider bands of at least one of the other variations seen in the twin sampler post. Not sure when I'll get around to it, though, as I'm doing a coulpe of embroideries at the moment and they take time, both for the actual stitching and for the design process.

Twin bead sampler -- and tutorial input needed

So this is, finally, the twin bead sampler, a round-up of all the little samples and swatches I've been making over the last weeks or months inbetween work, other projects and everything else needed to be done at the same time. Mostly simple designs and variations of those, nothing elaborate or fancy, really.

This post does not include any of the finished or unfinished bits and pieces I've shown earlier. The rest of my twin bead explorations can be found here.

(And if you think the pic above is a mess, with all the new and old samples all jumbled after being poured out of the plastic bag they were kept in, you should've seen what it looked like before I cut all the long thread ends!)

The tutorial

I've mentioned earlier that I want to make a new free tutorial on my blogs after the potato season. So I'd love some input on which design here you would like to see a tutorial for the most. (Preferrably not the "doubled" ones in 2-needle techniques that I haven't worked out good turns for yet or the circular ones that need some tweaking, but it can include the previously shown twin bead lace bracelet.) Every pic has a number and every variation in each pic has a letter to make it easier. Just leave a comment -- or e-mail me if you prefer that.

Most of these designs are pretty easy so they shouldn't be too hard even for a newbie, though some find 2-needle techniques a tad tricky (if possible -- and applicable -- I might throw in instructions for both 2-needle and 1-needle versions).

Twin bead samples

1. This is a close-up of the two bracelets posted before. I'm showing these manily as there will be a variation on the lace (picot) bracelet below. Also, the lace picot design is one of the designs I'm considering doing the tutorial on.

2. This was an early experiment. Basically just a peyote variation that you can see in many twin bead projects. I also tried to embellish it with beads (11/0 seeds, Preciosa and Toho, and 2 mm round metal beads). 

3. Then I also tried some sort of netting (really just like above, but with a seed bead on either side of each twin bead). Both samples are made exactly the same, though the thread tension is looser in the left sample. 


Notice what a difference it makes whether using solid colours or colour-lined beads. Ideally I would've wanted to make all samples in both, but I ran out of solid beads (therefore you'll see some really crude photo manipulation below to illustrate what a design with opaque beads might look like). 

4. My favourite technique turned out to be this one (a) that can be used for a number of different variations. You can add seeds (c) or drops (g)  or even twins (d) to the centre. In g I used Miyuki's mini drops, a perfect size -- and the shape also adds a dimensional aspect to the design. You can also add beads between the twins (e and f) and you can even add a few beads to the outside, though it didn't work as well as I hoped (it exposed more thread, not less!). The variation on the right end (after f) will be further discussed later in this post.

5. This is a few of the variations in pic. 4 made with colour-lined beads instead.

6. Ooops... No letters on this one. On the left  is another variation of the design in pic. 4. In the rest of the sample I've added tila beads to the centre the same way twin beads were added in 4d. On the far left, I've gone back and added more tilas inbetween the ones first stitched. It's tricky to see in the photo, but the tilas are overlapping (think roof tiles). 

7. A crappy manipulation that might show what the fan-shaped design in pic. 6 might look like in opaque beads. It might help if you squint your eyes while looking at it...

8. Remember the right-side end in pic. 4 where the beads changed direction? This is a continuation of that idea where I've tried some different variations. A type of design that probably looks better in solid colours. Which means I made another one of these:

9. Illustration of what pic. 8 variations might look like in opaque beads.

10. Now we're chaning tracks. These are variations of the picot or zig-zag design you can see in the lace bracelet in pic. 1. For b I just added picots to one side and single beads to the other, I then turned and worked a second row on the other side of the picots. 


For a I made picots between each twin, but insead of letting it sit on the edge, I turned it and and ran the second needle through the three beads at the top, securing the picot between the twin beads.

11. This design is stitched in 2-needle RAW and is partially inspired by metal watch bands and partially by the picot variations. On the right side I added additional rows of twins on each side.

12. Ah, this is one of my earlier samples where I tried to make ogalala butterfly stitch with twin and farfalle beads. 

13. More farfalle and twins on the right here. This is basically the same wave design that can be found in the fire-polished bead bracelet in pic. 1. The farfalles made the twist and turn -- so much that I thought it might be interesting to make this without changing directions, i.e. add the farfalles to the same side all the time to make it corkscrew.  


On the left is another RAW design in two layers. [I just realised I've forgotten the sample that inspired this variation. Darn...]

14.  And, finally, a few circular designs. The first design was just three twin beads in a row and then subsequent rows were built on that in a circular peyote type of technique. Looked pretty so-so, especially since I had problems with the thread tension. For my next variation (a) I added seeds on either side of each twin bead. 


The last sample is kind of a variation on CRAW (cubic right-angle weave) that I've been meaning to try -- without twins -- for some time. 

~*~

And that's it. Some samples better than others. Some I feel like I could do more will and develop further, others I like just how they are (and I few I probably won't try again). Some I'll redo with solid coloured beads once I buy more twins.

So... what do you think?