Beading Instructions : Bead-weaving

Wildly Peyote Zebra Bail by Jayashree Paramesh

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT

A small, flat peyote strip doesn't have to be uninteresting -- there are so many different ways that a strip of peyote stitch can be used! Try this free beading project for an easy peyote stitch bail for use with a crystal pendant or a gemstone donut. String it on your favorite ribbon for a fast and easy peyote stitch necklace!

This free beading project is perfect for some of those large gemstone pendants you have in your stash that might need a little extra color or texture.

Materials:

2 grams size 11 cylinder beads, opaque black (A)
2 grams size 11 cylinder beads, opaque white (B)
2 drop beads, 3mm, opaque brown (C)
1 black agate pendant, at least 30mm
Fireline beading thread, 6 lb. test
Glue (Pasco Fix recommended)

Tools

Size 10 beading needle
Scissors or thread cutter

Step-by-step Instructions:

Step 1: On a comfortable length of thread, string 1 B, 10 A, 1 B. Pick up 1 B and start working in peyote stitch, following the graph (Figure 1). Make sure all the beads along the edges are B.

Step 2: Decrease on either side of the peyote strip, ending when you have just one bead in the center. Pick up 1 C and pass through the single bead again. Weave your thread into the peyote stitch, knot, and trim close to the beadwork. Repeat on the other side of the bail.

Optional: To make a tube as shown at the top of the bail, mark Rows 19 and 37. Pass through the edge bead of Row 19 and zip up the beadwork.

Step 3: Lift the ends of bail and place a drop of glue on the stone and press down. Do the same to the other side. Let dry.

Jayashree Paramesh learned bead embroidery at the Parsons School of Design in New York City. Her beaded jewelry designs have appeared in Beadwork magazine. For her teaching schedule and more information about her, check out her website, Nchantme.com.


Figure 1		Figure 2
Wildly Peyote Bail - Zebra Print		Wildly Peyote Bail - Leopard Print

How to Use a Color Wheel for Your Beading Projects

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT


	Coloring in this color wheel on my own was a great way to learn more about color theory for bead-weaving.

Choosing colors can be the hardest part of any beading project. For a long time, I just chose colors on a whim. If they worked together, I always thought it was purely by chance. But after doing some intense color studies with bead artist and renowned color expert Margie Deeb, I began to realize that I was actually just trusting my inner color sense.

There are still times when I sit down with one of my beaded jewelry design ideas and have no idea what color seed beads to select before I get started. When that happens, and I feel like I'm totally in a color rut, I break out my trusty rusty color wheel and use that as a jumping off point for mixing and matching colors of beads.

You don't need to understand everything there is to know about color theory before you start using your color wheel. In fact, using your color wheel can teach you a lot about how color theory works!

Tints vs. shades.

To start, look at your color wheel. You'll notice that each color has been sectioned off into other shades (colors that have had black added to them) and tints (colors that have had white added to them.) You'll be using the corresponding numbers on each color to determine a harmonious match or contrast. A shade is generally a darker, more muted color on the color wheel. Tints are generally brighter and more ethereal.

Using your color wheel to select a palette of seed beads.

Next, look at the center of the color wheel. You should see four shapes, each in a different color, and each with a star on one corner of the shape. Slide the center of the wheel around until the star of one shape is pointing at the color that you want to use as your main color. Look to see what other colors the other corners of that particular colored shape are pointing at to determine what colors to choose to accent your main color!

As an example, with the color wheel pictured, if you wanted a basic palette of three colors, you would choose your colors using either the orange or red triangles in the center of the color wheel. A color palette of beads chosen using one of these triangles is also known as a triad.

You could also choose a palette of four colors using either the purple square or the green rectangle in the middle of this color wheel. A color palette of beads made with four colors from these points on the color wheel is called a tetrad.

You can also choose a palette of bead colors called a complimentary palette. Complimentary colors come from opposite sides of the color wheel. So, if you notice the two black arrows across from each other in the center of our color wheel, you'll see that they point to colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Examples of complimentary color pairs are blue and orange, purple and yellow, and red and green.

Playing with your colors.


	Download Margie Deeb's Guide to Fearless Color Play for free here on Beading Daily.

Now, it's time to play with your colors! You can download a free color wheel from Color Wheel Artist and use crayons or colored pencils to fill in the spaces, giving you a better idea of how colors are arranged on the color wheel.

If you're looking for more ways to use color more effectively in your bead-weaving, Margie Deeb's website is my all-time favorite place to find ideas, inspiration, and information. Many of the publications in her online shop are available as an instant download, and her Instant Color Wheel Guide will have you using your color wheel more efficiently in just minutes.

What are your questions about using a color wheel with your seed bead patterns? Leave a comment here with your question!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

P.S. You can read more about my color journey with Margie Deeb in a past Beading Daily blog! Or download Margie's Guide to Fearless Color Play for free from Beading Daily.

The Battle of the Beadsmith: How Not to Enter a Jewelry Competition

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 23:50:00 GMT

Well, the first round of voting in The Battle of the Beadsmith competition ended last week, and the winners have been announced. Much to the surprise of many, my piece, Mother of Dragons, didn't make it into the second round. But, get this: it lost by only one vote.

One vote! I was over the moon when I found out. Yes, you read that correctly. I mean, don't get me wrong. Sure, I was a little bit disappointed that I had lost in round one, but I was thrilled to know that it was such a close competition.

I had my reservations going into this competition. I hadn't made a "major" piece of beadwork or beaded jewelry since I had my son back in 2008, and I hadn't entered any kind of jewelry making competition since 2006. But I wanted to enter this particular jewelry making competition because I knew it would be fierce, and I wanted to push myself to create something entirely new.

I also learned a few things about entering jewelry making competitions that really changed the way I view these things, and I hope maybe a budding beaded jewelry designer can learn something about entering jewelry making competitions, too.

1. Just because your beautiful piece of beaded jewelry didn't win, it means your work is awful, worthless, or not good enough. This is a hard one for a lot of artists, because I think that most people equate artistic success with commercial success. However, that's not always the case. There are many, many beautiful pieces of art that don't make it into juried art shows or jewelry making competitions, but that doesn't make them bad pieces of art. It just means that those particular judges didn't like them. And, really -- if you ask ten different people their opinion on the same piece of art, chances are that you are going to get ten different answers.

2. If you don't want to lose, don't enter a competition. I know, it's so easy to get wrapped up in the fantasy of entering a jewelry making competition and having your piece of beaded jewelry win top honors. But entering a jewelry making competition doesn't guarantee that you'll win anything. What it does guarantee, however, is that you will get your name and your work in front of a panel of professional judges, and sometimes, just getting your name out there at first can be more valuable than winning any prize.

3. Jewelry making competitions are harmful to your artistic development. This is one hot topic, and one that I will be exploring further in the coming weeks, but personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with a little healthy competition, even in the beading and jewelry making world. Jewelry making competitions are there to inspire artists, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment on finishing my bead embroidered collar for The Battle of the Beadsmith competition -- even if I didn't make it past the first round!


	*Davinia, by Australian bead artist Patrick Duggan, was another amazing piece of beadwork that didn't make it into Round 2 of The Battle of the Beadsmith.*

Of course, being an artist means that you're probably a little more sensitive to the opinions and criticisms about your work. I don't mean to say that you shouldn't pay attention when someone has something critical to say about your beaded jewelery designs. But learning how to recognize what is truly constructive criticism and what is just someone's opinion is an important part of being an artist.

I also don't want to discourage anyone from entering their work in a jewelry competition, either. But do it with your eyes open and with the knowledge in your heart that no matter what the results of the competition, yes, you are good enough!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Want to Learn How to Weave Beads on a Loom? Mirrix Looms Can Show You How!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:00:00 GMT

I've been in love with my Mirrix beading loom ever since I took it out of the box back in 2009. It's a well-built, sturdy, and easy-to-use bead loom that can also be used for tapestry weaving. The other thing I love about Mirrix Looms is their website and blogs, which are full of great instructions, tips, and techniques for weaving beads on a loom.

Mirrix Marketing Director Elena Chase writes the blog A Word From Elena, and just yesterday, she posted a fantastic tutorial about learning to weave beads in just twenty three pictures, using a Mirrix Loom.

This online loom weaving tutorial shows you how to set up and warp your assembled Mirrix Loom, and then how to get started weaving seed beads. The photographs in this blog guide you through each step, with clearly written directions for warping and weaving.

So if you have a Mirrix loom and haven't set it up yet to start weaving seed beads, I can highly recommend this blog post, and all of the other helpful blogs you'll find on the Mirrix Looms website. Check their blogs often for contributions from their Social Market for a Mirrix winners to see more gorgeous loomed beadwork and tapestries!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

How to Do Circular Flat Peyote Stitch

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Circular, flat peyote stitch is a great beadweaving technique for someone who wants to not only expand their beadweaving skills, but also wants to learn more about shaped and geometric beadwork. When you learn circular, flat peyote stitch, you'll also develop your skills at creating shaped beadwork! Here we go!

Materials:

Two highly contrasting colors of size 8^o seed beads
Beading thread of your choice, preferably in a heavier weight (10 lb. Fireline or Nymo D)

Tools:

Size 12 beading needle
Scissors or thread cutter

		On a comfortable length of thread (no longer than five feet), pick up five seed beads. Do not tie these beads into a ring! Leaving the ring loose will help you with proper spacing of the beads in the critical first few rounds of circular, flat peyote stitch. Pass through the first bead strung and pull into a circle.

		Pick up a bead of contrasting color and stitch through the next bead in the ring. Keep your tension loose so that the bead fits into place without too much tugging or pulling.

		Continue adding beads in this manner until you have added a total of five seed beads. Step up through the first bead added.

		This is what your first two rounds will look like. Don't worry too much if you can see a bit of thread between each of the beads in the initial circle of seed beads. It's more important to make sure that your spacing is even and loose so that the beads fit together properly, and your piece of circular, flat peyote stitch won't warp or become misshapen as you stitch.

		You'll notice that there is a larger space between each of the beads you stitched in the previous round. For this round, pick up two seed beads and pass through the next up bead in the round, keeping your tension loose and comfortable.

		At the end of the round, step up through the first pair of beads added, treating them as a single unit.

		For the next round, you'll be adding one seed bead in each space between bead pairs as well as one seed bead between each bead in a pair. You should have a total of ten beads in this round. Again, keeping your tension loose will allow the beads to fall into place easily without much chance of misshapen beadwork or broken beads.

		At the end of this round, you'll add one last bead between a pair of beads from the previous round, and then make your step up through the first seed bead added in this round.

		Add one bead in each space for the next round. You should be adding a total of ten beads, keeping your tension loose, and making a step up at the end of the round.

		Now you'll notice that there are some spaces between up beads that are wider and some that are narrow. For this round, we'll start by adding a pair of beads, then a single bead, and repeating around for a total of fifteen beads added. At the end of the round, step up through the first pair of seed beads added, treating them as a single unit.

		Add one seed bead in each space between up beads, as well as between each pair of beads added in the previous row. Again, keep your tension loose as you stitch.

You can continue to add as many rounds as you like, adding two beads in the spaces between up beads in each round as necessary. Trust your instincts, and see where your creativity will lead you next!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Free Beading Project: Bead Netted Bottle

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 07:00:00 GMT

A very long time ago, when I first started beading, beaded bottles were very popular beading projects. Even though I loved making peyote stitch needle cases, it took me ten long years to discover how much fun stitching beaded netting is around a tiny glass bottle!

I recently found a set of tiny glass bottles in the scrap book supply aisle at my local craft store, and as soon as I saw them, I thought they would be perfect for practicing my sculptural beadwork skills.

To start off, I decided to make a couple of tiny beaded bottles using beaded netting. The beaded netting works up very quickly (in about an hour), and you can embellish them with any fancy flower or leaf beads you happen to have handy! Use your imagination to add some beaded fringe and a strap for wearing your tiny beaded bottle when you're finished.

Materials:

One tiny glass bottle with cork, approximately 2 inches long. (About 1/3" in diameter)
5 grams each, two colors of size 15 seed beads (A and B)
Embellishment beads of your choice (I used a Lucite mix from The Hole Bead Shop)
Beading thread: 6 lb. Fireline recommended

Tools:

Size 12 beading needle
Scissors or thread cutter

		On a comfortable length of thread (no longer than five feet), pick up 5A. Pass through the first bead again to form a ring, but do not tie a knot! (This will give you some wiggle room when creating the first few rounds of the base so that it fits correctly and doesn't pucker or warp.)

		Pick up 1B and pass through the next A in the ring. Repeat to add a total of 5B. Step up through the first B added.

		Pick up 2A and pass through the next B in the ring. Continue adding pairs of A around, for a total of 10A. Step up through the first pair of A added, treating them as a single unit. Pick up 1 B and pass through the next A in the ring. Add 1B in each space, and in between each pair of A added in the previous round. Keep your tension loose as you stitch to allow the beads to sit nicely in place without the risk of breaking a bead.

		By this time, the base should cover the bottom of your glass bottle. If you're using a larger bottle, continue working in circular, flat peyote stitch until your base covers the bottom of your glass bottle.

		After you've made your step up at the end of the last round, pick up 3A, 1B, 3A. Skip the next B in the round and pass through the next B. Repeat 4 times. Your base should now resemble a star. Pass through the B you exited at the beginning of the round and through the first 4 beads added.

		Begin working the netting: Pick up 2A, 1B, 2A. Pass through the next B in the round. Pull snugly at the end of the round so that the netting fits snugly around the bottom of the glass bottle. From here on in, work your beaded netting by picking up 3A, 1B, and 3A. Pull snugly so that the netting fits around the body of the glass bottle. It may help to secure the base to the bottom of the glass bottle with a small piece of double-sided tape.

To finish your beaded bottle, work the netting until you reach the neck of the bottle. Decrease in your netting by picking up 2A, 1B, and 2A for each stitch, and pull snugly. For the last round, simply pass through the A beads in the round several times, tie a few half-hitch knots, and add a drop of glue if desired.

Embellish your bottle with any beads you have handy. Some ideas: tiny seashells, Lucite flowers and leaves, or crystal bicones will make your beaded bottle even more beautiful! Use your imagination to add a strap and some beaded fringe for a truly unique beaded keepsake.

For inspiration, you can write a favorite quote or prayer on a small scrap of paper, roll it up, and insert it into the bottle.

Happy Beading!

Jennifer

Make a Cabochon Bezel with Right-Angle Weave

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:00:00 GMT

Making an open-backed bezel for a cabochon has certain advantages over making one using bead embroidery techniques. If you're using a transparent or translucent cabochon, stitching an open-backed bezel for it will allow light to pass through it and make it brighter. Or when using a transparent cabochon, you don't want the color of the bead embroidery backing to show through, it makes more sense to stitch an open-backed bezel for it.

You can make beaded bezels with peyote stitch and brick stitch, but I recently started using right-angle weave for some of my open-backed bezels. Using a strip of right-angle weave to create a bezel results in a better fit and a tighter bezel around your precious cabochons!

Materials:

1 gram of size 11^o seed beads in one or more colors to match or contrast with cabochon
1 gram of size 15^o seed beads in color to match or contrast with cabochon
6 lb. Fireline or beading thread of your choice

Tools:

Size 12 beading needle
Scissors of thread cutter
Chain nose pliers (optional, but helpful)

Step By Step Directions:

		Start by making a strip of right-angle weave to fit around the bezel. Use four beads for each unit. For the last unit, you'll only need to add one bead to the top and one bead to the bottom of the strip to join the ends. If the bezel is slightly loose, that's okay -- you can tighten it later.

		Exiting from one of the beads on the outer edge of the bezel, pick up another size11o bead and stitch through the next bead on the outer edge of the bezel. Fill in each space between beads in the right-angle weave bezel with another bead. I used a contrasting color for this row so that I could see where I was stitching. Make a step-up at the end of the round like you do when working in tubular even-count peyote stitch.

		Working in peyote stitch, add a round of size 15o beads between each of the size 11o beads that you just added in the previous round. Keep your tension tight as you work. Insert the cabochon into the bezel.

		Flip the cabochon and bezel over, and start stitching a round of 11o beads in between the beads along the outer edge of the strip of right-angle weave. Again, keep your tension tight as you stitch.

		Make a step up at the end of the round, and add a second round with the size 15o seed beads. Continue to work with a tight tension to make a secure bezel.

		A right-angle weave bezel is easy to embellish! Add fringe beads like magatamas or drop beads, pearls, or crystals.

Right-angle weave bezels are also easier to join together when stitching up several components for a beaded necklace or beaded bracelet. The spaces between the beads in the right-angle weave units make it easier to work your needle into the beads!

Have you tried making right-angle weave bezels? Share your tips with us, or take a picture of your right-angle weave bezel and share it with us in the Reader Photo Gallery!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead Embroidered Cabochons: Finishing Techniques for Bead Embroidered Cabochons

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Once you have bezeled your cabochon using peyote stitch, you can continue to work bead embroidery around it. Or, if you want a quick and easy focal piece for a beaded necklace or bracelet that combines bead embroidery and beadweaving techniques, you can add a backing of faux leather or suede and a brick stitch edge to finish your little beaded cabochon.

Materials:

Cabochon, bezeled on a piece of bead embroidery medium or backing
Large seed beads (size 8 or 6) or round beads in sizes 3mm or 4mm: enough to surround your cabochon
Size 11 seed beads in color to match or contrast with your cabochon
Piece of faux suede or leather in color to match or contrast with your cabochon
Beading thread in color to match your beads
Adhesive or glue similar to E6000

Tools:

Size 12 beading needle
Scissors for cutting leather or faux suede
Thread cutters
Toothpick
Chain nose pliers (optional, but useful for pulling a needle through a tight space)

		Step 1: Using backstitch, surround your bezeled cabochon with either the large seed beads or the larger round beads. After you've completed your round, run your thread through all the beads again three or four more times to strengthen and stabilize them. You'll also notice them line up straighter.

		Step 2: Trim the excess bead embroidery backing away from the cabochon using a pair of good, sharp embroidery scissors. Be careful not to cut any of the threads on the back side of your cabochon!

		Step 3: Place the cabochon on a small piece of leather or faux suede and trace around it. Trim the leather or faux suede to about 1/8" on the outside of your cabochon. Use a toothpick to spread a thin layer of glue on the back of your cabochon, and press the leather onto the cabochon. Allow at least an hour for the glue to cure and dry.

		Step 4: Cut a comfortable length of thread (no more than 5') and pick up a size 11 seed bead. Working from the back of your cabochon, pass through the leather and up through the bead embroidery medium, exiting the edge just under the outer round of beads.

		Step 5: Push the seed bead down against the cabochon, leaving about a 6" tail on your beading thread. Pass back through the seed bead and pull so that it lies flat along the edge of the cabochon. (The seed bead should be perpendicular to the top surface of the cabochon.)

		Step 6: Pick up another seed bead and continue to add beads along the edge of your cabochon by stitching through the leather and up through the bead embroidery backing.

		Step 7: When you have added the last seed bead around the edge of your cabochon, pass down through the first bead you added, then back up through the last bead you added along the edge. You should have a thread bridge between the first and last seed beads around the edge of your cabochon.

		Step 8: Stitch down through a seed bead along the outer edge of your cabochon, and then into the row of beads surrounding your cabochon. Tie a half-hitch knot (or two), add a drop of glue if desired, and weave the thread into the beads surrounding the edge of the cabochon. Trim the thread close to the beadwork. Repeat with the thread tail.

		Congratulations! You've finished beading your cabochon!

These little beaded cabochons are great for making beaded necklaces and bracelets, or you can use smaller cabochons to make rings and beaded earrings.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

National Craft Month Challenge: Making a Color Palette of Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:00:00 GMT

As part of the Fusion Beads National Craft Month Challenge, yesterday's task was to create a color palette. (Or two or three, from what I saw over in the Forums!) I haven't always loved the challenges of working with color when making a new seed bead palette, but after reading the wonderful Color Reports and publications of bead artist Margie Deeb, I feel much more confident in my color choices for my beading projects.

So as I was looking through Facebook this morning, I noticed that one of my friends was sharing a series of brightly colored photographs taken in locations around the world. One of them made me catch my breath: a photograph of a woman in India, dressed in a bright red silk sari with shimmering gold trim, standing at the rather ornate door of a large, turquoise building. I knew that this was the photograph that I wanted to use to create my color palette!

I've used photographs to create color palettes before. Back in 2008, I snapped a photograph of some deer that came to visit us on Christmas Day as we sat down to dinner. The rich colors of the deer fur contrasting with the grey snow on the ground stuck in my head, and when I sat down to work on my next beaded jewelry design, I remembered that photograph and those colors.



These beautiful deer came to visit us on Christmas Day back in 2008.		Their colors became a color palette for a beaded necklace project!

So the deer and their colors became my Ode on a Grecian Urn necklace!


Definitely not the colors of seed beads that I usually use, but this color palette should make a beautiful and vibrant piece of beadwork!

This time around, I used the colors from the photograph of the Indian woman in front of the door, and I chose some turquoise, red, black and gold seed beads that were in my latest seed bead order from Whimbeads. Whatever I eventually make with these beads, I'll accent it with these wonderful coral gold-washed lentil beads that I picked up from Beyond Beadery when I was in Tucson last month to add a little movement to the piece. (I suspect these beads will work with a wonderful gold vintage cabochon I found at A Grain of Sand a few weeks ago, but we'll see.)

Let's see your color palettes! Go through your photographs and find something that inspires you, then sit down with your beads and your color wheel and see what you can do! You can join in the fun of the Fusion Beads National Craft Month Challenge and post your pictures and projects over in the Forums, or take a picture and post it in the Reader Photo Gallery!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

How to Bezel a Cabochon with Peyote Stitch for Bead Embroidery

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:00:00 GMT

I have trust issues with the cabochons I use in my bead embroidery. The first time I tried to use cabochons in my bead embroidery, I just glued them to the bead embroidery backing and started stitching around them. To my surprise and dismay, those cabochons started to peel right off the bead embroidery backing after just a couple of days and the whole piece was pretty much ruined.

After that, I learned how to stitch a peyote bezel around my cabochons to hold them securely in place, and I've been thrilled with the results ever since. If you stitch your bezel correctly, there's no way that cabochon is going to pop out of your bead embroidery.

Ready to try a peyote stitch bezel for your bead embroidered cabochons? Here's a tutorial with helpful tips and hints:

Materials

Cabochon: This can be any size, any material. For beginners, it's best to start with a smaller (less than 30mm) piece in a regular shape like oval or round. Don't try working with square cabochons until you understand the basics of stitching a peyote bezel around a round or oval cabochon!
Bead embroidery backing: Your preferred material is fine. Some people prefer Lacy's Stiff Stuff, Nicole's Bead Backing or a piece of fusible webbing that has been ironed on to a piece of fabric. For beginners, a stiffer bead backing like Lacy's or Nicole's is best.
Cylinder beads in size 11: Approximately 5 grams in a color to match or contrast with your cabochon and bead embroidery backing.
Seed beads in size 15: Less than 1 gram in color to match or contrast with your cylinder beads for securing your peyote stitch bezel.
Beading thread: Nymo D or Fireline 6 lb. test are preferred for these kinds of peyote stitch bezels.

Tools:

Size 12 beading needle
Scissors or thread cutter
Chain nose pliers (optional but useful for pulling needle through a tight spot)

Step by Step Instructions:

		Step 1: Affix your cabochon to your bead embroidery backing using either glue or double-stick tape. Tie a small knot on one end of a comfortable length of beading thread (no longer than five feet). Thread your needle and bring it up through the bead backing so that you exit next to your cabochon. Try to come up directly alongside the cabochon -- make sure your needle isn't angled from under the cabochon on the back side of the bead embroidery medium. Pick up 2 cylinder beads and push them down the thread so that they line up against the edge of your cabochon.

		Step 2: Pass your needle down through the bead embroidery medium right at the edge of the second cylinder bead added. It's always better to be closer to the bead than further away. If you stitch too far away from your cylinder beads, your bezel won't fit properly.

		Step 3: Pass your needle back up through the bead embroidery medium between the two cylinder beads you just added. Again, stitching closer to the beads is better than stitching further away, and try to make sure that you needle is moving straight and not at an angle.

		Step 4: Stitch through the second cylinder bead and pull your thread snugly.

		Step 5: Continue to add beads in pairs around your cabochon. Don't worry if your line isn't perfectly straight -- once you start working in peyote stitch, it will straighten out nicely. We'll be working in even-count peyote stitch, so make sure that you add your beads in pairs. Leaving every other bead "loose" and not stitched down to your bead embroidery medium will make for a better-fitting peyote stitch bezel. A common problem is reaching the end of your round and only having enough space for one more bead. In these cases, I prefer to stitch in an extra bead, usually a very "skinny" cylinder bead that I've culled from the rest of my cylinder beads. (Don't throw away those imperfect beads! They're quite useful!) It's important to have an even number of beads in your first round so that you can work even-count peyote stitch for an even and secure bezel around your cabochon.

		Step 6: Pass through the first bead added. Pick up a cylinder bead, skip the next bead in the round, and pass through the next bead, pulling snugly.

		Step 7: Continue to work in even-count peyote stitch all the way around your cabochon. Make the step-up at the end of each round. Work as many rounds are necessary so that the bezel comes up over the edge of your cabochon. You don't need to have it extend too far over the edge -- just one bead's width over the edge is sufficient for a secure peyote stitch bezel.

		Step 8: Work one round of even-count peyote stitch using the size 15 seed beads. Pull snugly on your stitching to secure the bezel around your cabochon. Weave your thread down through the bezel and into the bead embroidery backing. You've finished your cabochon and are ready to start working backstitch around it or add any embellishments that you'd like!

Bead embroidery using cabochons can be big and elaborate like the work of Sherry Serafini and Heidi Kummli, or it can be as simple as stitching a simple bezel around a beautiful cabochon and stringing it on a necklace! You can add bezeled cabochons to cuff bracelets or glue them onto ring findings for spectacular gemstone cabochons rings.

Now it's your turn to show us your best bead embroidery using cabochons! Take a picture of your best peyote-bezeled cabochon and post it in the Reader Photo Gallery.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Captured Crystal Cubes Earrings

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:00:00 GMT

For National Craft Month, I thought I would participate in the Fusion Beads 30 Day National Craft Month Challenge. The Day 1 challenge was, of course, to make a pair of earrings! And I just happened to have a pair of these lovely 14mm Swarovski crystal stones that were just begging to be made into a simple but sparkling pair of beaded earrings.

I used a modified herringbone stitch to make these simple bezels so that they'd show off the stones. The bezels themselves work up quickly and can easily be modified to fit triangle-shaped crystal stones as well!

Materials:

(2) 14mm Swarovski Gold-Foiled Stones, Square, Vitrail Medium
2 grams metallic bronze seed beads, 15^o
Beading thread in color to match seed beads
1 pair gold filled leverback earwires

Tools:

Size 12 beading needle
Thread cutter or scissors
Chain nose pliers

Instructions:



Step 1: On a comfortable length of thread (no longer than 5 feet), pick up 8 seed beads and tie them in a knot. Leave at least a 6 inch tail. Pass through the first bead again.	Step 2: Pick up 2 seed beads and pass through the next 2 seed beads in the ring. Pull snugly. Repeat until you have added four pairs of seed beads around the ring. Pass up through the first seed bead added at the beginning of this step. Tip: To keep track of your rounds, count out 8 beads and set them aside in a little pile. When you've added all eight beads, it's time to step up for the next round!	Step 3: Stitch one round in herringbone stitch, working down through the stacks and through the base ring. Stitch a second round in herringbone stitch, but stitch down through one bead instead of the entire stack. Pick up 3 seed beads and stitch up through the first bead in the next stack. Repeat around until you have four "bridges" of 3 seed beads between each herringbone stack.


Step 4: Stitch two more rounds in herringbone, stitching down through the stack and passing through the 3-bead bridges between each stack.	Step 5: Stitch another round in herringbone stitch, but add bridges of 6 beads between each stack in the same manner as you did in Step 3. Pull snugly as you add each bridge, and the bezel will start to cup.	Step 6: Stitch 4 more rows of herringbone stitch, working down through the stacks and passing through the 6-bead bridges as you go. Keep your tension tight as you work so that the bezel retains its shape.


Step 7: At this point, nestle your crystal in the bezel to see how far the "prongs" extend around the edges. You should position the prongs so they extend out over the long sides of the square crystal stone. Before continuing, make sure that the prongs come up and over the edge of the stone. You can add an extra row or two of herringbone stitch to extend them if needed.	Step 8: Exiting from the top bead of one of your herringbone stacks, pick up 8 seed beads. Stitch down through the nearest adjacent bead in the next herringbone stack. Come up through the next bead in the herringbone stack, pick up 8 seed beads and move across the next corner of the stone. Repeat until you have four sets of 8 beads, one across each corner of the crystal stone. Reinforce the thread path and tighten.	Step 9: Stitch through all but the last bead in one of the crossovers from the previous step. Pick up 1 seed bead. Skip the first seed bead in the next adjacent crossover and pass through the next six seed beads. Repeat until you have four cinch beads added, one to each corner of the bezel. Keep your tension tight to snug up the bezel.


Step 10: Repeat the thread path several times, keeping a tight tension to hold the crystal in the bezel. Weave in your thread, tie a knot and add a tiny drop of glue if desired. Trim the thread close to the beadwork.	Step 11: Using the tail thread, weave up into the nearest herringbone stack until you are exiting a bead on the edge of the bezel. Pick up 6 seed beads and pass through the adjacent seed bead. Repeat the thread path two or three times to secure the loop. Weave in your thread, tie a knot and add a tiny drop of glue if desired. Trim the thread close to the beadwork.	Step 12: Add your leverback ear wires or your favorite earring finding. Delicate gold ear threads will also work with these lovely bezels!

Resources:

Vintage Swarovski 14mm square stones: Nikia Angel
Metallic bronze seed beads: Whimbeads
Leverback earring findings: Artbeads

If you try these earrings or make any variations of them, please take a picture and post them in our Reader Photo Gallery!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Chevron Chain Tutorial

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:00:00 GMT

On today's Beading Daily blog, I talked about how I set out to stitch up some Chevron chain but actually wound up doing a version of right-angle weave known as triangle weave. I thought I'd offer a quick Chevron chain tutorial here for you today so you can try out this amazingly easy and versatile bead-weaving stitch!

To get started, you should try this stitch using two different colors beads, a main color (A) and an accent color (B). As always, when learning a new beadweaving stitch, using larger beads in lighter colors and a short length of thread will help you master the thread path.

Step 1:

On a comfortable length of thread, pick up 1 B, 4 A, 1 B, 4 A, 1 B, and 4 A. Pass back through the first B picked up so that the beads form a loop with both your tail and your working thread exiting the first B.

Step 2:

Pick up the beads for the next unit: 4 A, 1 B and 4 A. Pass your needle down through the third B of the first unit.

Step 3:

Pull snugly to form the second unit. At this point, play with your tension a bit, snugging your beads close together if needed to prevent any gaps of thread from showing between beads.

You'll continue to add units to the basic chain by picking up a set of beads as outlined in Step 2 and passing through the outermost B bead on the edge of your chain. You'll zigzag up and down with each unit, passing through either the bottom or top B bead as you add new units.

Once you understand the basics of Chevron chain stitch, you can jazz it up by trying it with Tila beads, Twin beads or bugle beads. Experiment with adding a row of netting between rows of Chevron chain, too, for a uniquely textured bracelet.

Want to learn more about Chevron chain stitch? Here are a few more resources to get you started:

Chevron Chain with Tilas on Inspirational Beading

Chevron Chain tutorial on About.com

Chevron Chain tutorial by Dottie Hoeschen

Have you made something with Chevron chain? Take a picture and post it in the Reader Photo Gallery for us to see!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

The Business of Beadwork: Pricing Your Beadwork for Sale

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT


How much would you charge for a beaded necklace like this?

This morning, as some of you may know, I received a message on Etsy about a particular piece that I have listed for sale in my shop. It went something like this:

"about your necklace are you seriously charging that much !!! i saw one idetical but with jade and it was only $50 your price is ridicolous besides a kid could make this minus the edging around the pietersite"

My initial thought was, "Um, really?" How did this person think I would reply to this message? Maybe something like this:

"Oh, my goodness! I didn't realize that I was overpricing my work! How helpful of you to drop me such a direct note to let me know that I'm heading down the road to failure because I am charging too much for my handmade work! Would you like me to knock $85 off the price for you? And can I get you some cocoa with that?"

Or possibly:

"You appear to have confused my work with that which is made by child labor in a sweat shop for a dime a day. So sorry."

But snark and sarcasm aside, if you're trying to earn some extra money by selling your finished beadwork, you'll need to know how to price your beadwork appropriately. Underpricing your work can be just as bad as overpricing your work, so it's important to be comfortable with the prices you set.

A Basic Formula For Pricing Your Finished Beadwork

Pricing your beaded jewelry is probably one of the hardest things you will encounter when you start turning your beading into a business. But if you want to make money selling your beaded jewelry, then you have to make sure that you price your work fairly to include at least two things: the cost of your materials and a fee for your time.

Most people will balk when I tell them that they should include a fee for the time they spent creating a piece of beaded jewelry. It doesn't matter if you did it in your spare time or as your full-time occupation. You wouldn't go to work at a job for forty hours every week and then tell your boss not to pay you for the time you spent at the office, right? It's the same with the time that you spend creating beaded jewelry to sell for your business.

The basic formula for pricing your beadwork should be:

1. Your cost of materials + anywhere from 25% to 40% for profit

2. Fee for your time. This can range anywhere from $5 to $20, depending on what you are comfortable with charging, but I encourage new artists to charge at least $8 to $10 an hour for their time.

You can also include any overhead charges that you might pay every year for your business, such as electricity for your studio (if you have one) or insurance. Those who make lampwork glass beads should also factor in the costs of propane and oxygen.

But No One Will Pay THAT Much!

So, you've finished your piece of beaded jewelry for your business, done your math to calculate the price of the finished piece, and . . . you have sticker shock. You've suddenly convinced yourself that no one will pay THAT much for a piece of handmade beaded jewelry.

But remember, you're not trying to sell this piece as a bargain. You're not appealing to the customer who wants to buy her jewelry for pennies at a big-box store or even a department store. You're trying to sell your work to the customer who understands and appreciates handmade jewelry for what it is: a piece of wearable art.

No one says you have to charge the full amount that you calculate based on the formula I showed you. However, I always encourage bead artists to at least include a fee, however small, for their time. If you want to nurture yourself as an artist (and as a businessperson!), you should start thinking of your time and your skills as valuable commodities. The final price of your finished beadwork should reflect that!

When you're pricing your beadwork for sale, you also want to think carefully about underpricing your beadwork. Underpricing (like asking $25 for a peyote-stitched needle case) doesn't help anyone. Underpricing your work can backfire on you, too - to some buyers, a low price signifies inferior quality beads or poor workmanship.

The good news is that there are plenty of venues out there for selling your handmade beadwork at a fair price. It takes a little bit of research and a little bit of planning, but you CAN find people out there who will purchase and love your beadwork.

The Bottom Line

Being in the business of selling your finished beadwork means that if you want to have a successful business, you need to make a profit. How much profit you make it entirely up to you. Take the time to price your work fairly (and seek out the best market for selling handmade beaded jewelry and finished beadwork) and you just might be able to turn your favorite hobby into a profitable side business!

Have you struggled with pricing your beadwork? Share your questions, thoughts and formulas for pricing your beadwork here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Hot Photo Tip of the Day: Crop Your Photos to Get Maximum Detail

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:00:00 GMT

As we all know, taking great photos of your beadwork can be difficult even on a good day. If you sell your finished beadwork or beaded jewelry on Etsy or ArtFire, you know just how important good, detailed photographs are for making sales. When customers are viewing your work online, they can't pick up and touch your finished beadwork, so you have to be able to accurately represent your items for sale with great photographs.

One thing that many online sellers struggle with is getting clear close-up shots of their finished beadwork. But you don't have to hire a professional photographer or buy an expensive macro zoom lens for your camera to get great close-up photos of your beadwork.

First, you need to make sure that your photos are clearly focused when you take them. Some digital cameras have a little indicator light or beep when the shot is in focus, both of which can be very useful. When taking close-up photos of your beadwork, you should also make sure to use a tripod to reduce any shaking that can happen when holding your camera.

Second, if you use a program to edit your photos, you can do something simple to get more detail in your photos. Crop each picture!



This is the first picture I took of the right-angle weave pendant by Marcia DeCoster.		This is the same picture, but cropped for detail. No zoom lens needed!

The first picture is the original, shot with my digital camera set on the macro setting. The only thing I did to it was lighten it a bit, since the room was a little dark when I shot it.

In the second picture, I cropped the background out and then re-sized the cropped photo down a bit. Take a look at the detail in the second photo! you can see each of those little tiny seed beads, right down to the facets in the tiny size 15 beads on the edges!

So which pendant would you buy?

Because each photo editing program is different, you should refer to the instructions for your particular program to find out how to crop and re-size your photos. If you would like some more great basic photography tips, check out my friend Liz Masoner's website all about photography!

Do you have a great tip for taking detailed photos? Leave a comment and share it on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Copyright Law, Ethics and Your Beadwork

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT


	My Back to Byzantium necklace has been the target of several instances of copyright violation.

Which of the following statements is true:

A. If you pay someone for a class to learn a particular design, you then own the rights to that design and can use it however you wish (i.e., to sell finished pieces for profit).

B. If you buy a beading pattern from an artist or a website, it's okay to make copies of that pattern and hand them out to your friends.

C. If a project has been published in a magazine or a book, then you automatically have permission to make that project and sell it for profit.

D. It's okay to copy a beading project that you saw in a photograph or in a bead shop without giving credit to the original designer.

Time's up! Did you figure it out? If you think that none of these statements are true, then you are absolutely correct.

A. If you pay someone for a class, then you own the rights to that design. This is absolutely not the case. If the class was to learn a particular beadweaving stitch (such as right-angle weave, peyote stitch, or herringbone stitch), that doesn't mean that you now own the rights to that beadweaving stitch. Likewise, taking a class to learn how to create the original design of the teacher doesn't mean that ownership rights of that design have now been transferred to you. While it's true that there's nothing to stop you from creating and selling finished pieces of this original design (unless that designer has a team of high-priced and high-powered attorneys), it's just not an ethical thing to do. These teachers put their designs out there for others to learn from, and many of them sell their own finished pieces as a source of income.

B. If you buy a beading pattern from an artist or a website, it's okay to make copies of that pattern and hand them out to your friends. When you purchase a beading pattern from someone through a website or an online selling venue such as Etsy or Artfire, you are paying to use that pattern for your own personal use, unless otherwise specified at the time you purchase it. That doesn't mean that you can now email a copy of that pattern to all of your friends who you think would like a copy! It's the same as copying a movie or a CD from a friend. Lots of people do it, but that doesn't mean this is okay. In my opinion, it's the same as stealing from someone who is trying to sell their handmade goods for a living.

C. If a project has been published in a magazine or a book, then you automatically have permission to make that project and sell it for profit. The patterns and projects that are published in magazines such as Beadwork and Stringing are published so that you can learn how to make that project and expand your own beadweaving and jewelry-making skills. Personal enrichment, inspiration, and learning are the goals here, not making a profit from someone else's design. It's always a good idea (and the right thing to do) to ask the artist for permission before making up copies of a design and selling it.

D. It's okay to copy a beading project that you saw in a photograph or in a bead shop without giving credit to the original designer. I have a good friend who designs beautiful beading patterns and sells them to earn income. It's very distressing to her when she sees pictures of her patterns being "shared" on various websites, or when someone posts a picture with a description that states they copied this pattern from a photograph. In this case, the right thing to do would be to find the artist who designed the pattern or project and purchase a copy of the instructions from them or buy a copy of the magazine where the project first appeared. Remember that these artists are also trying to earn income from the sale of their original patterns and designs.

What if your copyright has been violated?

If you discover that someone has violated your copyright of an original beadwork design, there are a few things that you can do. The first would be to send a polite but firm email or letter to the person and let them know that what they have done is unethical and possibly illegal, and tell them what actions you would like them to take to correct the situation (i.e., removing a photograph from their website or blog, purchasing a pattern or removing an item for sale from an online store or gallery).

If your letter goes ignored, you can contact an attorney who specializes in copyright and intellectual property law, but remember that an attorney will charge you, sometimes a great deal of money, just for writing a letter. It's easy for large corporations to defend their copyrights because they have the resources to retain and compensate attorneys who specialize in intellectual property law, but you may not have the same deep pockets as a corporation.

Don't let copyright violations get you down.

Just because someone has violated your copyright, don't let it stop you from creating new and better beadwork designs. The best defense we have as artists is the ability to grow and develop new ideas and new styles of work to stay one step ahead of the copycats. It doesn't feel good to have your ideas stolen and used without your permission, but unless you're able and willing to spend a lot of time and money fighting the copyright infringement, the best thing you can do in that situation is turn it around and do something positive about it.

If you're interested in learning more about copyright, ethics and beadwork, these links from Beadwork magazine will be of great interest to you:

Ethics in Beadland by Mary J. Tafoya

Ethics in Beadwork Quiz

Do the Right Thing: Copyright, Ethics and You by Marlene Blessing

Have you ever seen someone use your original design without your permission? What did you do about it? What are your thoughts about copyright, ethics and beadwork? Please share your thoughts and experiences here by leaving a comment on the blog.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer