Daily Blogs : Jean Campbell

Design Wire Jewelry with Attitude!

Leslie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:15:00 GMT

Keep it together with wire.

It’s my birthday this week and, according to a friend, I’ve officially arrived to the point in my life where people will start saying “Yes, Ma’am!” when I ask them to do something. Boy, if she’s right, I’m really looking forward to it: “Do your homework.” "Yes, Ma’am!" “I’d like a discount on that, please.” "Yes, Ma’am!" “Rub my feet.” "Yes, Ma’am!" Wow—this is going to be good.

To fully embrace this Yes Ma’am! period, I may need to make myself a bold piece of jewelry. You know, something to go with my new firm attitude and red hat. To design for my new attitude, I planned thoughtfully, with purpose, considering each element for its meaning as I lay them out:

I’ll start by featuring this Steampunk-style heart I just received from polymer clay artist Jeannie Dukic. Even though it’s still sweet (it IS a heart, mind you), all that hardware makes it pretty kick-butt, just like the new bold outlook I’ll supposedly wake up with soon.

Crystal pearls will go perfectly with the heart, and their ageless luster will remind me that getting older is just a state of mind.

I'll incorporate these found objects, not only to reflect the flavor of the focal pendant, but also as a nod to my past years.

I turned to Step by Step Wire Jewelry for a way to tie it all together. Subscribe to Step by Step Wire Jewelry and discover for yourself why I was inspired! As I leafed through my issues I decided to use colored copper wire for my birthday necklace. Colored copper wire turned out to have all kinds of good birthday reminders for women of a certain age:

		It’s available in several different widths and gauges, just like the wide selection of jeans sizes in my closet.
		It's very soft and bendable, but can be work-hardened with a plastic or rawhide mallet. I'm guessing all those upcoming "Yes, Ma'ams!" will be a little like getting work-hardened, at first.
		It can be coiled, knitted, woven, looped, wrapped and bent but still has a good memory; it can still be straighted out with a good pair of nylon-jaw pliers. For a woman, sometimes all you need to get straightened out is a bar of chocolate. Yes, Ma’am!
		Colored copper wire doesn’t tarnish or fade. Aw, now isn’t that the best birthday reminder of all?

Did you find inspiration in Step by Step Wire Jewelry to make a design with purpose, as I did this week? What else about making wire jewelry reminds you to keep a good attitude? Please share your thoughts here on Beading Daily.

3 Tips for Strong Beadwork

Erin Carey — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:52:00 GMT

How to stitch beadwork that lasts

It was a close friend’s birthday recently, so I made a card, printed out some photos, and included a CD. I put the items in a paper envelope, but realized the CD would break. So I added a piece of thick cardboard between the CD and photos and put everything in an even sturdier structure. But hmm . . . that fragile card looked a bit vulnerable, too . . . better cover that with some thin cardboard. . . . Believe me, by the time I got this thing in the mail, the postage must have tripled. The way it was wrapped, banded, taped, and sealed, the gift was prepared for a trip down Niagara Falls.


	The Bikers Bracelet by Kate McKinnon is well reinforced with a whip-stitched edge. This project uses seed beads and pearls in a simple and elegant variation of square stitch.

I easily spent a half-hour preparing that package, and it was just for its two-day trip on the mailman’s truck. But how many of us skimp on putting extra time into securing our beadwork for a lifetime of wear? I don’t mean just reinforcing loops and weak spots, but really strengthening the whole thing. This is especially important for those of us whose work will be handled a lot in addition to being worn. Here’s what I’m talking about:

Double up
If your beads have large enough holes and aren’t too fragile, it’s often best to use doubled thread when stitching your pieces. However, I have a hard time using doubled thread for new designs since I know I’ll be making mistakes and ripping out so often. In those cases, I use single thread and then re-stitch the entire (or most of) the thread path to reinforce the piece.

Whip it good
This whipstitching technique, which Kate McKinnon illustrates so beautifully in her Biker Bracelet in the recent publication Beadwork Presents: 41 Favorite Jewelry Designs, creates a binding along the edge of peyote- or brick-stitched beadwork. Here's how it's done:

1: Start a new thread that exits out through an edge bead of your piece. Pass the needle under the loop of exposed thread between the last bead exited and the adjacent one. (I like to pass from back to front so I can easily see where my needle is positioned.) Pull tight.

2: Repeat down the edge of the piece, stitching in the same direction, to form a tight binding.

3: If you’d like to create a bulky, almost cable-looking binding, repeat the whipstitch in the same spot more than once.

4: If desired, add a beaded embellishment along the binding’s edge.

Skinny dippin’
Not everyone’s a fan of this technique, but I fell in love with it as soon as bead artist extraordinaire Diane Fitzgerald clued me in. It involves dipping (or painting, as I do) a very thin coat of Future-brand clear acrylic floor wax on your finished pieces. I use a little plastic-bristled paintbrush to dab my beadwork after it’s completed, then drain it on paper towels. I check it every once in a while to make sure there’s no pooling. Not only does the acrylic firm up your beadwork, but the liquid gets inside the beads to coat the thread and strengthen it. I haven’t had any problems with yellowing or stickiness, but I highly recommend you test this technique before using it on your most special pieces; you’ll want to see if you like it. And please, please do a test on your beads before you start dipping. I haven’t had too many problems, but once the acrylic reacted to a special coating on a crystal and ruined a high-investment bracelet.

What super-strengthening techniques would you add to this short list? Please share your ideas here so we can all benefit.

Make Jewelry More Colorful with Resin Beads

Erin Carey — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:23:00 GMT

Resin rules on Beads, Baubles and Jewels

Earlier this year I went to Cleveland to tape a few segments for Beads, Baubles, and Jewels. I brought three cute tops, moisturized my hands, cleaned and painted my fingernails, put anti-frizz gunk in my hair, and let the makeup artist do her thing so I could look like the perfect TV Barbie doll next to BBJ’s wonderful host, Katina Forte. Truth be told, I really panic when I’m on television. I’m used to blabbing my head off in front of a crowd of rowdy beaders when I teach classes, but it’s quite another thing to be a talking head in a quiet studio with a bunch of expressionless guys in headphones pointing cameras at you. But, by my third segment I was more relaxed, knew the names of the camera crew, and forgot about my hair. So, I feel the third segment was my best one. I talked about resin beads and how versatile they are. Judy Thomsky of Natural Touch Beads was nice enough to lend me a ton of her beautiful work so I looked like I knew what I was doing. Here's a sneak preview of my resin bead segment.

These resin beads are made in a cottage industry in Java, Indonesia. They're made in small batches by pouring liquid resin into molds, then they're hand cut and sanded. Don't these new opaque colors remind you of antique Bakelite? I can see a world of Art Deco designs just waiting in those cuffs.

Want to make these delicious-looking beads even more tasty? Rub a bit of hand lotion or olive oil over the surface and you'll achieve a beautiful luster.

Ever tried stamping resin? A stamp dabbed with permanent ink turns a plain bead into an exciting one very quickly. You can also wirework resin beads, work beadwork over them, or use interesting stringing materials like leather, yarn, and silk to string them.

Remember when we used to make beaded beads over wooden beads? Use a resin bead instead of wood, and the finished piece just glows.

You don't need to stop at round beads when beading over this pretty material. For my latest over-the-top jewelry creation, Festivus, (I swear, my next stop is Vegas) I used resin donuts as the base for the starbursts. I could have just skipped that part when I was designing, but the resin lends a pretty luminescence, not to mention body, to the necklace. And guess what? The instructions for this necklace will be in the December/January issue of Beadwork magazine! I want to see all of you wearing one at your holiday parties, okay?

Do you get ideas from all the materials you see on Beads, Baubles and Jewels, like resin beads? Share your comments here.

Make Victorian Jewelry for Gothic Glamour!

Erin Carey — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Fashion with Passion
My daughter, her friends, and many of my grown women friends have all read the popular gothic romance Twilight. I’ve been resisting because delving into the lives of a bunch of lovesick hormone-laden teen vampires sounded pretty silly; I’ve got a couple of those at home, anyway. But I thought I’d give the book a spin to find out what the hubbub is all about. Within the first few chapters I saw why teen girls like it, but I’m not sure I can stomach so much pubescent drama. What did fascinate me is how this book seemed to singlehandedly revive gothic romance literature. The ravenous interest in it spread so quickly that vampires popped out everywhere in fiction, television, music, and of course, fashion.

Vampire Couture
Since what happens in New York, Paris, and Milan eventually affects us as jewelry-makers, I thought I’d do a little research on what's being called Vampire Couture. Just about every cutting-edge fashion house has toyed with Vampire Couture. It’s a mix of Victorian, Gothic, and '80s punk styles, with a little bit of gore and a whole lot of sexiness thrown in. Not sure I’m ready to sign up for that complete package in my pieces, but there are definitely attractive parts. Here’s a quick list of elements you might like to experiment with when designing your next piece or adjusting your colorways and materials when following a pattern in a magazine like Beadwork.

Colors
Since gothic romance novels are informed by the Victorian era, colors worn during that time are perfect for vampire couture. Black, of course, since Queen Victoria was so permanently in mourning, but deep shades of red and purple were also appropriate for women of the day. I also came across lots of white in my surfing, which is totally uncharacteristic of the genre. Must be something to do with how gory blood looks on white fabric? (I know—creepy.)

Charms and Metal
All styles of metal trinkets, especially those that have a romantic or supernatural bent, are used quite a bit in this type of jewelry. (Did you know Queen Victoria had quite a thing for charms and cameos, too?) Chain, buckles, snaps, and rivets also give the look a funky twist.

Crystals The glitter of crystals gives this look its flash. Use jet and the full range of dark reds, plus try out the moody dark indigo color, which I’m certain was created just for this trend. Also incorporate crystal pearl colors like Tahitian and burgundy for a rich look.

Stones Semiprecious stones popular during the Victorian era are natural for this style. Dark-toned stones like onyx, garnet, hypersthene, amethyst, and blue gold stone are good choices.

So, are you ready for vampire couture? Share your thirst for dark, deliciously romantic jewelry here on Beading Daily. Happy Halloween!

How to Make a Wire Bead Chain!

Leslie — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:51:00 GMT

Great Wire Jewelry Deserves Perfect Loops

I was doing some domestic spelunking and found a rosary I made before I knew much about wirework. It was a gift I'd made for my son when he was little. I'd invested in stone beads, made the cross in metal clay, and chained it all together with silver wire. My son loved it because it made him feel like a big boy to have such a special, non-plastic gift. I was very proud of it at the time. But now when I look at it, I’m more than a little embarrassed. The loops are all so uneven!

I know our learning curves all start somewhere, but that “somewhere” usually has better results if it begins with instructions in a class, book, or magazine. For instance, I could have learned how to make consistent loops in a magazine like Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry. Beading Daily is a good place to learn, too, of course. Here’s how to avoid my beaded chain-making mistakes and learn the proper way to do it.

1. Use a permanent marker to draw a line on one of the jaws of your round-nose pliers. This will help you make all bends in the same spot, creating equally-wide loops.

2. If necessary, use nylon-jaw pliers to straighten the last few inches of wire on the spool or roll. Don’t trim any wire off the spool yet. Flush cut the end of the wire, then slide on a bead. Grasp the wire end with the round-nose pliers at the spot you previously marked on the jaw.

3. Roll the pliers until the wire touches itself, forming a loop. The wire will be shaped like the letter P.

4. If your wire is 20-gauge or thinner, you can just press your thumbnail firmly into the base of the loop and pull the pliers back against your nail, so the wire looks like a balloon on a string. If your wire is thicker, you’ll probably want to grasp the wire at the loop base with chain-nose pliers instead.

5. Snug the bead against the loop and flush cut the wire 3/8" from the

top of the bead.

6. Grasp the wire end with round-nose pliers at the marked spot. Pull the wire against the top of the bead at a 45° angle.

7. Roll the pliers to form another simple loop. The loops should be even and scroll like the letter S. Set the link aside.

8. Make another link. Use flat- or chain-nose pliers to open one of the loops as you would a jump ring. Connect the loop to one of the loops of the previous link.

So, there it is–consistent and clean work, so you’ll still be proud of it years from now.

Got any other tips for making beaded chain? Have you made some great jewelry using this technique or fashioned your own prayer beads? Share your thoughts and comments below!

4 Ideas for Necklace Extensions

Erin Carey — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:23:00 GMT

How do you deal with a necklace design that's perfect but too short?

Like most of you, when I design a new necklace I make it to my favorite length. I happen to prefer 16" necklaces because the focal bead sits just perfectly above my “Great Plains.” But if I’m making a necklace as a gift or to teach, I need to be sure that women of all different shapes and sizes can wear it. Not everyone’s got the Great Plains. Actually, most women I hang around with are more the, well…Grand Teton variety. So I usually make my necklace designs so they can easily be extended, either by the person that’s making it or by the person that’s receiving it.

Here are 4 ways to extend the length of a necklace:

Lisa Kan's
Autumn Bouquet

Jennifer Van Benschoten's
Back to Byzantium

1. Add more beadwork. If you’re stitching a beadwoven necklace, simply extend the strap or rope design to your desired length with the same or a different type of beaded strap. If the rope is too plain, incorporate other beads or embellishments to jazz it up a bit. Check out stitched necklaces like Lisa Kan’s Autumn Bouquet and Jennifer Van Benschoten’s Back to Byzantium to see the type of necklaces I’m talking about. See how they could easily be extended at the ends?

2. String extensions. You can easily transition from stitched beadwork to strung beads, like my example here. Just crimp a short length of flexible beading wire to one end of one strap, string enough beads to reach the back center of your neck, and crimp on half of the clasp. Do the same with the other side and you’re golden.

Jean Campbell's Fiori Necklace	Julia Zaccaria’s Delicious Donuts	Lindsay Burke's From the East

3. Attach extender chain. This is the simplest way to lengthen a necklace, as I’ve done with my Fiori Necklace. Just add a chain to one end of the strap and a lobster clasp to the other end. For some extra pizzazz, hang a little dangle at the end of the chain that incorporates a bead from the main necklace. You can also see this technique in Delicious Donuts by Julia Zaccaria and From the East by Lindsay Burke.

Anne Timmons'
Freshwater Pearl
Bridal Set

Katie Hacker's
Great Lengths Necklace
and Bracelet

4. Use a detachable extension. Use a bracelet with the same type of clasp and beads as your necklace to act as an extension. Just attach the bracelet clasp ends to their corresponding necklace clasp ends, and voilà! That’s at least 7" of extra length. Necklace/bracelet sets like Anne Timmons’ Freshwater Pearl Bridal Set and Katie Hacker’s Great Lengths Necklace and Bracelet work well for this concept.

Do you have other ideas for extending necklaces, or, for that matter, shortening them?
Please share them here and on the Beading Daily forums!

5 Tips for Beader’s Eye Health

Erin Carey — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:20:00 GMT

Eye Care

When I started wearing my glasses full-time last year I thought I was going to go mad. I hated wearing them. Not only did I feel like I was instantly separated from the rest of my life by a glass wall, but the frames were always in my sights and they attracted so much dust, grime, and cat-kiss smears that everything seemed to be even fuzzier than it was without my glasses. I struggled back and forth, not wanting to wear them, but finally gave in.

		And then last week, as I was getting ready for bed, I did this! So, I guess I'm used to my glasses now. And thank goodness, because I'd sure have a hard time beading without them.

Here are 5 reminders for Beader's Eye Health: Always work in good light. You can invest in fancy full-spectrum lights to bead under, but they really aren't required. The key is to work in enough light that you aren't straining your eyes to see. Eye strain leads to poor eyesight–it's that simple (or at least that's what Mom used to say).

		Use a magnifier if necessary. If you find you're straining your eyes to bead, even in good light, use a magnifier. This can be as simple as a stand-up loupe that helps you see while you thread your needle, as mundane as a pair of "cheaters" from the grocery store, or as elaborate as a full-on magnifying visor. Again, these forms of magnification not only help with actually seeing the beads, they help reduce eye strain.

		Get a change of scenery. While beading we're staring about 1½ feet in front of us for hours on end. What happens is our eyes begin to adjust to that length and become a bit sluggish about focusing on longer and/or shorter distances. The best thing to do is look up from your work every once in a while. Look at the ceiling or across the room every 15 minutes. Go outside and focus on something in the horizon. Count leaves at the top of a tree. Anything to get your eyes out of their bead-distance rut.

Wear safety glasses. If you don't wear glasses already, please take the time to put on safety glasses when working with wire, metal, or other materials that might go flying. Cover your snipping with your hand or a piece of cloth as an extra precaution to keep pieces from flying at you--or someone else.

		Try Online and Video Classes. If you have a vision challenge, it can be difficult to learn new beading methods. If that's the case, try a video class. Many of these types of classes include large close-ups of techniques. You can hit pause at the place you're trying to figure out and take your own sweet time to visually soak it in. My extra pairs of eyes are definitely part of me now, and they remind me daily (when I don't have them on, mostly), how important it is to take good care of my eyes. If you love beading, I hope you're taking care of your eyes, too.

What else would you add to my list? Ever wash your face with your glasses on? Please share your thoughts here or on the Beading Daily forums.

Beaded Home Decor and More!

Leslie — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:19:00 GMT

My Fair Beader
I attended the 20th anniversary celebration of the Upper Midwest Bead Society last weekend. The event was a proper high tea, complete with sandwiches and cakes, lacy tablecloths, and flowers everywhere. You know, I tend to get a little bawdy when I’m around a group of fun girls, so for this event I had to channel Eliza Doolittle (“I washed my face and hands before I come, I did.”) in order to remember my manners. I mean really, there were even a few women with gloves on! Anyway, the event was simply lovely—a beautiful expression of how volunteer organizations like bead societies can create the most fabulous events.

I could have beaded all night
The tea party invitation requested that we wear our Sunday best (yes, lots of “beaders’ handshakes” going on), but also to decorate and wear a bonnet to be judged during the event. You should have seen the entries! Everything from a straw hat with brooches pinned on to a fully-beaded flapper-style cloche. What struck me while watching all the ladies strolling around in their bead-decorated hats was how jewelry-centric I am when I sit down to design something. I automatically go to necklace, bracelet, or earrings—the “jeweler’s troika.” But I have an inkling I’m not alone in this habit, right?

Wouldn't it be 'loverly'
We all know there are many other ways to express yourself in beads. A quick visit to the Beading Daily store’s Home Decor and Gifts section should be inspiration enough. One project catching my eye today is Sandie Abel’s embroidered Beaded Butterfly––a great addition to a tea hat, don't you think? And while I'm thinking about it, next time I host a high tea I could sew rich-looking trim to my table linens using the edging technique in my Beaded Scarf project.

Show me
So in my never-ending effort to expand my thinking about the possibilities of beads, I’ve done a quick brainstorm of non-troika designs. Things that aren’t too over the top, you know? Things I’d definitely like to have around, but don’t scream, “You’re a freaky bead lady!”

Scarf, sweater, purse edgings
Furniture “jewelry” like tassels and chains
Shower curtain slides
Letter openers
Belts
Fan pulls
Serving utensils

What would you add to this list? Do you get stuck inside the jewelry troika like me, or do you find it easy to design other types of beadworked pieces? And most importantly, does Professor Higgins really think I can ever become a lady? Please share your thoughts below and on the Beading Daily forums!

The Best of Stringing celebrates top designs from Stringing magazine!

Erin Carey — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:30:00 GMT

Here’s a little snippet of beady publishing history that you might find interesting...
In 2002 Interweave’s founder, Linda Ligon, and I sat in a hotel lobby in New York to discuss starting a new magazine that solely concerned stringing beads. It was a completely revolutionary idea at the time and, quite frankly, I thought it was a bit nuts; beadweavers like me often viewed stringing as our community’s wallflower cousin. She said she wanted a magazine that stretched people’s creativity, helping them explore new materials to expand their vision of what stringing could be. Her general edict was, “Make it beautiful, make it colorful, and I don’t want to see page after page of ‘bumps on a string.’ What I want is page after page of gorgeous pieces that you might find at a museum shop or gallery. No ‘safe’ jewelry in this one.”

When I got back to the office in Colorado, I broke it to the Beadwork magazine team (then Jamie Hogsett and Dustin Wedekind) that we were starting up a new magazine. It would include 100 pieces, have jaw-dropping work, and there could be absolutely no 'bumps on a string.' I think Jamie and Dustin thought the idea was a little crazy, too; we were all pretty beadweaving-centric at that time. In our discussion that day I sketched out some little drawings to explain what I think Linda was talking about. Miraculously, I found those sketches in a file cabinet in the basement this morning; and can share those first bright glimmers of Stringing with you now. Sometimes it pays to be a packrat!

We set off as a team to break out of our little design boxes and to bust up our notions of what stringing beads on a cord could be. The exercise produced 100 really nice pieces for our first special issue, and I know it gave us all a rich appreciation for the technique. Now, after 5 years, dozens of issues, and hundreds of gorgeous pieces later, I see Linda's idea for Stringing magazine was right on. I guess that's why she's the boss.

Danielle Fox, Stringing magazine's current editor, recently sent me a copy of The Best of Stringing, a fantastic issue with 183 projects--21 of which are brand new. She attached this note that made me tear up a little. This magazine, as well as the technique in general, has certainly "grow'd up" in the last several years, certainly past my little sketches. It's been due, in large part, to how bravely our community of designers, teachers, vendors, and publishers have embraced and experimented with this technique. We've gone far beyond 'bumps on a string', that's for sure.

Danielle had her own warm and fuzzy moment seeing this magazine come together: "I've been on the Stringing staff since its second issue. I'll tell you, it's been so much fun to watch and help the magazine grow. I'm really excited about The Best of Stringing because it brings together all of our favorite projects in a single edition. The hardest part was narrowing down our selections. What I think we came up with is a great mix of evergreen projects, the kind that inspire you again and again."

So I guess the challenge going forward, for all of us who love to string beads, is to continue to play and experiment, pushing the technique to unexplored creative highs. How will you contribute? What new stringing techniques or materials have you been using to make your work new and unique? What trends do you see around the bend? Why not share your ideas and thoughts below or on the Beading Daily forums?

How to Use a Coiling Tool

Erin Carey — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Scenario #187 in the life of a busy, creative (somewhat forgetful) person: Go to the fabric store to pick up buttons, wander over to the tools section for a look-see, find a tool I know I’ve lost, purchase, bring home, and… place it next to the one that has magically reappeared. Ah, yessiree… I seem to be a one-woman economic stimulus package with all the tool doubles I have around here. Why don’t I return them? Well, like my Irish father used to say you never know when guests will show up. Geez… I could throw a raucous jewelry-making party with the number of oddball wire jigs, hammers, and pliers I have laying around here!


		The most recent tool I doubled up on is this handy little crank shaft mechanism used for coiling wire. It’s a simple tool, but so handy. In the old days I formed wire coils by wrapping a thin-gauge wire around a thick-gauge one, but this is faster and easier. It comes with two rod thicknesses, 2mm and 3mm, allowing for different-sized coils. Here’s how you use it:

		1) Wrap 20-gauge or thinner wire around the crank’s loop. Here I’m using 24-gauge; I keep it attached to the spool as I work to reduce flying wire and to give me the option of forming a longer coil if I like.

		2) Slide the shaft into the bracket through the holes that correspond to the shaft’s thickness. Hold the tool so the thumb of your non-dominant hand pins the loose wire against the bracket. This will add tension to ensure a neat, tight coil.

		3) Use your dominant hand to rotate the shaft, turning it slowly to get the coil started.

		4) Keep turning the crank, with your thumb in place to ensure the wire revolutions touch each other, to form as long a coil as you wish. Remove the shaft from the bracket.

		5) Remove the spiral from the shaft. Now the fun begins! You could cut this coil up into tiny spacer coils... or longer cylinder beads... slide a wire through it to make links... use it to embellish a handmade S clasp... there are many possibilites.

		6) Here I wrapped the straight wires at the ends of the coil around the wider coiling shaft, then wrapped the coil around the shaft, too, to make a spirally thingamabob.

		7) Then I wrapped the thingamabob around a big resin bead and locked everything in place with a steel wire with simple loops at each end.

Excited about this technique, but wondering how to use it? Get an eyeful in the bead and jewelry section of the Interweave Store. You’ll find dozens of innovative projects like Sara Graham’s Vineyard Coils Bracelet, Marie Carter’s All Wrapped Up ring design, or the Sandy Lanterns Bangle by Kerry Bogert.

Do you have any coiling tips or ways you use coils that we might all like to know about? (And come on…tell me which tools you have multiples of!) Share your comments below!

Try These 11 Surface Design Techniques

Leslie — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:24:00 GMT

Boy, Interweave Press is sure coming out with some kick-butt jewelry making books lately. The one I recently picked up,The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques is no exception. I was a bit put off by the cover at first, thinking the pieces there weren’t my cup of tea, but when I opened up the book I just couldn’t believe all the information held within! Like The Beaders Companion for beaders, this book is a one-stop information station for anyone interested in knowing how to cut, pierce, file, anneal, solder, polish or rivet metal. The bonus here is the chapter upon chapter of great ideas for anyone curious to learn about incorporating plastics, rubber, fabric, paper, wood, and even concrete into jewelry design. I know this one will become dog-eared in my studio. I’d highly recommend you check it out, too.

Inspired Surface Design Techniques

One of my favorite parts of The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques is a section at the back called “Decorative Effects”. It features rows of simple photos of different hammered, stitched, wired, printed, rolled, and other surface applications. This section was so inspirational to me that I sat down and did a few of my own “Surface Design Studies” on some aluminum foiling. Check them out:

Hammered with the round end of a ball-peen hammer.	Hammered with the textured edge of a jeweler’s hammer.

Folded, opened, and flattened with my fingers.	Leather scrap added with an eyelet.

Layered with lace and spray-painted.	Punched with a paper punch; yarn threaded through.

Drawn with a pencil.	Hammered with a rubber mallet over a metal form.

Sanded with 320-grit sandpaper while holding.	Sanded with steel wool on a flat surface.

Colored with permanent marker, then sanded while holding.

Hey—that was fun! I think I’ll pack these into a plastic zip bag and tuck them in my design journal for future reference. Or perhaps I’ll play a little more, using one of them as a background in a collage pendant. Or maybe I’ll simply cut them into charm shapes, cover in resin, and make a bracelet. What would you do? Please share your comments with us.

How to Attach Metal Clasps to Beadwork

Michelle M. — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:13:00 GMT

Between working more than a full-time job, slinging hash several times a day for the family, and geez, just simple personal hygiene, I have a hard time keeping up with what’s going on in the outside world. I usually get to the newspaper a day late and don’t think I’ve watched television for months. So it’s no wonder why I don’t know who Jon and Kate are and why they’re breaking up. ...(read more)

How to Package Your Designs for Bead Shows or Magazines

Michelle M. — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:58:00 GMT

Well, I’ve got my tickets and hotel booked to go to Bead Fest Portland. I can’t wait! I get to spend 4 days beading with a bunch of other happy, eager beaders. I don’t know about you, but that’s simply heaven to me, and the fact that Portland is such a beautiful city is just icing on the cake....(read more)

5 Ways to Wear a Brooch

Michelle M. — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:39:00 GMT

Ay . . . Me wee lass and I attended a Celtic festival over the weekend. It was a sunny celebration that included toe-dancing girls with bouncing curls, haunting bagpipe tunes, monstrous yet noble hounds, and muscular legs protruding from woolen plaid skirts. Other than the point at which I unwittingly headed a speeding rugby ball (ouch!), it was a pretty mellow time. In another life I may have headed to the Jameson’s booth to soothe such a head injury, but that’s not quite my thing anymore (especially with preteen daughter in tow), so we headed to the shopping tents instead. We encountered the expected piles of tams, namesake key chains, and St. Patrick’s Prayer throws, but you know what struck me most? The many vendors selling brooches: ornate gem-encrusted ones, stamped ones, and simple wire ones. ...(read more)

Learn How to Tie a Sliding Knot

Michelle M. — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:32:00 GMT

Falling in Love with Beads

I was lying awake in the dark this morning thinking about the first time I really fell in love with beads. Oh, I’d learned how to string macaroni on yarn and fell in love with the process of beading pretty early on, but I’m talking about really falling in love with the beads themselves. And, as often happens in the middle light of a groggy dawn, I had the most wonderful memory.

When I was about 8, my brother had a friend, Al, who was just like family. You know, the kind who walks in the front door unannounced, opens the fridge, and asks “What’s for dinner?” Al was like a brother to all of us, and when he took a trip to Peru he brought back gifts for the entire family. I received a leather cord bracelet with large wooden beads.

Knowing what I know now, the bracelet probably came from a street vendor who had a thousand of them for just céntimos a piece. But at the time I thought this bracelet was magical. The beads were plain: dark brown, wooden, with one simple circle carved into each. They felt very exotic and, in our family of seven kids, there wasn’t a whole lot of exotic to go around the table.

I had a hard time figuring out how to put the thing on, though. It had a sliding knot clasp that I’d never seen, and my exotic deprived family members certainly weren’t any help. It wasn’t until Al came over again to show me how to slide the knots toward each other to loosen it, away from each other to open it, that I could put it on. I loved this bracelet and wore it until it fell apart. It looked great with my purple bell-bottoms and Holly Hobbie sweatshirt.

How to Tie a Sliding Knot

Tying a sliding knot is a little tricky, but a great technique to add to your bag of tricks, especially if you use leather or satin cording. If you don’t use cording that often, you might want to consider incorporating it into your stash. It adds a different texture to jewelry and is quite inexpensive. Designers such as Candie Cooper, who used it in her Sunny in the Outback necklace for Stringing Summer 2009, make me want to run out and buy a whole host of cord colors. And in that same issue, Margaret Sherman shows off a great-looking bracelet that incorporates both leather cord and wire, giving me ample ideas for other finishing techniques. Why not subscribe to Stringing and be inspired, too?

While you’re waiting for your first issue of Stringing to arrive, pull out some leather cord and try this knot. It can be done in a couple different ways, but here’s how I do it:

	1. Measure your desired bracelet or necklace length and double it (or triple it if you want the knots to sit fairly close to one another when the piece is worn). Cut that length of cord. String any wide-holed beads you want to add to the cord.
	2. Loop the cord into a circle. Grasp the cord that’s lying on top 5" from its end; make a fold so the cord bends back onto itself (this will be your working cord). You’ll have 3 cords side by side.
	3. Loop the working cord around, to the back, and underneath the other cords.
	4. Wrap the working cord around the other cords again. Note that you’re moving away from the bend, not toward it.
	5. Make at least 2 more wraps as before. Be sure you’re wrapping 2 cords, not just 1.
	6. Pass the working cord’s end through the wrapping, exiting from the initial bend.
	7. Pull the working cord’s end to tighten the knot.
	8. Turn the piece over. Repeat Steps 2 to 7 to form a second knot.
	9. Trim the cord ends close to the knots. Slide the knots along the cord to open and close the piece.

Pretty cool, eh? Did you already know this knot? If so, what have you used it on? Share your knottiness on the website. In the meantime, I think I’ll put this bracelet on and see if I can rustle up some cola-flavored Bonnie Bell lip gloss, just for old time’s sake.