Inside Beadwork Magazine : bead crafts

Stitch Pro: Threading the Needle

Jean Campbell — Thu, 30 May 2013 09:23:00 GMT

There's always something to learn, isn't there? Even though you've been beading for decades, you can still learn a little something about your craft. And that little something might be about simply threading a needle.

I've been giving tips about needle-threading to my students for a long time. These tips include:

-Never do the cartoon-version of threading a needle by holding the needle out in front of you, biting your tongue, closing one eye, and aiming the thread end in the general direction of the needle! Instead, hold the thread between the thumb and forefinger of your non-dominant hand so just a speck of thread shows; place the needle eye on that speck with your dominant hand while you scooch (technical term) the thread through the eye.

-Wax the thread well, then use sharp scissors to cut the thread at an angle, making it easier to guide the thread through the hole.

-Employ chain-nose pliers to squoosh (another technical term) the end of the thread, making it very flat to mimic the needle hole's shape (which is oval, not round). This works especially well for braided beading thread, which can be beefy and round at the end after it's cut.

-Try using a needle threader.

But my latest advice is this: After too many frustrating attempts at threading a needle, just try turning it over so the other side of the eye faces up. Why might this work? I'll tell you: When needles are made in a factory, the eyes are punched with a machine. You might have to get out your microscopic lens to see the difference, but when they punch the hole, they've created a convex and a concave side. The concave side, since it's cupped, is naturally easier to thread because the hole holds the thread end in, helping guide the thread through.

Do you have other tips you'd like to share for threading needles? Do it right now, right here on the Inside Beadwork magazine blog!

Happy beading-

Jean Campbell

Senior editor, Beadwork magazine

Brand New: Quick & Easy Beadwork

Kate Wilson — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT

Desert Thistle Earrings by Kristen Winter
Feb/March 2013 Beadwork

We're so excited to announce that we're now accepting submissions for our first-ever Quick & Easy Beadwork, a special issue from the editors of Beadwork magazine! Many of today's hottest fashion trends incorporate stylish beadwoven jewelry that can be worn every day--and can be made in a day or less. And that's just what we're bringing to you. This issue will include pieces that beaders of all experience levels can enjoy--from
DIY-ers who've never beaded before and are looking for a new craft to experienced designers who'd like a quick weekend project to wear to a party or whip up as a gift. We want to see simple techniques (peyote, herringbone, brick, right-angle weave, and/or square stitches) used in fresh and interesting ways that are fun to make and wear. This is your chance to invoke your inner fashionista and put your beading needles to work!

Swingin' Bugle Cuff by Cathi Tessier
June/July 2012 Beadwork

Keep in mind: We do not accept projects that have been previously published in books and magazines or on websites (even Etsy). If any portion of your submission has been published previously, please let us know when and where. Also, your submission MUST represent your original work--it is both unethical and undesirable to submit a project that you have learned or copied from someone else.

Submissions deadline: We are accepting emailed submissions now through March 25, 2013, and we may request that you send in the actual piece before a final decision is made. Visit beadworkmagazine.com/submissions for complete submission guidelines.

We so look forward to seeing your creations!

Bead chic,

Kate Wilson
Project Editor

Stitch Pro: Stitch a Beaded Snowflake

Jean Campbell — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 10:30:00 GMT

I found myself uncharacteristically bah-humbuggy when the holidays started revving up this year. I think it all started when I went to the hardware store in October. "Christmas music. Really? Here? Among the plungers and scroll saws? Grr. Aren't there more important things in the world to focus on than inflatable Santas and light-up 3-foot candy canes?" I stomped around with this grouchy attitude for a few weeks, and then something happened... I went across town to my brother's house to babysit his little ones. When I arrived, the 3-year-old was hiding behind the couch. He made a funny noise and popped his hand up so that I could see the paper snowflake he was holding. At the same time, the 1-year-old crawled around from behind their magnificently twinkling Christmas tree, and, in a truly Susie Lou Who moment, she squealed with delight to see me. I could hear the ice cracking in my stony Grinchy heart as it grew two sizes that day, and today my home is festooned with trees and snowflakes and the air smells like freshly baked sugar cookies.

Like in the Dr. Seuss tale, holiday joy (or heck, even grumpiness!) can't be about commercialism... The holidays are about slowing down, appreciating our bounty, looking inside, feeding our spirits, and then shining our very best until it's infectious. So it's in this spirit of warmth and giving that I want to share this beaded snowflake design (just picture me hiding behind the couch, popping my hand up with a garland of these to cheer you on).

Materials

Silver size 15° seed beads

Silver size 11° seed beads

Cream size 6° baroque seed beads

Crystal AB 4mm crystal bicones

Silver ear wires

Clear 6 lb braided beading thread

Round 1: Use 2' of doubled thread to string 6 size 6° seed beads, leaving a 2" tail. Tie a knot with the working and tail thread to form a tight circle. Pass through all the beads again several times, pulling with each pass so the tail gets pulled inside the beads.

Round 2: String 1 size 11° seed bead and pass through the next size 6° seed bead; repeat five times. Step up through a size 6°.

Round 3: String 2 size 11° seed beads, 1 bicone, and 3 size 11° seed beads, then pass back through the bicone. String 1 size 11° seed bead and pass through the next size 6°, pulling tightly to form a fringe. Repeat this entire section five times for a total of 6 fringes. Exit from a size 6° seed bead.

Round 4: String 1 size 11° seed bead and pass through the next size 6° seed bead; repeat five times, taking care that the beads of this round all sit on the same side of the beadwork.

Note: If you're just making the snowflake (for an ornament, gift embellishment, or garland, etc.), you may secure the thread and trim it now. For an earring, continue on...

Loop (for an earring): Weave through beads to exit from a size 11° seed bead at the tip of a fringe added in Round 3. String 5 size 15° seed beads and pass through the last size 11° exited; repeat the thread path to reinforce. Secure the thread and trim. Add an ear wire to the loop.

Variation: This is just a basic design, but like snowflakes, there is lots of room for variation. In this more elaborate version, I made longer fringes in Round 3, then connected them with more of those pretty baroque seed beads to make a more dimensional design.

Happy holidays and happy beading!

-Jean Campbell, Senior editor, Beadwork magazine

How to Oxidize Metal with a Hard-Boiled Egg

Melinda Barta — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:28:00 GMT

Lately I've been playing around with combining wire and seed beads in my jewelry designs and found this quick, affordable, and nontoxic way to color sterling silver wire and findings. I used to mix up batches of liver of sulfur to oxidize, but that's literally a stinky process that takes longer and leaves you with a somewhat toxic mixture to dispose of later. Plus, eggs are always handy and cheap!

	1) First, I coiled up 24-gauge sterling silver wire, gathered it with a twisty tie, and taped the ends of the tie to the lid of a plastic container. This allowed me to suspend the wire over the egg. You can put the metal right in the egg, if you wish, but sometimes that can result in spots and more clean up.
	2) Smash a hard-boiled egg in the bottom of the container. There's no need to remove the shell.
	3) Here you can see the steam from the egg that was still warm-using a warm egg helps the process.
	4) After just 30 minutes you can see the color start to develop nicely.
	5) Oops, toddler on the loose--guess we'll shake the container and cover the wire with egg after all!
	6) Time to wash up with everyday dish soap. Since the wire was a nice color after just 30 minutes, I could have removed it then. However, since I wanted it a bit darker, I waited over an hour before clean up. You can always use a polishing cloth to lighten the wire.
	7) The result! Since you're all too familiar with how AB-finish seed beads show an amazing rainbow of color, I know you'll appreciate this finished wire's subtle hints of purple and red. Keep an eye out for how I'll use this wire in a future issue of Beadwork magazine.

This process is great for sterling silver and also works on copper (but not copper-coated craft wire or gold). For brass you'll need to use patina. When oxidizing crimp tubes, crimp covers, beads, and ear wires, I like to string them on sewing thread and then tape the thread ends to the lip of a glass jar-suspended above the egg. You can also use this thread trick when dipping items in liver of sulfur.

For more information on liver of sulfur and other oxidizing materials (as well as painting and caring for metals), check out Mixed Metals, a book I coauthored with Danielle Fox.
Have fun!
Melinda

Stitch Pro: A Traveling Healing Bracelet Stops at my House

Jean Campbell — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:30:00 GMT

As you've read in a previous post by Mallory Leonard, Sig Wynne Evans has developed a wonderful round robin of healing with her Traveling Bracelets Project.

Mallory's blog inspired Sig to design another bracelet that would begin with an Interweaver, and I was lucky enough to be the first recipient. Sig wrote in her note to me that the folks at Interweave "suggested that since you love the lakes and outdoors, perhaps I could design one with that in mind. So...I chose to design the bracelet with (your) state bird and flower." I can't think of a nicer combo: the showy lady slipper and the loon are two great images (and heck, they may even be symbols of my personality?). This was an extra-special treat for me because I got to live with the Alpine bracelet a couple weeks prior, after recouping from surgery. I guess someone knew I still needed a little more healing.

Part of Sig's program is that you wear the traveling bracelet wherever you go for one week, taking photos and telling the story about your week. By wearing the bracelet, you not only take in the healing powers that Sig put into it while making it, but you add your own good energy for the next folks who wear it. So here's the story I shared with Sig:

It was a big work week, but on the weekend my sweetie Mark and I took a trip to Northfield, Minnesota. This sweet little town, home of Carlton and St. Olaf Colleges, is about an hour south of Minneapolis, where I live. (Boy, I knew menopause would be rough, but I didn't think my arms would get quite so hairy!)

It was an amazing autumn day. Overcast with interesting cloud formations and the landscape was dotted with beautiful fall colors.

We went to an art crawl there and saw our friend Heather Lawrence, a wonderful jeweler and artist.

The best part of the day was the little apple orchard where we stopped. They were selling apples, pumpkins...

...and apple mini-donuts! (Pretty sure that wearing the Minnesota bracelet made them calorie- and gluten-free.)

It was a lovely trek through the Minnesota heartland while wearing the Minnesota bracelet. While I got to live with it I did my best to add to the already good energy that Sig gave the bracelet. By being in its "home state", I hope the bracelet soaked up the healing powers of the place: The cool, crisp, clean air that comes with fall and winter and the promise of rebirth that comes with spring and summer. Thanks, Sig, for sharing yet another one of your beauties with the world!

From One New Beader to Another

Kate Wilson — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Although I've made strung jewelry for years, I'm pretty green when it comes to beadweaving. I've quickly fallen in love with the craft, but also hit some frustrating walls I've had to climb along the way.

I have the luxury of endless learning resources around me, but, like many new beaders, I've faced some trials and errors. During my bumps in the road, I compiled this short list of must-have and must-do advice for the beginning beader. If you're a seasoned beader, you can pass these on to friends who are just starting-or, give them to newbies as gifts!

1. Invest in a beading mat. When I first started, I tried using a tray I had from stringing necklaces. I became increasingly annoyed as tiny seed beads rolled down the crevices as I tried to string them. My editor gave me a beading mat, and it changed my life. I can't express enough how much a difference it makes. The mat holds my beads in place as I thread them onto my needle. I will never bead without one again.

2. Don't run before you walk. A mistake I've made is trying long, intricate projects before I'd completed simple ones. The minute I'd learn a new stitch, I'd practice 3 or 4 rows of it, then want to complete a whole necklace or bracelet. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to instantly create projects that beaders with years of experience were creating. Although I was able to work through such projects, I found many mistakes and spent a lot of hours correcting errors. My husband reminded me that it took other beaders years to reach that level of excellence, and I can't expect that perfect quality from myself just days into learning. While it's great to aspire toward beautiful beadwork, give yourself time and lots of practice before moving on to advanced pieces.

3. Find a mentor. I'm fortunate to have my own personal beading guru, Beadwork Editor Melinda Barta, hanging around and helping me out. Not only have I watched all her instructional DVDs, but I'm always showing her my work and asking how I can improve. Face time with her has made a significant difference to my learning curve. And I email her questions often. Recently I sent an email that said "The end of my square stitches look like herringbone. Any advice?" She quickly responded and I was able to correct my mistake right away and move on. If you don't know anyone who fits the beading-mentor bill, take a class or join a beading group. Or, invest in Melinda Barta's DVDs. They're great tools and I wouldn't have learned so quickly without them.

4. Beader's Companion. I can't live without it. This isn't a sales pitch-The Beader's Companion by Judith Durant and Jean Campbell is just what it claims: a companion. I use it nearly every day in my job and while creating projects. When I want to buy a particular shape of bead, I flip to page 13 to see what name to search for. When I'm trying to decide what stitch to use in a design, I refer to the "off-loom stitches" section. This book is one of the most valuable tools I possess.

5. Thread conditioner. Another life-changing item. I've read online forum conversations where some participants said they don't think thread conditioner makes a difference. I'm not disputing that it's a personal preference, but I think it's beyond useful. I started beadweaving with nylon thread, which often became knotted, split, and frayed. It was especially hard to use with long pieces of working thread, and I couldn't keep it from getting messy. I started using Thread Heaven, and I wouldn't be without it now. I've since switched to FireLine thread, which I think is more workable than nylon threads, and I still use my conditioner with it sometimes. Many experienced beaders prefer beeswax, which is an equally viable option. Either way, I recommend using something to tame those wild threads.

These are just a few things I strongly recommend for beginners. I'll be sure to share my quips and new knowledge along the way as I learn.

Are there any items, tricks, or advice that has made your projects easier? We want to hear from you! Use the comment section below to share your best beading wisdom.

Happy Beading!

Kate Wilson
Project Editor

Bead Chic with Beaded Beads

Kate Wilson — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMT

There is something so appealing about a beaded bead: It can sparkle with simple elegance or it can demand attention the moment you enter a room. The beaded bead can change your entire look with one color or with a multihued pattern. It's one of the easiest ways to add a little extra charm to a piece of jewelry, and it's nearly impossible to overdo. From the first time I stitched one of these beadwoven wonders, I was hooked.

For my Challenge piece in the upcoming December/January issue of Beadwork, I knew I had to incorporate a simple beaded bead into the necklace I made to balance out the larger, flashier pendant I'd stitched. I chose Melinda Barta's Seeing Stars design, Bead One of the Beaded Bead Contest, from the February/March 2012 issue of Beadwork. I used soft gold-lined clear seed beads around a light brown crystal pearl. I plan to create another one of this version of the beaded bead to use as a focal on a simple gold chain--which I'll pair with a little black dress for holiday parties this year.

How are you using beaded beads in your designs? How do you make these small components stand out in your pieces?

We want YOU to help us celebrate our 15th anniversary by entering Beadwork's Beaded Bead Contest. Each of the five 2012 issues of Beadwork magazine includes a beaded bead project (February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September, and October/November). Share a piece of jewelry you made that incorporates at least one of each of the five anniversary beaded beads. The winning jewelry project, which will be chosen by BeadingDaily.com members, will be showcased in the February/March 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine.

CLICK HERE for more information about the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest. Submit your entries between October 22 and October 26, 2012. The time window for submissions is fast-approaching, so be ready to upload your photos!
Showcase your creativity with beaded beads!

Bead chic!

Kate Wilson
Project Editor

See more photos of our beaded beads HERE.

Welcome to Inside Beadwork Magazine

Melinda Barta — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Inside Beadwork Magazine! We couldn't be more excited to launch our new blog where, on a weekly basis, we'll bring you up-to-date community events, let you in behind the scenes, share the trends we spot, and simply chat about everything beads. We'd like to kick off our first blog by sharing a few fun facts about ourselves:

	Melinda Barta, Editor --I've tried just about every craft in the book, including glass blowing vases and bowls in 100 degree weather and Japanese embroidery that required magnifying glasses. I spent a semester assisting a blacksmith-I was his "striker," meaning I swung the hammer while he shaped the hot metal. My right arm was very strong! --I'm the proud parent of a sweet toddler--one of her first words is "beads"!! --I'm an avid skier and raced in downhill and cross country events in high school. Also, I've been known to skijor with my dog, Toby-we both don harnesses, join them with a long bungee cord, and I hang on tight as he runs and I skate on my cross-country skis through the woods.
	Jean Campbell, Senior Editor --I was in the corps de ballet for a classical Russian ballet company in my 20s, but my height made it necessary to often play men's roles. --Though I was tall as a ballerina, at 5' 8", I'm actually vertically challenged in my own family. My sister is 6' tall and my 4 brothers range in height from 6' 4" to 6' 8". --I can eat like a lumberjack with a tapeworm.
	Mallory Leonard, Associate Editor --Growing up, I'd miss the first month of school each year to tool around the country with my family in an RV, bagging history lessons on the road. By age 13, I'd been to all 50 states. --I'm a lifelong choirgirl and have sung in venues around the world, including in England, Italy, Korea, and Carnegie Hall. --Early in my college career, I went to culinary school on the East Coast, where I donned a wetsuit and joined the sailing team, and served chocolate on a silver platter to the Duchess of York (changing out of my wetsuit first, of course).
	Kate Wilson, Project Editor --I'm a foodie. I come from a huge Sicilian family who loves to eat, and our family events are always centered around food. Now I'm married into a family of professional chefs. I'm destined for gourmet goodness. --My husband taught me to fly fish, and now I have my own fly rod, waders, and boots. I can also tie my own flies, and I use many of the same materials that I use for beading. --I love crafting and editing for magazines, but once upon a time I was a wedding photographer. I still love photography, and pursue it passionately now as a hobby.

Thanks for joining us! Check back each Thursday and, in the meantime, keep in touch with us at www.beadworkmagazine.com/facebook. If you have community or charitable events you'd like mentioned here, email us at beadwork@interweave.com and include "Beadwork blog" in the subject line.