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I don't know about anyone else, but when I make a piece of beadwork I usually spend a lot of hours on it. There's the design process itself, which can take lots of time and require many sketches. I take the time to make sure that my thread tails are woven in and trimmed so that they don't...
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Having grown up in Minnetonka, Minnesota (yes, where Tonka trucks and Minnetonka Moccasins are born), now living in Colorado, I've been surrounded by Native American influences all my life. I remember stumbling upon old redware pottery shards and arrowheads while camping as a kid. I never did discover...
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4 Ways to Say Stop From stopping wayward advances . . . When I was in college, I studied for a summer in England. Medieval Architecture. I learned a lot, of course, but the real reason I went across the drink was to see the world. I spent my summer session in Birmingham and its surroundings but was eager...
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Exercise Your Gray Matter with Off-Loom Beadwork “Pass through 5B; *square-stitch 1E to 3B. Weave through 7B; add 3B picots to the next 2B and the following 2B. Repeat from * fifteen times.” Am I speaking another language here? Yes; Beaderese . Does it give you a headache to read? Of course...
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I'll never forget the first time I heard back from a magazine editor that she wanted to buy one of my designs. Luckily, the acceptance came by e-mail, not phone, so the editor's hearing wasn't permanently damaged by my shriek of joy. I had no inside connections, no prior publications or jewelry...
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Beadwork Pattern Play Challenge Deadline: August 3, 2009 Did you enjoy seeing how five designers created projects inspired by swatches of pattern in the June/July issue of Beadwork (page 56, Pattern Play Challenge)? Did you check out the two free charts of MaryLou Holvenstot's Limelight Leopard in...
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Michelle Mach
on
Apr 29, 2009
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Bead Embroidery, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beads, Beading Daily
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4 Ways to Finish Flat Peyote Stitch One of the most common questions I receive (other than “What’s for dinner?”) is “How do I finish a flat peyote-stitched bracelet so I can wear it?” As with most beadwork projects, there are a hundred ways to skin this potato, and those...
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Beading Daily readers are full of questions! I was reminded of this when editor Michelle Mach sent me dozens of your questions this month, ranging anywhere from “How do I hang an 18mm heart pendant? Jump rings don’t seem to work.” (use a pinch or prong bail instead) to “How do...
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Michelle Mach
on
Jan 21, 2009
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, Right Angle Weave, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beads, Beading Daily
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Resolve to Learn African Helix Next Year It’s a cliché and dorky tradition, but my husband and I light a candle and make resolutions on New Year’s Eve. We’re each allowed only one. And those amorphous “I’m going to eat healthier” or “I will strive to be...
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Michelle Mach
on
Dec 17, 2008
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Filed under: Bead Crochet, Bead Making, Brick Stitch, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beads, Beading Daily
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Creating a Personalized Gift One of the best things about being able to design jewelry is to be able to create a personalized, unique gift especially for a specific person. When a good friend of mine adopted her second child from China, I created a pair of earrings for her that combined mahogany obsidian...
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Michelle Mach
on
Jun 6, 2008
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Filed under: Gemstones, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Necklace Making, metalsmithing, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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I asked our Bead Fest instructors to share some of their top beading tips. From beadweaving to wirework to keeping track of your projects, you'll find all sorts of great ideas to make your beading better. Click on the links to learn more about the instructors and see a list of their classes.--Michelle...
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How To
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Jason
on
May 15, 2008
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Filed under: Herringbone Stitch, Bead Knitting, Wire Jewelry, Bead Making, Bead-weaving, How To Bead, Polymer Clay Beads, Chain Maille, Native American Beadwork, Beading Daily, Beads
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Creating the Flower Girl Barrette Writers are often advised to imagine their ideal reader and write for that person. A recent Beadwork challenge proved to me that this advice could be adapted for jewelry designers as well. Free Project: Flower Girl Barrette by Michelle Mach For the February/March Beadwork...
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MichelleM
on
Jan 20, 2008
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Brick Stitch, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beaded Wedding Jewelry, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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Results of the Kitchen Table Poll, or The Very Strange Domestic Habits of Beaders This poll made me feel like I was channeling Margaret Mead! I learned so much about your your cats, your houses, your families, and, oh yeah, your beading habits . . . It all started with an innocent question: Do you use...
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MichelleM
on
Nov 1, 2007
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Copper, silver, brass, or ? I'm going through a copper phase. The last few necklaces I've made (including "September" pictured at left) have all used copper. I'd blame it on fall--this time of year always makes me want to wear brown or golden colors--except that I've been favoring...
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MichelleM
on
Sep 30, 2007
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Filed under: Pearls, Bead Crochet, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Brick Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Earring Making, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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The Challenge The idea behind the Beadwork challenge is simple: give different designers the same materials and see what they create. The August/September 2007 kit was from Lady Bug Beads and contained seed beads, Czech pressed-glass beads, crystal bicones, pearls, copper beads, and chain. The Beadwork...
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Daily Blogs
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MichelleM
on
Jun 26, 2007
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Bead Crafts, Beads, Beading Daily