Arabic motif bracelet

Apparently I didn't manage to write a blog in April.  I don't know what happened to the month.  It was here, I blinked, and it was gone.  Only the bills remain.

from a La Bella Joya pattern: Arabic Motifs

I loved the colors in Marcie's piece and had to make one myself.  Actually this is the second one I made.  The first I completed a few years ago, but I used thread that was a little too light weight and had problems with the aventurine beads breaking the thread.  For this piece I used 4 mm aquamarine and 6 lb. Fireline.  No problems.

I hoarded this aquamarine for years - it is much prettier in person

Gwen Fisher commented that she saw a similarity to the Archimedes Star in this design.  I see it too.  All the little triads and groupings of six.  I have been reading Gwen's article "Using tiling theory to generate angle weaves with beads" and am excited about thinking through angle weaves (RAW, CRAW, MRAW) in a new way.  I am a very big picture person - I like to understand how everything fits together before I start exploring details - and this article helps me wrap my mind around the weave and imagine possibilities.

Miriam's Garden

This piece is based on the Carole Horn Neptune's Garden bracelet from the December 2011 Bead & Button.  I used the size 8/0's listed in the magazine for the diagonal peyote base, rolled the edges, added three Czech floral buttons for the closure, and then went all Miriam Haskell adding beaded flowers and leaves until I had a corsage bracelet.  I think this piece went from being Neptune's Garden to Miriam's Garden.

The 8/0 peyote base is very supple even though I stitched it with 8 lb. Fireline.  It was easy to add the embellishments to the base because of the large 8/0 holes.  I tried to get a good balance between matte and shiny beads.  I even found a spot to add a pearl.

loops on the right for fastening to the three floral buttons at the far end

looking into the garden

Saw it and made it

How much time do you spend perusing Pinterest?  I spend a little too much time being dazzled by the gorgeous beadwork I find.  I thought I'd better start making some pieces I'd seen on Pinterest to justify the time investment.

saw it and made it

One of my favorite wearable pieces is this bracelet by Lucila based on a pattern by Amparo Santos aka Quimeras on Etsy.  Every few days I would see it again and finally I decided to make my own.  I went to Lucila's blog and saw that the base component was designed by Amparo Santos whose patterns I have used before. 

source

Lucila found her amazing turquoise in Puerto Rico, but on my limited budget, I used turquoise dyed magnesite 8mm and 4mm beads.

my version

When I bought the magnesite, I found these matching quatrefoil beads and decided to use the as clasps.  Somehow they managed to perfectly fit.  Although Lucila finished her bracelet with coral beads, I wanted to keep a simpler color palette and stitched the 4mm's a bit more tightly together.

 

This piece is really a labor of love.  Each component with a bezeled 8mm bead surrounded by four 4mm is an individual piece.  There are 33 of these components stitched together!

Saw something on Pinterest and made it: Check.

Galaxy Beads

I guess February 2010 was a good month for beading magazines because the Bead & Button Feb 2010 also has at least three designs I stitched.  This issue was just about the time I started bead weaving and two of the very first pieces I made came from its pages.

my second piece - a cute Beth Stone herringbone bracelet

a Smadar Grossman design

But all the time I was going through the pages of this issue, I had my eye on the Galaxy Bead by Gill Slone.  It seemed impossibly complicated and so far past what I might ever be able to do.  This fall I thumbed through all my beading magazines and saw the pattern again.  And it didn't seem that complicated!  It appeared to be something I could do.  So I rolled out a couple of Galaxy Beads.

in sapphire and silver

in heliotrope, bronze, and pearly white

My continuing love affair with Beadwork Feb/March 2010

During the fall I made three bracelets from the Beadwork Feb/March 2010 issue.  My first was this piece by Lynn Davy , the next was this Carole Ohl Kaleidescope Quilt Cuff, and the third is a yet to be photographed brick stitch cuff by Rachel Nelson-Smith.

little peyote triangles

From these triangles I went on to the peyote squares in another Carole Ohl design, Camelot Cross.

the first colorway...

...and the second

I've got to give this a try using some stones instead of crystals.  I love making the super sparklies, but I really don't wear them as much as pieces made with more down to Earth materials.

La Bella Joya Celebration Giveaway

Run to Marcie's blog and enter her nesting bracelet giveaway.  This piece is such a stunning and feminine combination of the matte seed beads and beautiful stones that she uses.  She is drawing a winner on Sunday.

Little Lavender Nests

Take the time to check out her Etsy store and tutorials.  She is offering a discount to celebrate her 300th sale!