Geometric Peyote Stitch Bracelet

I actually made this bracelet in January, but I've waited to post about it because I was planning to write a pattern and create a chart for it. Since that hasn't happened, I decided to post the pictures, and if I do write up the pattern later, I'll post it then.

This actually has an even longer history than the 11 months it's been waiting for me to post about it. Before that a friend commissioned me to make a bracelet to go with a necklace he already had. My first creation was this netted bracelet (there is more information on it in my old blog).

It broke soon after I made it, so I repaired it. It broke again. I blamed the way I'd attached the clasp and repaired it, adding a beaded clasp in the process. It broke again. I thought maybe the  hematite beads were cutting the Nymo I normally use for netting, so I remade it altogether using Fireline instead. It broke again. I howled in frustration and decided it was time to go back to the drawing board for a whole new design.

And this was the result. I used Toho Treasure Japanese cylinder beads in matte black and gun metal and used the same bicone hematite beads from the original design. I've found peyote stitch to make very sturdy bracelets in the past, and this one has held up well also. Just in case the hematite beads do have a sharp edge, I used Fireline again to make this.

I used a sterling silver slide lock clasp with bars for attaching the beading. I absolutely love these for peyote stitch bracelets, since it allows for attaching a metal clasp very securely by wrapping part of the body of the bracelet around the bar and stitching it closed.

I'm pleased to report that this design seems to be more durable and has held up to repeated wear. While I was pretty frustrated with the original bracelet, it worked out in the end, since this design suits the style of the wearer and the inspiration bracelet much better. It was also fun designing a peyote pattern, working out how to include the bicone beads, and working in odd count peyote for the first time. I've been pretty intimidated by it for a long time, but it turned out to be easier than I'd thought. So, this was a great learning project in a lot of ways.

Fairy Treasure Necklace

Fairies are one of my things; I love fairy mythology and art. So, when I traveled to Minneapolis for business this summer and saw this pendant in a bead shop, I had to have it.

Once I had the pendant (which is also available online, for example here or here), it took a while for me to build a necklace around it because I wanted to do something special with it. Ultimately, I decided to use brass chain and metal components along with Czech glass leaves and flowers, which are some of my favorite beads to work with.

This is the result. I threw in some glass and aventurine beads to round things out, and, unusually for me, laid them out in an asymmetrical design.

I really love the final necklace; it's one of my favorite things that I've made for myself. It's also turned out to be one of the most attention grabbing, as I've gotten lots of compliments and questions about it. One of the questions I often am asked is what's inside it. The truth is, I haven't decided to put in there. I've thought about putting in a few drops of some of my favorite essential oils or thoughts and meditations on small pieces of paper, but I haven't hit on the right idea this yet. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any thoughts.

Turquoise Cabochon Revisited

My main craft project right now is A) big and B) for an event that won't take place for a while. So, in the meantime, my posting may slow down a little. On the other hand, I recently reorganized my jewelry and realized that there were some pieces that either need repair or changes. I'll be working on those one at a time when I need a break from my big project, and I'll post them if I feel like they're interesting.

I originally made this turquoise cabochon pendant back in 2007, very soon after learning this beaded cabochon technique using bead embroidery to create a bezel around the cab.

My photography skills have also improved.

I hung the pendant from a single strand of suede cord, but I've never felt like that cord was dramatic enough to go with the pendant; it's just not visually balanced. To achieve the needed balance, I've added to more strands to the necklace.

As you can (hopefully) see, the new version looks more cohesive. It also feels more substantial to wear, which I like. One of the new strands is a round leather cord and the other is a strand of seed beads that match the cabochon beading.

The cabochon itself is turquoise, with beading done in brown and turquoise Czech glass seed beads.

Going Away Bracelets - Hers

As I mentioned in an earlier post, some good friends recently moved away, and I made them both bracelets to help them keep their old home close. This bracelet is the one I made for the inimitable lady and DVM of the house.

For the beads, I chose some irregular oval-shaped beads in a dark green variety of aventurine, some similarly irregular rectangles of garnet, and some faceted sterling silver cubes. All of them are randomly strung on beading wire and attached with a sterling multi-strand clasp. The clasp had a chain to adjust the fit, so I added a little garnet dangle to the end to tie it all together.

The recipient of this bracelet was thrilled with it, so I am too!

Going Away Bracelets - His

I made this bracelet for the male half of a couple of dear friends who have moved far away. I also made his wife a bracelet that I'll show off in another post so that they'd each have a little something to remind them of friends back here. So far, their new adventures seem to be going well, and I couldn't be happier for them!

The large cube beads are several different varieties of jasper. They're strung on beading wire with round wood beads as spacers. The band of the bracelet is leather cord, doubled over and tied with an adjustable knot.

Turquoise Woman Power

I made this set for a friend who's always liked delicate jewelry. The pendant, which is about 1.5 inches long, and the roundel beads are both made of turquoise.

As usual, I used sterling silver wire and findings to assemble the jewelry. Unlike the other piece I made in the same time frame, with this one, the non-working end of the wire goes all the way through to the wire wrap on this one.

Smoky Quartz Pendant

I made this as a Christmas gift as a friend. It was quite a while ago, and I think that the wire wrap did not hold up well. I'd like to find a way to achieve a similar look in a sturdier way.

The both stones are faceted smoky quartz, and I used 24 gauge sterling silver wire to create the wire wrap. I made the wire wrap with the stone in the middle by starting out as a normal wire wrap then inserting the smaller bead on top of the "stem." The non-working end wouldn't go all the way back up through the smaller bead, but it seemed securely held so I wrapped the top tightly hoping the pressure would keep it that way. Apparently it popped back out later :( . I guess I should have just made the smaller bead a separate link with it's own wrap.

Ukranian Netting

Perhaps my favorite bead work technique, hand-woven netting uses a needle, thread, and seed beads to create intricate patterns. Russia and the Ukraine are particularly known for this kind of bead work, so I decided to make a necklace using some traditional colors and patterns from that region.

I made this necklace using size 11 Czech glass seed beads in matte black, opaque red, and matte silver-lined gold from the pattern Netted Diamonds by Maria Rypan.

Like several of my other favorite netting patterns, this one uses the ratio of the beads in the top of each row to those in the bottom to give the necklace a natural curve.

A loop and toggle closure is my preferred technique for finishing woven bead necklaces. I find it's more secure since it can be created continuously from the same thread and beads as the rest of the piece. I also like to alternate the bead colors on the clasp, just to give it a little something of my own.

Fall Tiara and Barrette

I've been taking a little hiatus from it lately, but beading has been my primary crafty outlet for several years now. I think I needed a little creative energy boost because now that I've been crocheting and doing a few other crafty things, I'm starting to think of new beading projects I want to work on.  In the meantime, I'm going to share a few of my more recent past beading projects.

I made this tiara for my friend Heather Lickliter of  Stylized Portraiture. Heather takes amazing pictures, and specializes in fairytale portraits for little girls. You can see some examples of her work (including this tiara!) at Fairyography.com.

Heather particularly wanted something with an organic look and feel for her tiaras, so I came up with this design, and I've made it in a couple of colors. For this one, I used copper craft wire in two sizes to create the base and the branches. I embellished the branches with amber glass tear drops and dark brown freshwater pearls.

The back of the tiara is embellished with ribbons finished with the same beads used in the body of the tiara.

I made this matching barrette to finish the set. I really love seeing my work in Heather's, which is amazingly beautiful and creative. One of these days, maybe I'll talk her into doing a few "big girl" fairytale photos. :)