Pearl ring

I love pearls (doesn’t everyone?) I obviously have a bit of a stash and when I saw this pattern just had to make one:

The ring!

Take one larger pearl and thread. Add two clusters of three smaller ones.

Go around the surrounding pearls and add in two more smaller pearls to encase the larger pearl fully.

Add on 8 size 11 seed beads.

Thread up through the top bead. Repeat on both sides.

Repeat for the bottom.

Take both needles to the top. Add 5 seed beads to one needle and 2 to the other. Thread the right needle through the first three of the 5.

Continue this last step until the band is long enough.

Join to the pearl at the opposite side to where you started.

As I got this pattern from a Turkish site it took a little bit of patience from me to complete this but I think it was worth it?

Twin hole beaded flowers

Whilst browsing the internet recently I found a pattern for a phone charm using twin beads. This is the basic pattern:

A simple flower.

The silver bead at the top is my addition as I have had a play at finding ways to join the motifs together to make a bracelet. I have kept to the same ‘pattern’ of beads using the clear twin beads on the inside and the opaque ones in the outside. It took a bit of practice to get the join to my satisfaction but good things come to those who wait persevere.

Add ten beads and join to make a circle.

Take the needle through the top hole of the next bead.

In between each of the first beads add another bead.

When adding the last bead take the thread through the connecting bead again.

Finish the round off and take the thread around to the opposite side to start the new one off.

Three flowers joined together.

I have played with this a lot, even getting to the point where I started working out how to make the fastener. The trouble is there is something that I am not quite happy with. I think that I may take a bit of a break and come back to it in a week or so.

This is where I have got to so far.

Do you sometimes get stuck on projects that you are sure will work but are not quite going the way you would like them too?

 

A May Goddess Bracelet

Following my last post where I shared with you my love for the English countryside in May, I decided to make a bracelet that reflected the lovely vibrant greens that we see.

A green goddess bracelet.

This is really simple to make but one of my favourite effects. I simply used 2 leather lengths of leather cord (green), jump rings and a selection of green beads. A green button secures it.

I made it nice and long so that it wraps around the wrist a couple of times.

I know that I am going to enjoy wearing this throughout the summer, although I shall always be reminded of the lovely fresh greens of May.

Do you have a favourite month?

Diamond Beaded Earrings

This last week I have been working on beading techniques, and producing some lovely bits of jewellery as well (yes, I do say it myself!). Firstly I made some earrings:

The earrings.

In order to make these I had to master ladder stitch and brick stitch. It took a bit of practice but I managed it in the end as the photograph above shows.

Can you tell which one is my practice one? (the one on the left!)

As I mentioned the first stitch that I learnt how to do was the ladder weave. This was the starting point and was the way I built up the row of pearls in the middle.

1. Thread on 2 beads.

2. Bring the needle back up through the bottom of the first bead.

3. go back down the second bead. The two beads should sit together nicely.

4. Add a third bead.

5. Go down through the second bead again.

6. Now come up the bottom of the third bead.

The last three steps are repeated until you get the length you require.

For this pattern it was 7.

To begin with I found it tricky to get the holes all facing the same way (up and down and not facing the beads adjacent), with practice and a bit of manipulation this became easier. We are now ready to start the brick stitch. This is where you realise the importance of the position of the holes in the ladder stitch row as you thread the needle under the thread that runs along the top and bottom of the beads.

1. Thread 2 beads on the needle and insert the needle through the thread running between the two pearls.

2. Now bring the thread through the second of the two beads you just added.

3. You now continue adding 1 bead each time until you get to the end of the row.

Brick stitch automatically forms a triangle shape so you end up with a piece looking like this:

For these earrings I chose to add 4 pearls to the top as a loop to add the earring hook onto:

The thread has to be brought back down to the pearl row so you can complete another set of brick stitch:

This end I added a larger pearl sandwiched between two smaller ones as a final detail.

I have had real trouble with the photography of these earrings. I wish you could see the true colour of these earrings – they are a lovely bright green/turquoise colour and look amazing. I am really looking forward to the chance to wear these with a lovely summer dress. 😉

This is a pattern that I really like and shall be doing again. I have an idea for a bracelet………

The other stitch that I have been working on is right-angled weave which I shall be sharing with you very soon. I really hope that you are having a wonderful weekend and not eating too much chocolate.

Getting myself tied up in knots!

I am really enjoying my knotted jewellery at the moment. This one is a variation on the pearl one from last week, more knots and less beads. (I also have a little confession, due to not really having enough beading thread it, ummm, fell apart when I had finished it!) Oh well….the principle remains the same ;).

I again used my makeshift macrame board (i.e. my unused, clean cat litter tray and clips).

4 lengths of satin cord and 3 lengths of beading thread. 6 square knots on the left hand thread.

6 square knots on the right hand beading thread.

Moving one bead up and then 6 square knots on the centre thread.

Bead up on the left followed by 6 more square knots.

Repeat on the right.

 

To finish off tie some more square knots then tie some square knots over all of the remaining strands in the middle.

This is the finished bracelet. The beads should be in a diamond shape like the ones to the left but I have managed to pull them all out of shape!

I hope you get the general idea? There should not be all those gaps. Oooops.

 

Knotted Beaded Necklace

In my latest beading adventures I decided to try to have a go at my own version of this necklace from Whitestuff.

Should be fairy easy… Oh how wrong could I be?

After a fair amount of time I came up with this:

Not long enough, balanced enough……generally you get the idea?

I had another go, using all the things that I had learnt from the last time.

Longer, better spaced….

The back is finished off with square knots which means you can alter the length.

The perseverance was definitely worth it.

The finished, final version.

Summer Rings

Whilst at Spoilt Rotten Beads at the weekend I spotted a bargain. The sun was out and I was really drawn to the lovely bright summery colours:

Such lovely, bright colours

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them – make them into rings so I also bought some of this:

).8mm silver plated wire.

I made three rings:

Simple wire wrapped rings.

Can you see how I progressed?

The front view.

So which colour will you wear to bring on the summer?

(ironically I am writing this listening to the pitter patter of rain!) Bring on summer!

Bezelling

I have worked on another of my items from my to – do list…..working with beads without holes or cabochon’s. I found these amazing beads called luna soft cabochon.

They almost seem to have a light inside them (they don’t photograph that well). As there is no hole in them you have to make a ‘case’ for them using seed beads. To be honest, my first attempt is not quite what I was hoping for but I did learn the name for beading techniques along the way.

I started off with a ladder weave:

Ladder weave

I then added in some tiny size 15 seed beads.

Next a bit of tubular herringbone stitch.

This time tubular herringbone stitch with three seed beads.

A final row of size 11 seed beads finishes this side off.

I now need to finish off the bottom row.

My finished cabochon. It is a bit too enclosed for m liking but it is a start and is something that I can work on.

I then decided to have another go, using a slightly different technique this time….more beading techniques learnt. 🙂

This time I started with a right angle weave stitch.

Next I added a row of beads in between the top beads from the previous row.

I then added a tiny size 15 seed bead in between each of these beads. This was the top half completed.

This is the finished item.

I have to say I am really pleased with this. I think that I will make it into a ring. I will be making more of these, that is for sure.

A ring of beads

Adding another bead in between each of the beads from the first row.

Adding smaller seed beads in between each one.

The finished bezel.

A side view.

Which version do you prefer?

Last minute valentines gifts

Valentines day may be racing toward us but with carefully chosen beads there is still time to make something unique and extra special.

I found these heart-shaped beads in Spoilt Rotten beads.

My first project involved the silver wirework bead. I had an idea as to what I wanted to do with this but had several goes to ‘perfect’ it.

A bicone sandwiched with 2 size 11 seed beads.

Add another sandwich

Bring the head pin up through the top.

On this one I wanted to add red beads. This didn’t work.

Neither did this random pattern.

This did – putting the beads around the ‘join’

A view from the other side.

This is an easy beaded heart. The big thing that I learnt from this is that, when making jewellery you should use the best components that you can, I used some very cheap beads from my stash for this project that I bought ages ago. Using crystal beads would transform this particular project.

Despite Valentines day rapidly approaching I am afraid that I am not yet done with hearts. Sorry. What plans do you have for Valentines day?

Beaded beads

Browsing pinterest I have noticed that there are some lovely ‘beaded beads’ about. These are beads that are made from beads! They were very quickly added to my to-do list!

My first attempt didn’t turn out brilliantly although I learnt a lot:

My first attempt!

This was from a free pattern, using twin beads from here. It was meant to have a wooden bead in it (I didn’t have one and so I wonder if this is the reason that mine was rather flat at the back?

Can you see? Definitely not a sphere shape.

What I did realise however is that making a beaded bead is very similar to crocheting a circle. I love when my crafting skills are cross contaminating!

I am getting closer although it is not quite a sphere yet.

I am really close now….

Then, having a look around the internet when I found this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jozVMG9T76I

Perfect.

From this, after a little bit of practice, I managed to make:

THIS. YAY 🙂

All I needed apparently was 2 needles. One goal I can tick off. I think earrings are the way to go with this 🙂