OCTOBER 2013 CLASSES

Wow, October is almost here.  That means that I will be teaching 3 beadwork classes at The Innovative Beads Expo in Edison, NJ on October 12 and 13.

  First is a wire crochet class on Saturday, October 12 from 10:30am-1:30pm :

Wire Crochet class projects

Learn to crochet with wire by making this fun flower and the charming birds nest earrings. Students will learn which sizes of wire are best for crochet, tricks for working with wire, the chain stitch, single crochet, how to add beads to your work, and how to crochet flat shapes and in the
round. Crochet experience helpful but not necessary.

Class Fee: $60. Pre-register before 5pm on October 9 and save $10
Kit fee: $30
Kit includes: practice wire, 28 gauge colored wire, 24 gauge colored wire, seed beads, Swarovski pearls, long Magatama beads, ear wires, 2 crochet hooks

Students to bring: scissors, bead mat, diagonal wire cutters, nylon-jaw pliers, chain-nose or round-nose pliers (optional), task light (optional).
TO REGISTER FOR CLASS

Second, also on Saturday, is a Russian Spiral class from 2-4:45pm:

Russian Around

More color choices for Russian Around

With just thread and needle, you can make these striking earrings or pendants. Using a variation of the Russian spiral stitch, students will make a tube of bugle beads and seed beads. Then we will join the tube into a circle and embellish it with sparkly Swarovski crystals and more seed beads. Add a seed bead loop on top for an ear wire or neck cord and you are ready to wear your new creation.

Class Fee: $60.00 Pre-register and save $10.
Kit fee: $25
Kit contains: bugle beads, 11/0 seed beads, Swarovski crystals, ear wires, thread, and beading needles.

Students to bring: scissors, bead mat, task light (optional), magnifiers
(optional) if you have trouble working with small beads.
TO REGISTER FOR CLASS

On Sunday, October 13, I will teach the Turkish Delight bead crochet class from 11:30am-1:30pm

Turkish Delight bead crochet bracelet

Using a bead crochet stitch that I learned in Turkey, this sparkly bracelet is for beaders who wants to go beyond the standard tubular bead crochet and work with loops of beads. Students will learn how to string beads in a pattern and crochet the Turkish Loops stitch in the round. Once the bead crochet is done, students will make a button and loop closure and embellish the loop with peyote stitch or needle-woven flowers and leaves. Bead crochet experience is helpful.

Class Fee: $60. Pre-register before 5:00pm on October 9 and save $10.
Kit fee: $35
Kit Includes: over 150 4mm, Czech, fire-polished beads, 11° Japanese seed beads, assorted beads for closure loop, 2 bead caps, 1 button, 1 spool braided nylon cord, Fireline, steel crochet hook, and beading needles.

Students to bring: scissors, bead mat, task light (optional), magnifiers
(optional) if you have trouble working with small beads.
TO REGISTER FOR CLASS


If you have any questions you can contact Innovative Bead Expo or email me.  See you at the bead show!




 

SNAKES, BUTTONS, AND KNOTS



Black and white bead crochet snake

     August was a month of finishing up a  few bead projects in between supervising 2 major house repairs.  First was the black and white bead crochet snake necklace for one of my favorite clients.  It was interesting working with only black, white, and grey; so few colors requires a different kind of patterning. 

Wire crochet with daggers, niobium button, and farfalle beads

 

My second exploration involved a niobium button from my friend Marti Brown of  The Dragon's Odyssey.  Marti makes lovely niobium components as well as creating jewelry and teaching classes.  For those who don't know much about niobium, it is a soft, grey, metal used industries such as steel production and space vehicles.  Luckily for those of us who love jewelry, niobium can also take on beautiful colors when heated and anodized

.

 At first I was thinking about making a bracelet and using the button as a fastening but I wanted to try something different.  Then I put the button down on a wire crochet flower that I made a few months ago.  The niobium button looked like it was just waiting to be paired with the daggers from York Beads, another of my favorite stores.  Some farfalle beads and a fire-polish center worked to fasten everything together.

 

Micro-macramé bracelet from class with Joan Babcock

My final project of the month was to finish the micro-macramé bracelet that I started when I took a class with Joan Babcock at Bead and Button in June.  I need to work on my tension and some of my knots are backwards, but I was pleased to be able to follow the instructions and finish the project. I know--because I say this to my students all the time--that my work will get better with more practice.

 

 

  

MY FIRST SOUTACHE JEWELRY

See my finished cuff? Well, it will be finished after I rip out the extra hematite seed beads.

 

I have wanted to try soutache jewelry so even though I bought Anneta Valois's book Soutache, I took a soutache jewelry cuff bracelet class with Amee Sweet McNamara at Bead and Button.  Class was a lot of fun.

 

 

This is what we were supposed to make.


After I got one of the motifs done, I decided that A) I like soutache jewelry but B) the cuff with only 3 motifs and all of that stitching in between didn't really thrill me.  Since we had already glued the ultrasuede to the cuff blank, I was kind of stuck.

I ended up scouting Bead Fest Philadelphia for more of the center pink glass pearls and finally found them at Bead Haven a few minutes before we left.  Then I made another motif, attached the 4 motifs with beads and glass pearls, and glued everything down so that the motifs marched up the center of the cuff like good soldiers.

 

I tried adding the seed bead stitching around the soutache but decided that it just looked too busy.  So after I rip it out, my "less is more" cuff will be done.  I am glad that I took the class, though, because there are some aspects of the stitching that are easier learned in a hands-on setting.  Now I am looking at the lovely pendant from Golem Studio that I bought at Bead and Button and wondering about more soutache.