Sale at BeadPatternsBoutique

Good Morning, Beaders! There's a sale going on at BeadPatternsBoutique!  25% off EVERYTHING in the shop.  Just use promotion code bpb25 at check out.

Now's a good time to pick up those patterns you've been wanting.  Want to learn authentic Pondo stitch?  consider this Gingham Bracelet Pattern. It contains step by step illustrated instructions for the authentic Pondo stitch, step by step illustrated instructions and graph for the bracelet and step by step illustrated instructions for the toggle and ring and Ndbele rope, 

There are lots of great patterns throughout the store, jewelry, regalia, ornaments, e-books (now's a great time to stock up on these) and much much more!

Hurry!  Sale only lasts til the end of the month.  Remember to use Promotion Code bpb25 to get your 25% discount on all the great patterns in the store.

Rivoli Celtic Cross

After wrestling with the tutorial for this Rivoli Celtic Cross Pendant for two weeks, it's finally finished.  I've made tutorials with rivolis before, but I always used a circle to represent the rivoli. This time I wanted to make it recognizable, so I spent several days experimenting with the illustration. When I finally got it to the point I was satisfied with it I was so excited that I must have lost my concentration. I left out one whole round on the illustration and had to take out the prototype to make sure the illustrations were correct. Then I wanted to put a hidden bale on the back and experimented with that for a couple of days, but it just wouldn't work. Yesterday I finally gave up on that idea and made my standard bale on the top.  I finally got the tutorial finished and this morning took pictures.

I made the blue pendant using super duos, size 11 czech seed beads, 3mm pearls, 4mm bicones and 6mm pearls.  The bronze one is made with twins, size 11 tohos, 3mm, 4mm and 6mm bicones so you can see that it can be made with various shapes.  

I didn't notice until I was trimming the picture that I'd left 2 beads out of the final row on the bottom cross bar on the bronze one. I just knew it didn't set straight and chalked it up to the irregularity of the twins. I guess my focus was really off. I was using a magnifying light the whole time.

I'll be uploading the patterns to all my pattern shops this afternoon and will post that information when I get it done.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.  The weather's beautiful here and not too terribly hot so it's a good day for outdoors fun or playing in the dirt.

A Variety of Stitch Patterns

I've selected a few of my favorite designs in a variety of stitches to show you today. The first is "Sassy Sunflower Bracelet" worked in netting stitch. Of course sunflowers are usually considered a late summer to fall bloom, but you could use any color to represent any rayed flower.






The second one is one of my favorites and is also one of my best selling patterns. This "Daisy Eyelet" necklace and earring design is worked in two needle RAW.

It was inspired by the set my oldest daughter, Wendy Corley, DBA Bohemian Heart, made for my youngest daughter for her wedding. Her dress was made of eyelet fabric and Wendy made this to compliment it.  Though it makes a beautiful bridal set, it can be modified with different colors and shapes of beads for a more casual look.

I made this "Lady Liberty" bezel to go around a silver dollar that was minted the year my father was born. The bezel is for a thin disk, like a coin, but will work with any disk-like cab of the same size.  It is worked in RAW and herringbone stitches.

"Butterfly Fantasy Bracelet" is worked in one of my favorite stitches; sculptured peyote. Sculptured peyote can be worked by increase and decrease, or by using various size beads.  I prefer the latter and these designs have been among my best sellers.

This "Gingham Bracelet" is worked in a combination of authentic Pondo for the design which is attached to two herringbone ropes. The toggle is made with brick stitch and the toggle ring is peyote.  As you can see, I like mixing stitches.

Ongoing Beading Frustrations

I've given up on the wreath I told you about in my post about Piggy Beads, at least for now.  I still think I can make it with piggy beads, just not how I'd originally planned.

I've gone back to playing with twins and super duos and have a pretty good start on a Celtic Cross pendant.  All I lack now is the bale in both the pendant and the tutorial.  Making the tutorial was a real challenge and when I finally got past what I knew was going to be a problem I was elated.  I was so excited over my accomplishment, my attention drifted.  I completely skipped one round on the tutorial and had to take out the prototype back to that point to see why my tutorial wasn't fitting together right.

I've made a little bit of change in my BeadPatternsBoutique shop. I added the category "Two-Hole Bead Patterns" directly under Patterns bead tested.  So far it contains 6 patterns with super duos and one with piggies.  I noticed two hole bead patterns was the key words taking people to my blog and thought I'd make it easier for them.

No pictures for today.  Hopefully, next time I'll have pictures of the cross I'm working on now.

Reminiscence

I've been reminiscing this past week over the different bead stitches I've learned and how I've managed to modify the stitches to suit my own designs.

Brick Stitch

After taking 2 years trying to make sense of peyote stitch, I finally got that down and learned to work it in flat and tubular, but I could never work a project with increases on the outer edges.  I finally decided to learn brick stitch, which looks like peyote but is worked in a different direction.  I found that with this stitch it was very easy to make neat increases on an outer edge.  This "Geometrics Bracelet" is one of my first designs I created after I learned the technique.

Two needle RAW (right angle weave) was one of the first stitches I learned and my ability to make my own designs with this stitch encouraged me to make and sell my own patterns. This "Figure Eight" bracelet is quite versatile and may look quite different depending on whether you use pearls, faceted rounds or bicones for the large beads.

While these are two of the major stitches being used at that time I was still hungry to learn new things.  I found a pattern for "Carmen" worked in Russian Lace stitch. This is a netting stitch that is unique in that the lower edge of the project is split allowing it to look equally flattering as a choker or neckace.  When I had made that necklace I sat down with graph paper and made a pattern for this "Celtic Cross Necklace"

I've learn many more stitches over the years and modified most of them to suit my own needs.  I'm still learning.

You can find more of my patterns on:
BeadPatternsBoutique 
The Bead Coop
Craftsy

Happy Independence Day

Once again I've been neglecting my blog.  Not because I'm so busy, but because I sometimes think that what I have to say is too trivial for sharing.  I guess I need to get over that, but I've never been a great conversationalist.

Here in the US it's Independence Day or The Fourth of July.  Today for many will be a day of social gatherings, bar b ques, parades and fireworks.

I've created several bead patterns over the years dedicated to our patriotic holiday.  You can view them all in my pattern shop at BeadPatternsBoutique/patriotic jewelry .

Last year my then nine-year-old granddaughter had just gotten her ears pierced, so I made these Bunting and Fireworks earrings for her. 

Looking through my patterns I discovered the tutorial was still in draft mode, so it has never been published.  As a matter of fact, it's not finished.  I needed to tweak the "fireworks" part and just forgot about it.  

I'll try to get it finished for next year.

I hope all of you who celebrate this holiday have a great day and weekend.