Double Cross Ring

A few weeks ago I started out trying to devise a design for an oval ring. It never happened. What did happen was a single pattern that can be executed in various ways with just a minor adjustment here and there.

I call it Double Cross because, depending on how you look at it there is a cross running both horizontally and vertically.

After completing three different rings I was still not happy with the band that looked like it had been added as an afterthought (which it was) instead of being part of the design.

On the fourth ring, I did some experimenting in two different areas. I'd worked the first three with Toho seed beads, but knowing relatively few of my customers use them, I thought I'd better see if Czech seed beads would work just as well. I also wanted to rework the band to be a little more aesthetically pleasing. Black ring with purple and green super duos is the result. As you can see it is a slight bit smaller, but the Czechs work up beautifully with the super duos.

I also combined super duos and carefully selected twins in one of the rings. Can you tell which? If I didn't know I wouldn't be able to tell. I just wanted to be sure they could be used together. My finding. . .as long as you cull the twins well, they can be used in the same piece as the super duos.  Ahhh, now if I only had some pretty hands to model them on.

The pattern for Double Cross can be found on BeadPatternsBoutique, The Bead Coop and in my Zibbet Shop.

New Design on Memorial Day Weekend

I hope you're all having a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend if you're in the US and a good day where ever else you may be.

I'm still having fun with the twins/super duos. I published the pattern for this Basket Weave Twin bracelet today. I haven't put a clasp on it yet. I have a toggle picked out even though that isn't what I wanted to use. I wanted to put a silver slide lock on it, but I can't find one locally and don't have a big enough order for any online shops to warrant ordering one.

I found some super duos at Glass Kingdom on Amazon.com. They are located in The Czech Republic, so I don't know yet how long it will take my order to get here. I ordered on May 22. I'll let you know how that goes.


This pattern is now available at BeadPatternsBoutique.  Everything at the Boutique is 15% off through Tuesday the 29th.  Just use the discount code bbp15 when you check out.

Patriotic Flower Bed Bracelet

I've been playing with the new Super Duo beads I told you about in my last post. This bracelet worked up surprisingly quickly once I got the thread path set.
I knew I was going to make something resembling the American Flag, with some stripes and some white "stars" on a blue field. When I started doodling I found that outlining the super duos with size 11 seed beads make them look like flower clusters and the bracelet design was born.

The pattern is now available at Bead Patterns Boutique, Zibbet. and The Bead Coop.

I've included a graph to help you with color placement. You can make any of the sections longer or shorter to lengthen or shorten the bracelet to fit. Some say it looks complicated, but once I got this thread path going, it worked up much faster than peyote (one of my favorite stitches) or brick.