Bead Blog

Paper Beads

For each issue of Bead magazine (my main job is editing it) we film 2-3 projects and techniques which readers can watch for free on Bead-TV.

This usually works great- I know so many people learn better from watching so I really enjoy being able to help them with the films.

But of course it's the week before Christmas and with the recent snow, getting people into the studios to film hasn't been easy. So today I came up with the bright idea of going in on Monday and filming making paper beads.

Except of course I've never actually made any.

I mean I get the principle and know how to do it, but just have never done it.

So, to ensure I don't look a complete fool on film, my Friday evening is spent practising and practising.

Hmm, finding time for that Christmas shopping is looking less and less likely!

Bangles, Bangles, Bangles

A visit to Arundel today to the Bead offices to take the project and step photos for our next issue.

Fortunately I had managed to get my second bangle done in time!

But unfortunately it was then decided that these would look great on the cover of the next issue- but that as an odd-number of items is more appealing to the eye than even numbers I just need to bead one more...

It's no problem for me as I love them and want to make many more. It's more the fact that it's the week before Christmas and these take 8-10 hours to finish- and I now have until next Monday to get another one done!

Once again, wish me luck!

Beading Panic

With Bead going to 8 issues from now on it's panic stations all round as I get used to the new time-table. Instead of my usual 8 weeks between each issue, 6 of them will be just 5 weeks apart. And as you all know 3 weeks is a lot of time to lose in beading!

To cope with this I realised that we needed to bring forward the photoshoot for our next issue to next week. And guess who hasn't finished their projects for it...

So, after my trip to Arundel this week it's back home to work and life and trying to magically finish my two projects.

One of them in a lariat in arrow chain which takes me all of Saturday to bead. Bang goes my Christmas shopping!

The other is a set of bangles using right-angle weave and which I truly underestimated the time they would take.

I reckoned on having 5 made by next Wednesday but seeing as the first one has taken me 10 hours and I still have my usual work etc to do, I suspect I may just manage to squeeze another one in.

The main obvious effect is the panicked state of my beading tray- as you can see I appear to be working on a few things at one. I took a count and there are the bits for 5 different projects going on there- I guess a few minutes to clear it off would help- not just physically help me bead and see what I'm up to, but mentally help to clear the clutter.

Wish me luck!

Back To Beading

Back home safe and sound and of course I'm straight back to beading and work (and trying not to panic about the 1,300+ emails that came whilst I was away...)

I first made these "Sea Urchins" when Carol Perrenoud visited the UK back in 2003 and have always meant to bead another one.

As soon as I started my Colour Challenge I was itching to bead one with yellow dagger beads and violet seed beads. Unfortunately I found it hard to track down large, solid-yellow dagger beads in the UK in the quantity I needed- 135.

I did manage to find 20 small ones in a solid bright yellow and some large ones in a transparent yellow but neither were what I wanted.

But last night I raided my bead stash and found these transparent yellow small ones so thought I'd give it a go with them.

But now I've started I'm not sure.

I still used size 8 seed beads but think I should use size 11 instead so the daggers/ spikes are still the same scale as they are on the others.

But can I bear to start again?

One Red Done

I have now finished one of my red projects for our colour special. I can't finish the next one until I get hold of a nice, strong magnetic clasp. Then I just need to crack on with my fourth version- which will be red and green.

Red and green is a great example of a complementary colour scheme (using two colours opposite each other on a colour wheel) whilst the necklace I have finished is monochromatic (using just examples of one colour) and the unfinished one is analogous (using colours next to each other on the wheel, with this example using all the colours in the wheel.)

If you want some help coming up with a scheme then this is a great website.

Step By Step

As well as project photos, last Wednesday we also took lots of step-by-step photos for future projects.

In this photo I am using tiny cylinder beads to bead the two-needle right-angle-weave base for these Crystal Geodes which will feature as a project in issue 20 of Bead (out 20th January 2010.)

The finished project photo looks like this:

If you check back soon you'll get to see a sneak preview of the actual project laid out on the page.

Yet more red

I'm still working away on my series of herringbone ropes for our special "Colour" issue- due out in April 2010.

I have almost finished my red and mixed colours version (it just needs the hidden clasp added) and am now beading my all reds version.

After this I will bead one with red and it's complementary colour- green.

Colours and more exciting news

After the exciting news a couple of days ago, about an additional Big Bead Show, I actually have some more news I can finally reveal- in 2010 there will be even more of Bead to love!

We are increasing the amount of times we're published from 6 times a year to 8- this means we get to have an extra 2 issues in which to bring you the best of the Uks beaders, bead makers and projects.

The first extra issue will appear in April and will have the theme of "Colour"

In addition to lots of articles on using colour, with tips from all of your favourite designers, there will be some specially commissioned projects which show you the best way to use colour in all aspects of your work.

I'm especially pleased about this as I have been busy working on my own personal Colour Challenge and hope I can let you know more about what I have learnt.

My project for this issue will be one that's a huge favourite of mine and one that I'm working on at the moment. It's a herringbone rope with an ingenious (if I do say so myself!) hidden clasp so that any part of it can be worn at the front.

It's a great project for playing around with colour and as I'm working with reds at the moment I plan to bead three different variations all in red- check back soon to see how I get on- and also to find out more about our second extra issue!

Jean Power

Getting ready for the show- part 2

it's just 2 days until the Big Bead Show now and we're all geting even more excited.

Of course, in-between all of the preparations, we're still working away on issue 19 and Bead-TV as normal. I've actually just got back from filming two projects for the next issue- my Onye Pendant and St Petersburg Pots both of which have been shown here recently.

Whilst planning issue 19 it soon became obvious that we had 2 possible contenders for the front cover- and despite multiple votes being cast in the office we were no closer to making the final decision.
So, I came up with the bright idea of getting all of the show attendees to vote for their favourite- what better people to decide than the largest group of beaders gathered at any one time in one spot in Europe?
The next discussion was how people would actually vote. 
An obvious suggestion was beads or buttons being thrown into pots which led me to think of coins being thrown into a wishing well and once my mind had gone that way it soon seemed obvious.
If people did vote with coins then we could potentially raise a bit of money for a charity- and as this is the 25th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness month it seemed an obvious choice.

So, if you're coming along on Saturday do remember to vote for your favourite with any coin and once I've counted them all up when I get home I'll let you know just how much we raised.

Jean Power
Editor of Bead

Beading Variation

There's a project in issue 19 of Bead magazine that I have absolutely fallen in love with!

It's my own Onye pendant (and here and here) and though the first one was very tricky to bead and work out, I then went and beaded two more almost straight away.

I then had the idea of varying it with a larger central crystal and more outer ones, and have been working on that over the past week.

Boy has it been a pain!

You can follow the full saga on my blog but here is the finished piece and let's pretend she just appeared as if by magic.

If you're going to be at The Big Bead Show on the 17th October at Sandown Park then do look out for me and her as at the moment she's what I plan to wear (or maybe the 5th variation I plan to bead very soon!)