Smaller Honeycomb bracelet

Using 2.5mm X 4mm faceted roundelles, 7 rows of delicas, and less 15s for the crossover. Otherwise, everything else is same as variation in earlier post.

Honeycomb Bracelet

Cynthia Rutledge has a bangle on front of Bead and Button magazine, April 2011 issue #102. I am not fond of bangles, as by the time I make them large enough to get over my hand (which matches the rest of my 6' personage), they are WAY too large for my wrist and arm.

I wanted to make it with a clasp, but as she has the faceted crystal roundelles held onto the bangle with thread, tying it into a circle, that was not going to work for a clasped bracelet. (And I would use Beadalon or Acculon braided coated beading wire for that, with a crimp, before I trusted ANY thread, even doubled and going through the circle of crystals twice...those crystals are SHARP!)

Finally worked out on on a smaller base (9 rows, instead of 11 wide), smaller roundelles turned the other way, and less of those, size 15 seed beads on top and Miyuki 3.4mm drops on the sides, instead of 3mm pearls. It has a similar look, but the clasp makes it so much better for me.

Hope you like.

Click on any pic to make it full size.

Happy Beading!

Just foolin' around with RAW

I like RAW crystal bracelets, but are too hard on them to

have the crystals at the corners, so this one is made with

the size 11 seed beads at the 'corners', to give the thread

a fighting chance!

Happy Beading!

Tutorial-RAW and netted bracelet

A friend sent me this pic of a bracelet bit, and asked if I could help
her figure out how to do it...mine is done in all one color- a RAW chart
can help her, and you, figure out how to do the color changes.
Enjoy- just follow the steps below, and feel free to share. If you click on the
photos and save them to your computer, you can use the free pdf creator
cutepdf to make them into a pdf to save for future use, offline. Of course,
you can use whatever program you wish for this.

If you follow the steps top to bottom, making the bracelet as long

as you want with the first RAW steps, remembering that adding

the netting will 'shrink' it about 1/2" (and remembering to figure

in whatever clasp length you are using!), you should be able to

create a beautiful bracelet for yourself!

Happy Beading!

Jeweled Links Variation

Nancy Cain published this lovely pattern in the February 2010 Beadwork magazine, and a friend of mine, Sherry Grove, followed that pattern to create her own Blingy Jewel.

You know me, I can never leave well enough alone, so played with the pattern a bit. I didn't have many 3mm bicones and no 3mm pearls at all, so the first change was making those 4mm. I left the numbers alone, as the original pattern created a 7.25 inch bracelet- a bit tighter than I prefer. I did change the number of pearls near the toggle end, as Nancy suggested, to make it fit perfectly.

I added embellishments in the form of 3 bead picots on the outsides of the rings, which also stablized their form. The slider base for one bead was done in 15s, rather than delica 11s, and I added 3mm matagamas to those ends under the outside 'stars'. I also added matagamas between the pearls at the outsides of the toggle, as well as alternating pearls and bicones to the toggle connector.

All in all, I am pretty darn happy with my version, and hope Nancy would be as well!

Click on any photo to make it full size.

HELP! I can't stop!!

I do love making these- so fast, so many color/finish combos that can work, and everyone who has seen me wear one loves it!

Hope you like this latest; matte gold iris bugles (from Jane's Fibers, I think) with 4mm Czech jet AB firepolish, copper lined 11°, and gold iris 15°.

Playing Around With Miyuki Drops

Here is the result. It is fast, fun to do ( once the pattern sticks in your head ), and could have lots of color changes, including making the center V or Z a different color. Don't pull too tight, especially if you are using Fireline, because it will round itself, instead of laying flat. It is also a nice look and feel, but not if you have flat portions in the beginning LOL!

Have fun! Left click to open pics to full size, right click to 'save as'.

Happy Spring and Happy Beading!

Simple net instructions

4 yds of thread should finish a bracelet 6-8" long- use a thread that will go through your beads at least 3 times. If you prefer to add thread, weaving in the old tail and weaving in a new is preferable to having a knot, as there are little opportunities to hide a knot in this bracelet. Weaving also means using a thread thin enough to support this, and the addition of embellishment later, as you will reweave many of the original thread paths to do this embellishment.

Place stop bead, leaving tail long enough for clasp end of your choice-8 inches is usuall enough.

Add 20 beads to thread, slide to clasp bead. If you wish the picot to be a different color or size of bead, add 17 beads, then 3 beads of the different color/style.

Take thread BACK through 4th bead nearest end, creating a 3 bead picot.

*Pick up 7 beads, and go through the 8th bead. Repeat.

Either pick up 7 beads and go BACK through 4th bead of last beads added to create picot

OR

pick up 4 beads, add 3 beads of different color/style, then go BACK through 4th bead just added to create picot.*

Repeat from * to * til bracelet is as long as you wish, minus clasp length. Netting stretches, so be sure to pull it a bit when testing for length.

This can be widened or made narrower by adding or subtracting multiples of 7 to the original line of 20 beads.

Add buttons or other clasp end before adding top embellishment. If you wish, this is a good place to make peyote circles for the loop ends of a self-clasp, as shown in the above photos.

Add pearls or other beads to crossover points in the netting by working your way back and forth to the beginning, going through the crossover bead, adding pearl and 15o bead, then back through pearl and through crossover bead in same direction you went the first time, pulling tight. continue to next crossover point. When you reach the last crossover and add your pearl, you will have to go around the outside beads and picot to get to the next crossover point. This is why you want your thread size to be able to go through beads multiple times.

Add your other clasp end, or your buttons, etc if you used a self-toggle of beads on the other end.

Wear your bracelet with pride!

You may click on any pic to make it full size, and right click to save it to your computer for future reference. Please feel free to share these insructions in any manner.

don't know why

the entire set wasn't shown, but here it is

The Ice Queen cometh!

18 large beads at each juncture; 9 on either side of the 8o delica juncture. 17 junctures for the bracelet, 32 for the necklace..not as heavy as it looks, either, and lots of bling! Click on any pic to make it full size.

Who's Special!!??

Me, that is! Jeanne M of Ohio sent me her beautiful, gorgeous, drop-dead killer-diller twisted copper and gold wire bracelet!! Can you tell I love it??So comfy, too. Don't know if the pics show it, but she tapped the pieces, so that the twists catch the light like charlottes!!

What a nice, nice Friend!

SPIRAL CONFUSION CLEARED UP!

The spiral bracelet I posted a week or so back is from a design by Sherry Grove, of VA. I want to make sure she gets credit for it!
It is Sherry's Flat Herringbone Spiral Bracelet...pass the word!