Russian Super Triangle pattern

http://lilija.aylabs.com/index.php?lang=english_gb

Just follow the diagram...and Tetyana has lots of nice eye-candy and tutorials on this site.

I wanted mine to look more 'collected', so gathered the two bottom points together. I also added a faceted drop to the center, beaded a small bail, hung it from a macrame necklace, and added two more drops to the macrame cords it is tied onto.

This is easy IF the size 8s you choose aren't too tubular. I had a hard time with it until I changed to the softer-edged ones you see in the photo.

Happy Beading!

Let It Snow

While everyone around me moans about 'more snoooooow!?!', I revel in the stuff. Having grown up in NW Ohio, I am used to Winters with lots and lots of snow, below freezing temps, ponds and 'cricks' that actually freeze over that you can skate upon, not to mention roads that were rarely plowed (except maybe the main roads) but we still drove to work, the buses picked up children all over the rural county, and the snow was just a way of life.

Did I mention I adore snow? It has so many facets and types of snowflakes that someone actually wrote a book about it, and how to identify the many types, as well as what to expect when the humidity, air temps, and changing fronts might produce in the way of these lovely bits of frozen water.

The colors of snow reflect our world around us; the skies, the shadows cast by trees and buildings, the sunlight refracting through its crystalline structure.

To this end, I created 'Let It Snow', and have tried to capture just a few of the myriad shapes of individual snowflakes, as well as what it looks like to be in a night snowfall...

Using just four colors of delicas, plus one of charlottes to edge and some size 15 around the clasp and underneath the two-hole CZs at the clasp ends, this creation worked itself bit by bit to its end.

I love it!

I do thank Margie Deeb for posting her version and getting me inspired to create my own.

Enjoy!

Slightly demented, but still fun

I don't know why, but I like Hello Kitty...but trying

to make a peyote version for the top of a reclaimed

container didn't work out as planned. Still, I think I

like this one just as well, and call her Hell Kitty-

check out her eyes-she got attitude! Carrying an Uzi,

well, a girl has to do what she has to do! Especially at

those after Christmas sales!! She is wearing her best

purple Prada shoes, and means business!!

Enjoy!

All done- what do you think?

The chunkiness of this stone with double triangle bail begged for something with more texture in the rope, so did a Turkish loop crochet, with 4mm flat jasper circles, 4mm dyed onyx rounds, 11° in two colors and some awesome glass beads that were the last packet left at my LBS. I wanted the glass beads to be on either side of the bail, so put the beaded toggle and loop on the side, where everyone says it is perfect! Glad it worked out that way.

What do YOU think?

Now, if only Take Me To Your Leader would get in step and tell me what to do next- sigh.

Beach Party

I have seen several version of this, even one in the bead magazines, but those usually involve Swarovski squares. I didn't want to do it like those versions for a couple of reasons; cost of the Swar bits, I am too hard on glass items like those to wear them in bracelets, didn't like how the beadwork holding the bits together was attached at the base- they looked awkward and not as professional as they can look, when stitched as a loop.

I LOVE Paua shell, and picked up the donut at Walmart several years back. It languished in my hugeish tacklebox of gemstones and shells, jumping out at me while I was looking for something to end the bracelet, which is mostly MOP dyed, then an AB finish added to the MOP. VOILA! The perfect loop for a toggle, and its size keeps it on top of my wrist, making it the focal as well.

Comfy, a bit boring to do all the strips, but you can listen to stuff on Hulu.com while you are making them, and if I do say so myself, striking!

I don't even care if this one sells. And I have got to find more of these lovely Paua shell donuts!

Curly Curl How To

The above is with the curl pulled out, so it is more of a swirl

and will have a beaded bail at the top, and some sort of focal

hanging from the base, perhaps a beaded rivoli in heliotrope?

Thanks to Stacie (Whytefeather- you can see her blog thumbnail at the bottom right of my main page) asking questions, there is this step by step word explanation of which beads were added to make the spiral.

I LOVE questions about how things are done- and think that sharing ideas and patterns is a blessing. Of course, I respect those who make a living doing this, and their right to keep their ideas to themselves, but for my own, I just have to share them.

Here it is, in a nutshell, a very LARGE coco-nut shell, the rows and colors and styles (oh my!) that were used. A few tips are scattered throughout.

The only trouble I had was getting the two largest rounds, the 8mm and 6mm beads to be the actual beginning of the 'flat' peyoted piece. They just wobbled around. So, I did the 3mm cubes in Gold AB matte and the 3o in the gold AB as the first two rows, then immediately went back to the outside edge of the 3o gold AB, added a row of light amethyst 6mm, then on top of that added the 8mm glass chandelier rounds. At this point, it was a more or less flat piece of peyote 13 beads wide, and 4 beads deep.
Working the needle and thread back down to the 3o gold AB, I began another peyote row at that point with the 6o Czech green seed beads, then added the 8o red-gold hex, then a row of 8o triangles in blue-lined purple, next row was the blue satin S/L 8o Japanese style tube( tho not delica, think they are Matsuno), a row of green satin S/L 11o Matsuno, then a row of 11o Czech blue AB matte, a row of 13o matte gold charlotte, and finally, on what is a heavily curved piece, a row of pale peach/green 14o Matsuno.
This should be a total of 12 rows of peyote on what would be a flat piece, if all the beads were the same size. The beads getting smaller with each added row makes it spiral.
Alternating the Czech with the Japanese seed beads gives more of a curve to that spiral.
Turning the piece over, I added a row of gold 14o seed beads to the pale peach 14o of the previous, pushing it to the other side as I went, then added a row of bronze 13o to that gold row, beginning the building of the other 'side'. Now a row of matte gold AB Matsuno, green satin S/L 8o Matsuno, 8o light amethyst triangles, bronze 3o, dk blue matte 3mm cubes.

I then took the thread through the 6mm amethyst rounds of the first row, attaching the blue cubes to it with peyote stitch, and up through the 8mm glass afterward, to pull tight and make sure they stayed in place.
Turning the piece over, I saw the gold AB 3mm cubes had pulled loose from the amethyst, so redid the peyote holding them to the 6mm amethyst rounds, to pull the work tightly together on both sides.

If I had not chosen the 6mm and 8mm round beads for my outside, this process would have been much easier, and would have looked more like the photo I remembered. But it would not have been so interesting looking, so am happy I did.

All the triangles used were the smooth-edged variety- don't recall the manufacturer-sorry.
Thank you for asking questions, Stacie- nothing makes me happier than someone wanting to learn a new process!!

Remember to click on the pics to make them full-size, then right click and 'save as' to save to your computer, which allows you to print them out, number the beads rows and recreate, if you so wish.

Curly Curls

curl

What do you get when you peyote long strips, and have the rows of beads graduated in size, from smallest to largest? Why, a curl, of course!

The more size differentiation, the better the curl.

The longer the original strip, the longer the curl.

Why I made these is a story, or a couple of stories, unto themselves.

The Pigtail, so named because, well, it looks like one, was an attempt to do the Peeking Pearls pattern using different sizes of beads, rather than separating a box of 11o Dynamite beads. Lesson learned; the outside diameter not changing is what makes it into a necklace or bracelet, rather than a pig's tail. Changing that diameter brings on a curl that makes it unfit to wear as such, but could be a cool focal. Still working on that one.

The fatter curl was an attempt to recreate a curl I saw once in a photo, and that was from an advertisment for that class. It looked double sided, sort of, so I started with the largest seed beads, did a couple of rows, then went back to the outside and added the 6mm and 8mm rounds. Then it was back to the inside, and adding more and more rows of smaller and smaller beads, finally ending with 15o charlottes. I then used that base row of charlottes to begin adding my other side, building off it in the opposite direction; toward the larger beads. I tried to match up sizes, but change colors, and sometimes styles. When I got to the 6mm rounds, I took the last row on the 2nd side through that row, attaching the two side together at that portion.

Remember you can click on any pic to make it full size.

While this may not be exactly what that class and teacher had in mind, I like it alot, and are going to add a beaded bail to the 'top' and perhaps hang a nice Swar at the base, then put it all on a rope, or maybe even a chain.

What kind of curl can YOU come up with??

Free Pattern

I hope this gives everyone time to get something done in time for Memorial Day, or the 4th. Use it as a pendant, a brooch, earrings, or 'fill in the spaces' and repeat the pattern for a bracelet! I wanted more stars than stripes, to show that the States, and the People, are in charge of creating Peace, both within our Nation, and as part of this Earth. The star at the bottom bleeds into the top white stripe, to show that the States have to be part of the binding up, or healing process...the white stripes surround the red, to show that Healing must surround what we do to maintain Peace, rather than bloodshed being our focus, as a Nation and a People.
Enjoy this free pattern by clicking on it to make it full size, then right click to open menu, then chosing 'save as'. Please give credit but use the pattern as you wish. Thank you!

Harleen's Starfish Necklace finally done

Patient friends are awesome!

The strap is brass chain, liver of sulphured, with a center of vine beading.

yes, a-NOTHER ring!

Same basic pattern as previous, Maria Teresa Ferreira ( gads, I hope I spelled her last name right- we email first names all the time...) but kept adding 3 bead picots to the top and one at the bottom, til it looked like a little flower. I like it best of all! As always, click to enlarge any pic.

Crown Ring

I can't blame anyone but myself, and the creators of this Delica color, for this ring. I wanted a ring that was more simple than any I have found on the internet, used a bead with a hole in it, and was comfortable, strong, and fast to make up.

I think this one, done in all peyote, fits most of the criteria.

The bead is a 12mm black tourmaline, grade C, from Firemountaingems' online catalogue. Hope you enjoy it. Click on the photo to enlarge

Medieval Ring

In trying to find an easy pattern to show others at the upcoming

private gathering in TN, I saw Maria Teresa's Medieval Ring

featured in the October 2009 Beadwork Magazine. Seemed simple

enough, but I work better from drawings, and it took me a couple

of tries to realize they were only showing half of a side of tubular

herringbone for the bits...snip, snip, and back to reading both the

written and drawn instructions. Finally got it put together- used a

12mm black tourmaline (repels negativity), transparent matte dk

silver and black delicas, and two 3mm Swar bicones at the sides.

It is very comfy to wear- I would recommend this pattern for someone

with some beading experience, or a beginner with patience and alot

of thread!Click on photo to full size.

Julia's Sea Star

Julia of OZ wished for a Sea Star that looked real,

to go into a beaded aquarium...as she has a birthday coming up, her wish was

my command! Same basic pattern as the previous star, but not stuffed.

All done~

My DH thinks the color scheme is right out of

Fredericks of Hollywood, so the name 'Frederick's Lantern.

Added an extra row of dangles and peyoted the top V

of the inner ones, because I do not like the wonky look

of single delica lines.Also added a few dangles to the top

sections for more bling...gotta have bling!

Lantern Pagoda ornament

This was supposed to be the Paula Adam's pattern

featured in the Dec 06 Bead and Button magazine,

but I got to wondering what would happen if I

changed out the side and added some crystal

roundelles in two sizes....well, what happens is;

it gets longer, and I am running out of the main

bead color. Plus, what was I thinking with all that

purple and no other colors to warm it up. Dk Green

Iris doesn't do it and neither does the crystal AB

for the 'windows'.

Hate the bottom- and there are too many passes

for me to be able to get it to do what I want...I see

the trusty scissors coming and redoing. Yep, I am

a perfectionist...but this is the perfect medium for it,

only losing a bit of Time and thread, and I am going

to use 4# Fireline, so that I have more room to get

thread inside the delicas!

You can also purchase Paula's pattern at;

http://www.beadpatterns-paulaadams.com/ and see

all her other wonderful patterns as she would

wish them done.

Lidia's fantastic star

Lida Cimins created the pattern for this star, the bottom
of which is pictured below in the first photo. The next photo
shows the top, which just begged for a rivoli to be stuffed
inside, so I did!
Thank you for letting me test this pattern, Lidia- your tutorial
was easy to follow with both words and photos!

stuff done since march 09

just so you know I wasn't sitting around doing nothing LOL!