Sabine's 'Verticals'

I wanted a thinner look, so made it only two rows and left off the outside picots, as well as exchanging the outside 3mm pearls for 3.4 mm Miyuki drops or fringe beads. Don't do well with using jumprings and lobster clasp, so used 12mm Swar Volcano buttons- they fit neatly inside the last squares and so far, seem easy to put on and off, without any danger of coming apart.

Dragon Bangle tamed!

A great pattern by Nancy Jones in the Beadwork Feb-March 2011, but I don't do well with bangles, so....

This one stays on nicely without any clasp. Comfy. A bit fiddly to get the magatamas to lay right, and to get the first rows of the brickstitch done, but smooth sailing after that.

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.

Variation tips for Honeycomb Bracelet

These are the changes made to the bangle pattern, not the pattern itself.
Here are the variations as I found them to be useful. I would definitely suggest to folks that have not yet bought this current April 2011 issue of Bead and Button to do so, to have the full pattern at your disposal. It is well-written and easy to follow!
Make a flat peyote band the length you wish to have go around your arm, minus the clasp length. I did mine 9 rows wide. You could do it less wide, and use the smallest faceted roundelles, or wider, like in the pattern, and use the larger 6 X 9mm faceted roundelles, as in the magazine pattern. I think it would be 7 rows for the 3 X 4mm roundelles. Some folks like their bracelets tight, others loose, and mine is in-between and ended up about 6.75 inches long. I used the two needle method, so that the peyote strip, which is worked lengthwise, lies nice and flat. You can use whatever method you wish.
I find using a different thread from Fireline for the base, which doesn't get much wear and tear, to allow for a bit of 'give', so I used Sono Japanese beading thread- it is 1/4 the price of Fireline and lets me save my Fireline for where it is truly needed. I started with two yards, and ended up with two pieces about 5 inches long.
The outside was done just as in the magazine pattern, with the size 15s making picots, down both sides.
I changed the next step to using 3.4mm drops in place of the pearls on the pattern and completed both sides as instructed.
I now added a piece of about 36" (1 meter, for you metric folks)Fireline to add the roundelles- 6# weight.
Instead of putting all the faceted roundelles on a thread and making a circle, I came out through the drop at the end, picked up a size 11 seed bead, a 4 X 6mm (length by width- hole to hole by side to side) roundelle, a size 11 seed bead and went through the opposite 3.4 drop, then back through the last size 11 seed bead added, the roundelle, the first size 11 seed bead added in this step, and through the drop- this should have you going in the correct direction to go to and through the next drop, following your thread path down the side and continue to add roundelles all the way down.
ADD YOUR PICOTS BETWEEN DROPS, as shown in the instructions in the magazine pattern, before you go through the drop to add the next roundelle. I used a size 15, size 11, size 15 rather than three size 11 seed beads, because the roundelles are smaller than what was called for and were turned the other way, so my last picot beads had to be smaller as well.
I found it easier to add just one side of picots as I added roundelles- on the beginning side-and add the other side of picots after all the roundelles were in place. I had less thread paths that way.
At the ends of the bracelet, I used the end of the first threads to do brickstitch, bringing the piece to a point, and then added a clasp.
I hope I made all this clear- Happy Beading!

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!

What a fun set of earrings!

I have had my eye on these earrings and this
pattern ever since I saw it done by Kassie of
The Beading Butterfly, way back when the mag
issue first came out. I was doubly reminded of
the pattern when Genny S of A New Bel-Gen
did her own variations using Swar glass pearls.
I hope you like the ones below, and do try this
pattern for yourself! It is fast and easy, making
it a wonderful gift item for the last minute, plus
being able to use any style bead allows you to
fit it to the giftee easily....even wooden beads
would work nicely!

Probably the closest to Amy's pattern, using
6mm, 4mm and 3mm Czech faceted FP, but did
them double sided, with the FP held firmly in
place with the netting, and carrying the netting
around to the 'back'. Which side is the 'original'?
You will have to guess!! I love them both.
SS earwires.


Purple Velvet Satin and Satin AB Swar bicones
in 6mm, 4mm and 3mm, with PF gold Tohos in
11s and 8s- additional 15s on either side of the
8s used near the base of the 6mm for looks and
to prevent thread wear at these points. My
birthstone, so my fav pair!
GF earwires.


Again, Swar bicones in 6mm, 4mm and 3mm,
but with all the netting in the same blue, so
as to not distract from the crystals and be a
bit more subdued in look.


These were done using Chinese 6mm faceted
roundelles, Chinese 4mm bicones, and Czech
3mm FP, with titanium wires.

Here they are done in 6mm and 4mm Indian

agate, with 3mm garnets, plus PF Toho Rose

Gold seed beads.

Copper earwires.

Just think of what possibilities YOU can do!!

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.