Creative Beads & Jewellery 1

CBJ01 Front Cover II_pp 24/03/2010 15:53 Page 1

!

W E N

HOW TO:

CHOOSE THE PERFECT BEADS

MAKE YOUR OWN ELEMENTS

CREATE STYLISH JEWELLERY

over

Issue 1

Ideas and inspiration for ALL

FLOWER POWER

flowers Make your own beaded

£1,300 worth o f prizes to be w on!

levels of jewellery making and beadcrafts

217 d n a s tip ks tric

Bead-azzled

LOOKING GLASS

ALL A FLUTTER

Tierracast charm clasps

Detailed step-by-step instructions inside!

Seed bead secrets

ELLIPTICAL ELEGANCE s Dazzling crystalised stone

Only available in specialist retailers

Polymer clay masterclass

CHOC CHARM IT’S SO SIMPLE!

www.practicalpublishing.co.uk ISSUE 1 UK £3.99

Create stunning jewellery with wire & beads

s Design unique glass bead

CHAIN MAILLE WE SHOW YOU HOW!

Inspire Imagine Create

PAPER BEADS

MASTER THE ART TONIGHT!

CBJ01 pp002 IFC_Beading 19/03/2010 14:43 Page 2

CBJ01 pp03 Hello_Beading 24/03/2010 17:47 Page 3

WELCOME

hello...

...and welcome to the very first issue of Creative Beads & Jewellery.

Available exclusively from beading, jewellery and craft stores, CB&J is full of fabulous projects. We aim to bring you an abundance of designs and styles, using an eclectic array of techniques, tools and materials, to ensure that all tastes are catered for, and to keep you inspired.

If you are just starting out in jewellery making or simply wanting to try something new, the hardest decision is often knowing where to start. With so many materials and techniques to choose from, it can be mind-boggling so, with this in mind, CB&J is bursting at the seams with different styles and designs to give you a taste of the fabulous projects and pieces you can create yourself. We have also enlisted the help and expertise of some of your favourite jewellery and beading stores to ensure that we keep you up-to-date with all the latest styles and trends. Our resident Bead Doctor is on hand on page 24 to answer all of your beading and jewellery queries, and we bring you an expert guide to all the tools of the trade, techniques and know-how you will need on page 102.

If you fancy making your own jewellery components to adorn your creations, we have plenty for you to choose from. Samantha Berman delivers a masterclass on Precious Metal Clay on page 38, and Christine Dumont puts her old pasta machine through its paces on page 32 as she lifts the lid on all things polymer clay. Su Pennick guides you through the art of making your own paper beads on page 58 and Judith Hannington is busy cooking her own glass beads on page 56.

Wire and beads combine effortlessly to create jewellery and non-jewellery items, as Carolyn Schulz demonstrates on pages 28 and 78, using the same tools, techniques and materials to create a whole host of fabulous designs. Page 28 sees Carolyn's skills and artistic expertise applied to terracotta pots as she gives them a makeover and transforms them into stunningly beautiful individual pieces of home décor, while page 78 shows a more delicate side with intricate pieces of elegant jewellery.

If you're looking for spring style to brighten up your outfit, Judith gives us the low down on seed beads on page 18 with a whimsical collection of flower-inspired seed bead creations. Perfect for adding to hairclips and necklaces, rings and chokers, these simple designs can be dressed up or down and the colours simply adapted to suit your wardrobe or mood. Staying with seed beads but with a different style entirely, Debbie and Sarah Millsop put a seed bead stringer through its paces with stunning results, so be sure to turn to page 92 to check out their stylish creations.

With all of this and much more besides, I think I'll leave you to it.

editor’s

FAVOURITE

PS...

Editor diane.grimshaw@practicalpublishing.co.uk EDITORIAL Editor – Diane Grimshaw Editorial Assistants – Lindsey Hopkins, Judith Hannington Editorial Consultant – Carolyn Schultz Art Editors – Roy Birch, Craig Chubb, Stella Osborne, Kay Whittaker Sub-Editors – Anna Wright, Mel Tickle Jamie Stuttard, Justine Moran Photographer – Rachel Burgess

“I love chain maille for its elegance and versatility.”

CONTRIBUTORS Sue Rhodes, Sam Haydock, Carolyn Schulz, Christine Dumont, Gemma Gray, Julie Ashford, Gill Teasdale, Samantha Berman, Judith Walton, Tania McLean, Su Pennick, Glenda Waterworth, Lynn Robinson-Hunter, Juliet Brouose, Karen Standing, Sarah Millsop, Debbie Millsop, Jo Lochhead Whilst every care is taken in the writing, research and preparation of this magazine, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors in articles or advertisements, or for the contents of websites reviewed. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged.

We would love to hear from our readers, so please get in touch and if there is anything you would like to see featured in a future issue, do let us know.

PUBLISHING & ADVERTISING Publishing Assistant – Janice Whitton janice.whitton@practicalpublishing.co.uk Retail Distribution Executive – Chris Cooke chris.cooke@practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 01625 855023 Advertising Sales Executive – Helen South helen.south@practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 01625 855005 Group Sales Manager – Kevin Edwards kevin.edwards@practicalpublishing.co.uk Advertising Co-ordinator – Rachael Edmunds Financial Director – Karen Battrick Managing Editors – Diane Grimshaw, Gavin Burrell Associate Publisher – Iain Anderson Publishing Director – Dave Cusick Managing Director – Danny Bowler Chairman – Robin Wilkinson The publisher welcomes contributions from readers. All such contributions and submissions to the magazine are sent to and accepted by the publisher on the basis of a non-exclusive transferable worldwide licence unless otherwise agreed in writing prior to first publication. Such submissions are also subject to being used, reproduced, modified, published, edited, translated, distributed and displayed in any media or medium, or any form, format or forum now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose, in perpetuity.

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Tel: 0844 561 1203 DISTRIBUTION Newstrade – COMAG Magazine Distribution Craft Trade Distribution – Practical Publishing International Ltd Tel: 0844 561 1202 CONTACT Practical Publishing International Ltd, Unit 1, Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK SK10 4NL info@practicalpublishing.co.uk www.practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 0844 561 1202; Fax: 01625 855011

Creative Beads & Jewellery is published by Practical Publishing International Ltd. All material © Practical Publishing International Ltd. The style and mark of Creative Beads & Jewellery is used under licence from Craft Media Ltd. No material in whole or in part may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of Practical Publishing International Ltd. Creative Beads & Jewellery ISSN 2042-5309

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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_CBJ01 pp04-05 Contents_Beading 24/03/2010 18:05 Page 4

CONTENTS

What’s inside this issue of

regulars 06 News

56

What’s Cooking?

We show you how to make you own glass beads

What’s new in the world of jewellery and beads

104 Tools

An essential guide to the tools of the trade

106 Techniques

Master the basic techniques with our step-by-step guide

08&110 Giveaways

£££s of products to be given away

10 Readers’ Letters

Your ideas, views and top tips

24 The Bead Doctor

72 Designer Gallery We showcase your inspiring creations

All your questions answered

74 Letter from America

Beading and jewellery news from across the pond

108 Findings

Our round-up of the vital components of jewellery making

47&71Competitions

Win great prizes from Paper Cellar and Beads Unlimited

55 What’s On

A guide to shows and classes in the UK

102 Glossary

Learn all about the wealth of beads available in our expert guide

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

114 Coming next issue

A sneaky peek at what’s coming up in issue 2

_CBJ01 pp04-05 Contents_Beading 24/03/2010 18:05 Page 5

CONTENTS

features 38 Metallic Marvel

Get to grips with Precious Metal Clay with Samantha Berman’s masterclass

78 Spider’s Web

Combining wrapped wire and beads can produce completely unique pieces.

Carolyn Schulz explains all

12 Getting Creative

82 Pretty in Pink

Have you ever considered selling your jewellery designs? Carolyn Schulz encourages you to give it a whirl

Su Pennick shows you how to create fabulous trinkets and charms using shrink plastic

18 Floral Delights

Delicate beaded flowers perfect for springtime jewellery

86 Joining Forces 48 Chain Reaction

Judith Hannington shows you how to incorporate a whole host of different clasps into your designs

For stunning jewellery using age-old techniques, Tania McLean embraces the ancient art of chain maille

28 Pot Luck

Take your beads into the garden by embellishing terracotta pots. Carolyn Schulz shows you how

58 Paperwork

Su Pennick demonstrates how to make cost-effective paper bead jewellery with ease... and a little patience!

92 Sumptuous Seeds

Sarah and Debbie Millsop put a seed bead stringer through its paces with fabulous results

32 Penne and Pendants

98 Perfect Recall

Follow Christine Dumont’s guide to creating your own stylish polymer clay masterpieces

Capture the magic of memory wire and create your own chic designs. Carolyn Schulz reveals all

64 Stamping Ground

Glenda Waterworth and Lynn Robinson-Hunter lift the lid on Stampbord and showcase its versatility in the jewellery-making arena

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp06-07 Newz_Beading 24/03/2010 11:17 Page 6

NEWS UNLIMITED OPTIONS

quantities, you can’t go wrong for knowledge at your fingertips.

For more information and a great selection of products visit www.beadsunlimited.co.uk or call 01273 740777.

Beads Unlimited is now offering almost twice as much choice in its already extensive rocaille range with the new Jablonex Czech collection. These diminutive darlings offer excellent value, high quality and are available in all your favourite colours, including pretty pinks and purples. The Japanese selection includes premium-grade MGB rocailles for a perfect finish.

Prices start from 60p for 5g, with big discounts for wholesale in small quantities.

As if a great selection of beads and jewellery-making supplies wasn’t enough, Beads Unlimited has gone one step further by launching the reference item Guide to Bead Jewellery Making. This new and improved 16-page guide, crammed with ‘how tos’ on all basic beading techniques as well as updates on the latest beading threads, is essential for any bead jewellery maker or would-be beader. At just £1.50 retail, with big discounts for small wholesale

We have three prizes up for grabs, each packets of including 20 x 5g 2 each. For £1 rth wo s, rocaille e send your on n your chance to wi postcard to: a on s es dr ad name and actical Pr s, CBJ01 Rocaille n Court, gto lin Ad 1 it Un , Publishing rk, Pa s es sin Adlington Bu SK10 e hir es Ch , eld sfi Maccle 14th 4NL to arrive by May 2010

CHARMED, I’M SURE!

what’s

NEW?

Sit back and relax as we bring you the latest from the world of beading and jewellery GLOBAHOLIC Globaholic is now selling cane glass beads in a range of colours and shapes. The colourful beads, which can be used in earrings, necklaces and bracelets, really are gorgeous when made into charms or added to a chain bracelet.

Cane glass beads, which are sometimes known as furnace glass, are handmade using traditional techniques. They are formed by fusing lots of small canes of coloured glass into a larger, decorated rod, which is then fired and cut to size. The results are vibrant colour-lined and pinstriped glass beads in a variety of shapes and sizes.

The beads are sold in packs of 25g, and sizes vary from 8x5mm

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

UK BEADERS If you’re new to the world of beads and jewellery making, you may not be aware of the UK Beaders online community. UK Beaders is a fully comprehensive online resource for all things beading. Join in with the chatter on the forums, ask questions and give help to other users, take part in competitions and challenges, show off your latest creations, get the nitty gritty on all kinds of different techniques from lampwork to chain maille, and much more. www.uk-beaders.co.uk/forum.htm

to 15x15mm (giving between 10 and 14 beads per pack). Each pack may contain matching beads, but expect an exciting diversity!

A 25g pack costs £2.95 and is available in a range of colour mixes – red, blue, green, black & white and multi.

Visit www.globaholic.com to buy, or view a blog for ideas and inspiration.

As Pandora charm bracelets become increasingly popular, it’s clear that dangly bits are all the rage!

Accessorize has announced a brand-new range of charm bracelets and accessories, so be sure to take a trip down to your local shop for inspiration. This beautiful range, available from Accessorize, features a lovely selection of girly pendants and charms, so take a look at your local branch and try it for yourself!

Go to www.monsoon.co.uk/page/acchome to see the new Putting on the Charm range.

LET IT SHINE The new Crystallized Swarovski Elements/Crystal and Pearl Mixes in silver and gold are now available from the UK’s only Swarovski-recommended store, Shiney Rocks.

These new sparkling delights are available as 50 x 4mm for just £3.80, and 50 x 4mm and 6mm beads for £5.75. In addition, new 19mm chunky bolt rings are available in black, gold and silver-plated varieties, priced at £1.50 each. You’ll also find new brightly-coloured glass pendants and acrylic flower beads from just 35p each.

All available from www.shineyrocks.co.uk or call 0117 300 9800.

CBJ01 pp06-07 Newz_Beading 24/03/2010 11:17 Page 7

NEWS

BIG BEAD LITTLE BEAD Big Bead Little Bead is a small, UK-based online company, born from a long-term enthusiasm for all things pretty and sparkly!

BigBeadLittleBead.com brings a contemporary slant to online bead shopping, with some useful tools and a visually clean and clear, image-led approach.

Alongside all your regular beading needs, you’ll find one-off beads made exclusively for the site by talented artists working in porcelain and polymer clay. Bespoke glass beads from an American lampworker and découpage pendants from an Australian maker are soon to be showcased. Big Bead Little Bead also prides itself on finding vintage treasures to make your pieces individual.

The website offers visitors a unique online Project Tray, which allows them to try beads side by side or in a potential layout, ahead of buying. The site also has a clever interactive bead calculator so all that you need to do is enter the size of the bead and the required length of bracelet or necklace, and the number of beads required for a project will be calculated – no more running out of beads halfway through a design!

Big Bead Little Bead offers a loyalty card scheme, and a chance to earn 10% off your order value.

Simply opt in to the scheme when you register, and net one bead each time you spend £10.

Collect 10 beads to gain your discount reward. www.bigbeadlittlebead.com

JOLEE’S JEWELS Jolee’s Jewels from EK Success Brands is here to help you celebrate life’s special moments in style!

From parties to black-tie events, you have the chance to show off fabulous one-of-a-kind, handmade jewellery.

The Jolee’s Jewels collection offers an assortment of jewellery components, and many products feature Crystallized Swarovski elements. Grouped in distinct themes, each includes an assortment of options, ranging from pendants, charms, earrings, connectors, links, closures, crystals, pearls and more, plus you’ll find various products for hair accessories, bail/chain sets and crystal pendants.

For product and stockist information visit www.eksuccessbrands.com

PRETTY POLYMER There is a lovely selection of new handmade Fimo creations at The Bead Shop Scotland.

Flower and button charms are among the pre-made polymer clay products available, and the new choices include large and small flower charms, and large and small buttons, all available in a selection of different colours.

Handmade FIMO flowers are priced at 45p each (small) and 90p each (large), and handmade Fimo buttons are 30p (small) and 40p (large).

All items are available to purchase online from www.beadshopscotland.co.uk or call 01620 822886.

HANG TIME Unique handmade pendants and beads are now available from The Bead Shop in Nottingham, both in-store and online.

All the beads and pendants are made by Nottinghamshire artists, and each piece is handcrafted and of excellent quality. The range includes bright dichroic glass and elegant Stampbord pendants.

The funky,

FLAME OFF

The Bead Shop Scotland has donated this lovely selection of Silky Stripe beads in both rounds and barrels for five lucky winners. Each giveaway is worth £10. For your cha nce to win a set, send your name and address on a postcard to: CBJ01 Sil ky Stripe, Practical Publishing, Un it 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 14th May 2010

polymer clay cupcakes, which are proving hugely popular, are available in three different frostings.

Psychedelic polymer clay beads, available in different shapes and colours, filed and varnished to a superb finish, can also be found on the website alongside wonderful chunky and soft felt beads.

This new corner of the website will be updated regularly as most pieces are handmade in small batches, and others will be unique one-offs!

Visit www.mailorder-beads.co.uk or call 0115 958 8899

UK Flame Off is a two-day event taking place at the Towcester Racecourse. It’s a place where beadmakers and bead lovers of all ages gather to play with fire, melt glass, make beads, stock up on supplies and, of course, buy beads!

You’ll find lots of taster benches where you can have a go at making beads yourself, and you’ll be able to get expert advice from professionals. It’s also a great place to try out different torches and other bead-making tools and equipment, all of which are available to buy from the many suppliers around the hall.

There will be lampwork glass artists downstairs selling their beads, findings and jewellery in The Lampworkers Village, as well as plenty of places to sit down and refuel. On the third floor, classes will be held in silver clay, silver wire work and enamelling (it is advisable to book these in advance).

Once you have paid the entrance fee, all of the demonstrations and tasters (and entrance to the Lampworkers Village) are free. There is an additional fee for the third floor classes.

Flame Off will be held on 16th – 17th April. If you are interested in making glass beads or if you simply fancy having a go at melting glass, this is the show for you!

For more information on the show go to www.tuffnellglass.com

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp08 Giveawayz_Beading 24/03/2010 15:33 Page 6

GIVEAWAYS TOTALLY BEADS HANDCUT CRYSTAL SELECTION

JELLY BEADS SETS 3 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £18 EACH

1 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £30 These handcut crystal beads from Totally Beads (www.totallybeads.co.uk; 0845 094 3594) are available online for just £2.50 per string. There are currently 27 colours in 10 different sizes and shapes in this range, with more styles being added all the time.

These fab Jelly Beads from Lush Lampwork (www.lushlampwork.co.uk; 07906 651846) come in a set of 14 doughnut-shaped beads with large holes (approx 3.5mm), in pretty opal colours (including red, cream, lilac, plum, blue and green) with a shimmery, pearlescent coating. The beads measure around 13x7mm and fit Trollbeads bracelets. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming larger Jelly Beads set to fit Pandora bracelets.

PORCELAIN BEADS SET 1 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £25 The Bead Shop (www.the-beadshop. co.uk; 0161 232 7356) has donated this lovely set of 85 porcelain beads from its new range. The beads are priced at £3 for 10 beads. Fun and funky animal designs are available in all shapes and sizes, with a larger hole (approx 1.5mm) to fit cord and leather. You can create cute bag charms and keyrings, or add them to a necklace or bracelet to make the final piece that little bit different.

GIVEAWAYS

Over £300 worth of prizes to be won!

TO ENTER For your chance to win one of these great prizes, send your name and address on a postcard, along with the name of the product you want to win, to CB&J01 Giveaways, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 14th May 2010.

B FOR BEADS PRODUCT SET 2 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £25 EACH

VINTAJ BRASS BEADS JEWELLERY KITS

8

EMBROIDERED JEWELLERY BOOKS

B for Beads (www.b-for-beads.co.uk; 01978 760965) has donated these great prizes for two lucky winners.

Each winner will receive a B for Beads Profesional Mini Tool Kit (comprising flat-nosed pliers, round-nosed pliers, chain-nosed pliers, side cutters, nylon-jaw pliers, split-ring tweezers and knotting tweezers), one Seaglass 6mm round-beads string and a selection of nickel-free Tibetan Silver beads, charms and findings.

5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £10-£12 EACH

5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £18.99 EACH

Beads Direct (www.beadsdirect.co.uk; 01509 218028) has donated five fabulous Vintaj brass beads jewellery kits. We have two Stardust earrings kits to give away, plus a Starry Night earrings kit, Eternal Mystery bracelet kit and Evening Tide bracelet kit.

In this inspirational book, embroiderer and textile artist Shirley Anne Sherris reveals the secrets of her exquisite jewellery pieces, all created using hand and machine embroidery. For more information about the book, visit www.anovabooks.com; 020 7605 1400.

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ01 pp009_Beading 22/03/2010 10:36 Page 9

CBJ01 pp10 Your Letter_Beading 24/03/2010 12:23 Page 10

LETTERS

your

COMPLETE BEGINNER

LETTERS

We’d love to hear from you, so please share your ideas, opinions and top tips with us. Email letters@practicalpublishing.co.uk or write to Letters, CB&J, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL

FLAT PACK I wondered if you could tell me the best way to leave my glasswork beads to cool? Up until now I’ve been laying them on a wooden chopping board, but they obviously end up with a bit of a flat side to them! I attended a class in glasswork techniques some time ago, and I can’t get enough of all the beautiful colours of beads I can create – I just need to be able to create a perfect bead shape now!

June Peters, by email CB&J: Thanks for getting in touch, June. The answer to your question really depends on how large the holes in your beads are.

AN ALTERNATIVE CREATION

For a really tiny hole, you can sink pins into a piece of clay and feed the beads onto these. If you’re talking larger holes, cocktail sticks or skewers are great. Whatever you use, secure them at one end so they can take the weight of your beads and you can happily leave them to cool in this way.

For a professional look, get your hands on some mandrels and use these to initially form your beads during the lampwork stage.

These can take the heat of your flame if treated with bead release, so are just as good a solution. You can then stand the mandrels in a tall jar to hold them steady while the bead solidifies.

I’m determined to branch out with my crafting ability and try my hand at jewellery making. My cousin started selling her jewellery on Etsy a few months ago and has sold a few pieces, so I’d like to have a go myself and see if I have an eye for it. The only problem is I have no idea where to start. Please help!

Judith James, Derbyshire

CB&J: Hi Judith. We’ve got a few beginners here at Creative Beads & Jewellery as well, and we’re determined to get everyone to have a go, so they’re in the same boat!

If you’re a complete beginner and have nothing in terms of tools, beads or findings, then you’d be best to go for a comprehensive kit to get you started off on the right foot.

There are some lovely kits available that include tools as well as all the essentials, such as this silver-plated starter kit from Spoilt Rotten Beads. For £38 you get the tools, findings, wire, beads and a bead mat, all presented in a lovely pale blue carry case.

You can then get inspiration from Creative Beads & Jewellery, or visit the Beading Projects section of the Spoilt Rotten Beads website at www.spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk.

I’m attempting to make my daughter a necklace for her birthday in June, but to say she has alternative tastes is an understatement! Black is her favourite colour, but I figured I may be able to introduce a bit of colour into her bleak wardrobe by using beads with a difference.

Any ideas would be gratefully received.

LOST FOR WORDS Tori Rebecchi, by email I want to make a really personal and special simple bracelet for CB&J: We think we know the kind of thing you’re each of my three daughters. looking for Tori, so how They’ve done so much for me over about these spiky beads the years, and with recent health from Beads Unlimited issues that has increased tenfold, (www.beads so I’d like to repay them by unlimited.co.uk; making them a special keepsake.

01273 740777)?

I want to make the bracelets You can get rounded personal by including their names spiky beads sized at 6mm – Melanie, Chloe and Rebecca – and 8mm, or 15x6mm but I haven’t been able to find tube beads with the same alphabet beads to my liking yet. spikes from just 30p each.

Specifically, I’m looking for metal Couple these with a letters. Perhaps you can help? black cord stringing and Jennifer Priss, by email We’re sure they’d be your daughter’s cup of tea!

CB&J: What a lovely gesture, Jennifer. We’ve had a good look for

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

you and have found these lovely circular metal beads from The Bead Shop (www.mailorderbeads.co.uk; 0115 958 8899).

These beads measure 6mm in diameter with a 4mm depth and have a 1.5mm hole running through them. Numbers and a nice heart motif bead are also available for just 20p each.

CBJ01 pp11 Beads Excl_Beading 24/03/2010 12:14 Page 11

BEAD EXCLUSIVE

All

A-FLUTTER This stylish and fun bracelet combines dazzling colours with nature-inspired charms

MATERIALS

TO CREATE SUE RHODES & SAM HAYDOCK DESIGNERS

All the materials used here are available from: www.beadexclusive.co.uk; 01803 322000

ABOUT BEAD EXCLUSIVE… Bead Exclusive is run by mother and daughter team Sue Rhodes and Sam Haydock from their business premises and show room in Torquay.

Both Sue and Sam come from creative and artistic backgrounds but share a mutual passion for jewellery and beads.

Open each jump ring and link it onto the loop at the top of each of the charms/ drops. Close the rings as tightly as possible so there isn’t any gaps.

Using the tigertail, place a crimp onto the thread. Pass the thread through the loop of one part of the clasp, and back down the crimp to form a small loop.

Squeeze the crimp firmly with pliers.

Thread on a 4mm Swarovski bicone followed by a 4mm beaded rondelle.

Retain the final 4mm Swarovski bicone and one 4mm beaded heishi, then mix up the remainder of the beads. Thread three or

1 2

3

four beads onto the tigertail then thread one of the jump rings with a charm attached.

Continue to randomly thread the beads onto the tigertail, while threading on one of the jump rings at balanced intervals throughout the bracelet.

Once all the beads have been added, thread on the retained 4mm silver beaded heishi followed by the final Swarovski bead, and finally a thread on a crimp bead.

5

Pass the end of the tigertail through the loop on the other part of the clasp, back down through the crimp and, if possible, through a few of the beads.

Pull the end of the tigertail to form a small loop and squeeze the crimp with pliers to secure. To finish, cut away the excess tigertail thread.

6 7

• 1 x 4mm Swarovski amethyst bicone • 1 x 4mm Swarovski erinite bicone • 3 x 6mm Swarovski amethyst bicone • 5 x 6mm Swarovski erinite bicone • 5 x 6mm Swarovski Lt. amethyst bicone • 4 x 6mm Swarovski Pacific opal bicone • 25 x Amethyst gem tumblechips • 7 x Tierracast 4mm beaded rondelles • 1 x Tierracast garland clasp • 10 x Tierracast charms and drops • 10 x 5mm jump rings • tigertail and crimps

TOOLS • pliers

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp12-15 Getting Creative_Beading 24/03/2010 11:55 Page 12

BEADS JEWELLERY FOR SALE

getting

If you have ever considered selling your designs but haven’t had the courage to try, think again. Carolyn Schulz tells us how her handmade gifts turned into an unexpected money-spinner

CREATIVE any people start out beading or making jewellery as a hobby but soon find that friends, family and colleagues ask to buy their pieces. That recently happened to me. I made beaded badge holders as gifts to thank the girls in the administration office of the local college, and within 24 hours I had an email asking me if I would be willing to make some to sell. The summer was coming up and I thought the extra cash would come in handy for the holidays. In just three months, I had sold more than 250 badge holders at between £12.50 and £24.50 each.

I can honestly say it was not just financially viable but great fun. It never became boring because almost every one I made was different (occasionally someone asked for one to be made exactly like another), and I enjoyed experimenting with different beads as well as with different techniques. In this feature I want to share with you two of the techniques I used – I hope it will inspire you to give it a go!

M

12

TECHNIQUE 1 – BEAD AND CHAIN This technique intersperses beads between lengths of chain and is particularly good for showcasing gorgeous beads. Because very few beads are needed, the design allows you to use more specialised beads, which might otherwise be cost prohibitive.

THE TECHNIQUE Design your piece by laying out beads and leaving gaps for the chain.

Make the piece approximately 8090cm at its finished length. For ideas on how to cluster the beads, refer to the examples shown here.

1

Tip: When wearing a bead and chain badge holder, you don’t usually see the part of the piece that goes around the back of the neck, so you can save money and time by just putting chain around that section.

Thread beads/bead sections onto

2

MATERIALS

• swivel clip, lanyard or similar clip • chain • eyepins • jump rings • beads

eyepins and make a loop at the other end.

Cut the chain into lengths to use between the beads.

Tip: Rather than measuring the chain, just count the number of links and cut the next one.

Join the bead units and chain by

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CAROLYN SCHULZ DESIGNER

opening the chain links and slipping on the bead unit, then reclosing the links.

Alternatively, you can use jump rings to attach bead units to the chain.

Tip: Mix different sizes of jump rings as a fashion feature!

Join the two ends to the swivel clip, lanyard or badge clip using links of chain or jump rings.

Tip: If you run out of space, use two jump rings to connect the two ends of your chain to the badge clip for added strength.

5

MATERIALS • 8mm lavender freshwater pearls • 6mm round faceted rainbow glass beads • 5 x 10mm troca shell tubes • small purple seed beads • silver chain • small silver swivel clip

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

LAVENDER PEARLESCENT

CBJ01 pp12-15 Getting Creative_Beading 24/03/2010 11:56 Page 13

BEADS JEWELLERY FOR SALE

MATERIALS • 10mm silver-coated faceted aqua beads • 6-7mm aqua faceted cube beads • 18mm flat silver pitted plate beads • small silver seed beads • small curb silver chain • small silver swivel clip

AQUA SPARKLE

MATERIALS • sodalite chips • 4x8x12mm blue quartz • chunky silver chain • silver seed beads (small and large) • jump ring • small silver swivel clip

BLACK AND WHITE ELEGANCE

MATERIALS • 10mm jet glass cube beads • 6mm round faceted rainbow glass beads • 5 x 10mm troca shell tubes • large silver seed beads • small black seed beads • silver 7mm jump rings • silver chain • small silver swivel clip

BLUE DENIM www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp12-15 Getting Creative_Beading 24/03/2010 11:56 Page 14

BEADS JEWELLERY FOR SALE

COCO FLOWERS THE TECHNIQUE Design your piece by laying out your chosen beads. The finished piece needs to measure 80-90cm. For ideas on how to cluster the beads, refer to the examples shown here.

Tip: Generally you won’t need a clasp because the chain fits easily over the wearer’s head.

1

Thread a crimp bead onto one end of the beading wire, followed by the badge clip. Go back through the crimp bead and pull the loop formed tight around the badge clip.

Squash the crimp bead to secure the beading wire to the badge clip.

Thread beads onto the beading wire in the pattern chosen.

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3

MATERIALS • 5mm coco flower beads • 12 x 5mm coco flower beads • large silver seed beads • small copper seed beads • tigertail • crimp beads • small silver swivel clip

Repeat on the other end of the beading wire.

4

MATERIALS • swivel clip, lanyard or similar clip • eyepins • tigertail or similar flexible beading wire • crimp beads or tubes • crimp covers (optional) • beads

14

TECHNIQUE 2 – BEADING WIRE AND CRIMP BEADS This technique is faster but uses more beads, so why not introduce seed beads into the design to make it more cost effective?

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

The beads and pearls used here can be purchased as Creative Style beaded strands from branches of HobbyCraft. Beads Unlimited silver swivel clips are also available from HobbyCraft.

Visit www.hobbycraft.co.uk or call 0800 027 2387 for your nearest store

CBJ01 pp12-15 Getting Creative_Beading 24/03/2010 11:57 Page 15

BEADS JEWELLERY FOR SALE MATERIALS • 10mm jet glass cube beads • 6mm round faceted rainbow glass bead • 5x10mm troca shell tube • large silver seed beads • small black seed beads • 20x5x5mm clear rectangular bead • tigertail • crimp beads • small silver swivel clip • clasp

BLACK AND WHITE WITH CLASP

BOTSWANA GLASS

MATERIALS • 18x8mm Botswana oval bead • 8mm Botswana round bead • large silver seed beads • small black seed beads • tigertail • crimp beads • small silver swivel clip

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp16 Beads Unlim_Beading 24/03/2010 12:01 Page 16

BEADS UNLIMITED

ring of FIRE GEMMA GRAY DESIGNER

ABOUT GEMMA… Gemma is inspired by everything around her, from colour and form to the materials she uses. She has created her own style of jewellery by combining many traditional techniques with contemporary ideas.

This unusual ring takes just minutes to make but gives you instant glamour with an individual twist

TO CREATE Pick up one 3mm metal spacer bead and one 4mm Swarovski XILION on a headpin. Using the cutting part of the multi-pliers, cut the headpin about 1cm above the bead.

Using the roundnosed part of the pliers, curl the headpin into a loop but do not close completely.

Repeat with all of your

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4mm Swarovski XILIONs, alternating the spacer beads so they are either before or after the bead.

Hook one of the loops onto a ring loop and close it completely with the round-nosed part of the pliers. Repeat this process with the other beaded headpins, spacing the colours evenly.

Pick up one 6mm Swarovski XILION on a

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headpin. Using the cutters part of the multi-pliers, cut the headpin about 1cm above the bead. Then, using the round-nosed part of the pliers, curl the headpin into a loop but do not close completely. Repeat for the other 6mm beads.

Hook one of these loops onto a ring loop near the centre of the ring, then close it completely with the round-nosed part of the pliers. Repeat with the final two 6mm beads, spacing them evenly.

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All the materials used here are available from Beads Unlimited – www.beadsunlimited.co.uk; 01273 740777

MATERIALS NECKLACE SUPPLIES

• 10-loop finger ring • 26 x silver-plated headpins • 29 x 3mm silver-plated metal spacer beads • 3 x Swarovski XILION AB1 6mm fire opal • 6 x Swarovski XILION AB1 4mm light siam • 20 x Swarovski XILION AB1 4mm fire opal

TOOLS

• multi-pliers

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ01 pp017_Beading 22/03/2010 10:37 Page 17

CBJ01 pp18-21 Floral Seed Bead_Beading 24/03/2010 11:21 Page 18

BEADS SEED BEADS BEADLINGS

floral

JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER o make simple flowers requires a selection of seed beads and some 34-gauge beading wire. This wire is very flexible and fine enough that it doesn’t draw attention on a finished beaded piece.

Handily, it can be cut using regular scissors.

T

GETTING STARTED We have used size 15/0 beads for the projects featured here.

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DELIGHTS

These delicate, beaded flowers are perfect for springtime jewellery or for creating a special gift. They are simple to make and can be combined with your favourite findings and other techniques to create a variety of jewellery pieces. Judith Hannington shows you how Seed beads (or rocailles, as they are commonly called) are available in four standard sizes, and 15/0 is the smallest.

Larger beads can be used, but the wire will be more prominent in the final design as it will have further to travel around the beads, especially when finishing off the ends. I

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

chose yellow and green beads for a springtime-inspired feel, but you can use any colour to suit the recipient or occasion the piece is being created for.

The main thing to bear in mind when working with such fine wire is to not allow kinks to form in it – these kinks will

become a weak point in the wire, which will break when under tension. There is no way to remedy kinked wire and it is advisable to start a project from scratch with a new piece or you run the risk of your beaded creation falling apart when the weakened wire eventually breaks.

Small designs work

best when using this beading technique for jewellery making, especially if they are to be hung as earrings or pendants, due to their delicate nature. Larger designs should be used on chunkier base findings, as illustrated by the ring and bracelet projects where a large focal bead in the centre of the piece is glued to

CBJ01 pp18-21 Floral Seed Bead_Beading 24/03/2010 11:23 Page 19

BEADS SEED BEADS BEADLINGS FLORAL RING

EARRINGS

TO CREATE Cut approximately 40cm of wire, and fix the first green bead 10cm from the end.

Thread 12 yellow beads onto the long end of the wire then thread the wire back through the green bead, as shown in the

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MATERIALS • yellow and green seed beads • silver 34-gauge beading wire • silver 2mm round bead • green faceted glass bead • silver 1mm crimp bead • silver chain

diagram below.

Repeat the beadthreading pattern to create five flower petals. Thread the wire ends up each side of one petal to emerge centrally at the top.

Flatten out the flower on your work surface.

With both wire ends together, thread on a silver bead, a green faceted glass bead and a silver crimp. Thread the wire ends back down

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4

through all three beads and pull to leave a small loop at the top.

Using crimping pliers, fix the crimp bead, then trim the wire ends off and fix it to the earring post using the double wire loop, ensuring that the smooth side of the crimp bead is facing the front.

Repeat the beading to make a matching pair of earrings.

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• scissors • crimping pliers • flat-nosed or chainnosed pliers

BASIC SHAPES There are two basic methods for forming flowers. One involves threading the majority of the beads onto a length of wire then forming groups of the beads in the petal shapes, and the second

Cut 40cm of beading wire and fix the first green bead 7cm from the end of the wire. Thread three yellow beads onto the wire, then repeat one green and three yellow beads until you can surround the Millefiore coin bead.

Finish the first stage by threading the wire end back through the first green bead to create the circle.

Thread on nine green beads then thread the wire, end through the next green bead on the circle, as shown in the diagram below. Repeat to create all the petals.

Thread the wire end through the Millefiore coin, through

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2 3

TOOLS

a cup or pad plate on the finding to support the shape.

TO CREATE

4 method involves creating the flower one complete petal at a time. All the projects require the first bead and select following beads to be fixed in position on the wire. This is illustrated in the following diagram, where the wire is threaded through a bead and the end of

MATERIALS • yellow and green seed beads • silver 34-gauge beading wire • 10mm Millefiore coin bead • silver ring blank with 10mm pad • jewellery glue

TOOLS

• scissors

a bead on the opposite side of the circle and back through the coin.

Finish both ends by threading around and through several beads before snipping off.

Flatten out the flower and reshape the petals before attaching to the ring pad using strong jewellery glue.

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the wire brought around the bead and passed through the bead hole again.

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp18-21 Floral Seed Bead_Beading 24/03/2010 11:24 Page 20

BEADS SEED BEADS BEADLINGS

TOP TIP

CHOKER PENDANT

TO CREATE Cut 50cm of beading wire and fix the first green bead 7cm from the end.

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MATERIALS • yellow and green seed beads • silver 34-gauge beading wire • glass central-holed disc bead • large curved silver flower • silver jump ring • silver choker • jewellery glue

TOOLS

• scissors • flat-nosed or chainnosed pliers

Thread enough green beads onto your wire to completely surround the feature bead, then go back through the first three beads to create a circle.

Fit the glass disc bead into the centre of the circle and thread your wire through the bead hole – follow diagram 1 below to fix the disc securely.

Follow diagram 2 to attach the spiky petals, by adding five yellow beads and taking the wire around the final bead and back

2 3

through the previous four, before moving onto the next petal.

Secure the wire ends by threading through and around a couple of green beads before snipping off.

Use strong jewellery glue to attach the central bead to the reverse of the silver flower and leave to fully cure.

Attach a jump ring to one of the silver flower petals and thread the finished pendant onto your choker.

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MATERIALS • yellow and green seed beads • silver 34-gauge beading wire • silver 2-hole flat ring • green faceted glass beads • silver 2mm round bead • 7-strand tigertail wire • 1mm silver crimp beads • lobster clasp and closed jump ring • silver headpin and eyepin

TOOLS

• scissors • crimping pliers • round-nosed and flat-nosed or chainnosed pliers

TO CREATE Cut 45cm of beading wire and follow steps 1 and 2 of the earring instructions.

Repeat the beading pattern to create six flower petals.

Thread each of the wire ends to the top of a petal on opposite

1

Diagram 1

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

Diagram 2

If the wire tries to curl up as you are working you should immediately, and gently, unwind the curl to avoid it tightening and kinking

2

sides of the flower, and wrap the ends twice through the holes in the silver ring to fix the flower centrally. Bring the ends back down the flower petals and thread through a couple of centre beads before snipping off.

Thread the headpin with beads to create a decorative dangle.

Form a simple loop at the top and fix onto the ring.

Thread the eyepin with a seed bead, a faceted glass bead and a further seed bead before forming a large simple loop at the top.

Attach the readymade eye to the top hole of your pendant.

Cut the tigertail wire to the desired necklace length, plus about 60mm. Thread one end a short way

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CBJ01 pp18-21 Floral Seed Bead_Beading 24/03/2010 11:24 Page 21

BEADS SEED BEADS BEADLINGS

TOP TIP

BEADED FEATURE PENDANT

TO CREATE Cut 30cm of beading wire and fix the first bead 6cm from the end. Thread on six yellow beads, then go around the last bead back through the second-to-last bead then thread on four more yellow beads, as shown in the diagram.

Repeat the pattern to create five petals then go back through the first green bead to close the ring of beads.

Thread two yellow, one green, and two yellow beads onto the wire, and go through the next green bead in the outer ring. Repeat five times.

Thread your wire through the first two yellow beads from Step 3 and go through and around the next green bead. Thread the wire through all five central green beads then draw the flower up slowly into the star shape, gently pushing the beads into position.

Secure the ends by threading through

1 through a crimp bead, through the lobster clasp loop and back through the crimp bead.

Fix the crimp using the crimping pliers, then thread a couple of green seed beads onto the wire and over the short end before trimming it close to the beads. Thread the tigertail with green seed

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beads then slide the pendant onto the beaded wire.

Finish the other end by threading on a crimp bead, going through a jump ring then back through the crimp and a couple of the seed beads. Fix the crimp with crimping pliers then snip off the wire end.

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WHERE TO BUY

For a great range of seed beads go to www.telfordsdirect.co.uk or call 0141 616 4116 Purchase 34-gauge beading wire plus a range of feature beads from www.jillybeads.co.uk A variety of silver beads and findings, plus the wonderfully flexible tigertail wire, is available from www.bead-exclusive.co.uk Visit www.dichro-findings.co.uk for a fabulous selection of jewellery mounts – a perfect base for your beaded creations

2 3

STARFLOWER NECKLACE

The wire coloured red in the beading diagrams illustrates the second stage of the beading

and around several central beads and passing them up the sides of a petal to finish.

Thread the eyepin with a silver bead, three green beads and a final silver bead, then create a simple loop in the end.

Open up the loop sideways, like opening a jump ring, and gently feed it through one of the petal tip beads before closing to secure. Hang the pendant from a

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MATERIALS • yellow and green seed beads • silver 34-gauge beading wire • silver 2mm round beads • silver eyepin • silver chain

TOOLS

• scissors • round-nosed and flat-nosed or chainnosed pliers

chain using the original eyepin loop.

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp022 Quarters_Beading 24/03/2010 12:30 Page 22

Under New Management!

Specialists in TOHO seed beads, bugles & cubes NEW STOCK ARRIVING INCLUDING: • Vintage nailheads

• Semi-precious gemstones • Czech glass • Crystals & pearls

Why not visit our extended workshop program in our new, purpose built classroom TELEPHONE 01409 231 442 OR VISIT:

www.thebeadcellar.co.uk The Bead Cellar, Meadow View, Black Torrington, Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5PT

OPEN: TUESDAY – SATURDAY 10am – 5pm

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

We supply beads for all occasions!

We also stock a wide range of findings and stringing materials!

INCLUDING: ● Semi-Precious ● Czech Glass ● Seed Beads ● Glass Pearls ● Metal Beads ● Glass Pendants ● Plastic and Wooden Beads.

RANGING FROM: ● Fish Hooks ● Clip-on Earrings ● Crimp Beads ● Jump rings ● Split rings ● All in a variety of finishes such as Silver-plated, Gold-plated, Antique Copper-plated, Antique brass-plated to Sterling silver and coloured.

WORKSHOPS Come along to one of our workshops to learn the basics of jewellery making or how to create a specific piece of jewellery.

So whether you are a complete beginner or just wish to improve your skills, there is a workshop for you! We even run a ladies evening so why not come down with your friends and join our party with a glass of wine and nibbles whilst you create beautiful jewellery pieces and make new friends.

OPEN Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5.30pm and every Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm

Visit our website www.madisonsbeads.co.uk or call us direct on 01823 322466 25 Bridge Street, Taunton TA1 1TQ

CBJ01 pp23 Spellbound beads_Beading 24/03/2010 12:11 Page 23

THE SPELLBOUND BEAD CO

JULIE ASHFORD DESIGNER

MATERIALS

square

• 5g each of three colours of 8/0 seed beads (A, B & C) • 8g of one colour 8/0 seed beads (D) • 2 x 6mm faceted glass beads for the clasp • 10 x 4mm faceted glass beads to tone (E) • size 10 beading needle • beading thread

STITCH

This vibrant, tasselled necklace can be created in any number of different colour combinations for almost every occasion TO CREATE

1

Prepare the needle with two metres of single thread. Tie any seed bead to the thread 10cm from the end, with a single knot as a stopper.

Thread on nine A beads. Thread on one B bead and pass the needle through the last A bead threaded and the new B bead to bring the two beads parallel, as shown.

Thread one B bead.

Pass the needle through the last but one A bead and the new B bead, as shown. Repeat to the end of the row to add nine B beads in total.

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To strengthen, run the needle through all the A beads of the first row, and all the B beads of the second row. Start the next row with one C bead, then work these to the end of the row.

To strengthen, pass the needle up and down the rows (you must do this after each row). Work a row in D beads and then one each in C, B and A. With the needle coming from the end of the last row, thread on five A beads, one E and one A. Turn the needle and pass it back through the E bead and the following 14 A beads to the top of the row, as shown.

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Thread on one A bead and pass the needle through the next B bead row.

Thread on 12 B, one E and one B bead. As before, pass the needle through the E bead and back up to the top of the row.

Add one B bead, and pass the thread through the C bead row to make a tassel strand 20 C beads long. Repeat this process to make the central strand 26 D

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beads long.

Complete the remaining strands to finish the pendant.

Prepare the needle with 1.5 metres of double thread, and tie on a stopper bead.

Thread on sufficient D beads to make the strap from the centre back to the pendant.

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All the materials used here are available from The Spellbound Bead Co 47 Tamworth Street Lichfield, Staffs WS13 6JW; info@spellboundbead.co.uk; www.spellboundbead.co.uk; 01543 417650

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Make the hanger as shown, remembering that you need extra seed beads in the gaps along the top edge of the pendant.

Complete the strap with D beads and loop tag to the back.

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp24-25 Bead Doc_Beading 24/03/2010 16:26 Page 24

BEAD DOCTOR

bead DOCTOR Got a beading query or a jewellery dilemma? Ask our expert Carolyn Shulz for the answers ...with Carolyn Schulz

SIZE MATTERS Please help! I am trying to make a project from a book that lists wire by gauge but when I went to purchase wire at my local craft store, all the wires were listed in millimetres. Can you tell me if there is some sort of conversion chart that would help me determine what to buy?

Olivia, Devon

ABOUT CAROLYN… Carolyn has been involved in almost every aspect of the craft industry for the last 25 years. She started out as a hobbyist, making her own creations at home and selling them at craft fairs and to local specialty stores.

Carolyn went on to write several books and became the editor of three UK craft magazines.

Beads played an important part in two of Carolyn’s books and over the last 20 years she has unintentionally become an expert at teaching jewellerymaking techniques! In addition to private courses and personal tuition, she teaches creative jewellery at West Herts College and also writes a regular column for the largest craft magazine in the US, Creative Home Arts.

For the last six years, Carolyn has served on the board of the Craft and Hobby Association, an international trade association for the creative industry.

Although born and educated in California, Carolyn lives here in the UK but flies across the Atlantic 8-10 times a year. As a result, she is acquainted with the styles and trends both in the US and Europe.

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CRIMPED TO PERFECTION Can you help me to make my crimps look more professional?

When used with gorgeous glass beads, I’m worried they cheapen the look of the finished piece.

Nina, Essex CAROLYN SAYS...

Crimping pliers are readily available in many bead and craft stores. They have two grooves in the jaws – the first, found closer to the handles, is shaped like a quarter moon. Start by mashing the crimp in this groove to create a fold with the two wires on opposite sides. Next move to the round groove LARGER THAN LIFE I wondered if you could recommend a magnifier I can use to make those fiddly jobs a little bit clearer? I don’t have a problem with lighting as my trusty craft light has never failed me. My problem is that some of the beading tasks are just so small that my eyesight doesn’t hold up to being

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CAROLYN SAYS...

There are a number of ways to measure wire and I suspect your project is using the American wire gauge (AWG). Here is the approximate metric conversion for the gauges you may be seeing in your book:

nearer the tip of the pliers and use this to fold the crimp into a small cylinder. This leaves a neat, rounded finish that looks very professional when done correctly. For more information, turn to our handy techniques guide on page 106.

Alternatively you could try using crimp covers, which are small, hinged hollow bead halves that look like a round bead cover when gently squeezed closed over the flattened crimp.

AMERICAN WIRE GAUGE CONVERSION CHART Gauge

Inches

Millimetres

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30

0.325 0.257 0.204 0.162 0.128 0.102 0.081 0.064 0.051 0.040 0.036 0.025 0.020 0.016 0.013 0.010

8.26 6.54 5.19 4.12 3.26 2.59 2.05 1.63 1.29 1.02 0.812 0.723 0.573 0.405 0.321 0.25

able to see the teeny bits!

Gladys, Somerset

CAROLYN SAYS...

There are some really fiddly jobs in our craft, aren’t there Gladys? Have a look at these nifty little Flexilens magnifiers, available from The Daylight Company (www.day lightcompany.com).

They can stand on a table top or even be

pinned to a sofa arm or cushion as they’ve got five handy holes in the base designed specifically for this purpose. An additional feature

is that the neck is adjustable so you can position the lens as close to your work as you like.

CBJ01 pp24-25 Bead Doc_Beading 24/03/2010 16:26 Page 25

BEAD DOCTOR BESIDE THE SEASIDE

TO BE... OR KNOT TO BE!

I live on the Devon coast and am wanting to make a memento for my German cousin, who will be visiting me in a couple of months.

It will be the first time I have seen her in eight years, so I want to use my skills to create something really special and classy!

I was thinking about something along the lines of a shell necklace, but I really want to steer clear of the typical shell beads you can get hold of.

Where could I get some truly stunning shell beads to make her gift with?

Janice, by email

I have been trying to repair my favourite stretchy bracelet using a clear elasticated cord but every time I attempt to tie a knot, it slips out. Do you have any ideas please?

Judith, Lancashire

CAROLYN SAYS...

CAROLYN SAYS...

Great idea Janice!

You should definitely pay a visit to B for Beads (www.b-forbeads.co.uk) as they have a beautiful range of shell beads available to buy.

You’ll find great colours and a mix of different styles, sizes and bead types, from rectangles to disc charms and donut beads.

STRESS RELIEF I have been attending a regular beading class now for several months and I find that when I am working on jewellery, particularly beading, it is so relaxing.

Sometimes I am very uptight after a stressful day at work and it really calms me down. Of course it is fun, but I also enjoy reading or watching television on other nights and they don’t seem to have the same soothing effect. Can you tell me if there is a specific reason for this?

Jody, Hertfordshire

CAROLYN SAYS...

I have asked Betsan Corkhill of Stitchlinks and iKnitlinks to answer your question. A former NHS physiotherapist, she has done a lot of work on the therapeutic benefits of crafting. She explains: “Research has shown that being involved in an active, creative activity is more beneficial to your health and brain than passively watching TV. I believe the actual movements of beading are important too. The rhythmical repetitiveness of threading beads or performing tasks such as knotting may induce a meditative-like state, which has been shown to reduce the levels of stress hormones. Meditation is increasingly recognised as being important for wellbeing.

I find that tying a surgeon’s knot, then gluing it with clear

FAIRY SPECIAL Can you give me some ideas for places I can find fairy charms to act as the centrepiece for a necklace I’m working on?

Babs, by email

CAROLYN SAYS...

Of course, Babs! Here are a few places you

nail varnish, keeps the cord from unraveling.

To give it a truly professional look, while the nail varnish is still wet thread one tail of the knot back through one of the beads and pull the knot into the bead.

Trim the excess cord and allow the nail varnish to dry before stretching the bracelet.

To do a surgeon’s knot, tie an overhand knot, right over left, can try that have a selection of different styles to choose from: ● Brass fairy – Beads Direct; www.beads direct.co.uk; 01509 218028 ● Gothic fairies – New Moon; www. newmoon.uk.com; 01235 819744

Professor Richard Davidson of Wisconsin University carried out a study in which he taught a group of people how to mindfully meditate. They meditated daily for eight weeks, and after this relatively short period of time, brain scans showed positive changes. Those who meditated daily also had stronger immunity against a flu vaccine than theunmedicated control group.

During the meditative-like state, people often visualise the end product, what they will do with it or the praise they’ll receive, which adds to the satisfaction felt. An easy project will enable you to ‘switch off’ so your mind can wander, giving it a mini break from the challenges and problems of everyday life. More complex tasks will demand your full concentration and will divert your brain’s attention from stressful issues, allowing your body to relax.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first described the state of ‘flow’, in which we become completely absorbed in and focused on one activity. When we come out of this state, we can experience a rush of wellbeing and satisfaction. He has written a number of books on creativity, happiness and flow that are well worth looking at.

Studies by Professor Barry Jacobs of Princetown University have shown that repetitive movements in animals enhance

but instead of one twist over the left cord, make at least two. Tie another overhand knot, left over right, and pull tight.

● Silvertone and enamel – Cards & Craft; www.cards andcraft.co.uk; 08718 550594 For a super-special and personalised fairy charm, you could even try making your own beadling fairy with craft wire and beads.

the release of serotonin, a mood-raising and calming analgesic. No studies have been done on humans but beaders and crafters often describe a sense of overwhelming calm that descends upon them almost as soon as they begin their activity.

Another possible theory derives from a circuit in the brain called the reward system. When you expend effort to carry out a task, you are rewarded with a boost of the feel-good chemical dopamine, so mastering a difficult section of beading, learning a new skill, or getting to the end of a project can make you If yo feel good.” questio u have a So, Jody, n for Ca rolyn, e there are a carolyn mail it to .schulz@ number of publishin practical g.co.uk ways in which Bead D or write to & Jewe octor, Creativ beading Court, A llery, Unit 1 A e Beads could be dling dling Maccle ton Business ton helping you Park, sfield, C relax after a SK10 4 heshire NL stressful day! It is very important to take active steps to lower stress levels, so now you have an excuse – carry on beading and challenging yourself with new techniques, as this will help to keep your brain healthy and active.

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

25

CBJ01 pp26 Jillybead_Beading 24/03/2010 12:16 Page 26

JILLYBEADS

All the materials used here are available from www.jillybeads.com; 01524 412728

MATERIALS GILL TEASDALE DESIGNER

ABOUT JILLYBEADS… JillyBeads is a friendly, fun, family-run business based in the north of England, which was created in 2001 out of a love for beautiful beads, together with a desire to run an online business. The team at JillyBeads is always on the lookout for new, tantalising and useful products, and enjoys challenges set by customers.

The dynamic website is regularly updated with exciting goodies, along with creative design ideas to tempt and inspire. Gill Teasdale is one of the resident designers for JillyBeads and regularly has her designs featured in the beading press and on the company’s website.

TO CREATE Open three jump rings, hook them into one of the ovals, then close. Open another three jump rings and hook into a second oval, then close.

Open another three jump rings and hook them through all three jumps attached to both ovals, then close.

The two ovals should now be linked by three sets of three jump rings.

Repeat until all the ovals are linked in the same manner.

Take one piece of Beadalon and thread it on a crimp

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bead, followed by 10 3mm pearls. Pass the wire through one of the end ovals and back through the crimp bead, so that a short tail protrudes.

Pull the wire fairly taut (but do not make it rigid), then squash the crimp flat using chain-nosed pliers to secure the wire. Trim the end close to the crimp, then gently close a crimp cover over it.

Thread onto the wire a 3mm pearl, an 8mm round, another 3mm pearl, a Silvery Spacer 4mm round, a 6mm pearl and another

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Silvery Spacer 4mm round. Repeat this sequence a further five times, omitting the last Silvery Spacer.

Thread on a crimp bead then a split ring, then pass the wire back through the crimp bead and the previous bead. Pull it taut, but not rigid, before squashing the crimp flat as before, and covering with a crimp cover.

Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 to form the other side of the necklace, then wind the trigger catch onto one of the split rings to complete.

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• Crystallized Swarovski Elements: • 5 x Bermuda Blue 22mm Cosmic Ovals • 12 x Metallic Blue 8mm Crystal Rounds • 44 x Tahitian 3mm Crystal Pearl Rounds • 12 x Tahitian 6mm Crystal Pearl Rounds • 22 x Silvery Spacer 4mm rounds • 4 x silver-plated 4mm crimp covers • 36 x silver-plated 9mm jump rings • 2 x silver-plated 8mm split rings • silver-plated 13mm trigger catch • bright 50cm 7-strand Beadalon, cut into 2 equal pieces • 4 x silver-plated crimp beads

TOOLS

• chain-nosed pliers

elliptical

ELEGANCE

Dazzling crystalised stones make a gorgeous focal point in this glitzy necklace. They are cleverly linked with jump rings and set off by crystals, pearls and Silvery Spacers in a sumptuous design suitable for all skill levels

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CBJ01 pp28-31 Beaded Flower Pots_Beading 24/03/2010 16:35 Page 28

WIRE AND BEADS BEADED FLOWERPOTS MATERIALS • 18- or 20-gauge wire • selection of beads • eyepins and/or headpins (optional) • jump rings

TOOLS

• wire cutters • round-nosed pliers for loops and coils • pointed flat-nosed pliers for manipulating wire • nylon-covered jaw pliers for straightening wire

CAROLYN SCHULZ DESIGNER

pot

LUCK Add a unique touch of elegance to your garden by embellishing terracotta pots with beads threaded on wire and held in place with loops, coils and curves.

Carolyn Schulz shows you how

MAKING WIRE COILS Use round-nosed pliers to form a small loop at one end of the wire.

Take the flat-nosed pliers, or use your fingers, and form a loose coil around the loop created in Step 1.

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MAKING BEAD DANGLES Thread the first and second (and third, if applicable) units of beads onto an eyepin and make a loop.

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Bend the wire and bring it back up over the lip of the pot.

Thread your choice of beads.

Make several Holding the beads wire units to against the pot, hang over the edge use your fingers to of the pot, as seen bend the wire over on the gold and aqua the lip of the pot and pots (the wire length down into the inside.

Bend the wire and depends on the size bring it back over of the unit).

Use 6cm of the the lip of the pot.

Trim the wire to wire to form a measure 6cm coil at one end.

Place the coil longer than where against the pot you want the finishing and use your fingers coil to be placed.

Make a coil using to bend the wire over 6cm of wire at the the lip of the pot, down into the inside. other end.

BASIC TECHNIQUE FOR THESE PRODUCTS

Thread the final unit of beads onto a headpin and make a loop.

Join all the units using small jump rings and hang the completed piece onto a large jump ring.

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WIRE AND BEADS BEADED FLOWERPOTS

TRIBAL CHARM

MATERIALS

TO CREATE

• • • • • •

Create the dangling bead units (as described on page 28), then attach and close two large jump rings.

String the beads onto wire cut 5cm larger than the opening of the pot.

Thread the dangling bead units onto wire, between beads, using jump rings.

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gold 18-gauge wire gold headpins gold eyepins gold 9mm jump rings gold 5mm jump rings selection of wood, bone and shell beads

Wrap the beaded wire around the pot opening and twist the ends together to make a neat join.

Conceal the join with a dangling bead unit.

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CBJ01 pp28-31 Beaded Flower Pots_Beading 24/03/2010 16:36 Page 30

WIRE AND BEADS BEADED FLOWERPOTS MATERIALS • gold 18-gauge wire (approx 65cm) • selection of beads

JEWELLED DELIGHT TO CREATE Use 6cm of the wire to form a coil at one end.

Hold the coil in position against the pot and use your fingers to run the wire over the lip of the pot and about 5cm into the inside.

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Bring the wire back up to the lip of the pot.

Thread your chosen beads and curve approximately 14cm of the wire back to the lip of the pot.

Create a similar prong to that made in Steps 2 and 3.

Make a coil at the other end of the wire.

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MIDAS TOUCH Use 6cm of the wire to form a coil at one end.

Hold the coil in position against the pot and use your fingers to run the wire over the lip of the pot

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and about 2cm into the inside of the pot.

Bring the wire back up to the lip of the pot.

Thread your chosen beads and curve the wire about

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MATERIALS • gold 18-gauge wire (approx 45cm) • The Beadery Old World beads

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10cm back to the lip of the pot. Create a similar prong to that made in Steps 2 and 3.

Make a coil at the other end of the wire.

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TOP TIP

TO CREATE

The quantity of materials you will need depends on the size of pot, the length of wire used and the beads you have chosen

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WIRE AND BEADS BEADED FLOWERPOTS MATERIALS • • • •

gold 18-gauge wire gold headpins gold eyepins gold 9mm jump rings • gold 5mm jump rings • The Beadery Elements and Old World beads

GREEN WITH ENVY TO CREATE Using one piece of wire, create a zigzag pattern to surround the pot with wire prongs, and form coils at each end.

Put one coiled end into the inside of the pot and place the zigzag centrally over the lip so that the prongs hang over both the inside and the outside of the pot.

Use your hand to bend the inner

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NEED TO KNOW

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prongs down into the inside of the pot.

Use your hand to bend the outside prongs down over the rim, then pull them up and away from the wall of the pot (this is so that the dangles can hang clear of the pot and have movement).

Hang dangling units on each outside prong.

Form a coiled bead unit (see below for details), and place it between the outside prongs, as shown.

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CREATING A FORMED-COIL BEAD UNIT On a 22cm length of wire, form a coil using 7cm of wire at one end.

Thread on the bead and form a coil using 7cm wire at the other end. Thread the

wire coils and bead behind the wire, nestling the bead into the space between the prongs. Finally, bring the wire coils around and over the front of the wire to meet in the space between the prongs. www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp32-37 Polymer Clay PMC v2_Beading 24/03/2010 15:34 Page 32

POLYMER CLAY PASTA MACHINE 1

CONDITIONING POLYMER CLAY Clay from a packet must be conditioned in order to become malleable and fit for use. A time- and handsaving method is to run the polymer clay repeatedly through a pasta machine.

penne and

PENDANTS ou’re not really going to make lasagne, are you?” my partner asked, a dubious look in his eyes. I didn’t have time to answer.

With the pasta machine under my arm, I dashed out of the kitchen. I was on a mission. I had been clearing the garden

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Dig out that old pasta machine and create some stunning pieces of jewellery with versatile polymer clay CHRISTINE DUMONT DESIGNER 32

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shed when I found a copy of an old jewellery magazine.

And there they were – glossy pictures of scrumptious shapes in dazzling colours under the heading ‘Polymer Clay Jewellery’.

“All you need is a little bit of clay and a pasta machine,” read the article... I just had to try this. The shed was cleared in record time, all its contents unceremoniously dumped in bin bags.

Exhausted but happy, I glanced at the pasta machine on the bench, where it stood in silent expectation. The clay was to be delivered the very next day...

Just a few months later, I was selling my work at craft fairs; six months later, at art centres. This was the start of All Over Creation. Today, I remain as passionate as I did on that first thrilling day about this delightful and versatile material, full of so many unexplored possibilities.

The tutorials in this issue will help you explore how to work with polymer clay and

Set your pasta machine on the thickest setting. Cut a 3mm slice from a block of clay and place it on the smooth tile.

Using an acrylic roller, roll it out until it is thin enough to go through the pasta machine (Fig 1).

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introduce you to the various colours and finishes – porcelain, mother of pearl or metallic – available. Why not set out on your own voyage of discovery? All you really need is that old pasta machine and a desire to experiment, play and explore.

To get you started, we have included a list of materials and tools you will need, and step-bystep guides to some basic techniques common to all the projects presented in this article.

MATERIALS • Cernit polymer clay • liquid polymer clay • sandpaper (400-, 600and 800-grit sizes) • water-based acrylic floor varnish • superglue

TOOLS • • • • • • • • • • • • •

pasta machine smooth tile work surface flexible tissue blade small box-cutter or Stanley knife acrylic roller round shape cutters, including 4cm size needle tool knitting needles polyester fibrefill flat, oven-safe dish fan-assisted, domestic/ table-top oven thermometer timer

CBJ01 pp32-37 Polymer Clay PMC v2_Beading 24/03/2010 15:35 Page 33

POLYMER CLAY PASTA MACHINE Fold the strip in half across the width and roll through (always lead with the folded edge to avoid trapping air bubbles between layers).

Set the pasta machine on a slightly thinner setting, then fold and roll the clay through 10-15 more times. Once no cracks develop on the folded clay, it is conditioned and ready to use.

Bear in mind that previously conditioned clay will always need to be reconditioned before it is used again.

MIXING TWO CLAYS

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Using your hands, roll some of your conditioned clay into a ball. Place the ball onto a smooth work surface and shape it into a log by rolling back and forth with

CURING CLAY

SANDING AND POLISHING

MAKING A SIMPLE BULL’S-EYE CANE

You can simply buff your pieces with a piece of cloth for a satin finish. To give your pieces shine, wet-sand them using wet/dry sandpaper in 400-, 600- and 800grit. Dip the bead in water to help contain dust and wear a mask.

Hand polish your pieces with a paper towel or a cotton cloth. For a glossier finish, apply a coat of water-based acrylic floor varnish with a brush.

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Clay work must be cured to harden. It is advisable to use a dedicated oven for this. Always follow the specific manufacturer’s recommendations on the oven and don’t rely on the in-built thermometer, which may not be accurate.

Place the pieces into an oven-safe dish. Line it with polyester fibrefill or several layers of paper towels to avoid shiny spots from forming where a bead touches the baking dish.

Remove your beads while hot and dip them in icy water.

This will make them harder and increase their shine.

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TOP TIP

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Practise making your beads and mixing clays first – after all, practice does make perfect! It’s also handy to have a stash of beads ready for instant use

Clays can be mixed at the same time as you condition them.

Overlay softened slices of different colours and run them through the pasta machine set at its thickest setting.

Set the pasta machine on a thinner setting once the clays are mixing, then continue to roll them through.

Fold the clay in half, and run it through with the folded edge leading. Repeat the process until you

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MAKING A LENTIL BEAD Making sure your smooth tile is clean, roll a ball of clay and position it on the tile.

Place the glass sheet on top of the ball and, holding it

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obtain a uniform blend.

To mix pastel colours, always condition the white clay separately, then add small amounts of coloured clay until you obtain the desired tint.

Remember that strong colours can quickly swamp whites and light beiges.

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MAKING A LOG

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Choose two clays of different colours.

Roll the core clay into a log and run the other colour of clay through your pasta machine to form a sheet.

Place the log on the sheet and trim the clay each side (Fig 4).

Trim the end of the band so that it is even (Fig 5).

Wrap the band around the log. When the leading edge of the band meets its tail, press lightly to impress a line.

Unroll the band and trim

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your hand (Fig 2).

Using a glass sheet, continue to roll the clay back and forth to even out the log.

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Applying pressure and pushing the ends of the log inwards (Fig 3) will create an elongated cane shape.

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the tail just inside the line (Fig 6).

Butt the edges and, using the glass plate,

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roll the cane evenly (Fig 7), checking that no air bubbles have formed in the process.

Slightly tilt the plate as you rotate to sharpen the sharp edge of the bicone (Fig 9).

Once you have achieved a crisp edge all around the bead (Fig 10), hold the glass sheet parallel to the tile and rotate it

while pressing down in order to flatten the lentil (Fig 11).

If you find that the clay is too soft at this point, reshape the lentil into a ball and store it in the freezer for a few minutes before trying again.

parallel to the tile, rotate it gently until the characteristic bicone shape starts to emerge (Fig 8). To avoid distorting the pattern on a bead, alternate the rotation between clockwise and anti-clockwise.

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CBJ01 pp32-37 Polymer Clay PMC v2_Beading 24/03/2010 15:45 Page 34

POLYMER CLAY FAUX ENAMEL

faux-enamel EARRINGS Easy projects in polymer clay can produce chic and highly wearable jewellery. Simple lines can be transformed into stylish, sophisticated pieces by incorporating clays containing mica.

When polished to a high shine, these light-reflecting particles will give your piece the lustrous look of enamel TO CREATE PREPARE THE CLAYS Condition the Verdigri clay by putting it through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Roll out a third of it into a sheet.

Following the guides on pages 32 and 33, condition and

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MATERIALS • 30g Glamour Verdigri, 2.5g Glamour Copper and 2.5g #1 Xmas Red Cernit polymer clay: • 2 x jump rings • 2 x fishhook wires

mix the Copper and Xmas Red clays.

Set the pasta machine on the thinnest setting and roll the mix through.

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CREATE A STACK

create a 5x14cm stack.

Set the pasta machine on the thickest setting and roll the stack through, shorter side first.

Cut the strip in half along the width.

TEXTURE THE CLAY WITH SMALL INDENTATIONS

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Using the end of the fine paintbrush, poke holes at random, holding the brush vertically and pushing it all the way into the tile (Fig 13).

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For one piece, place the strip on the tile with the Verdigri clay facing upwards (Fig 12).

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Place the sheet of Verdigri on your tile and overlay the red clay mix.

Using a tissue blade, trim all four sides to

TOOLS

• paintbrushes (size 000 and size 3) • 2 x domed, oven-safe forms

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CBJ01 pp32-37 Polymer Clay PMC v2_Beading 24/03/2010 15:45 Page 35

POLYMER CLAY SEED POD NECKLACE Turn the sheet over.

Use a 4cm round cutter to frame an area you wish to use (Fig 14) and identify a few holes to be widened.

Using a needle tool, make a mark next to them on the back of the strip.

Repeat for the other strip.

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WIDEN SOME OF THE HOLES Set the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Roll

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out the leftover Verdigri and place it on the tile.

Set one of the two-coloured strips lightly on top of the Verdigri, red side down (do not press the sheets together as you don’t want them to adhere to one another).

Using the thicker paintbrush, poke through one of the marked holes, right to the tile. Tilt the paintbrush at an angle and rotate it to widen the hole (Fig 15).

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MATERIALS

• hand drill • 2mm and 3mm drill bits

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Set the pasta machine on the thickest setting and roll the strip through. Using the 4cm round cutter, cut out a disc (Fig 19).

Repeat these steps to make another disc.

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CURE, SAND AND POLISH Place the discs on domed oven-safe forms and cure.

Place one of the domes, red side up, on coarse sandpaper and sand to bevel the

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edge all around the piece. Repeat with the other dome before following the normal sanding procedure.

Polishing to a high shine will enhance the appearance of enamel (Fig 20).

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TO FINISH Slip one of the domes onto a jump ring, followed by a fishhook wire. Close the jump ring.

Repeat this for the other earring.

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seed pod

• 35g Doll White, 2.5g Neon Light Green, 2.5g Neon Light Fuschia and 2.5g #1 Bordeaux Cernit polymer clay • clasp • Tigertail

TOOLS

Delicately separate the two sheets, pulling around the hole. If any tearing occurs, don’t worry – it will add interest to the piece (Fig 16).

Place the twocoloured strip on your tile, red side up.

Using the tip of a knitting needle, work the hole, exposing the Verdigri (Fig 17).

Carefully widen all the remaining marked holes, as before (Fig 18).

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NECKLACE This simple necklace is fun to make, great to wear and guaranteed to attract compliments every time you show it off!

TO CREATE PREPARE THE PALE GREEN CLAY Condition 25g of white clay.

Following the instructions on page 33, keep adding tiny amounts of green to the mix until you achieve your desired colour.

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CREATE THE SEED POD BEADS Set the pasta machine to the

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thickest setting and roll the clay through it.

Cut the sheet in half.

Superimpose the two halves and, using a tissue blade, cut three 35x35mm squares.

For a seed pod, roll a square into a ball and shape it into a lentil bead (Fig 21).

Repeat for the other two pods.

Store the seed pods in the freezer for a few minutes.

MAKE WELLS FOR THE SEEDS Using a needle tool, mark the bead at the points at which you intend to place the wells (Fig 22).

Using a 2mm drill bit, make five holes approximately 3mm deep (Fig 23). Widen the openings with a 3mm drill bit (making the wells with a needle instead of a drill will distort the shape of the

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lentil and is not recommended). Repeat this process for the other two beads.

Store the seed pods in the freezer for a few minutes.

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CREATE THE PALE PINK LOG Condition 5g of white clay and add tiny amounts of green clay to the mix until you have attained your desired colour.

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Following the steps on page 33, shape the pink mix into a 0.5cm-diameter log.

Using your finger, taper one end of the log to reduce the diameter to 3mm (Fig 24).

Before inserting the plugs into the wells, use a dry paintbrush to sweep off any ‘crumbs’ that have resulted from the drilling.

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CBJ01 pp32-37 Polymer Clay PMC v2_Beading 24/03/2010 15:46 Page 36

POLYMER CLAY SANTA FE PENDANT 21

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Using a box-cutter knife or a small sharp knife, cut a small plug off the end of the log and place it inside one of the wells (Fig 25), ensuring that the plug stands 2mm proud (Fig 26).

Repeat these steps for four further wells in the first seed pod, then for two more seed pods.

OPEN UP THE PLUGS AND MAKE THE CORD HOLES

the flat of the needle tool. Poke a fine needle through the middle of one indentation and push halfway to the other end. Withdraw the needle and poke through from the other end. Push the needle in, and let it come out through the first hole (Fig 27).

Repeat for the other two seedpods.

MAKE THE SPACER LENTILS

TO FINISH

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Poke a needle tool inside one of the plugs, tilt it at a slight angle and rotate.

Repeat for the other plugs, ensuring they all look the same when you are finished.

To create the cord hole, make two small indentations with

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Santa Fe

PENDANT PREPARE THE CLAY

MATERIALS • 60g Glamour Black, 20g Doll White, 2g Glamour Verdigri, 10g Glamour Antique Gold, 2.5g Glamour Red and 2.5g Translucent Amber Cernit polymer clay • cord and clasp • liquid clay or superglue

TOOLS

• hand drill

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Condition Doll White and Glamour Verdigri clay and mix them together.

Set the pasta machine on the thickest setting and roll the Verdigri mix through.

Condition the Antique Gold clay.

Set the pasta machine on the second thinnest setting and roll the clay through.

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Place the two sheets of clay on top of each other and trim all four edges to create a 4x5cm stack.

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MAKE THE CANE Set the pasta machine on the thickest setting and roll the stack through, leading with the width. Set the pasta machine on a thinner setting and repeat to obtain a ribbon.

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Condition the remaining white clay and mix in the Bordeaux.

Create four 2cmdiameter balls from the blended clay and shape them into lentils, before making thread holes as before (Fig 28).

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Using the Bordeaux mix, make plugs and insert them into the wells of your seed pods (Fig 29), then open up the plugs with a needle tool (Fig 30).

Cure for 20 minutes, sand and buff.

To finish, string the seed pods onto three strands of Tigertail and attach a clasp.

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Colours explode from the shining surfaces of this statement-making, simple yet unique, pendant Trim one end of the ribbon and create a double, 1cm-wide fold as shown (Fig 31).

Roll the tail around the fold once and trim it (Fig 32).

Roll the cane tightly to obtain a cylinder (Fig 33).

Set the pasta machine on the second thinnest setting and roll out a sheet of clay. Trim it to obtain a band that is the same width as the cane and long enough to wrap around it.

Wrap the band around the log, following the ‘bull’s-eye cane’ instructions on page 33.

Using a glass sheet, keep compressing the cane from all sides to reshape the cylinder into a square cane (Fig 34). Store it in the freezer.

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MAKE THE CANE SLICES Condition the black clay. Set the pasta machine on the thinnest setting and roll out a sheet.

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CBJ01 pp32-37 Polymer Clay PMC v2_Beading 24/03/2010 15:46 Page 37

POLYMER CLAY SANTA FE PENDANT

Cut 25 1.5mm slices of the cane and place them on the sheet in a 5x5 layout, ensuring a consistent pattern orientation across the slices (Fig 35).

Using the acrylic roller, roll the slices to flatten them out and fuse them all together. Set the pasta machine on the thickest setting and gently roll the sheet through (Fig 36).

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MAKE THE PENDANT Set the pasta machine on the thickest setting, roll out a sheet of black clay and place it on the tile.

Set the sheet with the slices on top.

Bow the tissue blade and trim the top side of the pendant (Fig 37), then repeat for the two other sides (Fig 38).

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Mix the red and amber clays and create a 1x4cm log.

Set the pasta machine on the second thinnest setting

and roll out a sheet of Antique Gold clay.

Trim it to obtain a band the width of the cane and long enough to wrap around it.

Wrap the band around the log (Fig 39).

Shape the cylinder into a square cane and store it in the freezer for a while.

Cut seven slices of the square cane, each thicker than the pendant width by 2mm, then use the glass sheet to slightly compress the slice (Fig 40).

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CREATE THE CANE FOR THE DECORATIVE BEADS

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FINISH THE PIECE Place the pendant on a baking sheet or flat tile suitable for the oven. Position the decorative beads along the edges as shown and, using a glass sheet, compress them to the pendant’s thickness (Fig 41).

Glue each bead to the pendant with liquid polymer (if you don’t have liquid polymer clay, superglue

the beads to the pendant once cured).

Using a needle, poke a hole for the cord (widen with a drill after curing).

Cure for 20 minutes, then sand and buff.

Attach a cord and clasp of your choice.

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CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:21 Page 38

MASTERCLASS PMC

metallic

MARVEL

SAMANTHA BERMAN DESIGNER

ABOUT SAMANTHA…

Samantha Berman is part of the team at family-run Saskia Rose Design. She has always had a passion for jewellery and enjoyed experimenting with new designs and methods, and has been totally won over by Precious Metal Clay and its creative opportunities since first working with the product three years ago. Now a member of the PMC Guild with a Diploma in PMC Proficiency, she runs workshops in the Hertfordshire area to introduce other jewellery makers to the material, and loves watching their faces as the clay is transformed into pure silver!

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Get your hands on Precious Metal Clay and you can mould it like Play-Doh, then fire it for unique pieces of stunning silver jewellery.

Samantha Berman shares some expert tips and design ideas to help you make the most of PMC’s magical properties id you potter around with Play-Doh as a child?

Or maybe you were a perfectionist with Plasticine? Now you can relive those early years and produce some beautiful silver jewellery in the process!

Precious Metal Clay (PMC) is a remarkable creative material that allows you to craft fine silver jewellery in the same way you once used modelling clay. You can use it to make anything from

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a simple pair of earrings to individual, intricately designed pendants; the only limit is your own imagination.

Developed in the 1990s by Mitsubishi Materials, PMC contains microscopic particles of silver in a safe, water-based organic binder. After the PMC has been moulded and allowed to dry, it can be fired either in a kiln or with a butane torch. During this process the binder burns away, leaving the

particles to fuse into 99.9% pure silver.

PMC silver comes in three versions, from the cheapest – the kiln-fireonly PMC Original – through to PMC+ and PMC3. Each variety has its own unique benefit, depending on how you want to make your designs.

GETTING STARTED It is very tempting to rush into making your first piece. I recall excitedly rolling my clay only to freeze in the middle of it: I

hadn’t a clue what I was going to make! I always advise my students to plan something before they start, and using polymer clay is a great way to experiment.

You can play with a design and try out textures to see if it will work aesthetically before moving on to the PMC.

YOU’RE FIRED! With the exception of PMC Original, your moulded clay can be fired with a butane

CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:22 Page 39

MASTERCLASS PMC

SMOOTH FINISH Although you can sand an item once it has been fired, it’s much easier to do so at the clay stage. If you are after a mirror finish on your jewellery, sanding is vital. There are many different sanding pads and papers to try, and you will reap the rewards of time spent at this stage in your finished piece.

STERLING SILVER You may think that the tools you use with

PMC will break the bank, but it’s a surprisingly costeffective material to work with if you’re on a budget. For example, instead of professional spacers, you can use playing cards. Instead of burnishers, you can use any metal, such as a spoon. Rollers can be made by cutting to size tubing found in any hardware store.

You can even bypass some of the pre-made textures and create your own from nature, perhaps using a piece

of bark or a leaf from the garden. Soon you will be looking at seashells, even tea

FIND OUT MORE

torch once completely dry. From a safety point of view, you should always use protective goggles and ensure you are not wearing loose clothing and that hair is tied back. If firing a piece with stones, never quench it afterwards as this will cause shock to the stone. Make sure you choose PMC-safe stones, which have been tested for use with PMC and which many of the PMC suppliers stock.

strainers, and using them to try out new designs! All you’ll need is the clay and a torch.

For more information on PMC, the Metal Clay Academy is a great place to start. The independent website at www.metalclayacademy.com lists a variety of FAQs and resources, as well as details of suppliers and classes.

For more technical information and a handy users’ bulletin board, visit the PMC Guild at www.pmcguild.co.uk.

You can also find a wide variety of literature and illustrated books about jewellery making with metal clay. www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:24 Page 40

MASTERCLASS PMC

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6-STEP TECHNIQUE

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playing cards water spray brush clay-shaping tool shaped cutters or craft knife hand drill (if required) various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers

Lightly grease another texture sheet for the top side of the clay and roll this onto the clay, making sure it is also on top of the playing cards, which must stay in place.

Lightly grease a cutter or craft knife and cut out the shape required. If the clay becomes stuck in the cutter, dampen your brush with water and gently push it down the edge of the cutter to lever out the clay, making sure you don’t put any indentations

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into it. Use a clay shaper or metal tool to smooth the sides of the clay and shape to your liking.

Set aside to dry, which will take 1224 hours for air drying, depending on your room temperature. For faster drying, try using a food dehydrator, a hot plate on a cool setting with the clay placed on a piece of Teflon, or an oven or kiln at a very low temperature.

Once dry, begin the sanding process. This is the most important stage of the whole

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Each form of PMC will shrink during firing as follows: PMC Original (kiln-fire only) – 28% shrinkage PMC+ (kiln or torch-fire) – 12% shrinkage PMC3 (kiln or torch-fire) – 12% shrinkage

process, so take as long as necessary to ensure the piece is fully sanded.

For a mirror finish, the seven-stage coloured sanding papers are excellent. You can also put holes in your pieces at this stage with a hand drill or craft knife.

Fire your piece, either in a kiln or

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TOP TIP

Lightly grease anything that will come into contact with the metal clay (including your hands), with the exception of the Teflon sheet. Roll the clay in your hands and place on your texture sheet.

Roll the clay with a roller, starting with 10 playing cards on each side and taking them down two at a time until you have no fewer than four cards either side. Ensure that your cards stay on the texture sheet either side of the clay at all times.

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• • • • • • •

NEED TO KNOW

MATERIALS • PMC • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • texture sheets of your choice (shallow for the back) • roller

with a butane torch, and, using a softbristle brush with soap and water, brush the piece until you see matt silver, then burnish to reach the finished shiny result.

When burnishing, do not use anything sharp as this will scratch the silver.

If using olive oil for greasing your tools and hands, it is best to put this into a small container with a sponge. Never over-saturate items with the oil, just use a small amount as an anti-stick agent

CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:24 Page 41

MASTERCLASS PMC

DIAMOND EARRINGS beginner

Place 10 playing cards on your leather. Follow Step 1 of the 6-Step Technique on page 40 – do not reduce to fewer than four cards, but leave your piece thicker if you wish.

Texture the front of the clay following Step 2, then remove the texture you have chosen from the PMC and the PMC from the leather and place it on your Teflon sheet.

1 MATERIALS • PMC • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • textures (leather for the back) • roller • playing cards • water spray • brush • clay shaping tool • diamond-shaped cutters • various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers

2

Lubricate the diamond cutters and cut your earrings following Step 3 of the 6-Step Technique.

Smooth the edges as described, and if cracks have appeared use your brush with water to paint over the clay to smooth it. Put the earrings aside to dry.

Sand the earrings to remove any rough areas, making sure that you do not sand any of the texture away. Using a hand

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drill, you can now carefully put holes in your earrings. Once you are happy with the finish, either torch or kiln-fire the earrings.

Use a brass bristle brush and soapy

5

TOP TIP

TO CREATE

water to bring the earrings up to a matt finish, then various burnishers as required to shine the earrings, ensuring there are no points that can scratch the silver.

Put unused clay straight back into the pack and store in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out – if you’re too late, the clay can usually be revived with a little water

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CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:25 Page 42

MASTERCLASS PMC

CURVED LEAF EARRINGS beginner

MATERIALS • PMC • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • textures (leather for the back) • roller • playing cards • water spray • brush • clay shaping tool • leaf-shaped cutters • plastic measuring spoons (circular and domed) • various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers

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TO CREATE Place 10 playing cards on your leather. Follow Step 1 of the illustrated 6-Step Technique on page 40 – do not reduce to fewer than four cards, but leave your piece thicker if you wish.

Texture the front of the clay following Step 2, then remove the texture you have chosen from the PMC and the PMC from the leather and place it on

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your Teflon sheet.

Lubricate the leaf-shaped cutters, and cut your earrings following Step 3 of the 6-Step Technique.

Smooth the edges as described and, if cracks have appeared, use your brush with water to paint over the clay until they have gone.

Place the earrings with the leather, textured side down, into greased circular measuring spoons to

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create the curved effect.

It is important the spoons are plastic as the clay will react with aluminium.

Put the earrings aside to dry completely.

Once they are dry on the front, carefully remove them from the measuring spoons and ensure they are fully dry on the back too.

Sand the earrings to remove any rough areas, making sure that you do not sand any of

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the texture away. You can now carefully put holes in your earrings using a hand drill. Once you are happy with the finish, either torch or kiln-fire the earrings.

Use a brass bristle brush and soapy water to bring the earrings up to a matt finish, then various burnishers as required to shine the earrings, ensuring there are no points that could scratch the silver.

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CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:25 Page 43

MASTERCLASS PMC

MATERIALS

PURPLE HEART EARRINGS beginner

TO CREATE Take 10 playing cards and place them on your leather.

Follow Step 1 of the 6Step Technique on page 40 – do not reduce to fewer than four cards, but leave your piece thicker if you wish.

Texture the front of the clay following Step 2, then remove the texture you have chosen from the PMC and the PMC from the leather and place it on

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2

your Teflon sheet.

Lubricate the oblong cutters, and cut out your earrings following Step 3 of the 6-Step Technique. If cracks have appeared, use your brush with water to smooth over the clay.

Take a very small circular cutter (smaller than your CZ stones) and make a hole in the clay where the point of the stone will be going – this will

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provide a support for the stone to sit in. Place your CZ stone gently into the hole and repeat with the other earring.

Take your PMC syringe and make a random design over the CZ stone so that it will hold the stone in place – it must have contact with the oblong piece of clay underneath. Put the earrings aside and leave to dry completely.

Sand the earrings to remove any rough

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areas, making sure that you do not sand any of the texture away – take great care not to loosen any part of the syringing as it is very fragile. You can now carefully put holes in your earrings with a hand drill. Once you are happy with the finish, either torch or kiln-fire the earrings.

Use a brass bristle brush and soapy water to bring the earrings up to a matt

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• PMC • PMC syringe • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • textures (leather for the back) • roller • playing cards • water spray • brush • clay shaping tool • oblong-shaped cutters • tiny circular cutter • purple PMC-friendly heart-shaped cubic zirconia (CZ) stones • various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers

finish, then various burnishers as required to shine the earrings, ensuring there are no points that could scratch the silver.

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CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:26 Page 44

MASTERCLASS PMC MATERIALS • PMC • PMC paste • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • textures (leather for the back) • roller • playing cards • water spray • brush • clay shaping tool • oblong-shaped cutters • heart-shaped cutters in two sizes • various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers

TO CREATE Take 10 playing cards and place them on your leather.

Follow Step 1 of the 6Step Technique on page 40 – do not reduce to fewer than four cards, but leave your piece thicker if you wish.

Texture the front of the clay following Step 2, then remove the texture you have chosen from the PMC and the PMC from the leather and place it on your Teflon sheet.

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MULTIPLE HEART EARRINGS intermediate

Note: These earrings were then oxidised and brought back to a shine on the hearts.

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Lubricate the oblong cutters and cut your earrings following Step 3 of the 6-Step Technique.

Smooth the edges as described and, if cracks have appeared, use your brush with water to paint over the clay until they have gone.

Put the earrings aside to dry completely.

Sand the earrings to remove any rough areas, making sure that you do not sand any of the texture away. Using

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a hand drill, you can now carefully put holes in your earrings.

Now roll out more clay down to four cards with no texture at all. Take your two heart cutters and cut out as many hearts as you require, then use your brush to apply PMC paste liberally to the back of each one.

Randomly place the hearts onto the oblong earrings, ensuring they are pressed down on all sides.

5

Set the earrings aside again and, once the paste is completely dry, repeat the sanding process.

When you are happy with the finish, torch or kiln-fire the earrings.

Use a brass bristle brush and soapy water to bring the earrings up to a matt finish, then various burnishers as required to shine the earrings, ensuring there are no points that could scratch the silver.

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CBJ01 pp38-45 PMC Masterclass_Beading 24/03/2010 10:26 Page 45

MASTERCLASS PMC

FLOWER PENDANT advanced

TO CREATE Take 10 playing cards and place them on your leather.

Follow Step 1 of the 6Step Technique on page 40 – do not reduce to fewer than four cards, but leave your piece thicker if you wish.

Remove the PMC from the leather and place it on your Teflon sheet.

Lubricate your rectangular cutters and cut out the larger rectangle first. Now take your smaller rectangular cutter and cut out the centre of the shape, following Step 3 to smooth the edges. If cracks have appeared you can use your brush with water to paint over the clay to smooth it.

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2 3

MATERIALS • PMC • PMC paste • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • leather texture • small button (with flower design) • skeleton leaf • snake roller • roller • playing cards • water spray • brush • clay-shaping tool • large and small rectangular cutters • circular cutter • small leaf-shaped cutter • straw • various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers

and cut at your chosen point.

Adhere the flower to the pendant using liberal quantities of PMC paste. Press it down carefully at the edges, so that it almost moulds to the shape you require and sits nicely on the pendant.

Roll more clay down to four cards, and use a skeleton leaf with the rougher side down (keeping the four cards in place) to create the leaf texture. Now remove the leaf and, using a small greased leaf cutter, cut two leaf shapes out of the clay.

Attach the leaves to your pendant in the same way as the flower, leave to completely dry then sand the leaves, taking care not to remove the textured detail.

Now, using your snake roller once more, roll the clay into a snake and press it down to form a strip.

Then take a length of drinking straw and coil the clay around it three

8

Put the pendant aside and leave to dry completely. Once dry, sand the pendant to remove any rough areas. Use seven-stage polishing papers to guarantee a very smooth surface.

For the stem of the flower, use a snake roller and roll out your clay to form a snake.

Once you are happy with the length, press down on the snake roller to flatten the clay into a long strip. Trim the strip to the required length and place the stem onto the pendant from corner to corner, coiling and twisting it as desired. At every section where clay

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meets clay, use PMC paste to adhere the stem to the pendant.

Once again, put the pendant aside and leave to dry completely, then sand the stem to remove any rough areas, taking care as this strip is very delicate and can easily break. If desired, you can use seven-stage polishing papers to ensure a very smooth surface.

For the flower, a button is used to create the texture.

Roll your clay down to four cards and then, greasing a button, gently press it onto the clay until it has made its texture. Then take a greased circular cutter

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times. Place the straw with the clay onto the pendant and use your PMC paste very liberally, making sure that at each contact point the clay is adhered at the top of the pendant, front and back, to form a bail.

Once again, put the pendant aside and leave it to dry completely, then remove the drinking straw and repeat the sanding process. Once you are happy with the finish, either torch or kiln-fire the earrings.

Use your brass bristle brush and soapy water to bring the pendant up to a matt finish, then various burnishers as required to shine the pendant, making sure there are no points that can scratch the silver.

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Note: This pendant was then oxidised and brought back to a shine on the flower only, the rectangular part of the pendant being left matt.

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45

CBJ01 pp46 Graphic_Beading 24/03/2010 11:53 Page 46

GRAPHICUS

All the materials used here are available from Graphicus, Unit 5, Carrosserie House, Harmire Enterprise Park, Barnard Castle, Co Durham DL12 8XT; www.graphicus.co.uk; 01833 695958

JUDITH WALTON DESIGNER

ABOUT JUDITH… Judith makes fun characters and jewellery from polymer clay and enjoys working with beads, wire and the Melt Pot. She regularly demonstrates jewellery making and the Melt Pot at Graphicus open days.

divinely

DOTTY

This up-to-the-minute bracelet is given a pearlescent twist with stunning results

TO CREATE Begin by conditioning your clay. Roll approximately 10 balls of polymer clay, to each measure 1.5cm in diameter. (These will be your beads so the exact number you make will depend on how long you require your bracelet to be.)

Make holes in the beads, ensuring that they are wide enough to allow you to insert the wire.

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Bake the beads according to the manufacturer’s instructions and allow them to cool.

Insert a cocktail stick into each cooled bead and, using a Pearl Pen, add dots.

Place the cocktail sticks into a piece of polystyrene to hold the beads until dry.

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When dry, coat your beads with polymer clay waterbased varnish.

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TO MAKE YOUR WIRE WRAP CONNECTORS: Cut lengths of wire to approximately 8cm. Insert the wire component through your beads, and grasp the wire immediately above your beads with bent chain-nosed pliers (use the tips of your pliers, as you will want to minimise the amount of wire above the beads). Using your

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thumb, push the wire over about 90º.

Hold the wire with your round-nosed pliers, grasping it in roughly the middle of the pliers depending on the size of the loop you want to make. Using your thumb, push the wire up and over the upper jaw of your round-nosed pliers.

Again, push the wire

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with your thumb as close to the pliers as possible. You will have to re-orientate the wire in your pliers, or the lower jaw of the pliers will prevent you from completing the loop.

Move the wire around your main stem to form the coil.

To connect the next bead, insert the wire component through it and grasp the wire immediately above the beads with bent chainnosed pliers. Bend the wire and, before

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going onto your next step, insert it through the loop of the previous bead. You can then wrap your wire to finish.

Attach the jump rings and fasteners.

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MATERIALS BRACELET SUPPLIES

• half block of soft polymer clay • matching Viva Pearl Pen • 18-gauge wire • fastener • 2 x jump rings

TOOLS

• bent chain-nosed pliers • round-nosed pliers

CBJ01 pp47 Paper Cellar Comp_Beading 24/03/2010 15:51 Page 47

COMPETITION PAPER CELLAR

£300

of Paper Cellar products to win!

e’ve teamed up with Paper Cellar this issue to bring 30 readers a set of gem embellishments.

The embellishments are perfect for creating added detail on Stampbord jewellery and other flat-surface makes, so enter for your chance to win one of these great packs, worth £9.90 each.

Paper Cellar produces a huge range of products to cater to the jewellery-making and papercraft markets in a selection of styles, colours and sizes to suit a variety of occasions.

Its product range includes small to large beads in round and long styles, shaped and standard card blanks, multi-packs of pearlised papers, gift wrapping, glittered and handmade papers, decorative tape and scrapbooking supplies.

Its popular Make It Yourself range is positively brimming with embellishments, as is its official collection of fun Mr Men and Little Miss products!

W

For your chance to win a set of gem embellishments, send your name and address on a postcard to: CB&J01 Paper Cellar, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business NB: By entering this competition, you Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL accept that your details may be passed to arrive by 14th May 2010. on to a third party.

Visit www.papercellar.com to see all the great products available, or call 0871 871 3711 for more information

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CBJ01 pp48-54 Chain Reaction_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:03 Page 48

WIREWORK CHAIN MAILLE

chain

REACTION Tania McLean from MailleQueen lifts the lid on the ancient art of chain maille and shows you how these age-old techniques can be used to create unique pieces of stunning jewellery

f the thought of chain maille brings images of knights of old or elves and dwarves from The Lord of the Rings, think again!

Chain maille is a wonderful addition to your jewellery-making repertoire. With minimal outlay you can begin creating beautiful pieces that will amaze your friends and family and, whatever your taste, you are sure to find something to suit you among the many different patterns.

Some are ancient weaves used in the construction of chain mail armour, and many more have taken these ancient patterns and adapted them to make distinctive and eye-catching pieces of jewellery.

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48

THE WEAPONS IN YOUR ARMOURY You will need two pairs of non-serrated jewellery pliers (either two pairs of flat-nosed pliers or one each of flat-nosed and bent chain-nosed pliers), and a soft working mat – a large beading mat is ideal. This is

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your basic chain maille tool kit.

In addition to these basics, you will need saw-cut jump rings in various sizes and wire gauges, depending on the weave you choose to make. Although there are numerous suppliers of jump rings in both precious and

non-precious metals, check your sizing very carefully as jump rings for chain maille are measured using the inner diameter of the rings and not the outer diameter.

Rings for chain maille are classified by the gauge of wire and then the inner

diameter of the ring.

So a ring labelled as 18g/6.0mm will be a ring made with 18 gauge (1.0mm) wire and coiled on a 6mm mandrel.

It is important to use the best jump rings you can. Saw-cut rings are far superior to rings made with a

CBJ01 pp48-54 Chain Reaction_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:04 Page 49

WIREWORK CHAIN MAILLE

cutter, and will result in a more professional piece that does not snag on your clothes.

PATTERNS, KITS AND INSPIRATION Jump rings and kits with instructions are available from specialist companies, or alternatively you

can buy loose jump rings from any jewellery supplier.

Once you have learned the basic techniques (and, like most people, become totally addicted!) you can find plenty of inspiration from the many books available.

One of my favourite

titles is Chain Mail Jewelry by Terry Taylor and Dylon White – there are a number of projects for all levels of experience and a gallery, which is a wonderful source of fresh inspiration.

Instructions for more than 20 different

chain maille weaves are also available free on the MailleQueen website at www. maillequeen.co.uk.

TRICKS AND TECHNIQUES Perhaps the most important technique for a beginner to learn is how to open and

close jump rings correctly. Rings should always be twisted open and closed and never pulled apart. Pulling the ring apart will cause it to become misshapen, and it will then be almost impossible to make round again.

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CBJ01 pp48-54 Chain Reaction_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:05 Page 50

WIREWORK CHAIN MAILLE 1

TO OPEN A JUMP RING Make sure that the opening of the ring is at the top, then grasp either side of the ring with your two pairs of pliers. If you are using bent chain-nosed pliers, have these in your non-dominant hand and the flatnosed pair in your dominant hand.

Twist the right side of the ring towards you and the left away from you (see Fig 1).

This is the correct way to open a jump ring.

If you are left-handed, mirror the action in Fig 1 (ie. open the ring

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with your left hand moving towards you and your right hand away from you).

When closing a ring, twist each side in the opposite direction, pushing slightly inwards as you twist the ring back together (see Fig 2). Again, if you are left-handed, mirror the action shown in Fig 2.

EXPERT TIPS FOR PERFECT RINGS Close the ring past the point at which the edges would align.

Then, pulling apart very gently, twist back the other way to align

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both edges. The action of pushing inwards as you close the ring causes a small amount of tension, which will help to keep the rings tightly closed.

If the ring does not align perfectly the first time, repeat from Fig 1 in smaller increments until the ring closes and aligns exactly. As you work with the rings, the metal becomes ‘work hardened’; try not to overwork the rings or they will break.

2

LINKING RINGS Chain maille is created by linking rings in an infinite number of ways. Quite a number of chains begin with what is called a 2-in-2 chain. To create this starting chain you will need four closed rings and two open rings.

Pick up an open ring in the pliers in your dominant hand. Scoop four closed rings onto this open ring as shown in Fig 3.

Take the second open ring and follow the path of the first open ring through all four closed rings (see Fig 4).

You now have four rings sitting on two rings. Lay this down on your work mat and move two of the bundled four rings to one side. You should now have three links of 2-in-2 chain in front of you. Add a tie or scrap piece of wire to help stabilise your

7

chain while you continue (see Fig 5).

FOLDING BACK AND LOCKING DOWN Another very useful technique is the fold back and lock down.

This technique is used in both the popular Byzantine and Box Chain weaves.

Hold the chain created by linking rings in your nondominant hand, with the tie in the palm of your hand and the top two rings loose.

Fold the top two loose rings back on themselves and hold down between your thumb and index finger (see Fig 6).

Part the two rings that are now on the top, and add an open ring between the two parted rings, picking up the pair below.

Follow this ring with another. This is referred to as locking down (see Fig 7).

CBJ01 pp48-54 Chain Reaction_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:06 Page 51

WIREWORK CHAIN MAILLE

BYZANTINE CHAIN BRACELET

TO CREATE Using the techniques described on page 50, create a 2-in-2 chain and fold back the end two rings.

Pick up an open ring and add to it two closed rings. Add this open ring to the two rings at the end of your first piece, then follow this ring with another. You will now have in effect three

1 2

BOX CHAIN BRACELET

MATERIALS • 300 (approx) x 18g/4.0mm rings • clasp

TOOLS

• basic chain maille tool kit (as outlined on page 48)

links of 2-in-2 chain as at the start.

Again, lock down and fold back these last two rings. This completes a full link of the Byzantine pattern.

Repeat from Step 2 until the required length is reached.

Before attaching the clasp, try to ensure that your necklace or bracelet finishes with parallel rings – this will

allow your clasp to sit flat. A figure-of-eight or toggle clasp works well with this piece.

The box chain is very similar in construction to the Byzantine, with very different results

links of 2-in-2 chain and not three as with the Byzantine.

Fold back and lock down this last pair of rings. Repeat from Step 2 until your bracelet reaches the required length.

Attach your chosen clasp – a figure-ofeight clasp works best with the box chain.

3 4 5

TO CREATE Create three links of 2-in-2 chain. Fold back and lock down the last pair of rings.

Add two rings to this last pair. Note that you only have two

1 2

MATERIALS • 210 (approx) x 18g/3.5mm rings • clasp

TOOLS

• basic chain maille tool kit (as outlined on page 48)

3 4

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CBJ01 pp48-54 Chain Reaction_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:06 Page 52

WIREWORK CHAIN MAILLE MATERIALS • 18 x 18g/6.0mm rings (large rings) • 14 x 18g/4.0mm rings (small rings) • pair of ear wires

TOOLS

• basic chain maille tool kit (as outlined on page 48)

TO CREATE Starting with the large rings, close 12 rings and open the other six. Take one large open ring and pick up a closed ring.

Close this open ring.

Take another large ring and go through the two rings from the previous step.

These three rings make up the ‘flower’

1 2 3

FLOWER CHAIN EARRINGS of the chain. Lay the flower down on your work mat and arrange the rings so they lie nicely entwined. Turn the top ring over until you are happy with the lie of the rings.

Repeat to make six flowers.

Open all of the small rings. Join three of the flowers using a pair of 4mm rings, and add another pair to one end. With your last open small ring, join the extra pair at one end of your earring to the loop in the ear wire.

4 5

SHAGGY LOOPS EARRINGS TO CREATE Open all of the rings. Add a bead to 40 of the rings and close them again.

Pick up one of the remaining open rings and scoop two closed beaded rings (a ‘beaded set’) onto it.

Close this ring and add a twisty tie or scrap piece of wire.

Create a second beaded set but do not close the ring.

Hold the tie on your original set in your non-dominant hand, making sure that the beaded rings lay either side of the plain ring in

1 2

3

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MATERIALS • 60 x 20g/3.5mm rings • 40 x 3mm beads to fit on rings • pair of ear wires

TOOLS

• basic chain maille tool kit (as outlined on page 48)

the middle, and attach your second set to this central ring.

Continue adding beaded sets in this manner until half of the rings have been used.

Gently re-open the first ring attached to the twisty tie and link it through the loop on your ear wires. Close this ring. Using the remaining rings, make the matching earring.

4 5

CBJ01 pp48-54 Chain Reaction_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:07 Page 53

WIREWORK CHAIN MAILLE 8

DOUBLE SPIRAL BRACELET TO CREATE Create two links of 2-in-2 chain with the 18g/4.75mm rings.

Add a twisty tie or scrap wire to two of the rings.

Add the next two rings through the gap where the two pairs of rings cross over, like in a Venn diagram (see Fig 8).

The next pair of rings goes through

1 2 3

MATERIALS • 190 (approx) x 18g/4.75mm rings • clasp

TOOLS

• basic chain maille tool kit (as outlined on page 48)

the gap created by the previous two pairs.

Continue with the previous step, going through the gap where the last two pairs of ring cross.

Attach the clasp to each end of the bracelet when it reaches the required length.

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CBJ01 pp48-54 Chain Reaction_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:07 Page 54

WIREWORK CHAIN MAILLE

This project gives you an idea of just how flexible Japanese Maille can be.

By combining the sizes of the larger rings used, the possibilities are endless.

MATERIALS • 14 x 18g/6.0mm rings (large rings) • 24 x 20g/2.75mm rings (small rings)

TOOLS

• basic chain maille tool kit (as outlined on page 48)

JAPANESE DAISY TO CREATE Scoop 12 small rings onto one large open ring. Close this large ring, and add

1

Fig 9

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another large ring going through all 12 small rings.

Scoop four small rings onto one large ring, and go through two of the small rings attached to the two large rings in the previous step. Follow the path of this ring with another.

2

Scoop two small rings onto a large ring, and go through two of the small rings from the first pair of large rings and then through the two small rings from the second pair of large rings.

Repeat from Step 3 until you reach the last two large rings.

3

4

Link these last two rings through all six spare small rings.

By adding an extra pair of rings to each side of the flower, you can change the shape completely. Look at different designs for ways to create patterns by joining shapes together (see Fig 9).

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CBJ01 pp55 Whats On_Beading 24/03/2010 14:44 Page 55

DIARY

what’s ON

Image supplied by Beads Unlimited, www.beadsunlimited.co.uk; 01273 740777

15TH – 17TH APRIL

22TH – 25TH APRIL

9TH MAY

King’s Hall, Belfast www.tridentexhibitions.co.uk 01822 614671

The Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet www.tridentexhibitions.co.uk 01822 614671

The Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld, Glasgow www.beadworkersguild.org.uk

STITCH & CREATIVE CRAFTS SHOW

STITCH & CREATIVE CRAFTS SHOW

THE BEADWORKERS GUILD BEAD BAZAAR

16TH MAY 16TH – 17TH APRIL

UK FLAME OFF

Towcester Racecourse, Northamptonshire www.beadshows.co.uk 08450 943594

23RD – 25TH APRIL

CREATIVE STITCHES & HOBBYCRAFTS Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool www.ichf.co.uk 01425 272711

17TH APRIL

THE BIG BEAD SHOW Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey www.ashdown.co.uk 01903 884988

24TH – 25TH APRIL

GEM ‘N’ BEAD SHOW Newark Showground, Nottinghamshire www.gemnbead.co.uk 07817 511360

18TH APRIL

TOWCESTER BEAD FAIR Towcester, Northamptonshire www.beadshows.co.uk 08450 943594

25TH APRIL

NORWICH BEAD FAIR

John Inns Centre, Norwich www.norwichbeadfair.co.uk 07833 147821 (Monday-Friday 10am to 5pm)

CHESHIRE BEAD SHOW Nantwich Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire www.jlfairs.co.uk 01270 567290

23RD MAY

BEADWORK FAIR Dorking Halls, Dorking, Surrey www.beadwork.net

The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd offers a wide range of workshops, including the popular Crystallized™ Swarovski Elements courses as well as basic jewellery making, WigJig, wire, polymer clay and bead weaving classes. Prices include all materials (unless otherwise stated) and Fair Trade refreshments. All classes are held at the Nottingham city centre shop.

For dates and bookings please visit www.mailorder-beads.co.uk or call 0115 958 8899.

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp56-57 What's Cookin_Beading 24/03/2010 11:32 Page 56

KILN BEADS MICROWAVE KILN

Judith Hannington shows you how to create your very own glass beads using a nifty little microwave kiln f you have ever dreamed of creating your own fused glass beads for jewellery making, but have been put off by the cost of a kiln or the lack of space to house one, a microwave kiln could be the ideal solution. A Kilnworks microwave kiln measures just 3¼” high and 4½” in diameter, and works in most metal-interior microwave ovens. An 800-1,200 watt oven is recommended, but

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what’s

I have used a 600 watt oven without any problems. The Kilnworks kiln can be purchased alone or in a starter pack that also contains an instructional book, a glass cutter, protective mitts, kiln paper, silver and gold jewellery findings and enough glass to get you up and running.

Once you have experimented with the glass provided, you can purchase further glass from a variety of online retailers. Glass

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

COOKING? with a co-efficient of expansion (COE) of 90 should be used, and glass with different COEs should not be mixed. Glass is available in a wide variety of colours and finishes, including the fabulous dichroic coated glass, which adds a real sparkle to your fused projects.

If you purchase a Kilnworks starter pack the only other tools you will require are glass pliers for breaking the glass along your scored

lines. These come in a variety of styles, and the choice is down to personal preference.

Running pliers are great for breaking lengths of glass off a sheet and breaking pliers are invaluable

TOP TIP

JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER

for dealing with small, thin strips of scored glass. If you haven’t cut glass before, invest in a couple of pieces of clear glass to practise your scoring and breaking skills.

If your pendant has rough edges, try cutting the clear glass slightly smaller than the cranberry glass – this helps create nice rounded sides.

Ultra fine-grade sandpaper can be used to remove any small, rough areas and the sanded areas can then be smoothed with polishing compound using a felted drill bit

CBJ01 pp56-57 What's Cookin_Beading 24/03/2010 11:32 Page 57

KILN BEADS MICROWAVE KILN 1

MATERIALS • cranberry transparent 2mm Bullseye glass • ripple texture dichroic Bullseye glass • magenta/green dichroic Bullseye glass • clear 2mm Bullseye glass • kiln paper • silver-plated 0.6mm wire

a 4x12mm piece of the magenta/green dichroic glass.

Drill a hole centrally in both the cranberry and clear glass, about 5mm from the top.

With the cranberry glass on top of the clear glass, insert a small rolled-up piece of kiln paper into the drilled hole. (Leave this step out if you simply want to glue a bail to the back of your fused pendant.)

Cut a piece of kiln paper about 15mm larger all round than the glass, and place it on the kiln base.

Stack your glass on the paper, ensuring that the rippled and coated side of the dichroic glass pieces are facing up.

2

TOOLS • • • • •

Kilnworks microwave kiln microwave oven glass cutter glass pliers drill and 2mm diamond drill bit (optional) • round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • side cutters (optional)

3

TO CREATE Cut an 18x23mm piece of clear glass and cranberry glass of identical dimensions. Cut a 10x12mm piece of ripple-textured dichroic glass and

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3

Place the kiln in the microwave oven and position the lid on top. Fire the piece so that the glass is fully fused.

(The pictures show the kiln in the microwave oven and the glass bead during and at the end of the firing process.)

Once the piece is cold, wash the kiln paper from the back of the glass and out of the bail hole.

If you are gluing on a bail, use strong jewellery glue and leave to cure, as per the glue’s instructions.

To create a wire bail, bend a length of silver wire in half around the tip of your round-nosed pliers.

Push the two wire ends through the hole

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in your pendant, front to back, then bring the ends around the top of the bead and feed them through the folded loop before pulling tight.

Bend one of the wire ends through 90º a short distance away from the folded loop. Snip off the other end, in line with the bend, then create a wrapped loop with the remaining wire.

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TOP TIP

STEP BY STEP

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7

We have not provided timings for fusing the pendant, as results vary from oven to oven. We recommend that you practice fusing glass in your microwave and record the results for each project to learn how to time your fusing to perfection

WHERE TO BUY

The Kilnworks Microwave Kiln, along with many replacement and add-on Kilnworks products, can be purchased from www.madcowbeads.com For all your fusible glass supplies visit www.warm-glass.co.uk or www.tempsfordstainedglass.co.uk

Diamond drill bits for creating your own bail holes are available from www.eternaltools.com

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CBJ01 pp58-61 Paper Beads v2_CBJ 24/03/2010 10:31 Page 58

JEWELLERY PAPERWORK Creating your own unique beads is easier and far more cost-effective than you think. Su Pennick lifts the lid on paper beads and shows you how to create stunning pieces using simple supplies and a little patience

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ01 pp58-61 Paper Beads v2_CBJ 24/03/2010 10:32 Page 59

JEWELLERY PAPERWORK aper beads are formed by tightly rolling strips of paper and gluing them firmly into place. The length and shape of the initial strips of paper determines the finished beads. To create

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smaller diameter beads, a single strip of A4 or 12” patterned scrapbook paper should be used, whereas larger beads are made from two strips. Papers with simple designs tend to produce the best results, and stripes, as seen here, look particularly effective.

GETTING STARTED Paper is rolled around a mandrel – a rod that is used to shape and support a piece of work while it is being formed. Many everyday objects can be used as mandrels – for example, I used the blunt end of a crochet

SU PENNICK DESIGNER

hook and a thick darning needle. It is advisable to use a mandrel of a slightly bigger diameter than the material you will be threading the finished beads onto, whether this be wire, cord, or in the case of the bracelet here, a thick metal band.

Once the beads have been rolled and glued they are ready to use, although it is advisable to coat them in some way.

Clear UTEE is an easy and durable material that enhances the paper beads and gives them a smoother, rounder shape. For best results, apply

WHERE TO BUY

Doodlebug Design patterned paper is available from www.capturethemagic.biz VersaMark inkpads, UTEE and Ranger Glossy Accents are available from www.afth.co.uk Woodware Chippies die-cut shapes are available from www.craftyaddicts.co.uk The bracelet blank and bookmark are available from www.spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk

three or four layers while the bead is still on the mandrel, to ensure that the threading hole does not get blocked.

Once the beads are

completed, they can be strung or linked like any other beads.

Experimentation is the key to creating something truly unique and individual.

paper bead JEWELLERY MAKING PAPER BEADS For larger diameter paper beads, cut a

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2

strip of plain, thin A4 cardstock to a width of 1cm, and a triangular strip of patterned paper to a width of 1cm at the top. Roll the plain card tightly around the mandrel and glue the end. Glue the wider end of the patterned paper flush to the plain card, roll tightly and glue it into place.

3

For smaller diameter paper beads, cut triangular strips of patterned and silver paper with a width of 1cm at the top, roll around a mandrel and glue it into place.

For droplet-shaped paper beads, trim a strip of paper with a width of 2cm at the top. As you cut, shape the paper so that the

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bottom end is 1cm narrower from the left side and 0.5cm narrower from the right side, as shown.

Roll it around a mandrel and glue it into place. As the bead is rolled, ensure that each layer follows the bead’s shape.

Cover each bead with clear ink and dip into UTEE. Shake off any excess and

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melt with a heat gun.

While the UTEE is still molten, dip it again and re-heat.

Repeat this to form 3-4 layers. While the UTEE is molten, it is important to slowly rotate the bead on the mandrel so that it keeps its shape and does not drip off or form irregular bumps.

Leave to set completely before use.

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CBJ01 pp58-61 Paper Beads v2_CBJ 24/03/2010 10:32 Page 60

JEWELLERY PAPERWORK NECKLACE TO CREATE Make two large striped beads and a selection of small ones (depending on the length of necklace required).

1

Cover both sides of the dragonfly die-cut with the two shades of green ink and leave to dry.

Stamp a swirl over part of the die-cut using silver ink. Add highlights with a white

2 3

Soufflé pen and leave to dry.

Punch a small hole through the tip of each wing and cover both sides with a coat of Glossy Accents, then leave to dry.

4

Thread each of the beads onto an eyepin, along with the small and medium green beads. Cut to length and use roundnosed pliers to form a loop with the end of the wire. Join the

5

beads together with jump rings.

To finish, use jump rings to join one end of each length of beads to the die-cut dragonfly, and the other to a clasp.

6

MATERIALS • Doodlebug 12x12” Limeade Boutique Stripe & Limeade Swiss Dot patterned paper • white cardstock • silver A4 pearlescent paper • VersaMark inkpad • clear UTEE • Woodware Chippies Butterflies and Dragonflies die-cut chipboard shapes • Fresh Green and Lime ColorBox pigment brush pads • Autumn Leaves Swirls v2 stamps • Starlite Silver Brilliance Dew Drop inkpad • white Sakura Soufflé pen • Ranger Glossy Accents • medium and small green beads • silver eyepins • silver headpins • 7mm silver jump rings • silver clasp

TOOLS

• round-nosed pliers

BRACELET

TO CREATE Using a mandrel that will produce a hole large enough for the beads to fit onto the bracelet, make three large diameter striped beads, four large diameter silver beads and eight small diameter dotted beads.

Unscrew one end of the bracelet and thread on the beads. Tie ribbons on each side of the large striped beads and at the bracelet ends, as shown.

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2

MATERIALS • Doodlebug 12x12” Limeade Boutique Stripe & Limeade Swiss Dot patterned paper • thin white cardstock • silver A4 pearlescent paper • VersaMark inkpad • clear UTEE • green organza ribbon • bracelet blank

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CBJ01 pp58-61 Paper Beads v2_CBJ 24/03/2010 10:33 Page 61

JEWELLERY PAPERWORK

BOOKMARK TO CREATE Make a selection of different-sized beads from the papers, and thread them onto wires along with the small green beads. Use headpins for those beads at the bottom of each dangle, and eyepins for the rest.

Create three dangles of various lengths using a mixture of beads on each, then use jump rings to connect the beaded wires together. Add a jump ring to the top of each dangle then use another jump ring to attach the three dangles together onto the bookmark.

Thread a length of ribbon through the top jump ring and tie into a bow, as shown.

1

2 MATERIALS • Doodlebug 12x12” Limeade Boutique Stripe & Limeade Swiss Dot patterned paper • silver A4 pearlescent paper • VersaMark inkpad • clear UTEE • medium and small green beads • silver eyepins • silver headpins • 7mm silver jump rings • silver earring wires

3

EARRINGS TO CREATE Make two striped droplet beads and two small round dotted beads.

Place a droplet bead, along with the green beads, onto a headpin, trim and form a loop. Place a round dotted bead, along with small green beads, onto an eyepin, trim and form a loop.

Using a jump ring, attach the two wired beads together.

Use a second jump ring to attach them to an earring wire.

Repeat to create the second earring.

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MATERIALS • Doodlebug 12x12” Limeade Boutique Stripe & Limeade Swiss Dot patterned paper • white cardstock • silver A4 pearlescent paper • medium and small green beads • clear inkpad • clear UTEE • silver eyepins • silver headpins • 7mm silver jump rings • silver bookmark • green organza ribbon

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CBJ01 pp62 Spoilt Rotten_Beading 24/03/2010 12:14 Page 62

SPOILT ROTTEN BEADS

simply

JULIET BROWSE DESIGNER

CHARMING

ABOUT JULIET… Juliet has been designing and making jewellery for six years. She studied jewellery making on the island of Cyprus and many of her designs take inspiration from the sea and Mediterranean style.

She is now the owner of Spoilt Rotten Beads, which stocks more than 3,000 different beads and jewellery-making supplies. Juliet and her team also run beading courses and workshops from their shop near Cambridge.

This elegant bracelet is the perfect showcase for some more unusual and distinctive elements, including these stunning millefiori (‘thousand flowers’) glass beads TO CREATE Thread the beads onto the headpins in the pattern shown – I have used the fancy Bali-style headpins for the millefiori beads and the silver-plated beads and the plain headpins for the mother-of-pearl beads.

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Using round-nosed pliers, make loops on the top of each pin and attach the beads to the bracelet. Once attached, wrap the excess wire back around the top of the headpin to secure the loop. You can view a video showing you how to do this at www.spoiltrotten beads.com.

2

Snip off any excess headpins using side cutters. To finish, flatten off any sharp edges using chain-nosed pliers.

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MATERIALS • silver-plated charm bracelet • silver-plated headpins • silver-plated fancy Bali-style headpins • 3 x turquoise millefiori glass beads • 4 x silver-plated fancy Bali-style dome beads • 5 x silver-plated flower charms • 5 x midnight motherof-pearl coin beads

TOOLS

• round-nosed pliers • side cutters • chain-nosed pliers

All the materials used here are available from Spoilt Rotten Beads 7 The Green, Haddenham Ely, Cambs CB6 3TA; www.spoiltrottenbeads.com; 01353 749853

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CBJ01 pp063_Beading 24/03/2010 12:31 Page 63

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CBJ01 pp64-68 Stampbording_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:54 Page 64

JEWELLERY STAMPBORD Graphicus Limited Unit 5, Carrosserie House, Harmire Enterprise Park Barnard Castle Co Durham DL12 8XT; www.graphicus.co.uk; 01833 695958

STAMPING

ground

GLENDA WATERWORTH DESIGNER LYNN ROBINSON-HUNTER DESIGNER

Stampbord is a clay-coated wood composite material that is perfect for making all sorts of different jewellery projects.

Originally designed for fine art, Stampbord is a firm favourite with stampers for the pristine, practically foolproof results the special coating gives you. Glenda Waterworth and Lynn RobinsonHunter show you how tampbord is so versatile and can be coloured with a wide range of materials – dye-based inkpads, watercolours, chalks, alchohol inks, markers, acrylic paints, coloured pencils, and more. A unique property of the material is that, once coloured, it is possible

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to scratch into its surface to reveal the original white base.

This gives you lots of scope for adding delicate highlights or creating bold graphic statements.

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

It is best to seal Stampbord when it’s to be used for jewellery – sealants include wax, varnish and glazes such as Dimensional Magic or Glossy Accents, which

dry to a clear, hard finish. Another favourite is clear embossing powder, applied by covering Stampbord with a clear embossing ink such as VersaMark,

then dipping the piece in embossing powder and heating until the powder has melted.

Another essential tool for making Stampbord jewellery is the Crop-A-Dile – a

CBJ01 pp64-68 Stampbording_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:54 Page 65

JEWELLERY STAMPBORD

heavy-duty, yet easyto-use, hole punch with a built-in eyelet setter and choice of two hole sizes. This is the only hand punch that I have found that will actually puncture

Stampbord. However, if you need to create smaller holes for fine wire, a Dremel or Fiskars hand drill can also be useful.

For amateur jewellery makers,

Stampbord offers lots of scope for cheating!

Brooches, for example, made with selfadhesive pin backs, are easy to make – just glue some beaded trim to the back for extra

pizzazz. Bracelets are also simple – thread hole-punched Stampbord onto elastic using beads between each piece as spacers. And if you don’t want to do any

gluing at all, use a mini bulldog clip to attach a piece of decorated Stampbord to a necklace for an instant and interchangeable pendant.

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CBJ01 pp64-68 Stampbording_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:54 Page 66

JEWELLERY STAMPBORD MATERIALS • 1” Stampbord pieces • Decadent Brocade stamp set • Summer Sky and Desert Sand Memento inkpads • Midnight Blue StãzOn inkpad • Bamboo Leaves, Cantaloupe, Rhubarb Stalk, Tangelo and Cottage Ivy Memento markers • sanding block • VersaMark inkpad • clear embossing powder • gold Krylon pen • We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile • loop and bar fastener • ultra high bond double-sided tape • pale aqua twill ribbon

TOOLS

TO CREATE Measure a length of twill ribbon to fit your wrist, allowing for the extra length that the fastener will add.

Attach a ribbon crimp to each end of the ribbon, and add the loop and bar fastener with jump rings.

Lay the ribbon flat and work out how many Stampbord pieces you will need to use for your bracelet.

Colour each Stampbord piece by lightly pressing the Summer Sky inkpad onto one side and the Desert Sand on the

1 2 3 4

other. Blot with kitchen towel to give a softcoloured background.

Ink up the small floral stamp from the Decadent Brocade stamp set using a Midnight Blue inkpad.

Press a piece of Stampbord onto the inked stamp, choosing exactly which portion of the design you want on your square. Repeat with all the Stampbord tiles, re-inking the stamp where necessary.

Making sure the StãzOn ink is

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then turn them over and butt all the pieces up together, leaving no gaps. Run a length of ultra high bond adhesive tape across the back of all the tiles (if your tape is very thin, run two or three strips across to give as much contact as possible).

Burnish the tape down onto the tiles to ensure it is stuck securely, then cut each tile apart.

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• pliers • heat tool

STAMPBORD BRACELET Arrange all your tiles onto the ribbon to achieve the correct spacing, then stick each piece down carefully. Press each piece down firmly, then turn it over and burnish the twill ribbon with a bone folder to ensure the tape adheres fully to the Stampbord.

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Why not create an extra couple of squares to make into earrings?

Attach a drop bead to add a little extra glamour

thoroughly dry before you begin, colour each image with Memento markers and leave to dry. Sand the edges of each piece lightly, then wipe them clean with a dry cloth.

Pat the VersaMark inkpad all over each tile, cover with clear embossing powder and heat with a heat tool to melt the powder and give a clear glaze to each piece. When the tiles are cool, run a gold Krylon pen around the edge of each piece.

Arrange the pieces in the correct order,

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CBJ01 pp64-68 Stampbording_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:54 Page 67

JEWELLERY STAMPBORD

TO CREATE Ink up the ornate heart image with a pink inkpad, and stamp onto the Stampbord piece. Leave it to dry thoroughly.

Using the stylus tool, apply Dried Marigold ink to the white areas of the Stampbord and, again, leave to dry.

1 2

Using the scratch knife, etch out the detail that appears on the dark pink areas.

Accent the flower centres with adhesive pearls, and edge the sides of the piece with black India ink or a marker pen.

Punch a hole through the Stampbord using a Crop-A-Dile tool set to the largest hole size.

Using the eyelet, attach your beaded chain with a jump ring.

To finish, adhere the pin back to the reverse side of the Stampbord piece.

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STAMPBORD BROOCH

WHERE TO BUY All materials used are available from www.graphicus.co.uk

MATERIALS • 2 x 2” Stampbord pieces • Romantica ornate heart stamp (UA5SP0292) • Lovebirds word stamp (UA5SP0294) • Tim Holtz jump rings and Dried Marigold Distress ink • chain adhesive pin back • Fuchsia Pink StãzOn inkpad

• eyelets • black and white adhesive pearls • black India ink or black marker pen • beads

TOOLS

• Stampbord scratch knife • ColorBox stylus handle with foam tips • We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile

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CBJ01 pp64-68 Stampbording_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:55 Page 68

JEWELLERY STAMPBORD

STAMPBORD NECKLACE

MATERIALS • 3 x 11⁄2x11⁄2” Stampbord pieces • 1 x 1” Stampbord • Eastern Grasses stamp (UDLSP0291) • Key To My Dreams stamp (UA5SP0296) • Jet Black, Olive Green and Timber Brown StãzOn inkpads • Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Shabby Shutters Adirondack dye inkpads • gold Krylon pen • orange and green adhesive gems • eyelets • Tim Holtz jump rings and link chains • metal butterfly • mother of pearl or bone piece

TOOLS

• We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile • ColorBox stylus handle with foam tips

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TO CREATE Using the stylus handle, ink up the foam tips and apply Distress inks to the Stampbord pieces, graduating the colours as shown.

Using the Key stamp, ink up the decorative key top and stamp onto each piece several times, before moving onto the next.

Blend the ink with the stylus tip to defuse.

Select two or three small images from the Eastern Grasses set. Using Timber Brown ink, stamp one image several times onto each piece, then change to Olive Green, and finally, Jet Black.

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

Ink all the edges of each piece with a gold Krylon pen.

Lay the images out in a pattern and mark your hole placements with a pencil. Use the Crop-ADile on the largest setting to punch all the holes on the larger pieces, and the small hole only on the 1” piece. Set all the holes with eyelets, and join the pieces together with jump rings.

4 5

Cut the chain to the desired length, attach to the Stampbord and set with a closure.

Add adhesive gems to highlight the images, and finish with a butterfly and mother of pearl or bone piece.

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PD01 House Ad_PD 17/03/2010 10:24 Page 90

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Issue 1 includes: • Stationery ideas you'll love!

• Tempting table & venue décor that's so easy to make • Money-saving cake and flower ideas • Fabulous favour designs • The latest unique products and where to buy them • Your wedding queries answered • Honeymoons, venues and much more!

BRAND NEW MAGAZINE Issue 1 on sale now!

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CBJ01 pp70 Bead Store_Beading 24/03/2010 11:42 Page 70

THE BEAD STORE KAREN STANDING DESIGNER TO CREATE Cut the chain into 10 three-link sections (two large links and one small), and two 6-10 link sections (the number of link section depends upon your length preference).

Make the pearl dangles by threading one pearl onto a 25mm headpin and turning the top into a loop. Attach four of these to each chain link unit (two reddishpurple and two green), and repeat 10 times.

1

2

Cut off a piece of 0.6mm wire and create a loop at the end.

Thread on a beadcap, a floral bead and another beadcap, and turn a loop at the end. Make similar units using all of the floral beads.

At one end loop of the flat bead unit, attach a beaded chain.

At the free end of the beaded chain unit, attach an oval bead unit. Repeat until you have used up five beaded link units and three bead

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4

units – you have now completed half of the necklace.

Repeat Step 4 to complete the other half of the necklace, and join the two halves with a jump ring.

To make the front dangle, attach your remaining bead dangles onto the chain along with a Tree Spirit drop. Attach the dangle to the jump ring on the necklace.

5 6

To attach the clasp (first determine how long you would like the necklace to be), make two beaded

7

chain units to the desired length (one for either side).

Attach one beaded chain unit to either side of the necklace and attach your clasp to the chain.

8

tree

SPIRIT This elegant bracelet combines traditional beads with a fashionable colour scheme

MATERIALS NECKLACE SUPPLIES

All the materials used here are available from The Bead Store, 11B Fore Street Mevagissey, Cornwall; www.thebeadstore.co.uk; 01726 844999

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• 6 x green handpainted floral flat round beads • 6 x green handpainted floral oval beads • 20 x reddish-purple freshwater pearls • 20 x dark green freshwater pearls • 40cm of 0.6mm silver plate wire • 40 x 25mm silverplated ball-top headpins • 25cm silver-plated fancy chain • 1 x antique silver Tierracast Garland Toggle Clasp • 1 x jump ring

• 24 x plain silver-plated beadcaps

NECKLACE DANGLE SUPPLIES • 2 x jump rings • 1 x three-link chain unit (from above chain) • 4 x 25mm silver-plated ball-top headpins • 2 x reddish-purple freshwater pearls • 2 x dark green freshwater pearls • 1 x Tierracast Tree Spirit drop

TOOLS

• cutter • round-nosed pliers • chain-nosed pliers

CBJ01 pp71 Competition BeadsUnlim_Beading 24/03/2010 12:24 Page 71

COMPETITION BEADS UNLIMITED

£500

of Beads Unlimited products to win!

A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF BEADING BLISS s the popularity of beading has snowballed, so has Beads Unlimited. Its flagship retail outfit, The Brighton Bead Shop, first opened in March 1986, and is now an essential port of call for eager beaders.

If you can’t make it to Brighton, the Beads Unlimited mail order department ensures you can shop till you drop without leaving the comfort of your armchair. The new 104-page full-colour Beads Unlimited catalogue sits

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Beads Unlimited is giving 15

proudly on any coffee table, waiting for the lucky readers the chance to beading bug to strike. Choose your supplies at win their very own box of your leisure and place your telephone order delights! To celebrate almost a with a real human being – there are no robots quarter of a century of beading working at Beads Unlimited! bliss, five large and 10 mini If you prefer to order online, visit beginners’ packs are up for www.beadsunlimited.co.uk. But first we suggest grabs! For your chance to win that you arm yourself with tea and biscuits, as a pack, send your name and we promise you’ll lose yourself in this little slice address on a postcard to: of cyber heaven!

CBJ01 Beads Unlimited, The Beads Unlimited Beginners’ Pack is a Practical Publishing, Unit 1 great starting point for a new hobby, and a Adlington Court, Adlington fabulous way to replenish the keen beader’s Business Park, Macclesfield, reserves. The mini pack contains all that the Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive beginner could ever need, while the large pack by 14th May 2010. is an experienced beader’s dream! Contents may NB: By entering this competition, you accept that your details may vary but a great selection of basic tools, beads, be passed on to a third party. pendants, threads and findings is guaranteed. These essential Visit www.beadsunlimited.co.uk, packs cost £25 for the mini and or call 01273 740777 £50 for the large size. A giftfor more information wrapping service is also available for an extra £5.

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CBJ01 pp72-73 Readers Gallery_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:05 Page 72

DESIGNER GALLERY Be inpired by these fabulous designs and send your own creations in to us – we’d love to see them!

Each item featured wins a free gift kindly donated by The Bead Shop Scotland

designer GALLERY

www.beadshopscotland.co.uk Haddington 01620 822886 Edinburgh 0131 343 3222

ETHNIC CHOKER

BY CLAIRE MORGAN FROM ELY, CAMBS MATERIALS

• black waxed cotton cord • square donut • black and tan wooden beads

JADE HEMP NECKLACE

BY LISA HAYTER FROM FIFE MATERIALS

• green hemp cord • jade donut • jade chips

LOOPED CHAIN NECKLACE

BY PENELOPE JAMES FROM FULHAM, LONDON MATERIALS • • • • •

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fine silver chain multicoloured e-beads silver e-beads silver trigger clasp silver jump ring

CBJ01 pp72-73 Readers Gallery_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:06 Page 73

DESIGNER GALLERY AMETHYST AND SILVER NECKLACE

BY SOPHIE ARMSTRONG FROM CHESHIRE MATERIALS

• 16mm round faceted amethyst beads • 6mm amethyst AB Czech fire polish beads • 8mm silver glitter beads • silver seed beads • silver bead caps • silver wire • fine silver chain • silver eyepins

DENIM CHAIN NECKLACE

BY ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY FROM NORWICH MATERIALS • • • • • • • • •

large gunmetal fashion chain 22mm oval acrylic bead assorted blue imitation freshwater pearls 2mm silver spacers silver bead caps silver seed beads Tigertail wire silver crimps 4mm silver jump rings

SIMPLE CHAIN MAILLE BLING

BY LUCY ATKINSON FROM DERBY MATERIALS

• 4mm and 9mm silver jump rings • 4mm silver diamanté rondelles • silver diamanté box clasp

Want to see your masterpiece on these pages? Please send your best creations to: Designer Gallery, Creative Beading & Jewellery, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL. Don’t forget to include your name, address and a list of the materials you used.

NB. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope for your projects to be returned.

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CBJ01 pp74-75 Letter from Amer_Beading 24/03/2010 11:19 Page 74

NEWS

ABOUT VIVIAN… Vivian is an accomplished designer, author, inventor and artist who lives in Marietta in the US state of Georgia and her experience in the fields of crafts, décor and fabrics is reflected in her expertise in the use of multiple mediums. Vivian has been delivering ‘green’ projects for over 25 years via television appearances, books, and workshops and tradeshows. She has been at the forefront of inventing new ways to re-use, remix and bring new life to existing products.

Vivian has made jewellery all her life but in the past her medium was usually unconventional. Her jewellery involved whatever medium she was promoting at the time, with a twist – whether it was seashells, fishing tackle, felted wool, buttons, layered laminated papers, fabric, hardware findings, crystals or something else. That is, until she found bead stores!

That’s not to say she doesn’t still incorporate the ‘odd’ pieces every now and then. Vivian loves to experiment with colour, size and texture when it comes to her jewellery. She likes large statement elements and mixing mediums to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

She uses drama with a bit of whimsy in her creations and believes that beads are like shoes – you can never have enough!

Because Vivian creates most of her clothes and accessories, beads and silver findings adorn a good chunk of her wardrobe.

Beads have become her inspiration for a good many of her designs, in and out of the jewellery arena. She loves visiting bead shops and learning new techniques, as well as sharing her knowledge, and is always excited about that next new bead or class that sparks the imagination.

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letter from

Vivian Perritts gives us the lowdown on the latest releases and trends hitting the beading and jewellery world over the pond in the US, and the heads up on what we can expect to see winging its way over here very soon. For our first issue, Vivian shares the story of how she got hooked on beading ear Fellow Bead Lovers, I will be writing to you each issue, reporting on what is happening over here in the US beading and jewellery world.

I was introduced to beading when a good friend of mine talked me into taking a class with her and, once I had been, I was hooked.

Let me take you to the place where it all started for me...

The minute I

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walked into Bead Bayou in Alpharetta, Georgia, I knew that I was in trouble. The colours, the shapes, the strands, the samples – everything in the shop was so beautifully displayed, I knew I wanted to play here! Then, when I saw the class samples, I wanted to make everything!

Bead Bayou is owned by Lily and Jim Gillespie. Lily conducts most of the basic classes (basic beading, wire wrapping and silk

knotting) and parties at the shop, and has developed a technique she calls ‘micromé’, a tiny version of macramé using silk threads. I saw many versions of this in her beautiful necklace samples. While some of her customers are men, most are ladies aged between 40 and 60. When I met Lily for the first time, she had just returned from a buying trip in Prague and was showing us some very unusual beads she had purchased for the

shop. My friend and I took a wirewrapping class and my friend took a second class on double-knit Viking weave from Charlene Gabriel, one of many teachers who are not employees, but teach classes at Bead Bayou to encourage students to learn, grow, and develop their creativity, find their passion and – hopefully – buy lots of beads!

Before she opened her shop, Lily made a list of what was

CBJ01 pp74-75 Letter from Amer_Beading 24/03/2010 11:20 Page 75

NEWS

Rachael takes inventory in the back of the store, while Suki, the shop dog, looks on!

Charlene Gabriel demonstrates Viking weaving Bead Bayou employee Rachael Dalrymple (second from right) and joint owner Lily Gillespie (right) experiment with a new beading technique

missing in other shops so that she could include these things in Bead Bayou.

The shop needed to be welcoming to all, from beginners to advanced beaders.

She concluded that it should be visually attractive, sound good (soft, soothing music) and smell good, that there should be a basket of reading glasses on the work table and plenty of table room for classes. She found teachers who were just as excited about

beading and jewellery as she was, and whose talents complemented her own.

Lily offers parties, one-on-one classes and kits. She wanted to be flexible enough for her customers’ needs. She can also provide a ‘Birthday Party in a Box’ where she, or one of her teachers, goes to the customer’s house and presents a pre-selected project for the guests.

Her shop carries all types of beads, books and magazines, and beautiful display

cases of finished projects from which you can choose a kit or a class. There is even the shop dog, Suki! Please visit www.bead-bayou.com to see more of the classes and projects.

Next time, I will be bringing you all the inside news from a big tradeshow in California and will be showcasing some of the fabulous new releases that will be heading in your direction soon. Until then, I wish you all happy beading!

View from the front of the store

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CBJ01 pp76 Bead Shop Scot_Beading 24/03/2010 12:34 Page 76

THE BEAD SHOP SCOTLAND

mint choc

ABOUT JO… Jo Lochhead has been designing and making jewellery for more than 10 years. In 2004 she opened her first bead shop and now runs two ‘real’ shops and an online business. All the beads on the bracelet here were handmade individually by Jo, her sister or her partner Andy.

CHARMS This delicate silver chain bracelet is made good enough to eat by the addition of fun chocolate and candy beads created from polymer clay

JO LOCHHEAD DESIGNER

All the materials used here are available from The Bead Shop Scotland, 29 Court Street, Haddington, East Lothian EH41 3AE; www.beadshopscotland.co.uk; 01620 822886

TO CREATE Cut silver chain to an approximate 6” length. I have used a delicate sterling silver chain with large and small links – just be sure that each link is big enough to feed a headpin through.

Attach a toggle clasp to each end of the length of chain. You can either open up a link of the chain to attach the clasp, or use a jump ring at each end.

Charms such as the Love Heart bead and the chocolate bar need to be attached to the chain using large jump rings. Always open a jump ring, using flat pliers, as if you were opening a door or

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gate and close it up by going back in the opposite direction, making sure that the edges meet closely.

The remaining charms need to be attached to the bracelet with wrapped loops.

To do this, start by threading each bead onto a headpin. With the tip of the chainnosed pliers, grasp the wire directly above the bead. Bend the wire above the pliers into a right angle.

Position the jaws of the round-nosed

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pliers into the bend you have just created. Now pull the wire over the top jaw of the pliers towards you.

Reposition the pliers’ lower jaw snugly into the curved wire. Wrap the wire down and around the bottom of the pliers.

Now attach your bead to the bracelet chain by pulling the wire loop into the link of the chain. Remember to do this before wrapping the rest of the pin!

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Grasp the loop with your chain-nosed pliers and, using the second pair of pliers, wrap the wire tail around the stem, covering the area between the loop and the bead. Trim the excess wrapping wire with wire cutters.

Using the tips of the chain-nosed pliers, press the end of the wire close into the stem right next to the bead for a neat finish.

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MATERIALS • • • • •

large-link silver chain toggle clasp 2 x 8mm jump rings 15 x 2” headpins 7 x varied polymer clay cake and sweetie charms • 4 x 8mm Swarovski topaz bicone crystals • 4 x 8mm Swarovski chrysolite bicone crystals

TOOLS

• wire cutters • round-nosed pliers • flat and/or chain-nosed pliers

CBJ01 pp077_Beading 22/03/2010 10:42 Page 77

CBJ01 pp78-81 Spider Web v2_Beading 24/03/2010 10:36 Page 78

TECHNIQUES WIRE

Wrapped wire and beads combine effortlessly to produce stunning and unique pieces of art.

Carolyn Schulz shows you how CAROLYN SCHULZ DESIGNER sing wire when making jewellery has become more and more popular in recent years, and these fun and easy wired pendants are a great project for novice jewellery designers.

The wire wrapping creates a lovely focal piece that can be used to embellish a key ring

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or handbag charm, as well as part of a necklace. The tips below are a perfect introduction for beginners to the delights of working with wire, and the projects across these pages really demonstrate what a versatile and fashionable medium it can be.

FORMING THE BASIC PENDANT SHAPE TO CREATE Use a small can, glass, box or similar object to form the outer pendant shape.

Cut 20-gauge wire 6cm longer than needed to complete a pendant shape for a single loop, or 8cm for a double loop.

For the single loop, form a loop around one barrel of roundnosed pliers, about 2cm from one cut end. Wrap the wire around the formed loop and back to the loop to create your chosen shape.

1 2 3

MATERIALS • 0.812mm 20-gauge and 0.4mm 28-gauge wire • beads • eyepins and/or headpins

TOOLS

• wire cutters • flat-nosed pliers • round-nosed pliers

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For the double loop, form a loop around one barrel of the round-nosed pliers, about 2cm from one cut end. Wrap wire halfway around the chosen shape, then wrap wire around one barrel of the pliers to form a second loop.

Wrap the wire ends around the wire on either side of the loop formed in either step 3 or 4.

Attach beads to the pendant shape using 30-40cm pieces of 24gauge wire, which has been attached by wrapping around a 20gauge wire shape and threaded with one or more beads. Take wire across the centre of the wire shape and wrap it once around the 20gauge wire. Wrap it around in a crisscross pattern, filling in the centre of the shape with wire and a few beads.

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TIPS FOR WORKING WITH WIRE Always hold both ends of wire when cutting. If you can’t hold both, then hold the wire in such a way that the loose end doesn’t become a potential hazard to yourself or others (put a hand or finger over where you are cutting, cut under the beading mat or cut inside a bag). Using safety glasses is also recommended for your own safety.

CUTTING WIRE The preferred cutters for jewellery wire are ‘flush cutters’. The correct way to use cutters is to position them perpendicular to the wire to be cut with the flat side of the cutters towards the finished piece. The flat side (back or bottom side) will leave a flat end to that side of the cut, while the beveled side (front or top side) will leave a sharp end to that side of the cut.

STRAIGHTENING WIRE Pulling wire through a folded piece of leather several times while squeezing it with your fingers will ensure

that the wire is straight.

You can also pull wire through nylon-jaw pliers while squeezing them closed. If you are struggling to get a firm grip of the wire, then form a loop at one end and hold it while pulling the wire through the nylonjaw pliers.

will hold wire while spreading the gripping force across the flat fast of the pliers, thus leaving minimal marks on the wire.

BENDING WIRE To make a sharp bend in wire, grasp it with the jaws of chainnosed or bent-nosed pliers and, holding it perpendicular to the jaws, push the wire against the pliers.

Only use chainnosed pliers with smooth, flat jaws that

STEP BY STEP 1

CBJ01 pp78-81 Spider Web v2_Beading 24/03/2010 10:37 Page 79

TECHNIQUES WIRE

spider’s

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CBJ01 pp78-81 Spider Web v2_Beading 24/03/2010 10:38 Page 80

TECHNIQUES WIRE TO CREATE

KEY RING

Elongate a circular wire shape with a single loop to form an oval shape, and wrap pink beads around it.

Layer beads in a random fashion, using wire that is twisted in corkscrews between the beads.

Attach the top of the pendant to a key ring using a large jump ring.

To finish, hang a pear-shaped faceted bead at the bottom end.

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MATERIALS • wire • small silver-lined pin seed beads • pink The Beadery imitation freshwater pearls • pink The Beadery acrylic faceted beads • 3mm black glass cube beads • 7mm or 9mm silverplated jump rings • key ring • headpin

TO CREATE Wire onto the diamond a random mix of silver beads in a random criss-cross pattern, as shown.

Tweak the wire on either side of the beads to take up the slack and add dimension. Embellish.

Hang a dangle from the lower loop, and a pendant from the rubber-tube choker.

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MATERIALS • wire • random mix of small, silver beads • 9mm AB crystal pear drop • headpin • eyepin • beadcap • black rubber-tube choker

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SILVER DIAMOND-SHAPED CHOKER PENDANT

CBJ01 pp78-81 Spider Web v2_Beading 24/03/2010 10:38 Page 81

TECHNIQUES WIRE

PEARLY HEART PENDANT

MATERIALS • wire • 4mm ivory glass pearls • 4mm ruby glass bicones • 6mm ivory glass pearls • 6mm ruby glass pearls • headpin • eyepin • large trigger (lobster) clasp

TO CREATE Bend and shape a wire heart (alternatively, you could use a cookie cutter or likewise).

Form a loop at the top of the heart using a 3mm piece of wire and attach it over the dip in the

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JET AND CRYSTAL HANDBAG CHARM

beads to take up the slack and add dimension. Embellish.

Hang a dangle from the lower loop, and a pendant from the silver chain.

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NEED TO KNOW

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heart shape as shown.

Wire a random mix of ivory and ruby pearls in a criss-cross pattern to the heart.

Tweak the wire on either side of the

WIRE GAUGES Gauge 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 28

Diameter (mm) 2.05 1.63 1.29 1.02 0.812 0.644 0.511 0.4

MATERIALS • • • •

TO CREATE Elongate a circular wire shape with a single loop to form an oval shape.

Layer beads in a random fashion using wire that is twisted in corkscrews between the beads.

Tweak the wire on either side of the beads to take up the slack and add dimension. Embellish.

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• • • •

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3

wire 4mm jet bicones 1mm crystal bicones 4mm AB crystal bicones 6mm AB crystal bicones 9mm AB crystal pear drop headpin eyepin large trigger (lobster) clasp

Hang a dangle from the lower loop and add a large trigger (lobster) clasp to the other end.

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CBJ01 pp82-85 Pretty in pink_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:26 Page 82

SHRINK PLASTIC PRETTY IN PINK

SU PENNICK DESIGNER

hen preparing shrink plastic, it is important to bear in mind its rate of shrinkage. This can dramatically affect any image that is stamped or drawn onto it, as well as the overall size of the piece. Any stringing, or threading, holes punched into the plastic prior to

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prettyIN PINK

Shrink plastic is a great medium for creating charms and trinkets – it can be die-cut, stamped and coloured and, once heated, is solid, strong and extremely lightweight. Su Pennick shows you how to incorporate it into your designs shrinking are also affected, as the diameter of these holes will shrink along with the plastic.

All brands of shrink plastic behave slightly differently. Test pieces are essential, not only to ascertain the changes in size, but also the effects that the heat and shrinkage process will have on any inks applied to the

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plastic. Colours do intensify and darken with shrinkage, meaning that some adjustment may be necessary.

GETTING STARTED If you are planning to stamp or colour shrink plastic, you will need to check whether it has already been prepared for this. As the surface is glossy, it

is essential that the side being coloured is lightly scuffed in order for the ink to stick. A piece of fine sandpaper is ideal for this, but some products, such as the Shrinkles plastic used here, are preprepared and have a rough side to which inks should be applied. It is also important that the ink used, whether it be

stamped or drawn, is a permanent ink that will dry on this type of glossy surface.

Don’t worry if your cut shapes have some slight roughness or uneven edges. These won’t be apparent in the shrunken piece.

Some shrink plastic tends to shrink slightly more in one direction than the other. It is important, therefore,

CBJ01 pp82-85 Pretty in pink_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:27 Page 83

SHRINK PLASTIC PRETTY IN PINK MATERIALS TO MAKE THE TEMPLATES:

• acetate or clear plastic sheet • black permanent felt pen

TO MAKE THE TILES:

• black Shrinkles shrink plastic • Woodware Oriental Elements clear stamp set (FRCL084) • Moonlight White Brilliance Dew Drop inkpad • white crayon

TOOLS

• hole punch • heat gun

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SHRINK PLASTIC TILES TO CREATE Trace the templates on page 85 onto acetate or a clear plastic sheet with a black permanent pen and cut out. Creating transparent templates makes it easier to line them up over the stamped image.

Stamp the cherry blossom panel

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from the set onto the rough side of the black shrink plastic the number of times required for the item being made. Leave space between the panels to accommodate the template. Leave to dry thoroughly.

Place the template over the stamped image and draw around it with white crayon.

Mark the places for the holes to be punched later. Cut out the tiles along the inside of the white crayon outline.

Punch holes in the tiles, ensuring that they are not too close to the edges of the loop-shaped areas.

Carefully hold each tile on a heatproof mat, and gently and evenly heat with the heat gun until it stops shrinking.

Before the tile has time to cool, flatten it with a smooth object – an acrylic stamping block is ideal. Leave to cool completely.

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to ensure that all pieces are cut in the same direction.

While shrinking the plastic, a heatproof mat must be used for safety. Ensure the heat is applied evenly over the whole piece to avoid excessive curling and sticking. Do not hold the heat too close to the piece, as it will shrink unevenly and may be damaged by excessive heat.

As soon as the plastic has completely shrunk, gently press down on it with a heatresistant flat surface to flatten it evenly. An acrylic stamping block is ideal for this.

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CBJ01 pp82-85 Pretty in pink_CBJ 24/03/2010 15:10 Page 84

SHRINK PLASTIC PRETTY IN PINK BRACELET TO CREATE Following the stepby-step instructions on page 83, create six stamped tiles with double holes on both sides, and two tiles with double holes on one side and a single hole on the other.

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MATERIALS • black Shrinkles shrink plastic • Woodware Oriental Elements clear stamp set (FRCL084) • Moonlight White Brilliance Dew Drop inkpad • white crayon • 17 x 7mm silver jump rings • 14 x silver headpins • 14 x bright pink small round glass beads • silver toggle clasp

Thread a pink bead onto a headpin, trim the wire to a length of 1cm and form a loop.

Create 14 wired beads in this way.

Open a jump ring and thread a tile onto it, followed by a wired bead and then the corresponding part on a second tile. Close the jump ring.

Continue in this way until all the tiles are connected, with beads between them.

Attach the ring part of the toggle clasp to one end of the bracelet with a jump ring, and the bar part to the other end with two jump rings.

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TOOLS

• round-nosed pliers • flat-nosed pliers

PHONE CHARM TO CREATE Using the charm template on page 85, create two shrink plastic tile charms – one cherry blossom panel and one dragon.

Create one fan charm with a top central hole.

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WHERE TO BUY

Black Shrinkles shrink plastic and Brilliance Dew Drop inkpads are available from www.handyhippo.co.uk 84

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Cut the chain into one 2cm length and one 1cm length. Attach one end of each to a wired bead and tile charm using a jump ring as shown.

Attach three wired beads to a jump ring and close.

Open a jump ring and thread on the

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unattached ends of the two pieces of chain, the jump ring holding the three wired beads, the fan charm and the ring of the mobile phone charm hanger.

MATERIALS • black Shrinkles shrink plastic • Woodware Oriental Elements clear stamp set (FRCL084) • Papermania Fan stamp (PMA10120) • Moonlight White Brilliance Dew Drop inkpad • template on page 85 • white crayon • 4 x 7mm silver jump rings • 5 x silver headpins • 5 x bright pink small round glass beads • 1.7mm anchor chain (3cm length) • mobile phone charm hanger

CBJ01 pp82-85 Pretty in pink_CBJ 24/03/2010 11:28 Page 85

SHRINK PLASTIC PRETTY IN PINK NECKLACE TO CREATE

Create one cherry blossom panel tile from shrink plastic.

Stamp the dragon from the set onto black shrink plastic, and mark out two hole loops above it and one centrally below it for attaching to other charms. Cut around the dragon and hole loops, punch the holes and shrink.

Stamp the fan onto the shrink plastic seven times and cut out, leaving a black border around each one. Punch a hole in the top centre of one of the fans, and two

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MATERIALS • Shrinkles black shrink plastic • Woodware Oriental Elements clear stamp set (FRCL084) • Papermania Fan (PMA10120) stamp • Moonlight White Brilliance Dew Drop inkpad • earring tile template • white crayon • 8 x 7mm silver jump rings • 12 x silver headpins • 12 x bright pink small round glass beads • pair of earring wires

Attach each of the other holes to three jump rings, the third of which should also be attached to a wired bead and a fan.

Attach the other hole of the fan to a wired bead, and the end of one of the lengths of chain with a jump ring. Continue linking fans, beads and

holes, one at each side, in each of the other six fans. Shrink them all.

Thread each of the beads onto a headpin, trim the wire to 1cm, and form into a loop using the round-nosed pliers.

Cut the chain into six approximately 3cm lengths.

Use a jump ring to attach together the fan with one central hole, three wired beads and the bottom hole of the dragon charm.

Attach the top two holes of the dragon charm, along with wired beads, to the cherry blossom tile.

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EARRINGS

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TO CREATE Using the earring template on the right, create two cherry blossom panel tiles.

Stamp two fans onto black shrink plastic, cut out and punch a hole in the top centre of each.

Shrink all the pieces.

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Place three wired beads onto a jump ring and close. Use a second jump ring to attach the first jump ring, and one of the fans to the bottom of the cherry blossom tile.

Attach three more wired beads to the top of the tile with a jump ring. Use a second jump ring to attach the whole charm dangle to the earring wire.

Repeat for the matching earring.

MATERIALS

chains equally on both sides of the necklace until all are used up.

Attach two jump rings and the clasp to one end of the necklace, and a string of four jump rings to the other to finish.

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• black Shrinkles shrink plastic • Woodware Oriental Elements clear stamp set (FRCL084) • Papermania Fan stamp (PMA10120) • Moonlight White Brilliance Dew Drop inkpad • bracelet tile template • white crayon • 0.7mm anchor chain (approximately 20cm) • 7mm silver jump rings • 17 x silver headpins • 17 x bright pink small round glass beads • lobster clasp

TOOLS

• round-nosed pliers • flat-nosed pliers

Templates shown at 75% actual size

Bracelet Tile

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Bracelet End Tile

Earring Tile

Charm Tile

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CBJ01 pp86-89 Quick Tricks Clasp_Beading 24/03/2010 12:19 Page 86

QUICK TRICKS WITH...

CLASPS Whether you are using clasps as a focal point in your project or simply requiring them to act as a fastener, Judith Hannington’s designs have all areas covered

JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER

joining

FORCES

lasps are available in a whole variety of styles, sizes and metals, and are traditionally used to attach two ends of a necklace or bracelet together. Most styles

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ABOUT JUDITH...

To find out more about Judith, see page 18

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are sold as two components, the most common being trigger clasps (also known as lobster clasps) and their corresponding jump rings. They have a quick and easy release mechanism, a feature

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that can be utilised in a number of ways in addition to their traditional use as a necklace or bracelet fastener.

This can also be applied to toggle clasps (those with ring and bar components), as the projects here demonstrate.

The great thing about using clasps in different ways like this is that you can buy one luxury chain, or set of earring findings, and create a variety of different dangly elements to mix and match as your outfit or mood dictates – you can even share your jewellery among friends! Beaded zippulls, bookmarks and mobile phone or MP3 charms can be made in the same way, using simple lobster clasps for a range of perfect combinations.

Clasps can also be used as focal components in their own right. Toggle clasps, in particular, can be highly decorative, and the toggle component can be used alone as a feature bead.

Alternatively, both components of the clasp can be used as a design feature.

Some clasp styles are far more suitable than others for this task, and care should to be taken to ensure the clasp cannot be undone easily to avoid losing a part of the finished piece in wear. In many cases this is a simple matter of choosing a clasp that has a long bar, or a bar that sits firmly in the toggle, and then beading the dangly element with beads of a large enough size that they won’t slip up through the toggle.

The bar should be fixed to the base component, while the toggle should be attached to the mix-and-match components.

For more information about creating the simple and wrapped loops in these projects, take a look at the step-by-step techniques glossary on page 106.

CBJ01 pp86-89 Quick Tricks Clasp_Beading 24/03/2010 12:20 Page 87

QUICK TRICKS WITH...

CLASPS

TOP TIP

MOBILE PHONE CHARM

MATERIALS

TO CREATE Thread one headpin in the following order: silver bead, heart bead, silver bead, frosted bead, silver bead.

Bend the headpin through 90º close to the final bead, using a pair of chain-nosed pliers. Trim the end of the headpin, leaving about 10mm, then use round-nosed pliers to create a simple loop.

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All the wrapped loops can be replaced with simple loops if desired.

To replace the extra length created by a wrapped loop, just thread a couple of small silver beads onto the wire before forming your loop

Repeat with two further headpins using the round and star cat’s eye beads, and creating two and three repeats of the frosted and silver beads so that each of your dangles will be a different length.

Open the jump ring on the mobile phone attachment and add a

• mobile phone charm attachment • silver decorative lobster clasp • silver headpins • 6mm round, star and heart cat’s eye beads • silver 2mm round beads • frosted pink 4mm round beads

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lobster clasp. To finish, open the lobster clasp to attach your three beaded headpins.

TOOLS

• round-nosed and chainnosed pliers and side cutters

BOOKMARK

MATERIALS • silver bookmark • silver decorative lobster clasp • 0.6mm silver wire • through-drilled acrylic disc

TOOLS

• round-nosed and chainnosed pliers and side cutters • steel stake and chasing hammer

Complete three rotations of the spiral before bending the wire end out at 90º to the spiral. Hammer the wire shape on your steel stake to flatten and work-harden it, taking care not to hammer any portion of the wire end.

Thread the large disc bead onto your wire end, then fold the wire spiral onto the face of the bead. If the

2 TO CREATE Using round-nosed pliers, curl the end of a length of wire into a single loop. Grasp the loop flat in your chainnose pliers and curl the wire into a large loose spiral, repositioning your pliers regularly to create an even shape.

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spiral doesn’t sit flat, slide the bead out of the way and gently squeeze the wire at the u-bend to get a snugger fit.

Once you are happy with the position and fit, create a wrapped loop in the end of the wire, fixing a lobster clasp onto the loop before closing it and wrapping the wire. Remove the jump ring from the bookmark and attach your bead using the lobster clasp.

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WHERE TO BUY

The clasps used for these projects are available from www.shineyrocks.co.uk and www.bead-exclusive.co.uk, which also stocks mobile phone charm attachments, silver wire, 2mm silver beads and all the silver findings For cat’s eye beads in various sizes, visit www.helenslittlegems.com Visit www.jillybeads.co.uk for a wide range of acrylic beads

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp86-89 Quick Tricks Clasp_Beading 24/03/2010 12:21 Page 88

QUICK TRICKS WITH...

CLASPS MATERIALS • silver choker • silver decorative toggle clasp • silver headpin • 4mm and 6mm round cat’s eye beads • silver 2mm round beads • 0.5mm silver wire

TOOLS

• round-nosed and chainnosed pliers and side cutters

CHOKER TO CREATE Bend a length of silver wire in half around the tip of the round-nosed pliers.

Insert the two wire ends through the centre of the toggle, front to back, then bring them around the toggle and feed them through the folded loop before pulling tight.

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BEADED ZIP-PULL TO CREATE Use the tips of round-nosed pliers to curl the end of a length of wire into a single loop. Grasp the loop flat in chain-nosed pliers and curl the wire into a tight spiral, repositioning your pliers regularly to create an even shape.

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MATERIALS • silver decorative lobster clasp • 0.6mm silver wire • dark pink stripy lucite bead • silver 2mm round beads

TOOLS

• round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers and side cutters • steel stake and chasing hammer

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Complete two and a half rotations of the spiral before bending the wire end out at 90º to the spiral. Hammer the wire shape on your steel stake to flatten and work-harden it, taking care not to hammer any portion of the wire end.

Thread a silver bead, a lucite bead and a second silver bead onto the wire end.

Bend the wire through 90º a short distance above the silver bead. Use pairs of round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers to create a wrapped loop, but thread on your lobster clasp before closing the loop and wrapping the wire.

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

With the wire ends together, thread on one silver bead, then cut one wire end off flush with the top of the bead. Thread a second silver bead, a small cat’s eye bead and a final silver bead onto the remaining wire end, then create a wrapped loop large enough to slide onto your choker.

Thread a silver bead, a 4mm cat’s eye bead, a silver bead, a 6mm cat’s eye bead and a final two silver beads onto a headpin.

Create a simple loop in the headpin and hang from the fixing loop on the back of the toggle clasp, before attaching the completed pendant to your choker.

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CBJ01 pp86-89 Quick Tricks Clasp_Beading 24/03/2010 12:21 Page 89

QUICK TRICKS WITH...

CLASPS TRIANGLE PENDANT TO CREATE Thread a silver bead, a cat’s eye bead and another silver bead onto a headpin, and insert it through the hole in the point of the triangle from the outside in.

Repeat the silver and cat’s eye bead pattern on the end of the headpin and form a simple loop from the wire end.

Thread a silver bead onto the eyepin and insert it through the top hole in the triangle from the inside out.

Thread another silver bead onto the eyepin, then create a wrapped loop in the end of the wire, fixing the toggle part of the

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clasp onto the loop before closing it and wrapping the wire.

Attach the bar part of the toggle clasp onto your chain using the jump ring, then simply hang the toggle on your pendant from the bar.

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MATERIALS • silver rectangular toggle clasp • silver headpin and eyepin • silver chain and jump ring • 4mm round cat’s eye beads • silver 2mm round beads • acrylic triangle throughdrilled bead

TOOLS

• round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers and side cutters

EARRINGS TO CREATE Thread a headpin with a silver bead, a lucite bead and a second silver bead before creating a wrapped loop in the end, fixing the toggle part of the clasp onto the loop before closing it and wrapping the wire.

Attach the bar part of the toggle onto the fish hook by opening the loop on the earwire sideways as if opening a jump ring, then sliding the fish hook through the toggle to fix the beaded headpin onto the earwire.

Repeat to create a matching pair of earrings.

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MATERIALS • silver fish hook earwires • 2 x tiny silver toggle clasps • 2 x silver headpins • dark pink stripy lucite beads • silver 2mm round beads

TOOLS

• round-nosed and chainnosed pliers and side cutters

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp90-91 Bead Addict Shop_Beading 24/03/2010 11:40 Page 90

BEAD ADDICT

little VENICE This eye-catching necklace with its interesting asymmetric design features a genuine handmade gold-foiled Murano Venetian glass heart pendant as its focal point

SIDE 1 Make the Swarovski chain: Using wrapped loops, join one Cosmic bead to the top of the pendant wrapped loop, then add a length of chain, then another Cosmic bead and so on, until you have used your three short lengths of chain and your four Cosmic beads. Add a Swarovski bicone dangle at the third Cosmic bead.

Make a string of 19 wire-wrapped linked bead units using gold-plated wire, beadcaps and Czech glass beads (if you need help making wrapped loops, take a look at the hints and tips section on www.bead addict.com). Join one end to your last Swarovski Cosmic bead and the other end to the clasp.

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6 TO CREATE Measure and cut the chain using memory wire cutters.

You will need: For the tassel: 1 x 7cm length (approximately 16 links) 1 x 9cm length (approximately 22 links) For the main body of the necklace: 1 x 17.5cm length (approximately 41 links) For the Swarovski chain in the necklace: 3 x 2.5cm lengths (approximately 5 links)

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Make up your pendant: Using wire, string one 5mm Swarovski bicone, the Venetian glass heart, a beadcap and another 5mm bicone with wrapped loops top and bottom.

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MATERIALS • Venetian Sautoir kit KIT CONTENTS: • 0.5m gold-plated chain • jumbo gold-plated bolt ring clasp • 7 x gold-plated headpins • 6 x 5mm Swarovski bicone beads • 6 x 12mm Swarovski Cosmic beads • Czech Glass Mixture strand • 100 x gold-plated filigree beadcaps • large Murano glass heart • 2m gold-plated wire • 0.5m 19-strand 0.15” Beadalon wire • 4 x gold-plated crimps • rocailles

TOOLS

• round-nosed pliers • flat-nosed pliers • memory wire cutters

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Make up your tassels: Use a wrapped loop, a beadcap, a Czech Glass bead and another beadcap, then make a second wrapped loop and create the tassels with chain.

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Decorate your tassel: Using headpins, make dangles of two Swarovski Cosmic beads, two 5mm Swarovski bicones and one Czech glass bead (use beadcaps on either side of the Czech glass).

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CBJ01 pp90-91 Bead Addict Shop_Beading 24/03/2010 11:41 Page 91

BEAD ADDICT SIDE 2 Crimp Beadalon onto your pendant wrapped loop. Cut the spare end so you can start stringing.

String a rocaille bead, a beadcap, a Czech glass bead, a beadcap and another rocaille bead. Repeat this sequence 24 times.

After your last rocaille bead, string your crimp bead and your chain, then crimp.

Once this is secure, cut the excess Beadalon.

NEED TO KNOW

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This project is available in three colourways (including the two shown here) as a kit for ÂŁ28 from Bead Addict; www.beadaddict.com; 0161 973 1945

Add your last wrapped loop link to the chain (wrapped loop, beadcap, Czech glass bead, beadcap, wrapped loop) and to the second side of the clasp.

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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp92-97 Seed Bead String_CBJ 24/03/2010 17:37 Page 92

SEED BEADS SEED BEAD STRINGER

sumptuous SEEDS Debbie and Sarah Millsop put a seed bead stringer through its paces and show you how to create stunning seed bead designs without having to individually thread each bead

All materials used here are available from The Beadery; info@thebeadery.com; www.thebeadery.com

HOW TO USE THE SEED BEAD STRINGER

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outward towards the side walls.

With the other hand, hold the hooked end of the needle firmly in the stream of beads, close to (but not touching) the side of the bowl.

The beads will move up onto the needle.

Try different needle positions and spinning directions to find what works best for you.

When you have approximately

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The seed bead stringer will also work to string beads onto jewellery wire. Cut a piece of wire longer than the desired length of beaded wire and bend one end into a small loop to hold the beads. Bend the other end into a hook that is shaped like the supplied needle. Use this hooked end as you would a needle

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10cm of beads on the needle, tip it up and move the beads onto the thread. Repeat the process until the string of beads is long enough for your project.

Remove the needle and tie off.

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TOP TIP

Place the seed bead stringer on a level surface.

Thread a needle with a piece of beading thread that is as long as your desired length of bead string plus 25cm. Tie a knot at the loose end of the string to prevent the beads slipping off. Fill the stringer bowl approximately half full with seed beads (they can be any size from 10.0 to 6.0).

With one hand, rotate the spindle at a moderate speed.

The beads will move

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The holes in seed beads are not uniform in size. If a bead gets stuck at the eye of the needle, simply eliminate it by cracking the bead with flatnosed pliers

Image courtesy of The Beadery

CBJ01 pp92-97 Seed Bead String_CBJ 24/03/2010 17:37 Page 93

SEED BEADS SEED BEAD STRINGER EVERYDAY INDULGENCE NECKLACE TO CREATE Cut nine strands of thread to measure 70-75cm each.

Feed four strands of cotton thread through one calotte, tie an overhand knot and close the sides of the calotte over the knot.

Cut away any excess.

Feed five strands through the other calotte, and repeat the instruction above.

Using the long needle in the seed bead kit, feed the first thread through the eye of the needle.

Using the seed bead stringer as outlined on page 92, thread 20cm on each of the nine strands.

Feed all nine strands through a flat pearl bead, followed by a diamond-shaped bead and then a droplet bead – this will bring all the strands together.

Add a small pack of purple mixed seed beads from the Selections bead packet to the previous colour in your seed bead bowl.

Thread all nine strands with your seed spinner, up to 26cm long.

Split the threads into three sections and plait. (If you struggle, try using a book to keep the strands taught.)

Once the whole 26cm length has been plaited, add the same three beads as you used previously.

Thread all nine strands through the three beads.

Remove the mixed beads from your seed spinner and put them to one side. Put the single purple beads back

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into the bowl and repeat Step 8.

Feed four strands of cotton thread through one calotte, tie an overhand knot and close the sides of the calotte over the knot.

Cut away the excess.

Feed the last five strands through the other calotte and carry out exactly the same process.

Make a hoop at the top of the calotte and attach both calottes to one jump ring. Attach a clasp to the jump ring and repeat this on the other side.

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Finish with the droplet bead, diamond-shaped bead and pearl bead through all nine strands, bringing them back together.

Again, feed four strands through the calotte. Tie a knot, fold the calotte over the knot and cut away the excess. Feed the last five strands through another calotte and repeat the process.

Make a hoop at the top of the calotte and attach both calottes to one jump

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ring. Attach a clasp to the jump ring and repeat this on the other side.

EARRINGS TO CREATE

separate ends of the thread and then both ends through a calotte. On one of the strands, thread a seed bead and tie an overhand knot.

Close the calotte over the knot and cut away the excess.

At the top of the calotte is a small tab where you can create a loop using a round-nosed tool – this will now allow you to attach it to the earring finding.

Repeat to make the other earring.

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Cut a strand of thread to measure approximately 10cm.

Thread one seed bead and one pearl bead through both ends of the same strand. Add a small diamondshaped bead and a small droplet bead.

Feed three seed beads onto the two

BRACELET TO CREATE Cut nine strands of cotton thread to approximately 30cm each (the bracelet should be 20cm and you’ll need the extra 10cm for knotting).

Feed four strands of cotton thread through one calotte, tie an overhand knot and close the sides of the calotte over the knot.

Cut away the excess.

Feed five strands through the other calotte, and repeat the instruction above.

Using the long needle in the seed bead kit, feed the first thread through the eye of the needle.

After the calotte, thread one flat pearl bead, a diamond purple bead and a droplet bead through all nine strands.

Mix some of the purple seed beads with the packet of purple seed beads from the Selections pack.

Using the seed bead stringer, thread 15cm worth of beads onto each strand.

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MATERIALS • • • • • • • • •

beading thread silver calottes silver 5mm jump rings silver clasps silver ear wires silver headpins glue purple seed beads purple The Beadery Selections beads

TOOLS

• The Beadery seed bead stringer and seed bead needle • round-nosed pliers • flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters • scissors • silver findings packet

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp92-97 Seed Bead String_CBJ 24/03/2010 17:38 Page 94

SEED BEADS SEED BEAD STRINGER GREEN EYECATCHER NECKLACE TO CREATE Cut five strands of thread to measure 70cm each.

Thread all five strands through a calotte and tie an overhand knot, gluing for extra security. Fold the edges of the calotte over the knot and trim any excess. Close the loop at the top of the calotte with roundnosed pliers.

Using the seed bead stringer, thread on seed beads and crystals, one thread at a time.

Start by threading approximately 30 beads and then a

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CBJ01 pp92-97 Seed Bead String_CBJ 24/03/2010 17:39 Page 95

SEED BEADS SEED BEAD STRINGER crystal, making sure the thread is at the back of the crystal where the silver foil is.

Repeat this process, leaving about 5cm at the end of the thread (you can prevent the beads from falling off by folding a piece of tape over the end).

Repeat with the remaining four strands of thread. Once complete, remove the tape from the ends of the thread.

Feed the ends of all five strands through the calotte and tie an overhand knot as before. Glue and cut away excess thread.

Close the loop at the top of the calotte with roundnosed pliers and attach a clasp to each side using jump rings.

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To finish, glue another crystal back-to-back as shown.

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BRACELET TO CREATE Cut two stands of 20cm cotton thread.

Thread both strands through a calotte. Continue one strand through a seed bead and tie an overhand knot.

Thread about 30 seed beads on each of the two strands and attach a crystal, passing both threads through it.

Add four seed beads to each strand and again bring them together through a crystal.

Repeat this process, making three crystals each with four seed beads between them.

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Add about 30 seed beads to each strand, then thread them through a calotte with a seed bead on one strand.

Tie an overhand knot, gluing it for extra security. Cut away excess thread and fold the calotte over the knot.

Repeat Steps 7 and 8 of the necklace instructions in order to complete the piece. (To increase the bracelet size, attach a chain of jump rings at one end.)

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EARRINGS TO CREATE Cut a 10cm strand of cotton thread and add tape to one end.

Thread four seed beads, a crystal,

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then another 40 seed beads.

Take the thread back through the crystal, making a loop, and thread another four seed beads.

Remove the tape and thread both ends through a calotte.

Add a seed bead to one thread and tie an overhand knot, gluing for extra security. Cut away any excess thread and fold the calotte over the knot.

Close the loop at the top of the calotte with roundnosed pliers.

Using a jump ring, attach it to an earring finding.

To finish, glue a crystal back-to-back as shown.

Repeat to make the other earring.

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MATERIALS • Olivine (228) Swarovski (3204) 12.0 foiled crystals • gold calottes • gold 5mm jump rings • gold bolt ring/trigger clasps • gold ear wires • beading thread • glue • green seed beads • brown seed beads

TOOLS

• The Beadery seed bead stringer and seed bead needle • scissors • round-nosed pliers

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

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CBJ01 pp92-97 Seed Bead String_CBJ 24/03/2010 17:40 Page 96

SEED BEADS SEED BEAD STRINGER MATERIALS • 11 x Swarovski 6000mm 28,0X 14,0 1st Quality Crystal Aurore Boreale • 11 x silver bead caps • pale blue/pewter seed beads • beading thread • 4 x calottes • silver 5mm jump ring • silver bolt ring/trigger clasp • silver ear wires • glue

TOOLS

• The Beadery seed bead stringer and seed bead needle • round-nosed pliers • scissors

NECKLACE TO CREATE Cut four 130cmlong strands of cotton thread.

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SILVER SHOWSTOPPER Working on one strand at a time, thread on a droplet crystal and tie an overhand knot, gluing for extra security. Cut any excess thread.

Thread on a bead cap to fit over the top of the crystal, hiding the knot.

Using the bead stringer, thread on seed beads, leaving a 10cm length of thread at the other end.

Add a bead cap and another crystal.

Tie a knot and hide it underneath the bead cap. Glue the knot and trim any excess thread. Repeat the process on the remaining

three strands.

Take all four strands, drape them around your neck and arrange the droplets as desired, as if scattered and uneven.

Hold all eight ends and tie an overhand knot near the bottom, just above the droplets.

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BRACELET TO CREATE Cut three strands of cotton thread to measure 40cm each.

Thread all three strands through and tie an overhand knot, gluing it for extra security.

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Fold the calotte’s edges over the knot and trim any excess thread.

Using round-nosed pliers, fold the loop at the top of the calotte.

Thread one strand at a time onto a long beading needle and fill each strand with seed beads.

Feed all three strands through the calotte and tie an overhand knot, glue and trim any excess.

Close the loop at the top of the calotte with round-nosed pliers.

Using jump rings, attach a clasp to either side.

To make the droplets, cut a strand of 10cm and close the jump ring,

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then repeat on the other side. Thread a Swarovski droplet onto the strand in the centre.

Bring the threads together and, using the bead spinner, thread about 20 seed beads onto each strand.

Thread both ends through a calotte. On one of the strands, thread one seed bead and tie it into an overhand knot. Close the calotte over the knot and cut away the excess.

At the top of the calotte is a small tab – using a roundnosed tool, make a loop and attach it to the jump ring that attaches to the clasp.

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EARRINGS TO CREATE Cut a strand of cotton thread of approximately 20cm.

Thread a Swarovski droplet onto the strand and let it hang in the centre.

Thread a bead cover onto the two ends, bringing the threads together.

Using the seed spinner, thread approximately 30 seed beads onto each strand.

Thread both ends through a calotte.

On one of the strands, thread one seed bead and tie an overhand knot. Close the calotte over the knot and cut away the excess.

At the top of the calotte is a small tab where you can create a loop using a round-nosed tool.

This will now allow you to attach it to the earring finding.

Repeat to make the other earring.

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CBJ01 pp92-97 Seed Bead String_CBJ 24/03/2010 17:40 Page 97

SEED BEADS SEED BEAD STRINGER

TOOLS • • • •

black seed beads round-nosed pliers scissors The Beadery seed bead stringer

NECKLACE TO CREATE Cut eight strands of beading thread (approximately 1m long) and thread through the centre of a calotte or bead tip (the calotte should have a ‘dome’ shape at the top,

1

so thread from the outside in).

Tie all eight strands into a single overhand knot, gluing for extra support.

Close the two dome sections of the calotte together to encase/hide the knot using pliers (the jump ring and clasp will be attached to the calotte later).

Using the seed bead stringer, thread seed beads onto 22cm of each strand separately.

Ensure the lengths of the strands are equal.

Thread all eight strands though a medium or large black bead.

Separate the strands and, one at a time, thread a mixture of black seed beads and randomly placed Swarovski beads.

To create a ‘tiered’ effect through this middle section, thread 1cm fewer beads onto each strand – strand one should be 34cm, strand two 33cm, strand three 32cm, etc.

When all the strands are complete, thread all eight through a black bead and pull it until the beads are close together.

Repeat Step 4, making each strand approximately 13cm.

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After threading beads onto one strand, use a piece of tape folded over to keep the beads from slipping off while working on next one.

Simply remove the tape when you’re ready

Thread all eight strands through a calotte, tie into a single knot and glue.

Add a jump ring and, using roundnosed pliers, arrange the calotte’s hook into a loop. To finish, attach a clasp to jump ring/s.

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BRACELET TO CREATE Cut six strands of thread to 30cm.

Thread the strands through a calotte, as described above.

Thread a mixture of black seed beads and randomly placed Swarovski beads onto each strand, as shown, making sure that all the strands are the same length.

To finish, add the calotte and clasp.

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EARRINGS TO CREATE Add seed beads and small white accent Swarovski beads to two different lengths of head pins, as shown.

Form a loop at the top of each head pin and attach to the ear wire.

Repeat to make the other earring.

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TOP TIP

OPAL DREAM

• 2 x clasps (for necklace and bracelet) • 4 x headpins

TOP TIP

MATERIALS • 2 x 4-5mm glass or crystal beads • 30 x 6mm White Opal Swarovski Opalescent faceted rondelle beads • 40 x 4mm White Opal Swarovski faceted round beads • 4 x silver calottes • 4 x silver 5mm jump rings • 2 x ear wires

When threading the beads onto your first strand, check that you have added enough to fit by wrapping it around your wrist at various intervals. The beads should touch at either side, but remember that the clasp will add length too

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CBJ01 pp98-101 Memory Wire Tech_Beading 24/03/2010 11:43 Page 98

BASIC TECHNIQUES MEMORY WIRE

perfect RECALL

raparound bracelets seem to be all the rage at the moment, with both high-street fashion stores and bespoke jewellers offering up their own unique takes on this stylish design. Stealing the look and creating your own version is easier than you think –

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just grab yourself a roll of memory wire, follow our simple technique, and you will be creating bracelets in no time.

The simplicity of this design makes it perfect for beginners, yet it lends itself to many creative variations, which should satisfy even the most experienced designer.

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

MATERIALS • memory wire (available in various sizes and colours) • beads • eyepins and/or headpins (optional) • half-drilled beads and metal glue (optional) • memory wire cutters/shears • round-nosed pliers • wire cutters

Get to grips with memory wire for a surprisingly simple but individual wraparound bracelet that is right on-trend.

Carolyn Schulz shows us how

BASIC TECHNIQUE

Using memory wire shears, cut your preferred number of memory wire hoops.

Either glue a halfdrilled bead to one cut end or use round-nosed pliers to form a closed loop at one cut end.

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CAROLYN SCHULZ DESIGNER

Thread beads as per your chosen design.

Ensure the beads are placed close together without any visible wire between them, and complete the piece by either gluing another bead to the other cut end or using round-nosed pliers to form a second closed loop.

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CBJ01 pp98-101 Memory Wire Tech_Beading 24/03/2010 11:44 Page 99

BASIC TECHNIQUES MEMORY WIRE CRYSTAL AND PEARL TO CREATE Glue a half-drilled gold bead to one end of your memory wire, followed by a gold seed bead, two 6mm pearls, another gold seed bead, two 8mm pearls and a final gold seed bead.

Fill the remaining hoops with a repeating pattern of a gold seed bead, two 8mm pearls, a gold seed bead, two 6mm pearls, a gold seed bead, two 8mm pearls, a gold seed bead, a crystal briolette, a gold seed bead, a second crystal briolette, a gold seed bead and a final crystal briolette.

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NEED TO KNOW

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Never use ordinary wire cutters to cut memory wire as it will damage them – keep them for eyepins and headpins

MATERIALS • 5 x hoops silver-plated memory wire • 100 x silver glass seed beads • 38 x pink opal-like 8mm briolette beads • 22 x pink crystal 6mm briolette beads • 12 x clear crystal 4mm bicone beads • 26 x pink crystal 12mm rectangular faceted beads • 4 x silver eyepins • 2 x silver headpins

MATERIALS • 4 x hoops goldcoloured memory wire • 2 x gold-plated halfdrilled round beads • metal jewellery glue • gold seed beads • 22 x ivory 6mm glass pearls • 40 x ivory 8mm glass pearls • 30 x clear crystal 8mm briolette beads

Finish with a gold seed bead, two 8mm pearls, a gold seed bead, two 6mm pearls, a gold seed bead and, finally, a half-drilled gold bead glued to the other end of the memory wire.

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PINK COTTON CANDY TO CREATE Form a loop at one end of the memory wire.

Fill the hoops. The first, third and fifth have a repeating pattern of three 8mm briolette beads, one 6mm briolette, one 4mm bicone, and another 6mm briolette, with a silver seed bead between each of the beads. The second and fourth hoops are filled with

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alternating 12mm rectangular beads and silver seed beads.

Finish by forming a loop from the memory wire.

Create dangles for the end loops.

These are comprised a 4mm bicone on a headpin attached to a 6mm briolette bead on an eyepin, attached to an 8mm briolette bead on an eyepin, which is in turn attached to the memory wire loop.

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CBJ01 pp98-101 Memory Wire Tech_Beading 24/03/2010 11:45 Page 100

BASIC TECHNIQUES MEMORY WIRE MATERIALS • 3 x hoops gold-coloured memory wire • 72 x silver-lined clear glass e-beads • 18 x yellow 12mm flat round glass beads • 18 x yellow 12mm flat daisy beads • 2 x gold eyepins • 2 x gold headpins

YELLOW DAISIES TO CREATE Form a loop at one end of the memory wire.

Fill three hoops with a repeating pattern of two e-beads, a daisy bead, two ebeads and a flat,

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round glass bead.

Form a loop at the other end of the memory wire.

Create dangles on the end loops comprising a flower

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bead on a headpin attached to an eyepin with an e-bead, a flat round bead and another e-bead.

MATERIALS SWEET • 3 x hoops of silver plated memory wire • 56-60 x silver glass seed beads • 23 x mixed colours of 8mm faceted round acrylic beads • 6 x pink 8mm smooth round acrylic beads • 10 x mixed colours 4mm smooth round acrylic beads • mixed colours of 4mm roundelle acrylic beads • 2 x pink acrylic heart beads • 2 x silver eyepins • 2 x silver headpins • pink, blue and white frosted tubing

DELIGHT TO CREATE Form a loop at one end of the memory wire.

Thread on a cluster of three beads, each separated by a silver glass seed bead.

Thread on a 25mm length of coloured tubing, followed by another cluster of three beads.

Continue by staggering clusters of beads with different colours of tubing until you reach the end of the memory wire – leaving enough to make a final loop. Form a final loop from the memory wire.

Create dangles on the end loops comprising a silver seed bead on an eyepin attached to the memory wire loop, and a heart bead with a silver seed bead at each end.

1 2 3 4

5

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CBJ01 pp98-101 Memory Wire Tech_Beading 24/03/2010 11:46 Page 101

BASIC TECHNIQUES MEMORY WIRE MATERIALS • 4 x hoops gold-coloured memory wire • 42 x clear crystal 8mm briolette beads • 30 x assorted antiqued gold beads • 60 x gold 4mm Czech fire polish beads • 10 x gold 6mm Czech fire polish beads • 100 x gold seed beads • 2 x gold headpins • 2 x gold eyepins

GOLDEN SPARKLE TO CREATE Form a loop at one end of the memory wire.

Fill all four hoops with a random or repeating pattern of gold and crystal beads, with a seed bead between each one.

Form a loop at the other end of the memory wire.

Create a dangle for the end loops. This

1 2 3 4

is made up of a 4mm bead on a headpin attached to a seed bead, a briolette bead and a seed bead on an eyepin, in turn attached to an antique gold bead on an eyepin, which is fastened to the memory wire loop.

MATERIALS

SILVER TUBE

• 4 x hoops silver-plated memory wire • 40 x assorted black, white or antique silver beads • 24 x silver 18mm curved tube beads • 60 x silver-lined clear seed beads • 4 x silver headpins • 2 x silver eyepins • 2 x silver 5mm jump rings

silver curved tube beads between beads and a seed bead on either side.

Form two double dangles of a single bead on a headpin attached to an eyepin with another bead.

Form two single dangles of a single bead between two seed beads on a headpin.

Use a jump ring to attach one double and one single dangle to each memory wire loop.

3 TO CREATE Form a loop at one end of the memory wire.

Fill the four hoops with a random selection of beads, with

1 2

4 5

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CBJ01 pp102-103 Bead Glossary_Beading 24/03/2010 15:13 Page 102

BEAD GLOSSARY

bead-AZZLED GLASS

There are literally hundreds of bead varieties with which to create your own jewellery, and if you add to that the array of sizes, colours and textures on offer you have a huge number of possibilities.

If you are entering the world of jewellery making for the first time, the following descriptions may help guide your bead purchases CRYSTAL

PEARLS

METAL

Crystal is made by adding lead oxide to glass to give a dazzling sparkle. Crystal beads come in many shapes, sizes and colours and are faceted to give brilliance – the term applied to how light is reflected within the bead. Swarovski of Austria is renowned for the brilliance of ` its crystal beads and this is due to the high lead content.

GLASS Glass is the most popular medium for beadmaking, with three traditional methods used for production. Firstly

‘winding’, whereby glass heated to a temperature high enough to make it workable is wound around a steel wire and fashioned with tools.

Rods of glass called ‘stringers’ can be used to add detail to a bead’s surface and these are referred to as ‘lampwork’ beads.

Venetian beads sit in this category and are made from very highquality Murano glass.

Drawn glass beads are formed by pulling a strand of glass from a hot ‘gather’. An air bubble incorporated into the glass before pulling the strand forms the bead hole

and the strand is cut into individual beads, which are subsequently cooked to round the edges. Seed beads are mechanically extruded in this fashion and this gives them their regular appearance and size.

Pressed beads are created in the Czech Republic from molten glass formed in moulds, which can then be heat-tumbled until shiny. This process is called fire polishing. The beads can be smooth but are more often faceted and are a great alternative to crystal beads.

Dichroic is a multilayer coating placed on glass using a process

CRYSTAL

SEED BEADS

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CBJ01 pp102-103 Bead Glossary_Beading 24/03/2010 15:14 Page 103

BEAD GLOSSARY

WOODEN

known as thin film coating. Originally created for use within the aerospace industry, the coatings are formed using metal oxides and quartz. The glass can have up to 50 coatings and the principle characteristic is the difference between the transmitted and the reflected colour, causing a change when viewed from different angles. Dichroic glass beads tend to make great feature pieces with glittering appeal.

SEMI-PRECIOUS BEADS (OR GEMSTONES) These beads come from all over the world and are available in many different shapes.

They can be purchased individually or as strings. As a natural material, they vary from bead to bead and often contain flaws, which add to their appeal. Semi-precious beads can be smooth or faceted and are used

in healing and linked to months so are ideal for use in special birthday pieces.

shaped feature pendants to metal-effect beads and spacers.

CERAMIC

METAL PEARLS Pearls are available as natural or cultured gems and glass or plastic beads so there is an option to suit all budgets. Pearl beads can add a pretty iridescence to a piece of jewellery and work well used as single accents or as a strand.

SHELL Including mother of pearl, which is the iridescent coating on the inside of a mollusc, shells are very popular for beading and are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and dyed colours.

ACRYLIC An economical and lightweight choice, acrylic beads are available in an evergrowing array of designs, from small coloured beads and

From beads to charms, the selection is vast and there are options to suit all budgets. Remember to keep both plated and pure metal beads – particularly silver ones – in airtight bags away from bright light to limit tarnishing.

OTHER MATERIALS Beads are also made from a whole variety of more unusual materials, including horn, bone, wood, ceramic and fabric.

Some stores sell beads created from locally and ethically-sourced materials and may feature beads created by local designers.

Visiting a bead store is a great way to get a feel for your personal favourites and having a browse on the web will give you access to the vast range of beads available.

CZECH GLASS

FABRIC

SHELL

SEMI-PRECIOUS

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CBJ01 pp104-105 Tools of the trade_Beading 24/03/2010 11:50 Page 104

TOOLS

TOOLS

of the trade

Get to grips with your jewellery-making tool kit – we guide you through the essential contents and their applications for professional-looking results

CHAIN-NOSED PLIERS

Also known as snipe-nosed pliers, these have flat jaws on the inside and rounded jaws on the outside and are designed for precision jobs such as creating wrapped loops.

FLAT-NOSED PLIERS

These pliers have flat faces on both sides of the jaws and are used for gripping wire and jewellery components while you are working on them, and for bending and flattening wire.

ROUND-NOSED PLIERS

Pliers with round jaws that taper to a point are used for forming loops and curves and are ideal for creating your own jump rings.

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CBJ01 pp104-105 Tools of the trade_Beading 24/03/2010 11:50 Page 105

TOOLS CRIMPING PLIERS

Although chain or flat-nosed pliers will suffice to fix crimp beads, crimping pliers give a neat, professional finish. They are two-stage pliers, specifically designed to crush and fold crimp tubes to fix the position of beads on stringing material and to secure the ends.

SIDE CUTTERS

These pliers will handle cutting lengths of soft wire and trimming headpins and eyepins. The jaws are angled for a clean, flush cut.

WIRE-WORKING TOOLS

If you are keen to create your own wire components, a chasing hammer and steel stake are essential for flattening and workhardening (toughening) wire shapes. Chasing hammers are lightweight and easy to handle, and steel stakes on which to hammer your work have an ultra-smooth surface to eliminate the chance of marking your pieces.

BEADING TWEEZERS

A pair of beading tweezers is handy for managing tiny seed beads and unpicking knots in stringing materials.

NYLON-JAW PLIERS

Nylon-jaw pliers are identical to flat-nosed pliers except that the jaws are moulded from plastic and are used to handle soft precious-metal wires and components that could be easily marked or dented.

MEMORY WIRE CUTTERS

Memory wire cutters are essential if you want to use this sturdy wire for creating jewellery, as it will damage the jaws of regular wire cutters.

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CBJ01 pp106-107 Technique_Beading 24/03/2010 12:29 Page 106

GLOSSARY TECHNIQUES

glossary of

TECHNIQUES

Follow these basic techniques to get started on your projects

OPENING AND CLOSING JUMP RINGS

Grip the jump ring on each side of the 1 opening using pliers – either two pairs of flat-nosed, or one flat-nosed and one

To open the jump ring, bring one pair 2 of pliers towards you, opening the jump ring like a door rather than pulling

round-nosed pair.

it apart.

Slide your component onto the ring, 3 then reverse the action of your pliers to bring the ends neatly back together.

FORMING A PLAIN LOOP This is the simplest way of creating a loop on a headpin, eyepin or a length of wire, ready for connecting to other components.

Trim the wire end to 1cm above the Grip the tip of the wire using roundRelease the wire, rotate the pliers back 1 2 3 last bead, and make a 90Âş bend close to nosed pliers, and rotate the pliers away towards you and grip the wire again. the bead using a pair of chain-nosed or from you to start curling the wire.

Continue rotating the wire and repositioning flat-nosed pliers.

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your pliers until the loop is formed.

CBJ01 pp106-107 Technique_Beading 24/03/2010 12:31 Page 107

GLOSSARY TECHNIQUES CREATING A WRAPPED LOOP A wrapped loop is stronger than a simple loop, as it is completely closed and is perfect for heavier pendants and for creating links.

Trim the wire end to 3cm above the 1 last bead, then use a pair of chainnosed pliers to make a 90ยบ bend a short

Hold the wire just above the bend Position the bottom jaw of your pliers 2 3 using round-nosed pliers, and wrap the into the curved wire and complete the end of the wire over the top jaw. curve to form a loop. Your wire end

distance above the bead.

Holding the loop flat using chainnosed pliers, grip the wire end using flat-nosed pliers and wind it around the stem to cover the gap between the loop and the bead.

4

should be back at the 90ยบ angle.

Trim the end of the wire using cutters, and flatten it against the stem using flat-nosed pliers to squash any sharp edges.

5

Stringing materials, such as cord or ribbon, can be knotted and the knot covered with a clam calotte.

Stiffer stringing materials, such as nylon beading wire, should be finished with a crimp, which can then be covered with a clam calotte.

USING CRIMP PLIERS

Position the crimp bead in the ridged 1 section of your pliers and squeeze to curl the crimp.

FINISHING ENDS

Position the crimp bead back in the 2 oval section of your pliers, ensuring it is sitting vertically, then squeeze gently to compress the crimp to a smooth, rounded shape.

Simply thread a calotte onto your stringing material, tie a knot or fix a crimp at the end, then slide the calotte back up to the end and close the two halves for perfect concealment.

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_CBJ01 pp108-109 Fabulous findings_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:47 Page 108

FINDINGS

fabulous

From pins and clasps to rings and wire, if you’re new to jewellery making let us guide you through the essentials...

FINDINGS

‘Findings’ is the word given to the group of core components needed to make jewellery.

They are available in a variety of base and precious metals with

a range of finishes; bronze and copper findings are now widely available, and make an interesting alternative to gold and silver. If you are specifically looking

for hypo-allergenic findings, niobium and titanium components and wires are ideal and are available in a variety of colour finishes.

EAR WIRES Fish hooks are the standard ear wires used to create dangly earrings, but beaded designs can also be hung from ball and pin earrings, or even clip-on bases for non-pierced ears.

CLASPS Used to join the ends of a bracelet or necklace together, either manually or magnetically, clasps are available in a variety of designs.

They can be simple wire components or highly decorative pieces that can be an integral part of jewellery design.

EYEPINS Instead of a flat or decorative head, eyepins have a looped ‘eye’ so that other components can be attached to them.

SPLIT RINGS Split rings are similar to jump rings, but with two rotations of wire. They are used when added security is required. Unlike closed jump rings, they can have components added to them in the same way that keys are attached to a key ring.

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_CBJ01 pp108-109 Fabulous findings_CBJ 24/03/2010 12:48 Page 109

FINDINGS STRINGING MATERIALS: CHAIN

HEADPINS Similar to a standard sewing pin, headpins are commonly used to make dangly elements in a piece of jewellery.

Standard headpins have a flattened top, but common variations include ball pins and pins with decoratively beaded ends.

JUMP RINGS These are simple wire loops that are used to connect different components. Standard jump rings can be opened and closed, and you can purchase jump rings that are soldered closed when added security is required.

There are many different chain designs made from several different metals – or modern polyester for a lightweight but chunky alternative.

Use small lengths of chain in a design to link different components, or single links from a large open chain as part of a feature pendant.

WIRE Wire is sold by both length and weight, and is categorised by its gauge (the thickness of the wire). The following table describes the uses for the most common wire gauges.

THREAD Thread encompasses many different materials, both manmade and of natural origin, and should be chosen according to the beads in your design. Silk is perfect for threading pearls and semi-precious stones, while nylon is more suited to glass beads. You need to be able to tie a knot in the thread that is large enough to stop the beads coming off, so take this into consideration. Flat threading materials such as ribbon and suede lace are perfect for large-holed beads, and can be finished with coils or box calottes to secure the end to your clasp.

Gauge

Thickness (mm)

Use

28

0.4

24

0.6

20

0.8

18

1.0

16

1.2

Binding, knitting and weaving Threading small, delicate beads.

Binding and twisting Wire work with crystals and medium beads Wire-wrapping large beads and creating wire components Bold, chunky wireworked designs

Coloured wires are usually copper with an enamel coating. Tigertail is a speciality twistedsteel beading wire with a nylon coating, while soft-flex wire is similar but more flexible and less prone to kinking. You can buy solid or plated silver and gold wire, and plated wire is often a good economical option (silver-plated wire won’t tarnish as quickly as solid silver).

Memory wire, available in ring, bracelet and necklace sizes, is a stainless steel wire that never loses its shape. It is sold in coils that can be cut into individual rounds, strung with beads and finished with an end cap.

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CBJ01 pp110 Giveawayz_Beading 24/03/2010 12:09 Page 110

GIVEAWAYS WIRE CUTTERS

ANITA’S CLEAR AWAY TRAYS

8 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £4.99 EACH

10 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £3.75 EACH

Craftime (www.craftime.com; 01623 722828) has donated these wire cutters from The Bead Café for an essential tool kit addition.

Keep your work station tidy, reduce the number of runaway beads and clear away easily with this Anita’s Clear Away Tray donated by do crafts (www.docrafts.co.uk).

WIRE JEWELLERY BOOKS 5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £15.99 EACH

You could be the luc winner koyf one of the fabulousse giveaways !

A&C Black (www.acblack.com; 020 7758 0200) brings us this Wire Jewellery book by Hans Stofer, which demonstrates incredible wirework makes and also covers the history of wirework, wire types, equipment use and a wide range of wirework processes.

GIVEAWAYS

Over £300 worth of prizes to be won!

TO ENTER For your chance to win one of these great prizes, send your name and address on a postcard, along with the name of the product you want to win, to: CB&J01 Giveaways, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 14th May 2010.

LOTS OF 7-STRAND GOLD BEADING WIRE 12 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £2.50 EACH This 12m length of 0.3mm gold 7-strand nylon-coated beading wire has been donated by do crafts (www.docrafts.co.uk).

GOLD FINDINGS SET 6 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £8.97 EACH The Bead Café findings set from Craftime (www.craftime.com; 01623 722828). Includes headpins, eyepins and spacers.

110 www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

BEYOND BEAUTIFUL FILIGREE BEAD SETS 15 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £3.99 EACH These beautiful heart filigree beads in silver could be yours thanks to do crafts (www.docrafts.co.uk). Six pieces come temporarily strung with 16 clear bead spacers.

CBJ01 pp111_Beading 24/03/2010 12:32 Page 111

loose beads & jewellery findings glass, shell, acrylic & wood classes & workshops tools & accessories knowledgeable & helpful staff

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CBJ01 pp114 Next Issue_Beading 24/03/2010 15:07 Page 114

NEXT ISSUE

coming NEXT TIME

Here’s a preview of what you’ve got to look forward to in issue 2...

LAMPWORK MASTERCLASS

All you need to know to master this technique for stunning glass elements

SWEET TREATS

Create mouth-watering charms using polymer clay. We show you how

FABULOUS HAIR WEAR

From tiaras and combs to headbands and fascinators

MATERIAL GIRL

Incorporate fabric and felt into your jewellery pieces

FASHION FOCUS

On sale 14th May 2010

Funky rings to match your outfit!

PLUS an abundance of inspirational beading and jewellery projects, all the latest news and reviews, and much more!

Creative Beads & Jewellery is only available through beading, jewellery and craft stores. If you want to guarentee that you don’t miss an issue, you can ask your local store to place a regular order for you. Once set up, your copy will be held for you to collect. Simply complete this form and hand it in at your nearest beading, jewellery or craft store.

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TIMELESS ELEGANCE

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CBJ01 pp116 Just Beads_Beading 19/03/2010 14:43 Page 116