Successful Experiment

I've been running an idea around in my head for a while and finally gave it a shot.  I bought a new bead loom almost a year ago and it was still in the box.  I put the loom together and warped it a little different than usual for a bead loom. 

I knew I wanted to make a bracelet so I started with a ladder stitch 12 cube beads long and 2 beads high for each end of the bracelet.  The length of the loom is 7" so that is just about the right size for a bracelet.  I attached the ladder stitched ends to the loom.  By doing the ends like this I didn't have a bunch of warp thread to deal with when I was finished. 

I warped the loom with a very long piece of 8 pound smoke fire line.  I attached the line to the loom in the usual way by attaching it to the body of the loom.  With a #12 needle on one end of the line I ran the line through the first row of cube beads.  Then I broke out the container of mixed beads that has grown with every project I've done in the past.

I strung random beads on the line until it was long enough to attach to the other set of ladder stitched cube beads.  I ran the line through the corresponding set of cube beads on the far end of the loom.  I tied a knot around the line running through the cube beads and ran it back down through the next set of cubes.  Again I strung random beads until I reached the other end, knotting each time and pulling the line snug.  That was repeated until I had a line for each set of 2 cubes.

Since I started with a very long length of line I knotted the line next to the last set of cube beads and was able to continue stringing beads for the weft of the loom.  This time I used only seed beads on the line and kept stringing beads until I had enough to go back and forth across the bracelet several times.  Instead of the usual beaded loom work of beads fitted between each line I decided to weave over and under the warp line like I was weaving material.

I worked each weft line as close to previous row as I could.  The warp lines had big, little and tube beads that made the texture very random.  I really like the look of the weave.

 

Once I finished the weaving I cut the cube beads loose from the loom.  Goofed a little there and managed to cut a couple of the warp lines.  Had to do a quick repair and restring a few beads and tie them off.

I hadn't really thought this all the way through since it was an experiment.  It was time to figure out the clasp.  The first clasp I tried was sterling silver wire worked through the last two cubes on both sides of the bracelet.  To anchor them I made a swirl on the ends and wire wrapped the wires together for strength.  The clasp was a piece of hammered sterling bent into a hook.  I hated it when it was finished. 

The "well duh" moment came when I walked away for a while.  Time to fall back on the very versatile peyote stitch.  On one end of the bracelet I attached seed beads two at a time across the end of the cubes by running the line back and forth through the cubes.  From there I worked in peyote stitch to make a tab with an opening for a button.  On the other end of the bracelet I again attached beads and stitched a plain tab.  I ran the line back through the beads on the tab for strength and attached a button I found in my button stash that is almost as bad as my bead stash.  Viola!!!! A closure I liked.

The whole thing took about 18 hours including the repairs and sterling clasp and replacement.

Upcoming Events

Fall Art Fairs are coming soon.  So far I've registered for two.  The first fair is Labor Day Sunday, September 4, at Benld Park in Benld Illinois.  This fair is part of the annual Croation picnic.

The second fair is the Staunton Art Fair in Staunton, Illinois.  That fair is at Duda Park and for the two days of September 24 and 25. 

I've been working hard to get many new items made for fall fairs.  If you're out and about, looking for something to do please stop by one or both of the fairs.

Christmas In July

ArtFire Christmas in July.  Beginning July 1, 2011 and ending July 31, 2011 many shops on ArtFire will be having Christmas in July, myself included.  During July every item in my shop will be 20% off.  Hope you can join us.

Crazy Month

This month has been totally crazy.  Started out sick and in no mood to visit my jewelry cave.  Then I had a day long meeting out of town for DAR the first Saturday of the month.  The next Saturday was the vendor/craft fair.  Now I'm busy getting costumes ready for a Women's Veterans parade in Mt. Vernon, IL, this Saturday.

We will have a float in the parade and have several women veterans that have volunteered to ride the float.  Some of them don't have period costumes so a few of us have been busy getting costumes made for them.

At the end of the parade there will be a dedication ceremony for a statue representing women veterans from the Revolutionary War to Present Day.  I've got my camera ready to go and hope to get a lot of pictures to post and remember this day.

Next weekend I'll be cleaning a house I haven't touched in a while.  We'll have several family members visiting from out of town for the July 4th weekend.  There is a flag dedication in Godfrey July 1st.  Then the rest of the weekend is going to be spent sight seeing.

Once July comes around it will seem strange not to be running every weekend.  I'm looking forward to it.  There are several new to me jewelry lessons I want to try.  All the stuff I've been thinking of trying has been put on the back burner while all this other stuff is going on.

Benefit Fair

On June 11, 2011 I will be participating in a benefit craft and vendor fair.  Hope you can be there.  Details below.

Sea Side Complete

After all that work drawing on the large shell I decided not to use it.  I dug through my stash and picked out other shells to color.  All the shells were from the bunch Jeremy picked up on the beach.

The colored pencils are great.  After coloring I used the blending pen and then sprayed them with fixative.  The fixative gave the shells a shine that I really like and the combination of shine and color helped me decide which beads to use and how to complete the necklace.

I have a plastic bowl full a various seed beads in all kinds of colors and sizes.  I decided to make a spiral rope with random colors and larger shinny beads in the outside sections.  I used 8 lb smoke fire line to stitch it all together.  A spiral rope means several passes through the beads so the necklace is extra sturdy.  I used wire guards and ran the fire line several passes through the guards and back through the ends of the necklace then closed it with snap clasps.

Once the base was complete it was time to attach the shells.  I ran the needle back through the necklace, strung a few seed beads, a shell and a few more beads and took it back to the base each time.  An extra knot after every shell helps hold them in place.  Now I'll have to wear test it to make sure the color stays on the shells.  
 

It sounds like a shell wind chime when I move.  I love it.  Now I'll need to get more shells.

Sea Side

Some time ago my Florida son gave me a bunch of sea shells.  I haven't totally decided what to do with them but I've been tossing around some ideas.  I want to make a SEA based necklace so follow along as I make it and probably make mistakes.

I started out with a plain white sea shell. I drilled a hole through the back for an attachment spot.  Not sure I'm going to need it but wanted it there just in case.

After drilling the hole I lightly sanded the shell with fine sand paper so I would have a good surface for drawing.  I didn't want this to be any old regular white sea shell.  I cleaned it with glass cleaner then got out the colored pencils and started drawing.

Now the shell is covered with a blue background, red coral, green sea weed, a couple of star fish, sea horses and sea urchins.

Once that was all done I sprayed it with fixative and will let it dry until I can get back to the basement and back to work constructing the necklace.  I have other shells to add and may add some metal charms as well as seed beads.  I've got a few ideas.  We'll see how it works.