Just Playing Last Night...

I was trying something with tubular herringbone and came up with this! It would need to be supported by an inner bead as the work does collapse but I am amazed that this was the result of just playing with beads.

C & G Course - My Own Projects

We have reached the point in the course where we have learnt all the stitches and have completed all the artwork side of things. The rest of the time is now for us to continue with making our pieces for judging. These pieces need to be the following:


6 necklace and earring sets (one necklace must be netting, and one oat spheres)

One lariat at least 32" long

Two amulet bags, one netted and one tubular peyote

One major piece - a shaped object or anything to show our skill.


For my main piece, I have decided to make a cross-stitch pattern into a square stitch picture. I was originally going to work three photographs into cross-stitch patterns and convert the colours into delica beads. However, the photos that I have chosen needed too many colours and would have cost too much. I am going to make the picture in cross-stitch instead, and may do one of the three photos in beads at a later date.

Instead, I found some lovely little charts of seaside pictures in a cross-stitch magazine. Here is one of the charts worked up in beads...

I am not a big fan of square stitch because I always seem to make it look wonky somehow - as you can see, this one does too! I have also managed to break one of the beads, so it is likely that I will think of this one as a practise piece and will work it up again.

This is going to be my lariat. It is twisted herringbone stitch and I have tried to choose colours that I would not normally put together!

Herringbone Bracelet

This bracelet is an old favourite and you will see lots of other examples if you care to look back far enough. It is a herringbone base which have made in 8° seed beads. Then, you work in all the gaps with 11° seed beads. I thought that this colour combination with the texture looked a bit like the back of a crocodile!

I am also happy with the loop and toggle. I am finding it almost as easy to whip one of these up now than to use a metal toggle. I do think that the finished effect is a little more 'hand-made' than chic but I do like to see it sometimes as toggles don't always suit the look of the beading.

Seed Bead Encrusted Bangle

This is the same as the Ndebele bracelets that I did last year, except that it has no fastenings and looks like a bangle. The work involved is exactly the same though. I used 8° beads which were stiched with a herringbone weave. Then I worked in 11° beads in a slightly brighter colour, to catch the light.

The top picture is where I had done the base and just started stitching on the smaller beads. The second photo is of the bangle on my wrist. Please excuse the dry skin of my hands - well, it IS Winter you know!

Twisted Tubular Herringbone With a Special Bead...

This chain was made from a pattern in Bead & Button. I didn't want to make the whole lariat, so I made a short necklace and used one of Hollingdale Design's beads - the ones I had made for me - as a toggle. I think the colours of the lampwork bead complement the seed beads perfectly. I decided that it would be a shame to hide such a beautiful bead at the back of the neck and so made the toggle into a feature. I will wear it as a pendant at the front.

The Thursday Night Project (13 November) - Crafter..oo Forum

Nothing seemed to go right last night. I started several things and ended up cutting them up to salvage the beads! In the end, I decided to go with a simple tubular herringbone choker/double-wrap bracelet. It is still not finished but I am working hard on it. I went for golds and bronzes as I normally steer clear of gold beads and I wanted to do something different.

I need to start making loads more as I am doing a school Christmas fair on 5th December! Aaaarrrgh!

Friend's Christmas Present

A Herringbone/Ndebele Stitch Bracelet in her favourite colour.

Beading Day Yesterday

I had my monthly beading day yesterday and we did Herringbone stitch. It was really enjoyable and here is what I made...

The flat cuff piece has 3mm faceted beads put randomly into the work and it is really effective. The 'lumpy' piece will be a bracelet or necklace, although I don't like the colours on me. It will be going in my Folksy shop when it is finished.

Of course, when I got home, I had to have a play. My husband and son had not seen me all day, so a few more hours wouldn't hurt would it!? I thought about making another flat cuff in blues and greens as there is a 'Seaside Challenge' on the Crafter...oo forum. I thought that this would fit the bill nicely.