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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Bracelet a Week: Stripes and Wine

Chocolate Cherry Striped Bracelet

This week I was in the mood to work with primarily seed beads. I’m not sure why, but the accent bead sections of my bead stash just aren’t inspiring of late. I tried to steer clear of yet another herringbone cuff - though I’m starting to think of them as a signature design. Instead, I thought I’d use a different style of herringbone.

Graduated, or bridged herringbone bracelets were a favorite project when I first started beading. They’re simple to do, but look unique and complex. Plus it allows for the combination of many colors without creating an elaborate pattern for them.

I’ve been trying to stick to my Egyptian and tribal themes whenever I can, so I started with black and white, which would make up the striped center. I chose transparent rootbeer for the base, but the palette needed a little something extra.

I noticed that my stash of mauve lined topaz was getting low, but there would be more than enough to finish this bracelet. So I added it to the mix, and found that the brown and red look delicious together - like wine and chocolate. Or maybe I’m just looking forward to holiday treats?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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4 comments:

  1. You're totally right, that red just pops. Great choice!

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  2. Gorgeous herringbone design! I'll have to give this technique a try sometime.

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  3. How do you get these gaps between the black and white stripes? I know how to do bridged herringbone stitch (thanks to you!), but I can't figure out how to get the spaces between the rows...

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    1. It's a really fun way to add negative space to a design! Instead of adding a new strand of beads with every stitch, add one every two herringbone rows, and pass through them again on the skipped row.

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