Work in Progress: Lazy Collar

It is taking quite a bit longer than I expected to get back on track after my recent hiatus. There’s something about a long to-do list that’s easier to put off than a short one. Plus I’ve really been enjoying some quiet time for reading and other hobbies. It was nice to take a break, even if I did feel things looming in the background most of the time. We’ve missed one week of the mini collar challenge, but I did manage to get one started for this week.

I really want to take things slow and get back to something resembling my old routine a bit at a time. For this week’s collar I’m going with a super simple design in some favorite colors. I have been saving the Autumn Tucson Gold for an upcoming peyote stitch tutorial, but I think I can spare enough to make this quick collar.

What have you been making lately?

Mortira

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Mini Collar a Week: Black Lotus

This week’s mini collar was a bit of a whim. When I opened my tray of daggers and drop beads to plan the next design in the challenge, I was once again a bit overwhelmed by how many choices I have. Although I have months to work through and try them all, deciding each week where to go next isn’t always that easy. Eventually my gaze fell on the last 5 jet black daggers from a strand that I picked up ages ago, and I thought it would be nice to finally finish them off and remove one entire option from the list.

Choosing colors to go with the daggers wasn’t easy either. Whenever possible I want to stick to Egyptian palettes, while also trying out new patterns in the chevron chain. Although I wasn’t sure how well the finishes would mix at first, I finally settled on opaque slate blue and dark cream Ceylon to get a faience and alabaster look. For pattern I went with some simple blocks of color to get a horizontal stripe effect.

For next week’s collar I’m going to try out a recent bead color trio, and then perhaps it’s time to go for some smaller accents like my teal magatamas.

Mortira

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Collar a Week: Golden Soup

I’m two projects in to the new Collar a Week challenge and I’ve already encountered my first snag. I was able to finish and photograph this week’s necklace in plenty of time, but now here we are on the last day of the week, and I’m much too tired to edit photos and put the piece up in my shop. I’ll have to save all of the technical work for a less full day, but I can share the design with you!

I had a lot of extra things added to my plate this week, so when it came to choosing colors and patterns for this collar I had to go with something quick and carefree. I snagged the custom gold and brown seed bead mix that I made for the bead soup demo a while back and added some black and white Rizos for the trim. The soup allowed me to have a little variety without actually having to plan or choose a pattern, and the Rizos helped to add a little more of an Egyptian flair, which is always welcome.

Collar number three won’t begin for another day or two, but I definitely want to play with patterns a bit next week. I was pondering adding in some peanut seed beads somehow, but I’ll save those until I’ve made some more progress with drops.

Mortira

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Mini Collar a Week Challenge

For many months now I’ve been saying that I have to use up some of my accent beads. Over the last couple of years I have amassed a pretty great collection of beads that I love and love to use, but I recently reached a point where I just didn’t know where to begin. I’ve long since passed the hoarding stage and am ready to see what my beads can do. I just never have an idea that I think is good enough. I’ve been taking beads out, trying them on different palettes, imagining what they can do, but never really getting down to making something with them. I’ve also been busy with tutorial projects and other pursuits, so I haven’t been concentrating on just making jewelry for fun. I decided it was time to do something about it.

I was looking through old photos for something or other when I started reminiscing about some of my favorite creative challenges. Although the Egyptian Gods challenge was by far the most rewarding for me, the early marathons like A Ring a Day and A Bracelet a Week were the ones that taught me the most overall. Like the Destash Challenge, they also helped me to stretch out my limits and use up things in my bead stash. I did try out a new challenge at the start of this year, but it fizzled out. I thought that I would end up going without for the rest of 2016, but a marvelous idea finally emerged.

For the remainder of 2016, or until I’ve used all of my small accent beads at least once, I’m going to make a mini collar every week. I chose mini collars because they stitch up quickly, and I’d really love to have a few more of them for my shop, which I’ve been neglecting lately. Although the chevron chain design that I use for them is pretty simple, there are lots of different ways to add patterns and highlight exciting beads. I can’t wait to start experimenting!

To kick off the challenge I used a couple of old favorites – lime green and cobalt blue Indonesian glass spacers. In order to include these large-hole beads in the design, I ended up increasing the stitches quite a bit to make room for 8/o bumpers. The netting is roomier and the collar is much bigger overall than my usual designs. I’m really happy with results, because it means that I can take more chances with other accents as well. Plus I love the palette with rainbow patriot blue for the netting.

Next I’m going to try out some drops or magatamas, and perhaps a new pattern. Wish me luck!

Mortira

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Beading Tutorial: Daisy Chevron Chain

Chevron chain is a surprisingly versatile stitch, considering how simple and delicate that it can be. The unique way that the beads link up allow for lots of variation, including adding two-hole beads, or creating a floral pattern. One of my favorite ways to enhance a simple chevron chain is to incorporate daisy chain stitches. It’s also a reader favorite, and a tutorial for this technique has been requested many times. To get ahead of springtime inspirations, here at last is the method for adding daisies to a chevron collar.

You don't need to be familiar with chevron chain to try this technique, but some practice with classic daisy chain might be helpful. It's important to make sure that the daisy stitches are as snug as possible to get a smooth, cohesive look in the beadwork.

For this tutorial, we’re using 11/o seed beads in classic white and yellow for the daisies, and turquoise blue for the chain. Once you’ve mastered the basics of the stitch, you can add additional patterns to the chevron chain for a variety of looks. Don’t be afraid to mix up your floral colors, too!

1. Attach a stop bead to a comfortable length of beading thread, leaving about an 8 inch tail. Pick up 19 blue seed beads. Slide them down to the stop bead, and stitch down through the first 3 beads again. Pull snug to form a teardrop shape.

2. Pick up 11 blue seed beads. Skipping the 3 beads that you just stitched through, and the previous 3 beads in the teardrop, stitch up through the next set of 3 beads and pull snug. (These are beads 16-14 from the first step).

3. Pick up 10 blue seed beads. Stitch down through beads 6-8 from the previous step and pull snug.
With any variation of chevron chain, it helps to think of the pattern as having 6 segments. In the first stitch we set up these 6 segments, then add 3 more with each additional stitch. Every segment in this project contains 3 beads, except for the top and bottom edge, which contain 4 and 5 beads, respectively.

4. Pick up 1 blue and 6 white seed beads. Slide them down to the beadwork, then carefully stitch back up through the 1st white bead added. Pull as snug as you can to form a small loop of white seed beads.

5. Pick up 1 yellow seed bead. Carefully stitch up through the 4th white seed bead picked up in the previous step. As you pull the thread snug, let the yellow bead click into place in the center of the white ring.

6. Pick up 7 blue seed beads, and stitch up through the center 3 beads of the last downward stitch in the chain.

7. Repeat step 3 to add 10 beads in a downward stitch. Add 11 blue beads in an upward stitch, followed by another 10-bead stitch. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add a new daisy.

8. Continue the pattern, adding a daisy on every second upward stitch, until your chain reaches the desired length.

The daisy chain segments roughly match the length of the plain 5-bead segments on the bottom row, because the center of each daisy contains 3 beads, and we're adding a blue on each side. With only 4 beads in each of the segments of the top row, this will create a gentle curve that is perfect for collars. To eliminate the curve, use 11 beads in every plain stitch – you could also alternate daisies on both sides of the chain for a pretty bracelet.

Mortira

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Flashback Project: Floral Chevron Chain

I recently did a complete overhaul of my bead storage space. It took two days to complete the clean up using a simplified variation of the Kaizen method - which basically means that you pick up literally everything in a space and decide whether to keep it or toss it. Anything that is kept is then assigned a space. I was able to get rid of a lot of unnecessary things in my hoard, and made a lot more space for my beads and supplies to live in.

One of my favorite moments of the process was taking a look through all of my old beading magazines. There was a time when I checked out issues of Beadwork and Bead & Button on the newsstand every month, and picked up any that appealed to me. I built up quite a collection before both titles became unavailable in stores.

It’s been a long time since I’ve studied or tried projects from magazines. There are so many in my collection that I never tried at all. I thought that it would be a fun experiment to test out some of my favorite projects from old magazines and see how they turn out. The one that I immediately thought of was the cover project from April 2007 issue of Bead & Button – “Dress Up a Chevron Chain with Flowers” by Yvanne Ham.

Although there were plenty of magazine projects that I did try, there were many more that I simply admired. This one in particular was a favorite partly because one of the variations used clear color-lined seed beads (my all-time favorite finish). I remember clearly that the beading forums were filled with threads about how difficult the project was to complete, and apart from not having the exact materials needed, I was too intimidated to try it myself. I thought it was time to finally tackle it.

I still didn’t have the exact materials, but it was easy enough to replace 4mm fire polish beads with 4mm druks. I also found the instructions a little difficult to follow, as the beads are labelled in an unusual order, making it tricky to know which beads to pick up. Once I realized that the diagrams were much more helpful, things really started to come together.

Now that chevron chain is one of my favorite stitches, I found this project fairly easy to complete. The hardest part was deciding on a palette and pattern to go with. I love how my variation turned out, and since I made it for myself it fits great, and I’ll probably be wearing it plenty this spring.

Do you have any white whale projects in your past?

Mortira

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Tutorial: Curved Double Chevron Chain for Collars

One of my favorite ways to get the look and lightness of netting without a lot of pattern planning is with chevron chain. This versatile stitch can be easily altered with different bead counts to get a variety of beautiful nets, and is a great stitch for collars. In Ancient Worlds Modern Beads, two-hole beads are used to stack two separate chevron chains to get an elegant and slinky collar inspired by Egyptian queens. In this variation, we’re going to combine two chains directly for a perfectly curved collar with oodles of pattern potential.

You can make a double chevron chain with just one color of size 11/o seed beads. Here we’re going to use two colors to highlight the shared beads that will bring two chains together. Once you’ve mastered this stitch, it’s easy to incorporate more colors to the segments for gorgeous bands, stripes, or chevron patterns.

1. Attach a stop bead to a comfortable length of your favorite beading thread, leaving an 8 inch tail. Pick up 18 color A seed beads and slide them down to the stop bead. Stitch down through the first 3 beads again, and gently pull snug to form an upside-down teardrop shape.

(When thinking of patterns for future projects, remember that every 3 beads is a different segment of the chain. By alternating different colors in multiples of 3, you can create a variety of pretty patterns.)

2. Pick up 4 color B seed beads, and 6 A. Counting up from the 3 beads you just stitched through, skip 3 beads in the loop, and stitch through the following 3. (These are beads 13-15 from step 1.) Pull snug to form a new loop.

3. Pick up 9 color A beads, and stitch down through the 1st 3 color A beads added in step 2. Pull snug.

4. Pick up 4 color B, and 6 color A. Stitch up through beads 4-6 from step 3. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until your chain reaches the desired length, adding new thread as needed.

5. Attach a stop bead to a new length of thread, leaving an 8 inch tail. Pick up 9 color A beads, and stitch through the 4 color B in the first section of the previous chain. Pull snug.

6. Pick up 6 color A beads, and stitch down through the first 3 beads added in step 5. Pull snug to form the first loop of the new chain.

7. Pick up 5 color B seed beads, and 6 A. Stitch up through the 1st 3 beads added in step 6. Pull snug, then stitch through the 4 color B seed beads of the next loop in the previous chain.

8. Pick up 6 color A, and stitch down through the first 3 A added in the previous step. Pull snug to form the new half loop. Repeat steps 7 and 8 to complete the new chain. Add a clasp to the edges as desired, and weave in all remaining threads.

Happy beading!

Mortira

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Work in Progress: Scarlet Collar

I’ve finally finished the very long Potawatomi chain project that I was working on, and it turned out great! I often forget just how time consuming multi-strand projects can be when each strand is woven. To celebrate, I’ve started a quick double-chevron collar with some black SuperDuos and white Rizos. After that, who knows? I'll have to take a really good look through my stash for some inspiration.

Taking photos of my work today made me realize that my trusty bead tray is starting to look a bit worse for wear. It’s suffered quite a few cracks and chips over the years, mostly due to trying to lift it one-handed while it’s covered in beads. Hopefully it has a few more good years in it before I have to trade it in for something new.

What are you making right now?

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Work in Progress: Bone Lariat

I’m a little behind in this week’s update, having lost an entire day of work due to illness. Although I’ve been scrambling to catch up the last couple of days, I have managed to keep projects moving forward. Right now I’m getting down to a new chevron lariat, and it’s coming along rather nicely.

I decided it was finally time to try out my new bone tube beads. I had already played with color palettes a bit, so choosing the colors was easy. I threw in some gold pearls at the last minute as well, which should look great in the tassels. Finding a pattern took a little more work. At first I was just going to use black beads in the corners of the chevrons, but I didn’t like how it looked and had to start over. Instead, I’m using a new pattern with alternating rows in the center of the chain. The possibilities for adapting this stitch are still pretty exciting.

I also managed to dismantle a few of my purged pieces, and got some pretty pendants to re-use. As an added bonus, I was able to keep the beadwork from that particular necklace intact, so I've got a new piece to wear and some extra components at the same time. The new medallion with emerald Toho triangles is still on deck, waiting for me to be a little less distracted so I can finish it.

The dragonfly dagger collar I was working on a few weeks ago turned out really nice. The AB finish on most of the beads work so well together, and really enhance the Picasso finish of the daggers. I still have a few of them left, and I’m looking forward to using them again.

What are you making this week?

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Work in Progress: Springsicle Collar

Do Creamsicles and flowers go together? Both are things we look forward to when spring starts to appear, so I’m going with yes. This week I’ve been working on an assortment of odds and ends, and in the margins I decided to whip up a new chevron collar with a little twist.

It occurred to me that since the outer edge of the curved chevron pattern has five seed beads, and a daisy stitch is three beads wide, add two more beads for bumpers and it’s a perfect fit. I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go with the idea until I decided I wanted to use up some of these lustered orange seed beads I have that never seem to fit anywhere. The solution to that is just make them the focus of a design.

This piece just needs a clasp, then it’s on to more top secret experiments. I can give you just a little hint about what I’m working on - it involves lifting a few of my bead taboos, and I couldn’t be more excited about finally letting go a little. I’m going to have a lot of fun making some designs that have never before been seen in my studio!

What are you working on this week?

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Desert Fringe Lariat

Things are finally getting back to normal in my workspace after a great craft show weekend. This means that tons of new ideas are piling up, while fresh designs are slowly making their way into my shops. I finished my latest Egyptian Gods piece just in time for the show, and although I didn’t get to see it find its owner yet, I’m happy to be able to share it now.

I’ve created several chevron lariats throughout this year’s challenge, each with their own unique variations. One thing that tied them all together was the presence of blues. It was very refreshing to try the design out on a totally new color palette, with some interesting accents as well.

For Set, the god of chaos and barren deserts, I started with a simple black chevron chain, with accents of opaque pepper red. Red is Set’s color, but I didn’t want to overdo it. I had already decided on using some African Christmas beads in the fringe, and a neutral background was just the thing to bring out all the colors and lovely stripes.

I ended up pushing back a design for the sun god Ra in order to get this lariat finished in time, and I’ve decided to put it off yet again. I’ll be moving through some of the other gods first, and saving Ra for the end of the challenge. I already have a design in mind, and as it’s going to be a big one, I think it will make a great finale.

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Work in Progress: Magatama Collar

Last week I had planned to share the final rings that I was making to take with me to the craft fair, along with a promise that it would be the last ring update. Unfortunately, I was so busy preparing the rest of my inventory that I never got the chance.

Now that the fair is over, things are back to normal on the drawing board and the bead tray. This week, I’m just finishing up a piece that I started during the show. I brought along a few favorite bead colors and enough thread to start a project or two, to keep me busy during slow periods. On the second day, I nearly finished a pretty new collar with opaque blue and green seed beads and lovely little 8/o magatamas in transparent lime.

The new chevron lariat that I was working on for Set turned out great! It took some time to find just the right accent sizes, and I ended up with some additional colors like blue and green. Still, the Christmas beads added just the right amount of personality. My favorite part of the design is the colorblocked fringe. I find myself returning to this style more and more often since Apep, and loving the results.

What are you working on this week?

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Work in Progress: Chaos Lariat

It seems like the closer I get to craft fair day, the less free time I have to bead. I lost a few days working on Halloween costumes (totally worth it), and one to falling asleep instead of staying up to bead (not really worth it). Even though things are now feeling really rushed, I’ve decided to go ahead and work on one more lariat for the collection, and hopefully I’ll have enough time to whip up a few more rings and pendants, too.

This piece is inspired by the Egyptian god Set. It took awhile to decide on a palette and proportions, but I finally went with mostly black and red accents for the main beadwork. I’ve got some really great black and white bone beads for the fringe, along with a handful of bold and colorful African Christmas beads.

What are you working on this week?

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Sculptor’s Lariat

It’s hard to believe that this year’s beading challenge is nearly finished - it still feels as if I’m just getting started. I’ve got 9 more Egyptian Gods to work with by the end of the year, including a few of my favorites.

Last week I put the finishing touches on a new chevron lariat for Ptah, the patron of artists and craftsmen. With his distinctive blue skull cap, I couldn’t resist using an abundance of cobalt white-hearts. To represent both gold and pottery, I added some terracotta and Autumn Tucson for accents, and the trio worked out really well. Since white hearts often have smaller bead holes, a stitch with few thread passes is ideal, and so I went with chevron chain once again. The beadwork comes out so slinky, it's definitely among my favorite techniques for necklaces.

I thought that scarabs would make great accents for the god of art, as well as a few carved bone tubes. The tribal motifs and patina finish bring to mind pottery shards, or ostraca. I also included some marigold yellow white-hearts for bumpers, which almost perfectly match the Autumn Tuscon seed beads. With so many bold accents, I decided to go easy on the fringe this time around, and I like the more lightweight look for this piece.

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
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Work in Progress: Cobalt Lariat

I haven’t made much progress in the timetable department since last week, and I still feel as if I’m just spinning my wheels as the to-do list gets longer and deadlines get closer. Hopefully things will start to smooth out as the holiday seasons gets nearer - I wouldn’t mind being organized and on schedule by then!

I have managed to move on in beading though, and I’m really excited about my current project. The design is an old favorite - a chevron chain lariat with fringe. This time I’m using Ptah the god of craftsmen as my inspiration, which gave me lots of room to play with accent beads. I’m looking forward to incorporating some new bone tubes and a few glass scarabs, along with lovely cobalt blue white-hearts.

What are you working on this week?

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Desert Road Collar

When it comes to mastering beading techniques, sometimes distance is just as important as practice. This week I discovered all over again how much different a design can seem when you haven’t used it in a while. The double chevron technique I had chosen for a new collar was a last resort - I wasn’t eager to revisit this stitch, because I remember it being time consuming and a little awkward. Then I remembered how great the results are, and knew it would be worth it.

I started with a palette of dark beige and terracotta to represent roads, and peridot and emerald for vegetation. The Ancient Egyptian god Min had domain over crops and travelers, and I wanted to capture both. I had also hoped to use some green white hearts, and a mix of emerald and rootbeer 8/o’s. When I switched out my stitch plan, I had to pare down the accents to just one color.

It wasn’t until the necklace was finished that I realized that it wasn’t the task I was expecting it to be. It was fun, and again I’ve got a great looking collar. “Practicing” double chevron again made it seem a little bit easier than before - something that continues to happen with any stitch until you can practically whip a piece together without looking (not that any beader would!).

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