The Slightly Ugly Necklace

So far in my new destash challenge, I’ve shown you 9 projects using old and leftover beads. Since the beginning, I’ve been keeping a secret design - the ultimate in destash. This was the first piece that I designed, and the one that helped to inspire this year’s mission. It’s also the ugliest thing I’ve ever made.

For most of last year, I was keeping an eye on the calendar, waiting for the approach of the deadline for the Ugly Necklace Contest. I left the planning of my entry until the last minute, so that I would have the largest possible crop of UnFinished Objects to draw from. If I was going to do ugly, I wanted to do it right, and there’s nothing quite like a discarded bit of beadwork to make one’s lip curl.

When I finally sat down to create a hideous necklace, I had lots of UFOs to choose from, including two pieces of beaded rope, and a curiously constructed multi-strand component from a failed design. I assembled these elements together, using some mismatched Chinese lampwork beads for bumpers, and added a button clasp constructed from a discarded piece of circular brick stitch.

Next, I gathered up a random assortment of beading mishaps, samples, and scraps, and suspended them at random from the multi-strand section, using loops of leftover Czech and Chinese seed beads in odd colors and hideously uncoordinated custom mixtures. I also added some handmade paper beads and a few shell coins, and additional Chinese lampwork beads, including a few really wonky pieces in random colors. When I was finished, the necklace wasn’t quite as ugly as I knew it could be, so I chose a few smaller bits of beadwork, and stitched them to various places on the necklace.

I was very happy with the dreadfulness of what I had constructed, but it still wasn’t ugly enough. On one side, I attached a length of silk ribbon that I had left over from a Use the Muse kit, but it still needed more. In the same place, I tied on some ghastly pink and orange eyelash yarn, and made a few lazy macramé knots. Viola - a chunky, lopsided, ugly necklace.

It was a great feeling to bring all of these seemingly useless pieces together into one design. Unfortunately, it was not selected as a finalist in the Ugly Necklace Contest, but it was great fun to make! It's kind of liberating to ignore the rules, and do things because they'll be fun, even though they will be ugly. Each time a new scrap of beadwork was added, I tried to do something I wouldn't normally do, like adding extra beads to the loop, or even stringing large beads over them for no reason at all.

I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do with this mad concoction. Any ideas?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Beading Tutorial: Simple Chevron Chain

We’ve already had a look at what chevron chain can do when paired up with two-hole Tila beads, but what about the basic stitch? In it’s simple form, chevron chain is limited to a standard set of stitches, but it is still incredibly versatile. Unlike peyote or herringbone weave, you can use virtually any bead style, size, or shape with this technique, and achieve a wide variety of beautiful results.

Whether you’re working with larger accent beads, or sets of seed beads, chevron chain is always worked with units of three - shared beads, outside beads, and middle beads. Just like peyote stitch, you begin by picking up double the normal about.

To weave a simple chevron chain:

Secure a stop bead to a comfortable length of thread, leaving at least a six inch tail. Pick up six units of beads in the following sequence: shared, middle, shared, outside, shared, middle. If you’re using a separate bead or color for each section of the chain pick up: A, B, A, C, A, B. Stitch down through the first bead pick up, to form a tear-drop shaped loop, and pull snug.

Pick up one of each unit: outside, shared, middle (or C, A, B). Stitch up through the nearest shared bead in the loop (the 3rd A picked up), and pull snug. You will now have two interlocked teardrop shapes, with shared sides.

Pick up another 3 units in the same C, A, B sequence, and stitch down through the A bead picked up in the last step. Continue stitching in this manner until the chain has reached the desired length. That’s it! Simple and fun, chevron chain is perfect for delicate bracelets, and for necklace straps.

You can use different combinations of bead sizes, shapes and quantities to achieve different looks. Here we have the same basic pattern of red, blue, and white, with seed beads standing in for each color. Each unit in the chain has a different effect on the overall look of the beadwork. To achieve a perfect curved chevron for collars, I find that increasing the number of C beads on the inside by one is ideal.

Do you like to use chevron chain in your projects? What’s your favorite type of bead to use with it?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Cosmic Triangle Pendant

Last week I decided it was time to use my last Swarovski Elements cosmic triangle and check another item off my destash list. I didn’t have to look far for a suitable palette - I liked the Tribute combination from last month’s Hunger Games inspiration so much, that I decided to run with it. I added some jet black druks and jet lined garnet 6/o seed beads, and got to work on a new Y necklace.

I really wanted to include the white-heart beads, so I came up with a new twist on the reverse daisy chain that I am so fond of for ‘strung’ style beadwork. Once the base chains were complete, I used the extra thread from the lark’s head anchors around the crystal triangle to add seed bead loops to accent the extra beads between each druk. I love how it turned out - the additional texture and curvy shapes add so much to the design, which already has plenty of impact thanks to the gorgeous colors.

To make the pendant section a little more interesting, I added one more element from the destash pile - a single lonely Swarovski drop pearl in jet black that’s been rolling around since my famous females phase back in January 2010. It looked a little naked at the bottom of the embellished chain, so I gave it some seed bead loops, too.

I’m a little surprised that this is only the second Y necklace to show up so far in the destash challenge. I really expected to find myself falling back on ‘easy’ designs as things got going, especially with the more unusual and hard to match beads. I’m sure there will be a few more Y pendants along the way, and if they turn out like this one, all the better!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Book Spotlight: Button It Up

Isn’t it interesting how our crafting backgrounds can influence the way we view and categorize materials? To a crafter or seamstress, buttons rule, and beads might just be pretty once-in-a-while embellishments. To a beader, buttons might be considered sewing mediums that can masquerade as wonderful components. To some beaders, buttons are just another kind of beautiful and versatile bead.

However you look at buttons, it’s true that they can be great when used for jewelry designs or beaded crafts. After all, they have holes, come in a variety of shapes, colors and materials, and are often inexpensive. Some of the most beautiful buttons fall into the realm of vintage finds, which also makes them incredibly trendy for jewelry projects.

In the pages of Button It Up, button enthusiasts and crafters of all skill levels will find an amazing array of beautiful projects to use for showcasing fabulous buttons. Author Susan Beal is a serious button aficionado, and begins with a detailed history of button making and collecting, including popular styles and materials throughout the past few centuries.

This intriguing read is followed by a wonderful basics chapter, which covers a variety of sewing and jewelry making techniques, as well as tips for making and embellishing buttons. There is even a brief tutorial on making your own resin beads from vintage molds. Each tip includes clear diagrams to help you get started.

Then it’s on to the projects. Susan has just about covered it all in this book. Beginners, and crafters who want some instant gratification projects, will love the easier designs. The projects gradually progress to more complex techniques and design styles.

There are nearly 50 jewelry and accessory projects to try, including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and hair pins. Each one explores a different method or approach to showcasing marvelous buttons, so you’ll never run out of ideas or inspiration for putting your own button collection to use.

There are also several sewing and home décor projects, including embellished tops and skirts, pillows, curtains, handbags, magnets and more. Some of my favorites include an adorable and chic collage wall hanging, using fabric scraps and lone buttons.

Although many of the projects use simple, classic techniques like hot gluing, the designs are very classy. Readers will love the full color photographs, and be inspired to create their own variations. There are no step-by-step photographs – each project is very straight forward, and includes detailed instructions for completing the design.

Button It Upalso includes a thorough alphabetical index and reference guide, plus bios of the many guest designers that contributed button projects for the book. Some notable designers include Leah Kramer, Jennifer Perkins, and Christy Petterson.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Susan Beal and Taunton Press
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World Beaders: Italy

Today we’re going on a trip to visit historic and beautiful Italy, home of Murano and Venetian glass. I was very excited to see Italy on Inspirational Beading’s list of top visitors recently - it is one of the most notable countries in bead culture, and not just for its deep origins of glass bead making. The technique and term millefiori comes from Italy, and is used by glass and polymer clay artists all over the world. The tiny village of Torre del Greco near Naples is one of the world’s best sources of hand harvested red coral.

Along with innovations in glasswork and bead making, Italy has also given birth to many wonderful things such as the piano, the thermometer, cologne, eyeglasses, espresso machines, the typewriter, and of course, pizza. As one of the world’s most loved dishes, the word pizza is recognized in almost every language and culture, although the recipes and styles vary from region to region.

Italy’s capital is one of the most known and well recognized in the world. Rome was the center of Western civilization for centuries, and continues to be an important cultural and historical destination. Italy is visited by more than 43 million tourists every year, including religious pilgrimages such as the Easter or Pasqua ceremonies in Rome. Art and history lovers also flock to see the amazing landmarks such as the canals of Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, and the Sistine Chapel.

Happy beading, Italy!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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