Book Spotlight: Bead Simple

When you think of the phrase bead bible, what comes to mind? Perhaps a large tome filled with page after page of beading tips and ideas? The trouble with all-in-one beading guides is that they can be frightfully dull, like a textbook – all theory and no fun.

Not so with Susan Beal’s book Bead Simple, which teaches everything you need to know about the basics of making trendy jewelry, and is one hundred percent interesting from cover to cover. There are 150 designs for everything from earrings to ornaments, incorporating all of the most common beading techniques and almost every bead style imaginable. Full color photographs show every finished piece – each one stunning in its simplicity and style.

Bead Simpleincludes a very thorough basics chapter that features clear diagrams for techniques such as using crimp beads, making wrapped loops, and even a little beadwork in the form of crossweave. There’s a quick primer on materials, tools, and beads as well as a design guide to help beginners get into the art of jewelry design.

Then it’s on to the projects. There are six chapters: Earrings, Necklaces, Pendants, Brooches and Barrettes, Bracelets, and finally Embellishments – which includes a variety of wearables and home décor items. Each section features projects with a particular design element that is fully explored with several variations. Unlike many other beading books, the variations all include step-by-step instructions and a full materials list. Many projects are provided by designers such as Jennifer Perkins and Jenny Ryan.

Even experienced beaders will love to flip through Bead Simpleand admire the tastefully designed jewelry, using a variety of materials in perfectly balanced combinations. This is an excellent title to keep near your workspace when you need a little burst of inspiration.

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Susan Beal and Taunton Press
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Book Spotlight: A Touch of Glass

Can you imagine a world without glass beads? There are a great many jewelry designers and even beaders who focus their skills on other materials, but for many of us, glass is the way to go. As an inexpensive, easy to work substance, glass is ideal for bead making, and provides us with an endless variety of beads to choose from. For every technique and style, there is a glass bead to match.

In A Touch of Glass,the beauty of glass beads get undivided attention, as jewelry artist Nancy Alden takes the reader on a tour of the versatility and aesthetic value of simple jewelry. Using traditional stringing and wirework techniques, and an abundance of glass beads, Nancy has created a guide to turning a relatively inexpensive jewelry material into elegant, eye-catching designs. This is not just a guide to beading, but a tribute to glass!

The book begins with a detailed history of glass beads, and a look at contemporary bead styles used in jewelry making, as well as a primer on the components needed to make the 50 projects to follow. There are a variety of simple necklaces, earrings, and bracelets to try - all of them made with glass pieces that can be found in most bead shops. There are projects for everything from lampwork beads, to Czech daggers, to trade beads, and each is more beautiful than the last. The cover design, which features dichroic glass, doesn’t even compare to some of the stunning pieces within.

Each project includes a full materials list and step-by-step instructions, with a full page photograph of a finished piece. Detailed instructions for crimping, wire wrapping, and other bead basics are included at the back of the book for beginners - intermediate beaders will be able to breeze through their favorite projects and fully enjoy the beauty of the glass at work.

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Potter Craft and Nancy Alden
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Book Spotlight: Fashion Beading

Even though I am a seed beader at heart, my all time favorite beading magazine is Jewelry Stringing, by Interweave. I find that simple jewelry is a fantastic source of inspiration, because it perfectly highlights unique beads and combinations of materials or colors. The beads themselves are just as important as the techniques, and simply made designs offer a very close look at how different sizes, shapes, and colors work together. This is why I never hesitate to flip through even the most basic beading books, in the hopes of finding some beautiful combinations.

On the same note, Fashion Beadingby Kim Ballor really delivers in the inspiration department. This book is full of fun and easy jewelry designs, using a variety of beads and materials in beautiful ways. The projects are divided into four categories: stringing, wire-wrapping, stitching, and combinations. The final two chapters display a wonderful marriage of basic jewelry techniques with beginner-friendly beadweaving and fringe.

The beginner’s section of Fashion Beading is rather extensive, and includes a list of common birthstones and their colors, tips for designing with and without focal points, symmetry, and texture, and a quick overview of the color wheel and how to use it in jewelry design. Beginners will appreciate the detailed descriptions and tips on choosing beads, thread, and tools. There’s even a tutorial on creating your own toggle clasps with wire.

There are more than 50 beading projects in all, including necklaces, bracelets, earrings and brooches suitable for all skill levels. There are even instructions for making unique accessories like purse handles and belts, and embellishing clothing with beads. Each project includes a full materials list, step-by-step instructions, and clear photographs to guide you through the techniques.

Fashion Beadingalso includes a rare and useful alphabetical index so you can quickly browse for your favorite materials and techniques, and a handy metric conversion chart. This book is an excellent resource for new beaders, and a fun source of inspiration for anyone who loves to work with beads.

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Kim Ballor and Sterling Publishing
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Beading Tutorial: Pea Pod Stitch

I’m always on the lookout for quick ways to string beads simply, while adding the extra security of small stitches. Daisy chain and variations of it are a personal favorite, but doing the same old thing can get a little dull after awhile. This simple looped embellishment, which I like to call pea pod stitch, adds a lot of security to a simple strand of beads, and works up very quickly.

The very first project I tested the technique on featured 3-bead clusters and a pretty green palette. The curvy loops of seed beads that surround the bead clusters looked just like protective pea pods. I’m going to demonstrate the stitch with this same pattern, but it’s easy enough to change things up with your own accent patterns and sequences.

You can work this stitch with a single thread for short strands, so long as there are places to turn the thread around at each end. Clasps, focals, or other small stitches are ideal. Be sure to use beads that can take multiple thread passes.

To weave pea pod embellishments:

String your beads in the desired pattern, including sections with: seven 11/o seed beads, one 8/o seed bead, one small accent bead, one 8/o seed bead, and seven 11/o seed beads. When the strand is complete, weave around or start a new thread, moving in the opposite direction.

Exit from the third 11/o seed bead in the first sequence you come to. Pick up thirteen 11/o seed beads, and pass through the fourth 11/o seed bead across the accent cluster. If you are using a different set or style of accent beads, you may need to adjust the amount of beads picked up in this step, to comfortably span the gap.

Always make sure that the new loops of seed beads cross over symmetrically. This gives the finished pods a pleasing shape.

Continue adding loops to one side of the strand, until you reach the end of the work. Turn the thread, or begin a new one, and move back along the strand in the opposite direction.

Exit from the third bead in the first sequence, and pick up thirteen seed beads. Stitch through the fourth seed bead on the other side of the accents. Pull snug, and a complete pea pod will be formed! Continue adding loops to finish each section, and weave in the remaining thread.

What’s your favorite quick and easy chain technique?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Time Capsule: September 2009

Three years ago this month, Inspirational Beading was all about necklaces and the ocean. When I look back on some of those designs, I see the beginnings of some of my current favorites. Things were really starting to roll, and I was finding my beading groove.

There was a lot of stringing going on that month. After completing a freeform necklace inspired by Caren Schwartz’s Organized Chaos project, I started to see new possibilities for seed beads and Fireline. This led to an adaptation of my first peyote rings project, with a nautical inspired palette, and shell beads in an SOS pattern.

One of my all time favorite necklaces also debuted in September ‘09. It all started with a carved bone seahorse, and a whole lot of blue and green beads. The ombre strands of beads with shell and pearl accents are still a beading success that I look back on fondly, and one that I have yet to recreate.

Last but not least, I also completed my first square stitch Wavy Wedges bracelet, adapted from one of my earliest beading experiments. After a few more variations, I eventually created a tutorial for this very fun technique.

Although these projects are very different in many ways from what I’m doing now, I see so many important discoveries there that would eventually lead me to what I’m making today. These little beading epiphanies were the first steps towards really creating, instead of just playing with beads.

Do you have a favorite a-ha! moment in beading?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Inspired Beaders: Beading Buds

For many beaders, the first spark of beading inspiration comes when we are young. Perhaps we have a crafty mentor that shares some of their stash on a Saturday afternoon, or have a chance encounter at an incredible bead shop. Many beaders get their start through crafting sessions with clubs or groups like Girl Guides, and these fun moments can be the beginning of a lifelong love affair with beads.

Thanks to the Beading Buds, inspiration like this isn’t just a lucky coincidence. Esther and her team of jewelry designers have been sharing the love of beading with kids (and grown-ups!) at parties and functions in the Toronto area for 5 years running. From birthday parties, to summer camp, to company retreats, these beaders are on the go wherever a fun time is needed!

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get into jewelry design and beading?

Esther: When I was a little girl, at a beading club at the school that I attended

Inspirational Beading: How did this passion evolve into the idea for beading parties?

Esther: The idea found me! I used to work at a law firm and co-workers there
knew that I made jewelry and asked if I could do a party for their children, and the idea just kind of took off.

Inspirational Beading: Is there a trick to teaching beadwork as entertainment? What’s your favorite thing about the process?

Esther: The trick is to make sure you are teaching the correct project to each age group. If it's too easy they get bored and if it's too hard they get frustrated. My favourite thing about the process is that I am teaching children skills that they can use for a lifetime. I have had so many of my little beaders contact me a couple of years after I've taught them telling me how beading is now a true hobby for them and they are so happy that I introduced them to something that is such a big part of their life now.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite memorable beading party moment?

Esther: One of the most special parties I ever did was teaching a group of girls to make jewelry that they were going to sell and donate all the proceeds to the prenatal ward of a hospital in Toronto, Canada. The mom of one of the girls had contacted me while I was actually at that hospital having just had my first daughter. It was just such a coincidence and was so special because I felt like I was helping other new mothers. Of course we offered to do the event probono and the satisfaction we received from doing it was the best payment anyone could ever receive.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite material or bead type to work with?

Esther: We love using bright colourful beads, mainly glass or acrylic, depending on the age group and what they are making.

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Esther: Whether through a birthday party or afterschool program, or any other scenario, we hope that every single child that has ever beaded with us discovers what a fun and enjoyable hobby jewelry making is.

You can learn more about the Beading Buds and the fantastic work that they do on BeadingBuds.com, or stay up to date with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Beading Buds
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Time Capsule: April 2009

It’s funny how we can come full circle. Three years ago this month, I shared a design that used a minimum of beads and stitches, but turned out great. At the time, I wondered if it lacked effort. Even though the piece had so many likeable elements, I worried that it wasn’t ‘enough’.

Then I jumped back into making big, elaborate, and stitch-heavy designs for a long time. It wasn’t until November of the following year that I realized the real potential of lightweight and simple beadwork. Beadwork that looks like stringing is quick and simple to do, uses beads that don’t always work well with other techniques, and helps to keep the price of a piece down when focals are expensive. My Necklace a Day challenge could not have been a success without designs like these.

Looking back on that Spring Jungle Necklace now, I find myself comparing it to the Y pendants and simple necklaces that I make today. It actually looks pretty fantastic - if not a little clumsy. The combination of different bead colors and cluster shapes is really fun, and makes a great complement for the art pendant. Maybe I need to start adding more leaves and branches to my work again!

Have you ever discovered yourself using a technique that you thought you’d grown out of?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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