New Pattern: Rivoli Kaleidoscope Pendant

My newest pattern, the Rivoli Kaleidoscope Pendant, is now complete.

This design features three different types of Swarovski crystal rivoli beads; a round, foil-backed no-hole rivoli that sits in the center, and two different sizes of Swarovski rivoli pendants (aka circle pendants, XILION pendants). Miyuki drop-shaped seed beads and additional Japanese seed beads complete the pendant.

This design can be woven in a variety of color patterns, from the very flowery pendant above to this strikingly dark pendant:

While the pattern is written for a 14 mm round rivoli, I also discuss how to utilize larger rivolis in this pattern. These variations also result in a symmetry change. For example, the pendant below with the larger rivoli in the center features 10-fold rotational symmetry instead of 8-fold rotational symmetry.

The Rivoli Kaleidoscope pattern is available exclusively at my website if you'd like to make your own super-sparkly pendants.

Pagoda Series Kits

I created two sets of matching kits for my Pagoda series. First we have the Pagoda beaded charm in Redwood:

And in Pandora Sapphire:

Next there's the Double Pagoda Beaded Bead in Redwood:

And again in Pandora Sapphire:

The Double Pagoda kits make one beaded bead each, while the Pagoda kits make three beaded charms. All of the kits are available at my website, and include all the beads needed to create the design, a beading needle and the appropriate thread, and the pattern for the design delivered electronically in the PDF format.

Pendants with Rivolis

Are bezeled rivoli pendants still in vogue? I hope so, because I've come down with a craving to make them...

I've been fiddling around with this design for a while. It started when I tried to come up with a unique way to bezel a rivoli, but each time I tried, the rivoli itself would be mostly covered up by other beads. So I tried pairing it with its sister crystals, the Swarovski circle pendants (aka rivoli pendants, aka XILION pendants) that I've used in several other designs. However, it was difficult to get the rivoli pendants to stay put. I took a cue from Florence and Gwen's Rivoli Sunflower and added some drop-shaped seed beads, which seemed to do the trick:

It still needs a name - I was thinking Rivoli Party might work. What do you think?

Hematite Crystal Helix Necklace

A while back I bought some Swarovski bicone crystals in the crystal silver night shade. They sat in my bead box until I decided to pair them with some cobalt and silver-colored seed beads for some Crystal Helix beaded beads. They pair very well with hematite round beads for this dark silvery necklace:

In the Crystal Helix pattern, I talk about how this beaded bead can be woven in both left-handed and right-handed symmetries so that the seed beads will twist up to the left or right, respectively. All of the beaded beads in this necklace are in the left-handed symmetry, so they twist in the same direction from one bead to another along the necklace.

The Crystal Helix pattern is available for purchase exclusively at my new website. Remember that from now through Monday, January 23, enter the coupon code 20off at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order!

More Tila Garden Pendant Classes at Bead & Button

If you tried to sign up for my Tila Garden Pendant class at Bead & Button after it had already sold out, you're in luck; the show organizers have added two additional sessions of this class!

The two additional sessions are on Friday, June 8, in either the morning or afternoon. These sessions take the place of the cancelled Cyclic Orbitals Necklace class, which was, unfortunately, not quite as popular.

More information about class registration along with general information about the show can be found here. I'd love to see you there!

New Kits: Bubble Series Beaded Beads

Along with the launch of my new website, I've also put together kits for several of my designs. These kits include all the beads needed to create the design, a beading needle and the appropriate thread, and the pattern for the design delivered electronically in the PDF format. Kits for the Bubble Series are available in two color schemes, Ocean Sapphire and Lavender Glow. Here's the Double Bubble Jacks design in Ocean Sapphire:

And again in Lavender Glow:

A slightly larger beaded bead in the bubble series is the Bubble Box design. Here it is in Ocean Sapphire:

And Lavender Glow:

Finally, here's the third beaded bead in this series, the Teardrop Bubbles design, in Ocean Sapphire:

And again in Lavender Glow:

The Teardrop Bubbles and Bubble Box kits make one beaded bead each, while the Double Bubble Jacks kits include materials for three beaded beads. All of these kits are available for purchase exclusively at my website. Also, from now through Monday, January 23, enter the coupon code 20off at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order! 

Free Pattern: Candy Cubes Beaded Bead

In the time that I have been writing patterns, I've often been asked if I have any patterns suitable for a beginner. Regrettably, until now, most of my patterns have been for the intermediate or advanced level, although I've always sought to write my patterns clearly enough that anyone with a basic understanding of beading diagrams will be able to understand them. But if I were to recommend a beaded bead design to someone with no previous beading experience, my first choice would be a basic cube. I've written a pattern for such a cube, and it's available as a free download at my website.

The basic cube beaded bead is woven in right angle weave, and is also the simplest unit of the box stitch. Once you learn how to make a cube beaded bead, you can change the bead type and color patterns to get a variety of different effects from this simple design. Here I've used AB2X Swarovski crystals in three different colors for a very sparkly pair of earrings, perfect for a night on the town:

But this design also works well with Miyuki drop seed beads. Here I use four colors of these seed beads in an even color distribution for a petite pair of earrings. In the pattern, I describe how to use two, three, or four colors of beads to get an even color distribution throughout the beaded bead, a color pattern strategy often used in origami. The result reminds me of candy, so I like to call them Candy Cubes.

The Candy Cubes can look very elegant with just one or two types of beads. The bracelet below uses two types of cube beaded beads; one made from 3 mm round grey freshwater pearls, the other from irregularly-shaped "keshi" freshwater pearls.

Strung with alternating 4 mm and 6 mm round freshwater pearls, they make an elegant pearl bracelet.

Finally, I experimented with several different types of beads that can be woven into cubes. The picture below shows Candy Cubes made from 4 mm Swarovski bicone crystals, 4 mm fire polished Czech glass, 3.4 and 2.8 mm Miyuki drop seed beads, and drop-shaped freshwater pearls:

Gathered all together, they make a tactile cascading pendant:

The beaded rope for this necklace is another variation on the right angle weave technique, woven with Japanese round seed beads, drop seed beads, and fire polished glass beads.

The Candy Cube beaded bead pattern is available on my website as a free download. Have you woven a cube beaded bead before? I'd love to see what you made!

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Bead & Button Class Update

A brief update on my Bead & Button classes: the Tila Garden Pendant class is already sold out, but there's still room in the classes for the Cyclic Orbitals Beaded Bead Necklace, Ice Queen Necklace, and Cubed Tila Beaded Bead Necklace. 

The Cubed Tila design in particular is a relative of the Tila Garden Pendant, and students of both classes will learn the strategies of tila beaded bead weaving used in both designs.

More information about class registration along with general information about the show can be found here.

New Pattern: Crystal Helix Beaded Bead

Along with the development and launch of my new website, I also wrote up a new pattern, the Crystal Helix Beaded Bead:

These little beads work up quickly and are fun to weave, and are a great step up in complexity from the simple cube beaded bead. When woven with 4 mm bicone crystals they make a nice size for earrings, but with 6 mm crystals they make a petite pendant:

I discuss how to make both sizes in the pattern.

I also like how this design can be woven in both the right- and left-handed directions; the seed beads will spiral one way or the other, regardless of how the bead is oriented. The photo below shows both versions. Imagine turning them over or upside-down... The seed beads will still spiral in the same direction, just like DNA.

I also made a simple necklace in black and cobalt using both sizes of this design. Even though the design is based on a cube shape, the finished beaded bead takes on a round form.

The AB finish on the jet black bicone crystals looks a little yellow in this particular batch of crystals (jet AB crystals are notorious for looking different from batch to batch), but I think it provides a nice contrast with the blue beads.

The Crystal Helix pattern is available for purchase exclusively at my new website. Remember that from now through Monday, January 23, enter the coupon code 20off at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order! 

Website Re-Launch - Instant Download Patterns, Kits, and More

After much coding, writing, designing, and editing, I've finally finished rewriting my website:

I re-wrote the entire site from the ground-up, and it includes tons of new features. To start, all of the beaded bead patterns/tutorials previously available through my Artfire or Etsy shops are now available through my website to download immediately after payment; no more waiting for the pattern to be e-mailed to you! In addition to rewritten versions of the first six patterns I ever wrote, my website also contains my newest pattern, the Crystal Helix beaded bead:

For beginning students, or if you've never woven a beaded bead before, I figure that the best place to start is with a basic cube. With this in mind, I wrote a free pattern for a cube beaded bead in several different color combinations. It reminds me of candy, so I've named it the Candy Cube beaded bead: 

Kits are now also available for several of my patterns. Here's one of the color schemes available for the Teardrop Bubbles kit:

I'll be talking more about the new features of my website over the next couple of days. In the meantime, to celebrate I'm offering a special discount valid only at my website: from now through Monday, January 23, enter the coupon code 20off at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order!

And don't forget, Bead & Button Show Registration opens at noon CST today! I've heard that some classes sell out within minutes, so don't delay!

Bead & Button Class Registration Begins January 10

I'd like to start off this first blog post of 2012 by wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year! I'm looking forward to all kinds of exciting changes in 2012. One of which is that I'll be teaching four projects at the 2012 Bead & Button Show in June. Class registration starts next week on January 10, and you can click on the links below the images below for registration information for each class:

Cyclic Orbitals Beaded Bead Necklace - Friday, June 8

Ice Queen Necklace - Saturday, June 9

Tila Garden Pendant - Saturday, June 9

Cubed Tila Beaded Bead Necklace - Sunday, June 10

More information about class registration along with general information about the show can be found here. I hope to see you there!