New Beading Video: Stitching Beaded Molecules

A few months ago I had the opportunity to film a series of videos based on four different areas in beading. The videos are now available at the Interweave Store both as instant high definition video downloads as well as in the DVD format. This is the third in a series of four blog posts on those video projects; check out the previous posts here and here.

Together with the team over at Interweave/F+W, we organized these videos with each level of beader in mind. Beginners can watch me weave each step of the project one stitch at a time, I share several variations for experienced beaders, and throughout the course of each video I include many tips and tricks that are useful for beaders of all levels. If you're new to my Bead Origami style then these videos are a great introduction to my approach to beadweaving, but if you're already familiar with my work then you'll want to check them out too as I cover a new project in each one.

The third video in this series combines two of my favorite topics: beadwork and chemistry!

I start the video with a little lesson in organic chemistry (don't worry: there's no test at the end!). I give a brief overview about the atoms that make up molecules found in living things and how those atoms are connected together to make molecules. I also talk about different ways to visualize or render molecular structures, from 3D renders that show the dimensionality of the molecule to the shorthand skeletal structures that form the basis for the beadwork in the video. I also review several of the beaded molecules that I've already covered in patterns on my website (such as caffeine, serotonin, and dopamine), and I explain why these "small molecules" are ideal for this specific method of making beaded molecules.

The main molecule that I focus on in this video is L-ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant small molecule made up of six carbon, eight hydrogen, and six oxygen atoms, and it's also notable for having chirality; it's the counter-clockwise or left-handed version of a pair of molecules that have the same structure but are mirror images of each other. As is the case with many organic molecules, only this left-handed version is biologically significant, and it acts as a cofactor in at least eight different enzymes that serve a variety of important biological functions. To keep the beadweaving simpler, we ignore the chirality as well as the hydrogen atoms in this beaded version of vitamin C, but being a stickler for such things I felt the need to point out the importance of chirality in molecular structures anyway ;).

After I show how to weave the beaded vitamin C molecule, I also demonstrate how to stiffen the molecule using a clear acrylic floor finish. It's a technique pioneered by Diane Fitzgerald and Jean Cox for firming up and supporting finished beadwork. Once called Future Floor Wax, it's now called Pledge Floor Care with Future Shine, but whatever the name it makes the finished beaded molecules stiff and supported.

With a few jump rings, a handful of drop crystals, and little bit of chain, a pair of these molecules make lovely chandelier-style earrings. I wove them in red and silver for a berry-flavored version, and I also made a grape-flavored pair in purples in greens.

Finally, this golden version uses smaller seed beads and a variety of colors of crystals for a more delicate, brighter variation.

This video is available both as a High Definition Video Download and in the DVD format, and includes a supplementary PDF pattern with step-by-step written instructions and a complete materials list for the pair of red and silver earrings shown in this post.

Thanks for looking!

New Beading Video: Geometric Beaded Beads, From Cubes to Dodecahedrons

A few months ago I had the opportunity to film a series of videos based on four different areas in beading. The videos are now available at the Interweave Store both as instant high definition video downloads as well as in the DVD format. This is the second in a series of four blog posts on those video projects; check out the previous post on working with 2-hole beads here.

Together with the team over at Interweave/F+W, we organized these videos with each level of beader in mind. Beginners can watch me weave each step of the project one stitch at a time, I share several variations for experienced beaders, and throughout the course of each video I include many tips and tricks that are useful for beaders of all levels. If you're new to my Bead Origami style then these videos are a great introduction to my approach to beadweaving, but if you're already familiar with my work then you'll want to check them out too as I cover a new project in each one.

The second of these videos focuses on a topic near and dear to my heart; geometric beaded beads.

When I was putting together this video, I asked myself: "if I could teach a beginning beader the fundamentals of geometric beaded beads, what would I cover?" I started outlining this video on how to weave the five Platonic Solids, and I still give a brief lesson on what makes these particular forms so interesting, but after thinking about it and receiving some insightful feedback I decided to focus the beading portion of the video on cubes and dodecahedrons and an important variation on each form.

There are several different ways to make beaded beads using these basic geometric forms, and many different beaders have explored these forms over the centuries (Valerie Hector's research in The Art of Beadwork indicates that Chinese beaders have been making these beaded beads since at least the 15th century). I cover both the basic cube and the dodecahedron using the single-needle, cubic right-angle weave (CRAW) approach with sparkly bicone crystals, and I explain each stitch to fully show each step of the process.

In the next part of the video I show how to weave a cube beaded bead with corner-cover beads. In this variation, we weave the structure using both bicone crystals and seed beads to give us seed beads at each corner. The advantage of adding these beads is that they protect the threads that can show at the corners, and they give us points where we can further embellish the beaded bead.

A pair of these beaded beads makes a quick, delicate pair of earrings.

The section on dodecahedron beaded beads with corner-cover beads is the most challenging part of the video, but I think it's one of the most useful techniques to master. Adding this form to your stitch repertoire will give you a strong foundation to tackle more advanced embellished beaded beads.

For a neat pendant using just this one thread path, I created three beaded beads in different sizes using a simple bead substitution...

...And then I wove them one by one, enclosing the smallest inside the medium inside the largest structure for a dodecahedron, inside of a dodecahedron, inside of a dodecahedron. It's three dodecahedrons in one!

A collection of cube and dodecahedron beaded beads pair with round crystal pearls for a very sparkly necklace.

Experienced beaders will want to check out the sections on bead type variations, and the summary of several advanced designs that use these beaded beads as a base.

This video is available both as a High Definition Video Download and in the DVD format, and includes a supplementary PDF pattern with step-by-step written instructions and a complete materials list for the beaded beads, necklace, and earrings shown here.

Thanks for looking!

New Beading Video: Weaving Beaded Beads with Two-Hole Beads

A few months ago I had the opportunity to film a series of videos based on four different areas in beading. The videos are now available at the Interweave Store both as instant high definition video downloads as well as in the DVD format. This is the first in a series of four blog posts on those video projects.

Together with the team over at Interweave/F+W, we organized these videos with each level of beader in mind. Beginners can watch me weave each step of the project one stitch at a time, I share several variations for experienced beaders, and throughout the course of each video I include many tips and tricks that are useful for beaders of all levels. If you're new to my Bead Origami style then these videos are a great introduction to my approach to beadweaving, but if you're already familiar with my work then you'll want to check them out too as I cover a new project in each one.

In the first video I talk about how to weave beaded beads using peyote stitch and two-hole beads. I expand on the idea I explored in the Double Pinwheel beaded bead pattern and apply it to other shapes, starting with the 2-hole bar beads.

The 2-hole bar beads combine with Japanese seed beads and round core beads to make elegant little beaded beads that remind me of tiny baskets. I cover how to make both the basic beaded bead, as well as how to modify the design to make it in three different sizes.

I also describe how to make the Double Pinwheel beaded beads using 2-hole triangles, and how the shape of this bead is less symmetrical than other 2-hole beads which makes a big difference as you add each triangle to the beadwork. For another, simpler variation, I talk about how Half Tilas easily substitute into these beaded beads in place of the 2-hole bar beads.

Experienced beaders will want to check out the sections on the handedness of these beaded beads, and my attempt at weaving this design using SuperDuos. I discuss my approach to incorporating SuperDuos into this design, the result, and what I might do to change that result in future attempts.

This video is available both as a High Definition Video Download and in the DVD format, and includes a supplementary PDF pattern with step-by-step written instructions and a complete materials list for the necklace and earrings shown here.

Thanks for looking!