New Pattern: Fiberoptic Duo Beaded Beads

My newest pattern, the Fiberoptic Duo beaded beads, is now available at beadorigami.com.

Fiberoptic Cube Beaded Bead

Why the name Fiberoptic Duo? Well, the "duo" part comes from 1) the two colors of SuperDuo beads that are used in this design, and 2) the two different beaded beads that are are described in this pattern; the Fiberoptic Cube, and the Fiberoptic Octahedron. The "fiberoptic" part came about because I like the way the word sounds.

Fiberoptic Cube (left) and Octahedron (right) Beaded Beads

These beaded beads came about from a long line of beady experiments that I did last year with the aim of incorporating two-hole beads into new beading projects. The first result of these experiments was the Squareflake Earrings, a project that works with both twin and SuperDuo beads:

Squareflake Earrings

The next result was the Snowflakes bracelet, which appeared in the Dec/Jan 2012/13 issue of Beadwork Magazine. It's related to the Squareflake Earrings with a couple of changes; the snowflakes have six-fold symmetry, like real snowflakes, and I substituted the Swarovski crystal rivoli pendants with the less-sharp 3mm magatamas, so that the resulting bracelet would be softer on the skin.

Snowflakes Bracelet

Then there's the project that I'm really excited about, the Cosmic Nocturne Pendant. This pendant is hollow, holds its shape well, and has a nice combination of crystals and several shaped seed beads. I'll be teaching this project at the Bead and Button Show this June (B130661 - Fri. June 7 • 1:00pm-4:00pm)

Cosmic Nocturne Pendant

The Fiberoptic Duo beaded beads use a simpler combination of beads for sleeker design; two different colors of SuperDuo beads, and round Japanese seed beads. I haven't had much luck using twin seed beads in this design, since it requires the two-hole beads to be very uniform. The SuperDuo beads do this quite nicely.

Fiberoptic Octahedron Beaded Bead

I like how both beaded beads use the exact same number and proportions of these seed and SuperDuo beads. They're similar in construction in some ways, but different in other ways as I detail in the pattern.

Fiberoptic Cube (left) and Octahedron (right) Beaded Beads

Which one do you like better? The cube is a little easier to weave, but I'm partial to all beaded octahedra. It tends to look more round than octahedron-shaped in this design though.

Fiberoptic Octahedron Beaded Bead

The Fiberoptic Duo Beaded Beads pattern is available exclusively at beadorigami.com. I'll be putting some kits together for this design in the next couple of weeks!

Do you have a favorite twin or SuperDuo design that you'd like to share? Drop me a line in the comments below!

Silver Seed Beads

Over the years I've grown quite fond of Miyuki's bright silver seed beads, and I use them often in my beadwork. They're a great accent to many designs, and they'll work well in just about any color palette. The silver and black combo is one of my go-to palettes, and in these mini Disco Ball beaded beads, the silver is prominent without dominating the beaded beads.

I think it packs much more of a punch with the larger drop seed beads in this Silvery Amethyst Dewdrop Bracelet:

But much of the time, I try to use silver seed beads in a more subtle way, such as in these Squareflake earrings:

So when I was designing the kits for the Dewdrop beaded beads, I incorporated some 15° silver seed beads into the Black Rose Tips version of this design. However, I ended up taking them out for the final version. My first attempt is on the right, and the final version is on the left:

In this particular design and color scheme, there is already a lot going on in terms of texture and complexity, given the combination of the square tilas with the rounded drops and three sizes of seed beads. Plus the permanent-finish galvanized 8° seed beads already give this beaded bead some shine. This is the first time where I felt that the silver seed beads just added too much to an already busy design, so I exchanged them for some dark purple seed beads which readily blend into the finished beaded bead.

Have you ever had a tried-and-true design element surprise you like this?

New Pattern and Kits: Squareflake Earrings

Before I left for the Bead & Button Show, I wrote up the pattern for the Squareflake Earrings and put together kits in three different color combinations. Here's the original pair, with those luminous green crystals:

The earrings are about 35 mm long without the ear wires, although you could always adjust the bottom dangle for a longer or shorter pair. Here's another version with red siam crystals and some purple iris beads, with a touch of silver:

Finally, this last pair is in a wintery color scheme, with air blue opal crystals. The twin seed beads in this pair are light lavender, but they're so light that they're nearly transparent:

The Squareflake Earrings pattern and kits in these three color schemes are available at beadorigami.com. Each kit makes a pair of earrings and includes the ear wires in sterling silver.

Earrings with Twin Beads

During my brief respites from preparing for the Bead & Button Show, I found some time to play with the new Czech two-hole "twin" seed beads. Then these happened:

They remind me of snowflakes, but snowflakes have six-fold symmetry instead of four-fold symmetry. Perhaps I should call them squareflakes?

The above earrings also use the crystal luminous green shade of Swarovski crystal, another new bead. These use the traditional crystal with an AB finish, plus silver seedies:

Have you worked with twin beads before? How do you like them?