I love to cook and am particularly known for my French lamb stew. The cooking process for this meal actually takes about six hours when you factor in the time spent dicing and slicing all the vegetables and meat, and then slowly simmering the ingredients in a Dutch oven with lots of beef stock and red wine. The results are definitely well worth all the time spent in the kitchen.

Have you ever had someone admire a piece of jewelry you created and then ask how you made it? Was your response similar to, “Oh, I just stitched some beads together?” Now what did that tell your friend? Your answer lacks the detail they want to know. Just as my friends would be disappointed if I answered, “Oh I just throw some meat and vegetables in a pot,” when they ask how I prepare my French lamb stew.

Explaining how you make a piece of beaded jewelry is a challenge. I know, because it’s what the Bead&Button associate editors do every day. Here are some basic hints to help you give a more detailed description of how you made your latest eye-catching creation the next time someone admires you work.

You can use the five “Ws” of reporting — who, what, when, where, and why — for your explanation.

The “Who” is you, the designer and stitcher of the piece of jewelry.

The “What” are the materials you use — beads (type, color, size), findings (clasps, ear wires, jump rings), wire (gauge, metal, finish), thread and needles, and tools (different pliers, wire cutters, scissors). Did you use a special focal bead that dictated color selection? Did you find an out-of-the-ordinary clasp? Can other people find these same materials or do they need to get creative and use something different?

The “When, Where and Why” are the steps you make — when do you pick up a bead, where does the thread path go, why must a step happen now and not later? Is there a repeat in the stitching pattern? Are you using a particular stitch? Did you modify the stitch? Including all these details will help you tell the story of how your piece of jewelry was created.

Of course the next step would be to write out the instructions for how to made your creation. That way, when someone admires your necklace you can tell them they can make one of their own if they follow your instructions. This is how designers and beading instructors get started.

So just for fun, try writing up a set of instructions for one of your bead creations. Once you have accomplished that, you will be ready to submit your project to Bead&Button. We receive many project proposals from beaders who, in their every day lives, are not professional designers. If you send us a proposal, make sure it’s your original design. The projects that are unique and use interesting materials catch our attention. And of course we ask for a written set of instructions for the project.

Visit the Bead&Button Web site at beadandbutton.com. Click on the “Magazines” tab on the top navigation bar. Look for the “Submitting to the Magazine” link. Read the “Submission Guidelines for Projects” for a detailed explanation of the type of projects Bead&Button considers. Click on the “Contributor Submission Page” link and follow the process for submitting a project via our Web site.

Happy beading … and writing instructions.

Lynne