Maggies Musings

Maggie's free Celtic beadwork pattern

Ann Dee Allen — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:21:00 GMT

January 1^st may be the official start of the new year, but my new year starts when the majority of the snow melts off the deck in my backyard. The lawn becomes visible and I can see green shoots bravely poking through the soil. So, in honor of these green shoots and St. Patrick's Day, I'm giving away this free Celtic beadwork pattern ... to you, yes YOU! (Click on the text link, and then click on the image you see next to enlarge the pattern).

The pattern is the result of a new obsession. I have been playing around with beading software and, let me warn you, it’s addictive. I can scan in royalty-free clip art onto a loom, peyote, or RAW chart. After that, the fun begins by manipulating the chart; changing bead colors, and rotating the picture. After saving the pattern, I can print the chart, post the pattern to a blog, or mail it to friends. Fun! I am using BeadTool 4 for the Apple computer and there are other beading software packages available.

Back to the warning: BeadTool 4 is more captivating than playing computer games. I can’t stop! Everywhere I go, I see things that could be beadwork patterns.

Now, the embarrassing thing is that I resisted buying beading software until a few months ago. Sure, I’d read articles about how easy it is to use these new-fangled computer software set-ups. I wasn’t going to listen to that siren’s call. Nope, it was good ol’ graph paper and colored pencils for me — old school all the way. And then I tried a free trial download ... and liked it. Now, on to other obsessions.

Since I’m feeling this new surge of Spring, of course, the creativity muse comes calling full force. Let’s think about other sources for ideas that can be used in beadwork. New York’s Fashion Week Frenzy is over and after looking at several Web sites and blogs that cover all things stylish, I was amazed at how strong the handicraft movement is. So many accessory designers are still giving a nod to fine handicraft and organic/unique styles.

With that in mind, I want to the explore the possibilities of using several handicraft styles from around the world. Here we go, just keep in mind that you cannot copy any design you see and sell it or teach it in any way. Look for work that is in the public domain and thus available to use for commercial purposes.

African mud cloth textile designs — Besides looking on BeadAndButton.com, Google “African mudcloth” or look for books in libraries and you will find lots of examples. The designs could be charted for loom/square or peyote stitch. The colors used in traditional African mudcloth are very inspirational. Don’t forget about bead embroidery! Diane Fitzgerald, beading superstar, found lots of good ideas in African handicrafts.

European cross-stitch designs — We’ve all seen examples of Ukrainian cross–stitch adorning handmade clothing. I need to do more research on this subject and I’m sure there’s plenty of information on the Internet. Some of the examples of European cross-stitch are intricately embroidered bodices on women’s dresses. The colors used are often primary; the designs are simple and have a charming look. This style could be easily used in looming or peyote. Bead crochet, by the way, has its origins in European handicraft and uses patterns from way back when.

Graphics by Inuit and Alaskan Native Americans — Okay, so, I’ve been obsessive lately about using my bead pattern charting software but can't forget my love affair with bead embroidery. My beading muse has been leading me down the path of looking at Inuit art. You can search online for work created by Inuit and Alaskan Native Americans. The colors used by these artists are strong and graphic. The designs depicting whales, ravens, bears, and salmon are bold and beautiful in their simplicity. There are several royalty-free clip art books with Inuit graphics available. I can see designing neck pieces using a combination of bead embroidery and looming layered over leather.

Oh, my! I need to get out my Big Idea sketchbook. Looks like I’m going to be very busy ... beading!

Everyone’s gotta start somewhere; a beader's trip down Memory Lane

maggieroschyk — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:59:00 GMT

Peyote pendant, 1982

Do you spend time reading beaders’ blogs? I admit that it’s one of my guilty pleasures. There are some fantastic beading blogs out in cyberspace. The level of talent ranges from experienced bead artists to fresh, new beadwork made by people who are just coming into this craft. Beading blogs give me insight into other artists’ creative processes. I especially enjoy seeing pictures of studios and reading beaders’ comments about keeping materials organized. Blogs that I find most delightful are written by new beaders — you know, the newly infected. They post pics of bracelets they’ve just finished with details about seed bead colors. I love reading about the feeling of accomplishment and glee that new beaders experience. They feed everyone’s enthusiasm!

Over the holidays, one of my oldest and bestest friends, Sherry C. , sent me an e-mail and a photo of a pair of beaded earrings that I had made for her long ago. I’m telling you, it was so long ago that I had forgotten making them. It truly touched my heart that after all these years, Sherry still has these earrings. I took a few moments and looked closely at those earrings. They reeled me back in as I thought about their simplicity. Searching for a lesson in these simple earrings, I concluded that in beading (or any other craft), we all start somewhere.

Lessons learned from an old pair of earrings

In my bead stash, I have a couple of small, plastic containers that contain bits and remnants of old bead work and beads from the ’70s. When I was a child, my momma owned a small craft store in the little Arizona town where I grew up. I still have some seed beads from that store, along with old bead work. As I pulled our these tangled bits and pieces, I realized that the beaders of 2010 have an embarrassment of riches.

Beaders have access to the finest beads made

Looking at the beads that were available 30 years ago, well, the quality was … awful. Seed beads sold in craft stores usually came from Taiwan and were cheaply made with finishes that rubbed off and faded. Culling through beads to remove all the poorly shaped ones could become a past time in itself. If I wanted to find quality seed beads, I had to travel to the San Carlos Apache Tribe reservation trading post. The tribal store sold beautiful Czech charlottes on hanks, but only in a few colors. I could not even dream of the colors that we now have. Just think about the abundance of beads sold by Beyond Beadery!

Technology gives beaders incredible threads and beading cable

My old bead work was stitched with heavy, white nylon thread. Using beeswax to coat the thread was absolutely necessary because the thread shredded horribly on the sharp, irregular seed beads.

Here’s a true story: Beaders used waxed dental floss for thread when nylon thread wasn’t available. The up side to this is that the bead work had a fresh minty scent!

Beaders have so many learning resources

The picture for this blog shows a peyote pendant that I made decades ago. I had learned peyote stitch and was just figuring out how to increase and decrease. Back then, there weren’t any beading magazines or books; you just had to figure out what you were doing on your own. Think about the vast amount of information about beading that we have available now. No wonder beading is so popular!

Stores filled with Swarovski crystal beads — only in my dreams!

In my last blog, I talked about going to New York City and visiting the sparkling K. Gottfried store. Seeing all that Swarovski has to offer in beads is mind blowing. I would have never been able to fathom such creations when I was a young beader. In those days, I would frequent thrift stores and buy old costume jewelry. By taking apart broken costume jewelry, I was able to reclaim some crystal beads. I would have never imagined buying the strands of Swarovski double AB finish beads that I own today!

Besides thinking all of the beading resources and materials that we have available now — imagine the Internet, I mean, really! — this type of reflection feeds my soul. A “journey” into my own beading history takes me back to Arizona, my childhood and family there; the sights, scents, and sounds of the desert; and all the people I met and know. It’s the perfect place to “go” when sitting down with a needle, thread, and beautiful 21^st century beads.

One thing is for certain, I’ve got to make Sherry another pair of earrings!

Beads and the Big Apple

maggieroschyk — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:35:00 GMT

Can you believe it’s February – already?! This year is zooming by in the fast lane. Here in the bead world, things are heating up with lots of new, exciting products being brought to market by bead and component vendors, new and old alike. So it’s time to start giving my beloved blog readers the latest scoop on cool, new stuff.

As I write this latest installment of Maggie’s Musings, I’m both exhilarated and exhausted. Exhilarated because I just returned from New York City, and exhausted because I just returned from New York City! Why, you ask? Why would I be going to New York City when the rest of the beading community was swimming like salmon upstream to the glorious Tucson Bead Shows?

Well, here’s my latest news: I’ve been asked by a purse designer to create beaded embellishments for a new line of handbags. Thrilling doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this opportunity. In order to design these bags cohesively, both fabric and beads needed to be picked out together. And where does one go for gorgeous fabrics and beads? The Garment District in New York City. Our first stop was Mood Fabrics, the very Mood Fabrics seen on the hit reality show “Project Runway.” I adore beading with leather and was looking forward to a chance to paw through suede and kidskin. At one point, I was bent over a counter strewn with leather, lost in the joy of having so many colors and finishes to choose from.

Back on the street, my travel partner, Peggy, was pointing out different businesses. I wasn’t listening attentively because there was a Starbucks Americano with two shots of espresso in my hand. But my ears perked up when I heard Peggy say “Toho.” She pointed to a storefront and there it was, the Toho Shoji store. (Insert angels singing here.) Even though it wasn’t on our itinerary, I made a beeline for it through bike messengers and taxis. The store was very well lit with everything arranged neatly. I saw several items that I hadn’t seen before, and shopping was easy due to the spaciousness and friendly staff. Definitely on my list of stores that I want to spend more time in.

Next, we were off to K. Gottfried Inc., Swarovski dealer extraordinaire. We were warmly greeted by Alex and Rita and proceeded to get down to the business of picking out colors, sizes, shapes, and finishes of crystals. Not an easy task, I might add, because K. Gottfried has sample boards with every Swarovski product that is manufactured. The unicorns and rainbows were, indeed, swirling around in my brain. Can one faint from a Swarovski overdose? I definitely felt like swooning when Rita brought out samples of the latest colors. Alex very patiently ignored all the drooling; he’s obviously seen people go whack-a-doodle over Cyclamen Opal crystal beads before.

On to York Beads, grand purveyors of Czech beads. This store is small but floor-to-ceiling packed with beads. Peggy was exhausted from hauling fabric and headed for a spot to sit down while I ran about the store grabbing hanks of Czech glass and shrieking like a child in a candy store. I WAS in a candy store, my kind of candy! I saw beads that I had only thought were some sort of urban legend.

Still, we kept to our list and walked out with some incredible accent beads. After a quick but wonderful lunch break at the Guy and Gallard deli, we headed to M & J Trimming. You might ask, what would a bead fanatic like myself need from a trim store? Lots of stuff: buttons, fancy snaps, and hooks for bracelet clasps. Something immediately caught my eye – sequins made from brass in several finishes like old gold, gunmetal, and antiqued copper. I cannot wait to use these in bead embroidery. These gleaming, metal sequins are pictured above. I have them scattered onto a piece of section of pale cream leather that has a pearlized glaze. Just placing the sequins randomly reveals such a beautiful, organic look. This is definitely inspiring. There was a huge selection of cords and lush tassels in every imaginable color. With just a little bit of beaded embellishment, cord and tassel can become an extravagant lariat necklace, and that just might be my next project.

So, there you have it, my adventure in the Big Apple. Excellent stores. Lots of dim sum at the Red Egg restaurant. Very friendly people. And now I want to hear all about YOUR latest bead adventure, big or small. Leave a comment and share with the rest of us the good vibes received in a local bead store or maybe a shopping trip to the Tucson Bead Shows. Because, as you know, it's all about beads and the camaraderie that beaders share when we’re together.

Dream a little beaded dream

maggieroschyk — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:28:00 GMT

Well, here we are, smack dab at the beginning of a new year and a new decade. Since we’re all anticipating what comes next, I wonder, where are you on the beading continuum? Are you new to our world? If so, welcome to a truly amazing and beautiful way of creating jewelry!

As we start the new year, I’d like to share some things I hope to accomplish. I’m not one for resolutions, so let’s work around that term. (After existing on a diet of Stollen and Kringle for the month of December, it’s a waste of time for me to swear off all heavily sugared, chocolated, or caffeinated goodies.) I do think January presents a golden opportunity to set goals, finish projects, and dream a little. And yes, you read that right: dream a little. I’ll get back to the dreamy part, but let’s get down to business first.

Here’s my short list of beading goals; you might find them helpful when setting your own.

Organize, organize, get it together. Do you spend more time looking for "that" tube of beads than the time it takes to make a necklace? I could write a whole article on the merits of organizing your bead stash (Bead&Button editors, hint, hint!) So ask yourself, what’s better, hunting for your crimping pliers with a crazed look OR calmly enjoying the gratification of creating jewelry? That’s an easy one. I got it! A new mantra for this year: Know thyself, know thy bead stash! By the way, I organized my hanks of beads. Check out the picture on this blog. Now, instead of hiding in a box, my hanks are visible and will make it easier when I am putting colors together.
Shop at Maggie’s Bead Store aka the pile of beads that I already own. Instead of bingeing on beads and buying duplicates, review your bead stash before going to the "other" bead stores. I tell myself that achieving this goal will be waaaay easier if I do the work and organize my bead stash. Confession time: I’ve bought the same tube of seed beads three times at different bead stores. Yes, I’m on a shame spiral. This year, I will make and keep a list of seed beads I already own. To thine own bead stash be true.
Try new colors and stitches. We all get in ruts. In 2010 I’m leaving my comfort zone for new color ways and stitches. Will I share these adventures with my talented and gracious readers? You betcha! This leads me to another worthy goal.
Learn new techniques. Are ideas for beaded creations floating around in your mind? What’s blocking you from realizing your visions? Insecure about your skills? Let me say right now, you’ve got mad skills! Honestly, look at the gallery on the BeadAndButton.com forum. You’re all very talented! But, do you need to learn new stitches in order to create a fabulous idea that has been tickling your brain? You can always attend a class at a bead show or shop. If you can come to the Midwest in June, the Bead&Button Show has more than 500 classes to choose from (really, I know, it’s amazing). Either way, pick up the latest copy of Bead&Button and I guarantee that by the time you’re finished reading it, inspiration and technical knowhow will be knocking at your door, metaphorically speaking.
Dream, contemplate, and dream some more! Do you swoon over beading around cabachons? Are you totally besotted with intricate beaded beads? Why not try to create your best work ever. I bet you’ve got some new ideas and styles whirling around in your mind right now. Is it possible to dream it and create it? Absolutely! This goal is so much better than sorting through tiny bags of fire-polished beads. Sketch your burning beaded desires and then get busy stitching! Let’s make a pact together to sketch designs and collect inspirations all year.

Did I overlook something? Should I add more goals to my list? Comments – please! Share your creativity goals with the rest of us. I love reading all the wisdom in the comments section.

Much gratitude, Maggie.

You’ve got questions – I’ll try to answer….

maggieroschyk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:02:00 GMT

Hi everyone, I’ve been receiving some very nice comments in regard to my blog, "Part Two – Color Choices." I thought I would share them with you along with my part of the dialog!

Here’s a question from Lady Elbinine: "So I’ve got to say, it is good to know that I am not the only one who makes a big pile of choices and then slowly narrows them down. Now my question is, with all these colors before you, how do you settle on what color thread to use?"

Color of the thread? This just warms my lil’ heart so much. I am so happy to hear that beaders plan the color of the thread they use in each project. I cannot stress how important thread color choices are. There’s nothing worse than beadwork made with the wrong color choice. I liken it to wearing a little black dress with white bra straps peeking out. Here are my thoughts on thread color choices — you might agree or disagree, but at least you’ll have something to ponder the next time you thread a beading needle.

Most importantly, choose a thread color that will disappear visually in your palette of beads. Naturally, if the beadwork is mostly black seed beads, black thread is the choice. My beadwork centers on a lot of organic themes and colors, therefore my thread choice is PowerPro in moss green. Don’t wince! Moss green is a very neutral color and blends in with my seed bead color choices. If I’m working with blues or yellows there’s always the permanent marker solution: color the thread before beading.

On the other hand, thread color can be part of a beadwork design. Some stitches leave more thread showing than others. Ndebele or herringbone stitch leaves more thread showing than, say, peyote stitch. So, instead of trying to hide the thread, why not make it part of the design? Try daring color combinations like orange seed beads with bright fuschia thread or turquoise seed beads with lime green thread! Oh, yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!

Thank you, Lady Elbinine, for the wonderful comment and question.

This question was in response to my blog, "Clear up confusion with dyed seed beads." Dragonwytch asked: "Now, I realize that this post is concerning seed beads that have been dyed, but my question is about OTHER beads. One, how do you tell if a bead has been dyed (stone, ceramic, etc) and how would you tell if it is colorfast? Would you use the same techniques as with seed beads?"

This question is totally on topic because most seed beaders use lots of different types of beads, including stone, ceramic, semi-precious and natural. My first impulse would be to use the same method for determining color-fastness in seed beads. Dunk the beads in water and then rub them on a white towel. I know dyed stones are a big concern for beaders, however, so I called Russ Nobbs, the owner of Rings & Things http://www.rings-things.com/ to get the lowdown on how to test for colorfastness on stones. Russ suggests dunking stone bead strands into lukewarm, soapy water, and checking the water for color change. He said that garnet stone beads are often dyed red and the color will rub off. Interestingly enough, Russ stated that even if you rub red dye off, the garnet beads will often be a lighter shade of red, not completely clear. Russ gave me this gem of a tip (pun intended) and you’re gonna love it. Lapis lazuli is one of my favorites in stone beads. How can we check colorfastness in lapis beads? Russ told me that the dye used on lapis will not come off with water alone. He said that rubbing the stone with a cotton swab dipped in acetone (nail polish remover) will reveal whether the stone beads have been dyed. I can’t wait to try this on some suspicious strands that are hanging around the studio. I might even give myself a long over-due manicure and take the chipped polish off my nails, hmmmm. Thank you, Russ, for your expertise and here’s a link to Rings & Things gemstone index: http://www.rings-things.com/gemstone/index.html.

This question comes from Chiara, who asks about the colorfastness of two Delica bead colors: "I’m making one necklace with beaded beads made with Delica DB 410 (galvanized yellow gold) and DB 0011 (olive metallic). Will the bead colors last?"

Okay, can I just say that all the rainbows and unicorns are spinning around in my head because Chiara is from Italy and she’s reading my blog! Awesome!
Now, on to the color durability of Delica beads 410 (galvanized yellow gold) and DB 0011 (olive metallic). To answer Chiara’s question, I thought it might be a good idea to contact a bead store that sells mainly seed beads. I called Whim Beads http://whimbeads.com/cart.asp and talked to Nikki, who gave me the lowdown on these two seed bead finishes. Chiara, bad news, girlfriend! DB410 galvanized yellow gold is not permanent and will rub off. On the up side, olive metallic DB 11 will not wear off. Chiara, I don’t know how far you are on this beaded necklace, but I wouldn’t use the galvanized gold color as a dominant color. Good luck!

Well, my gentle readers, your comments and questions are always on point and I welcome them with open arms. Please send in comments, questions and topics. I’m always looking for topics!

"We interrupt Maggie’s Musings for this Beady Break. Authorities have issued a statement that identifies size 11, crystal AB seed beads as ‘gateway’ beads in seed bead addiction. Details to come. Join us at the top of the hour for an in-depth interview with a woman who bought Swarovski crystals instead of lunch. See and hear just how low bead junkies will go to get a beady fix. We now return you to the previously scheduled blog."

What to do when you hit a wall - creatively speaking

maggieroschyk — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:45:00 GMT

How do you avoid beader’s burnout?

I like to read forums about beading. They help me stay connected with other beaders and hear the latest news in the bead world. From time to time, I read a post by a person who is selling an entire bead stash. Other times, people write to say that after experiencing beader’s block they’re leaving beading and moving on to another interest. Reading these posts makes me introspective. I wonder what would I do if I became totally burned out on beading. The bigger question is, how can I prevent beading burnout?

Let’s define burnout and talk about some of the symptoms. Try to answer the following question as truthfully as possible.

When you enter a well-stocked bead store, your response is:

A – Surge of excitement, adrenaline coursing through your veins

B – Sense of wonder and amazement at the new colors of Swarovski crystals

C – Apathy, as in, "I’ve seen these bead colors before."

D – Negativity, as in, "If I start a new project, I probably won’t finish it."

My response is normally along the lines of A, but that could also be a symptom of ingesting too much caffeine and sugar.

If you answered C or D, you could be in danger of becoming burned out on beading.

Does this sound familiar? Your favorite seed bead color F460 Q looks dull and uninviting. Perhaps you’ve made several necklaces using a particular pattern or stitch and are ready to move on but can’t decide what to do next. Too many UFOs (unfinished objects) lying about? If any of these describe your mindset, don’t throw out the bead mat.

Here are some tips that I’ve found useful for rejuvenating and nurturing my creativity and lifting myself from the slough of bead despondency.

Beads play a significant part of my little world. I write about beads and beading. I teach others how to bead and I make and sell beaded jewelry. I usually bead several hours a day, five days a week. I always have a beading needle and beads within reach. Even so, I need to be able to draw from the creativity in my brain to design new shapes or put together arrangements of color. I need to pull a fresh bucket of beading ideas from the well regularly. Here’s how I keep my well from going dry.

Get out of the house.

This advice can be taken literally or figuratively. Take a notebook and pencil along on a walk. Sketch shapes and forms, and write down the color combinations that nature provides freely.

Go to the bookstore or library but stay away from the beadwork titles. Instead, look for books and magazines that might have photos of kimonos, architecture, orchids, weaving, painting ... While perusing a book on paintings from the Renaissance, you might happen to see a necklace adorning the neck of some ill-fated queen and it may inspire you. It could happen!

Learn something new

Call up your BBFF (best beady friend forever) and arrange to take some new classes together. Even if you live where beading classes are scarce, don’t use that as an excuse to walk out on beads. There’s an abundance of classes online at BeadAndButton.com and elsewhere, and you can always turn to Bead&Button magazine for something new to try.

Buy a tube of orange beads

Buy any color of beads that is totally out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, a jarring jolt of color (say that fast three times) can kick-start the neurons and ideas will start flowing.

Teach a beading project to a friend

Do you have friends that oooh and aaah over your beaded creations? When you hit a dry spell, volunteer to teach something simple to a friend, or several. Seeing the craft of beading through other people’s eyes can be very inspiring. And there’s the joy of knowing that you’ve infected one more person with the beading bug.

Simplicity of stringing

Whenever I finish a big beading project, the thought of beginning something new right away just feels exhausting. I need a break from intensive stitching with size 15 seeds, so I look for something easy, something simple to do. Like stringing big beads. Yep, nothing technical about it. My favorite pieces of jewelry to wear are simple carnelian round beads, strung on Soft-flex with a toggle clasp. I find that stringing this style of necklace doesn’t require careful attention and is relaxing. BeadStyle magazine is loaded with inspiration for using stones, pearls, and crystals for something gorgeous. While stringing big-picture jasper beads, before too long, a new seed bead idea starts taking form in my mind.

Do you have any cures for beady burnout? Please share with us here! Or, go to BeadAndButton.com/forum and share there.

Somebody needs to set up a hotline for those affected.

Part 2: Color Choices

maggieroschyk — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:56:00 GMT

In my last blog, I talked about designing the necklace "Tidepools Reflecting Prometheus," which I made for the 2009 Convergence competition held by Bead&Button and the International Society of Glass Beadmakers. The instructions for the necklace are in the new special issue Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads.

Let’s move on to choosing colors in beaded necklaces, or, how I chose the colors for this necklace.

A while ago, I came across a wonderful quote by Darryl Carter in the magazine Phoenix Home & Garden: "Furnishing a room is like hosting a good party. Gather together different, interesting characters and let them mingle." Upon reading this quote, my little world suddenly shifted. And no, it’s wasn’t my morning double shot of espresso!

Now, keep in mind, Darryl Carter is an interior designer extraordinaire, whereas our topic here on "Maggie’s Musings" is designing and creating incredible beadwork. Read the quote again, though, and you can you see how the creative process used for furnishing a room can be applied to designing beadwork.

So, let’s get started with my color choices for "Tidepools reflecting Prometheus" (titled "Radiating Rings" in Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads).

Designing with art-glass beads and focal beads has its advantages. If I asked you to create a beaded necklace made with only seed beads, narrowing down your color choices might be daunting. Why? Because there are so many seed bead colors. You have to rely on personal preferences or color trends.

Designing with an art-glass bead or focal bead is somewhat easier, because the art-glass artist has already made some of the color choices. You can take visual cues from the focal itself when designing.

As I embarked on what would become "Tidepools reflecting Prometheus," I received two sets of art-glass discs from Kristen Frantzen Orr. One set consisted of various sized discs in shades of sea blues and greens with warm, amber swirls. On the surface, Kristen had applied frit in burnished metallic shades that gave the discs texture.

The other set of discs was made with vibrant, golden-honey shades of glass. Kristen used frit that, when melted onto the surface of the discs, looked like tiny amethysts and garnets.

My task was to highlight and showcase the incredible colors used in the art-glass discs. Easily said, but not always so easily achieved. I’ll share some tips that may help you choose colors for your next beaded creation.

Reactive / Subtractive: This is my mantra whenever I start choosing seed bead colors and accents. Oh, and by the way, this is my personal phrase … ’nuff said.

So what do I mean by Reactive / Subtractive? First, be Reactive — react to the colors in the art glass. I do this by carefully examining the art bead, noting all of the different colors in it. Then, I gather seed beads in the same shades and color values as in the art glass. I simply make a big pile of bead tubes, including accent beads. Then I pick out a burnished, metallic color. These beads may be dark bronze, pewter-like dark silver, or copper. I try to avoid shiny, light gold. You see, I’m still traumatized by’80s Dynastylike bad-costume-jewelry memories.

Back to creating. My pile of seed bead tubes grows larger as I add colors. At this point, I like to add ethereal colors to the bead pile. When I say "ethereal," I mean seed bead colors that are lighter than the shades used in the art-glass bead. Beads that have several finishes can add beautiful highlights to your beadwork, when used sparingly. Opal, gold-lined, A-B, and matte goodness in a tube! Here are some of my favorites: Delica 1458, Delica 1801, size 11 seed bead 374G, 465C, 577, F634, and 726.

Let’s move on to the Subtractive part of choosing colors. At this point, I have a big pile of seed beads and accent beads. Lots and lots of choices. I can’t use them all, but I like to have all of my options right in front of me. This is the part where I start subtracting colors.

First, I take out the colors that overwhelm the art-glass focal bead. If my focal has purple glass, does it clash with the bluish-purple seed beads? Is the opaque green too bright? If so, it’s voted off the island. The tribe has spoken! I keep eliminating colors until I have two or three foundation colors, a burnished metallic color, and my ethereal seed bead choices. One of the biggest faux pas that I see is beadwork made with lots and lots of different colors that turn into a suspicious-looking stew.

I encourage you to try my Reactive / Subtractive way of choosing your colors. It can help you out, especially when you’re in a bead store faced with hundreds of color options.

If you have a favorite seed bead color, please, please, share it with us and post it in the comments section here in this blog!

People: Read the comments, they have some amazing information!

Party on, and remember to "gather together different, interesting characters and let them mingle."

Design a necklace that makes a statement

maggieroschyk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:27:00 GMT

I just received an advance copy of the new special issue Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads, and seeing the instructions for my necklace "Tidepools Reflecting Prometheus" led me back to reconstructing just how I arrived at the design. Where did this design come from? How did I take a vague idea into a finished piece? How did I keep from losing my mind while stitching 32 components together?!

Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads goes on newsstands October 20, and can be ordered online at any time. The piece I’m referring to has the headline "Radiating rings." It’s the centerfold!!

Let’s start at the beginning of the design. Bead-maker Kristen Frantzen Orr and I have been collaborating for over eight years now, and together we’ve made more than 100 pieces of jewelry. Kristen likes to experiment with glass, and as we were gearing up to create a piece of jewelry for the Convergence competition that led to Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads, she had made some large disc beads. I fell in love with the colors that she had used in her beads, but disc beads can be challenging in design.

Kristen’s beads are large, about 35 mm in diameter. Each has intense color in the middle and organic-looking texture along the face of the bead and on the outer rim. Now, the easy way to use disc beads is to string them together. That wasn’t going to work for me, because I wanted the face of the beads to show. If I strung them together, only the rims would show.

Design Dilemma. I must confess, I started this necklace several times, trying to figure out how to showcase the discs in a new, unique way.

If you have read any of my previous blogs, (you are reading them, right?), you know how I wax on philosophically about finding inspiration in all sorts of places. So do you want to know where I drew inspiration for this necklace? The Tudors. Yes, the TV show. Am I some kind of Anglophile who loves historical drama? No, I watch these types of movies mainly to see the costumes and jewelry. Analyzing the gowns and jewelry takes my mind off the beheadings, plagues, and such. Well, in one episode, King Henry was gallivanting around with some consort, wearing this amazing necklace that featured gold discs encrusted with pearls and jewels. Each disc was linked with heavy rings of gold chain. Mother of Pearl, here was the answer to my Design Dilemma!

My design goal had been to treat each disc as a separate component, linking it together with beaded elements. In the case of my necklace, stitched seed-bead rings would be a natural substitution for King Henry’s heavy gold links. And, I love making peyote stitch rings. You know — the rings that are used in toggles. I use three sizes of seed beads: round 11, round 15, and Delica 11. Sometimes, I make these rings just to see how three colors look together.

Back to my necklace. Off I went on my beady way, stitching medallions and rings. Then, when it came to connecting the peyote rings to the medallions, I made two false starts. It was obvious that strips of flat peyote would work as connectors. My first attempt was a peyote strip that was four beads wide — too wide for the rings. Next, I tried a strip two beads wide. It was too thin. In a Goldilocks attempt, I used odd-count peyote, three beads wide, and it was just right. The necklace design started to flow together from that point on.

Now, let’s talk about color in my piece. I actually made two necklaces. The necklace selected for the Convergence exhibit has a variety of bead colors: turquoise, silvery sage, burnished bronze, and a hint of topaz. I threw in a few other colors as random acts of beady goodness.

I made the second necklace for the how-to photos that illustrate the instructions. It’s the same necklace but it’s based on another set of Kristen’s disc beads in shades of amber and topaz. The seed beads are shades of light matte-gold, topaz, ivory, and shiny bronze. Oh, and some copper size 10 two-cuts for a bit of textural interest.

In my next blog, I’ll share how I chose the colors. Yes, I may share some information that you find handy the next time you’re looking at hundreds of seed beads in the bead store.

I hope you’ll consider making this necklace. For one thing, the instructions are really easy to follow! I must give a shout out to Bead&Button Managing Editor Julia Gerlach; her editing on "Radiating Rings" is top-tier.

What's in your tool box?

maggieroschyk — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:47:00 GMT

One of my favorite joys in life is seeing how other artist create things. When I’m surfing the Web, I like to visit artists’ blogs and read about their creative processes and projects. When I’m looking for inspiration for color combinations or shapes for my beadwork, I often go to textile artists’ or silversmiths’ Web sites. Lampworkers and polymer clay artists romp around with color and provide me with color "aha" moments. Knitters and weavers construct shapes and forms that often inspire loomwork or peyote beading ideas.

A common thread that ties artists together is tools. If you go to a silversmith’s studio, you won’t see as much silver as you will see tools. These folks are serious about their hammers, pliers, and torches. Now, when you think about beadwork, the first things that come to mind are needles, thread, and beads. But there’s so much more! I thought it might be interesting to list some of the "I can’t bead without it" tools that beaders keep in their tool boxes.

Bead mat — This is the surface or material that seed beads are placed upon. It sounds lowly, but it is actually integral to successful beading. Whoever thought of cutting up a Vellux blanket and using it as a beading surface should receive a standing ovation. Sure, there are lots of different surfaces that can be used for beading. While suede and velvet work fine, I like the inexpensive bead mats that you can find at any bead store. Here’s something to consider: Choose a neutral color for your bead mat. True story. My fabulous beady friend, Debbie Purdie, was trying to learn a new stitch. She was having a bit of difficulty so I sat down beside her to see if I could help. Debbie was using a blue bead mat and her seed bead colors were in shades of blue. So, of course, all the colors were blending into each other, making it difficult for her to pick up the correct beads. I had a neutral-colored bead mat and we swapped mats. The effect was immediate. Debbie could see the different shades easily. Debbie is a real bead diva who creates gorgeous jewelry!

Needles — Let’s get right to the point, pun intended. Beading needles are essential to every beader’s tool box. You cannot bead with sewing needles and size 11 seed beads. The needle is too large to pass through the beads. When writing this blog, I took out my needle storage tin and was surprised to find that I had five types of needles. Here’s what I keep on hand:

Sizes 11 and 12 seed beading needles. The size of these needles corresponds with the size of the beads I use.

John James size 11 sharps and Pony size 12 sharps. These are my seed bead embroidery needles. They’re shorter and stronger than seed bead needles and can pierce the beading foundation with less breakage. I wore one out when beading my Bead&Button logo.

Size 13 seed bead needles. These are fragile and brittle, so I use them only when absolutely necessary.

Extra-long seed bead needles. These needles are long and thin, like supermodels. So useful when looming anything over 2 inches wide. I keep them in a separate bead tube.

Now, on to more useful tools!

Needle cases – I am fanatical about keeping needles out of the carpet. Traumatized by a story about a relative who had a needle removed from her hand, I keep all needles stored away from cats and kids. A needle case can be as simple as an empty bead tube or as elaborate as beaded needle cases.

My personal needle case is a small Curiously Strong Mints tin. I spray-painted it black and glued some beautiful marbled paper on the top. I glued a small magnetic refrigerator calendar on the inside of the bottom of the tin so that loose needles cling to it. I keep my embroidery needles in their original paper wrappers and extra-long needles in a bead tube. I glued a small first-grade school picture of my oldest son wearing a Miami Vice t-shirt in the tin, too, just to remind me about what’s truly important.

Corsage pin — Wait! Didn’t we just discuss needles? Okay, this is different. I keep a corsage pin on my bead mat for taking apart stitches. The pin is sharp but much stronger than a seed bead needle. I cannot tell you how many beading needles it has saved me from snapping in half when I’m pulling on thread to take out beadwork. To remove burrs that develop on the sharp end of the pin, I gently file the tip with an emery board or fine sandpaper. Dressmaker pins or heavier needles also work well for taking out beadwork. Truly, my seed bead needles are grateful.

Chain nose pliers — This type of pliers has a flat, smooth surface on the jaws and is perfect for gently pulling a needle and thread through a little bead hole. My pliers are pretty small and are always on my bead tray. They’re also useful for pulling a needle and thread through leather or bead embroidery foundation fabric.

Scissors — Nothing beats a great pair of scissors. Sharp scissors slice neatly through beading thread and eliminate frayed ends, making threading the needle much easier. If you use PowerPro or Fireline beading thread, use Kids Fiskar scissors, which are inexpensive and available at all office supply stores. I buy several pairs at a time and use them in classes.

Ruler — Avoid guesstimations. Keep a small ruler on your bead mat. I have a 6-inch ruler that also has centimeters for measuring semi-precious stone beads.

Permanent markers — These are useful for coloring thread to match your seed beads. Run the tip along a length of thread and wait half a minute to let the ink dry before using.

Magnifier or magnifying glass — What’s this for? Well, some beads are really, really tiny. I recently found some amazing size 22 beads so I know about really, really tiny (see Bead Soup in the

December 2009

Bead&Button).

Seriously, working with black seed beads and black thread can be tough on any beader’s eyes. If stitches need to be taken out, the black thread can almost disappear into the black beads. Don’t throw your beadwork against the wall! Use a magnifying glass or magnifying lamp lens to see thread between beads, it will ease your frustration. I would advise against doing this at a direct angle to the sun, however, it could result in a tiny pile of melted beadwork!

Let me think, what have I forgotten? I’ve probably overlooked some absolutely necessary device …

Oh! Sometimes I keep small, individually wrapped chocolates on my bead tray as a reward for finishing challenging sections of a necklace. I call them my tiny incentives. You might want to try this; it’s totally up to you.

So this concludes my list of favorite "tools." I’m certain that you have more to tell all of us about. Comments, please!

If we can’t come up with all of them together, Bead&Button magazine has an amazing glossary of beading and jewelry tools. Jeanette Cook did her own take on this in the April 2007 issue of Bead&Button, right down to the comfort or her tush. Look over the glossary and Jeanette’s article, there may be tools that you could find useful. Then send in a comment about your own tried-and-true bead tools.

When beading with color, less can be more

maggieroschyk — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:56:00 GMT

(Scene from Bead Obsessed Anonymous meeting)

"Hi, my name is Maggie and I’m a bead-fiend."

Small group of people answer back "Hi, Maggie."

If you’re reading this, it will come as no surprise that I’m rather taken by the allure of sparkly beads. Thankfully, it seems that I’m in good company with many other like-minded beady people. One of my other obsessions happens to be culinary arts. Yes, I’m a foodie! Recently, I was watching chef and writer Anthony Bourdain’s tv show "No Reservations." Tony travels all over the world, eating the local cuisine in each country he visits. He was visiting Japan in the episode I was watching, and he was learning about the art of ikebana. Ikebana is the Japanese art of floral arrangement that emphasizes shape, line and form.

You may wonder what ikebana has to do with cooking? Further more, what does it have in common with beadwork? Tony spent some time with an ikebana master and learned that less is more. His ikebana tutor placed two identical selections of branches and flowers on a table and asked Tony to create an arrangement. Mr. Bourdain cut the branches into pieces, stripped leaves off of flower stalks and ended up stuffing the mangled pieces into a bowl. The ikebana master took the other selection of branches and flowers and with zen-like composure, simply combined them into a beautiful arrangement. The master remarked that the branch and flowers should left as nature created them and not changed by cutting and altering their form. Bourdain thoughtfully commented about how chefs can go overboard with cooking techniques and spices, losing the original taste of the main ingredient.

After watching this episode, I wondered if beadwork could use a dose of "less is more."

When was the last time that you created a beaded piece that let the simplicity of the beads shine through? Color, texture, pattern — all of these can be created without a multitude of stitches. Now, I’m aware that of the fact that I love creating beadwork that’s overly engineered with lots of components and stitches but again, sometimes less is more.

So, let’s explore this idea and see where it leads us.

The October issue of B&B has a wonderful article by Diane Fitzgerald titled "Choosing color," p. 72. It’s part 5 of Diane’s 2009 Bead&Button series about designing beadwork. I like Diane’s solid advice about using colors that you love, like adding a dash of lime green. "Another option is to add a metal bead or metallic color, a suggestion offered by my first beading instructor, Helen Banes," Diane says. "A little metal suggests jewelry."

I find that whenever I create jewelry for myself and not for sale, it’s much more simple and focuses on color. I adore certain bead colors, like natural greens. The stitch that I use isn’t as important as the color(s) that are in the piece. Beads are the car that I drive in order to arrive in Color Town.

Let’s get down to basics. Here’s my mini challenge to the fine folks that read this blog. Try to create a beaded piece using one favorite color of beads. Remember me mentioning color, texture and pattern? Use a color that you adore or pick a color that you’ve wanted to explore. Texture and pattern, they can be expressed by using different sizes and shapes of the bead in your favorite color.

For example: Try stitching a wide, flat Ndebele/herringbone bracelet using different sizes of beads in alternating rows. Even if you’re using the same color of beads, using different sizes will reveal a pattern or texture. Subtle but amazing, especially if you’re using a color that you love. Monochromatic doesn’t mean boring, certainly not in the seed bead world.

Take, for example, the color black in seed beads. There’s opaque, shiny black. Black AB. Matte black. Matte AB Black. Shimmering black. All in sizes ranging from 15 to 5. Different shapes including hex, one-cut, three cut, cylindrical and, of course, round. That’s a lot going on in just one color. Other seed bead colors have even bigger ranges of finishes with new variations being created.

Simple, monochromatic colored jewelry can be strikingly gorgeous. Let simplicity reign. Try creating something new just for the love of color.

What I’m Working On (W.I.W.O)

Okay, so I haven’t been working on something for the last week. I was, however, looking at art in San Jose, Calif. Who knew that Silicon Valley was so arty?

On a drive over the mountain, into the totally awesome town of Santa Cruz, we ventured into a bead store (naturally). Bead It on Pacific Avenue.

While I was drooling over carved bone beads, I spied a chair covered completely covered in beadwork. This was no doll-sized chair. Oh, no, this was a big armchair COVERED in bead embroidery. In fact, there were two of these masterpieces and the store manager told me that they were very old and came from somewhere in Africa. Check out the pics of these chairs and marvel at the work involved

Clear up confusion about dyed beads

maggieroschyk — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:53:00 GMT

Recently, I purchased some of the newest colors of Delica size 11 seed beads being offered by Miyuki. This latest set of colors is tres, tres chic. It’s called Satin Silky but don’t be lulled into thinking that these new colors are like some of the Silky Delicas of the past, in pale, pastel shades. The new Satin Silky Delicas are lusciously rich shades. The numbers range from 1801 to 1818. Ask your bead store to stock these colors. Please be aware that these sweet, new beads are dyed, and take this into consideration.

Since I just mentioned dyed beads, it might be something to discuss. Have you ever had a bad experience with dyed beads? I certainly have. Let me share my sad tale of dyed-bead frustration and then go to the bright side with a few tips on how to avoid problems with troublesome dyed beads.

Back in the ’80s — okay, it was the late ’80s, very late — I sold beadwork occasionally at a consignment shop. Buffalo Exchange, Tucson, Ariz. — how I loved that store. In Tucson, there’s also a wonderful little bead store, Piney Hollow, where I bought the majority of my beads at that time. The store sold all sorts of Czech bead hanks and I purchased some in metallic fuschia/hot pink (hey, it was the ’80s!) and gleefully ran home to stitch them into a netted collar. I just knew that the buyer at Buffalo Exchange would think it was totally rad. Stitching away with the metallic fuschia/hot pink beads, I soon noticed that my fingers started turning … metallic fuschia/hot pink! Now, you can guess the rest of this story. You know, I still have those beads crammed into a bag somewhere.

For years, after that incident, I avoided dyed beads like a vampire dodging sunlight. Slowly, I was lured back to dyed beads, especially when I noticed that the Japanese bead companies were offering some colors that were dyed. My last dyed-bead faux pas was using a particular shade of pumpkin orange. My fingers didn’t turn orange but the orange dye coating wore off in spots, revealing white glass underneath. You would think that I would swear off dyed beads after. Being an ardent supporter of "No Bead Left Behind," however, it’s hard to turn my back on this segment of seed-bead society. So I’ll share some tips for using dyed beads. I would love to hear your ideas and tips, too! We all learn from each other.

Testing, selecting, and using dyed beads

Check for colorfastness by laying the seed beads on a white towel dampened with water. Wait a few minutes to see if the color bleeds on the towel. If there’s noticeable color on the towel, there will be a ring of color around your neck if you use the beads in a necklace. (I’ve read that some folks spray window cleaner onto the beads, but that seems a bit harsh.)
What about beads that have a metallic or galvanized finish that rubs off? I’ve read about using Krylon™ spray to coat metallic beads, but when I tried spraying a clear coat on silver Czech beads, I ended up with beads stuck together and clogged holes! Instead, ask your bead shop owner about permanent finish metallic beads. The colors are bright and beautiful … heck, there’s even metallic fuschia/hot pink!
What if you’re aching to use seed beads that have questionable colorfastness? Here’s how I handle the situation. Most seed-bead necklaces or bracelets aren’t made up of just one color. If you want to use a shade of seed beads that has a dubious color fix, don’t make it the main color of your work. For example, for a Cellini spiral necklace, use the suspicious color near the core and not along the edge. Use dyed beads in areas that aren’t going to receive a lot of contact when worn. Let’s not forget hand lotions, hair spray, perfumes and perspiration, as they wreak havoc on jewelry of all types.

Have you been avoiding some bead finishes because you fear the color wearing off? With some of the new permanent finishes on the market, maybe it’s time to try dyed beads once more. I can’t wait to use the new Delica Satin Silky beads, but I will test them on a white towel first, just to make sure.

Have you experienced colorfast mishaps? If so, were you able to fix the fading beads? Please tell us, we would all love to hear about it.

On a different note, if you'd like to try dying pearls, Bead&Button tells you how to do it in the VintageStyle Jewelry article "The dye is cast," which also includes instructions and a materials list to make a beautiful strung lariat. And if you can't find the right thread color, you can color thread to match your beads. It's all explained in "Color outside the Fireline," in the April 2009 issue of Bead&Button.

Summertime and the beading’s easy…..

maggieroschyk — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Summer is such a busy time for beading folk, as vacations take us away from our usual haunts. Traveling, whether to the nearest town or across the country, gives one a perfect opportunity to check out museums, art galleries, and, of course, bead stores. When I go somewhere new I keep an eye out for bead stores. I never know what treasures I’ll find. Not that I need to buy more beads, but just in case …

Taking a portable bead stash is mandatory; how else would I keep my sanity at the airport? I have a zippered case that is small but has room for thread, scissors, extra reading glasses, a small bead mat, three to five tubes of beads (hey, I need color options!), and several needles.

Summer is also buzzing with conferences, retreats, bead shows, and workshops. The metal clay and polymer clay conferences were recent highlights. The International Society of Glass Beadmakers’ Gathering just concluded in Miami, Fla., and Bead&Button Managing Editor Julia Gerlach was there, hatching new story ideas and shopping at the Bead Bazaar.

All of these learning, teaching, and idea-sharing opportunities make me feel like I’m part of something big. The cool thing is that during the summer, we have chances to see new things, learn new skills, and broaden our little creative worlds. Maybe you won’t even have time to act upon the incredible things that can be made with precious metal clay or polymer clay leaf canes or gorgeous rivolis; just make those sketches anyway. I have several notebooks that contain my scrawled sketches and vague ideas. They come into play on dreary days when I feel uninspired.

Speaking of motivation — did you know that there is a plethora of beading videos on the Bead&Button Web site?

Mother of pearl!!! I had no idea that there were so many! Go to BeadAndButton.com and click on How To, then Videos.

Just for kicks, here’s a few links.

Simple exchange designed by Becky Patellis

This video is an excellent example of how kumihimo braiding can be combined with beads, and the result is a beautiful beaded cord. I don’t know about you, but kumihimo seems fascinating yet a bit confusing to try without instructions. This video is super-helpful, and makes kumihimo easy. It includes details that I wouldn’t pick up on my own. After watching this awesome video, I put kumihimo on my to-do list.

Over and Under, Wendy Turri's herringbone bracelet from page 51 of The Beader's Handbook. My BFF Julia demonstrates how to bead up this intriguing variation of herringbone. By the way, if you haven’t tried herringbone/Ndebele, you are missing out!

Okay, it’s time to come clean and admit my horrible little secret: I’ve never learned bead crochet. There it is, now everyone knows. After seeing Wintery medley designed by Virginia Blakelock from the December 2008 Bead&Button issue, I’m thinking that I need to learn. Anna Elizabeth Draeger shows how to start a bead crochet rope. Crocheted ropes are really nice looking. Maybe it’s time to trade the bead needle for a tiny, steel crochet hook.

If you’d like to learn how to crochet, an excellent place to start is the October 2008 issue of Bead&Button and Julia’s Tubular bead crochet. Even though the magazine provides top-tier, detailed instructions for each project, seeing a video is so helpful. Now I just need to buy the aforementioned tiny steel crochet hook.

You know, I find it ironic that several of the videos that I’ve discussed are actual techniques that I’ve been too skittish to try. After watching the videos several times, I can see myself trying these stitches, especially bead crochet. My bead stash has a healthy accumulation of size 6 beads that I seldom use. Wouldn’t these larger-sized beads be great to start with?

So, my beady friends, have you watched any of the fantastic videos at BeadAndButton.com? If so, how about some comments? We’d love to hear what you think about the videos!

W. I. W. O. (What I’m working on – Whee Woo)

After confessing to my profound lack of tubular crochet skills, I decided to give it a try.

I followed the excellent instructions listed above and managed to make a 4-inch length of tubular crochet using size 6 beads strung on Stringth cord. Maybe I was a little tense. All that can be said about my first attempt is that my tubular bead crochet will come in mighty handy if I decide to make, oh, let’s say, horse bridles or tow ropes.

How I made my bead-embroidered Bead&Button logo

maggieroschyk — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:29:00 GMT

Have you seen the Welcome page in the latest copy of Bead&Button?

Take a look and you’ll be able to follow along!

I’d like to share my experience of creating a somewhat larger-scaled bead embroidery project — the Bead&Button logo now pictured in the August 2009 issue of the magazine. I’ll share the joys of stitching thousands and thousands of beads and the tips and techniques that are born from mistakes. Oh, yes, mistakes were made — but that’s how we learn. So, lucky you!

Here’s how it all began, innocently enough.

Going into the Kalmbach Publishing building and taking the stairs to the Bead&Button magazine offices is an extraordinary experience for anyone even remotely interested in beads. It’s like a beehive (maybe a bead hive) buzzing with activity. My first time there, I was walking around the halls gazing (and drooling) over past and present examples of incredible beadwork, all the while trying to maintain my composure. That was when a light-bulb moment went off in my mind. I thought about stitching up an embroidered, beaded logo for the magazine.

I ever so casually mentioned my idea to Managing Editor Julia Gerlach, trying the keep the quavering excitement out of my voice. The Beaded Logo idea was well received, to my relief.

I was off and running with a new project in mind, heady with the exhilaration that comes from knowing that you’ve just bit off way more than you can possibly chew. The deadline for completing this project was three (3) months away, so, of course, I spent the first month frozen with fear and accomplished nothing.

The second month rolled around and it dawned, quite harshly, on me that I had better get to beading because so much of my street cred was riding on finishing this next-to-impossible project! As you see, I did finish this piece, but there were more than a few challenging moments. Might as well review some of the things that I learned along the way.

Dimensions of the Beaded Logo: 8 x 10 inches

Types of beads used: Sizes 15 and 11 Czech and Japanese seed beads, size 11 Delica seed beads, three Swarovski rivolis, two vintage-style Czech glass buttons, coin pearls, turquoise cabochons, freshwater pearls, Swarovski bicones and drops and sew downs, Czech fire-polished faceted glass beads, Bali vermeil spacers, and Japanese bugle beads and magatama drops. A big representation of what you’d find in any bead store.

Thread: Nymo nylon, size D — probably a couple of miles in length!

Embroidery foundation: Heavyweight inner facing, non-fusible (very important), available at fabric stores. Very inexpensive. I buy a yard at a time so that if I mess up, I have more on hand. Not that something like that would ever happen, I’m just saying.

Adhesive: E-6000 glue for the big Czech glass buttons, rivolis and cabochons. The backing leather and

cardboard stiffener were attached to the bead embroidery using Thermoweb, which is like a double-sided tape and is available in large-sized sheets.

Helpful hints

Use an embroidery hoop if you’re going to be stitching anything larger than five inches in diameter. An embroidery hoop will make the process much easier. Try to find a hoop that is one inch larger in diameter than the entire design that you’re stitching in order to avoid dreaded "hoop marks" on your foundation.

Choose your design wisely. Intricate designs can be very challenging in bead embroidery. Decide which style or technique of bead embroidery you’ll be using. Yes, there are different styles and techniques. Do a little research and check out the different types used by Marcus Amerman, Sherry Serafini, Laurie Marcum, and Robin Atkins. Bead&Button has a great new Stitch Workshop column on bead embroidery on page 18 of the current August 2009 issue. The column includes a glossary with illustrations of seven stitches, too. It also has a really cute project, "Bold buttons," on page 42, with a materials list, instructions, how-to photos, and patterns — everything you need you make bead-embroidered buttons.

Back to helpful hints. Pick bead sizes that fit your design. String 30 of the seed beads that you plan to use. Now, lay them on top of your design to see if the size of seed beads fits. You can always photocopy your personal copy of the pattern and enlarge it, or use different sizes of beads. Make these adjustments now and save yourself some frustration.

Color in the background of your design with a permanent marker that roughly matches the color of the beads that you’re using. On a master piece large in size like my logo, you don’t want the white foundation to show through.

Start stitching in the middle. Why, you ask? Because each line of seed beads is a certain width and working from the middle allows you to make tiny adjustments as you stitch outward; there’s less distortion of the pattern. AS you stitch, remember that the lines and direction of stitching can suggest texture and motion. Remain consistent. For my logo, I embroidered each letter in the logo consistently in order to avoid a patch-worked look.

Backing and finishing

As I mentioned before, the Bead&Button Beaded Logo is approximately 8 x 10 inches — practically the size of a sheet of typing paper. Fortunately, I had a piece of thin lambskin leather that size. You could use Ultra-suede or faux leather, just make sure that you can pass a needle through your backing.

Don’t try using something flimsy for larger-sized bead embroidery. The beads are heavy and need support. Thin cardboard from a cereal box gave my project a stiff lining. When it came time to press everything together, I used Thermoweb to save myself aggravation. I’m not a big fan of using glue to attach backing to any beadwork, not even cuff bracelets. For me, using double-sided adhesive tape is much easier than spreading glue thinly and smoothly.

So, there you have it. Three, uh, two months’ time stitching. You know, when I finally finished the logo I stood and looked at it for a while. I really did learn a lot from tackling a bigger project than I normally work on, and it’s given me confidence to try one that’s bigger and better.

Can you believe that I have another big bead embroidered design on my design drawing board?

Hey, I’ve shared some tips for bead embroidery. How about you? E-mail your comments, tips or thoughts to me. And look for more Bead&Button embroidery projects at BeadAndButton.com/projects. Search "Embroidery" in the Style/Stitch category.

Out of the bead stash and around your neck

maggieroschyk — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:51:00 GMT

Now that the Bead&Button Show is over for 2009, it’s time for me to spread out the goodies that I purchased. This year, I found myself holding back on purchases and tried to buy items only on my shopping list. When a strand of faceted rhyolite drops caught my eye, I reminded myself that I have a strand that closely resembles it at home.

I walked away from some purchases but did make progress ticking off items on the aforementioned list. Now that I’m at home, looking over strands of beads, art glass and other baubles, I wonder why I chose to buy some things and not others?

Do you ever look over your bead stash, pick up certain tubes of seed beads or perhaps a large crystal and say to yourself, "why did I buy this?"

This conversation can turn negative quicker than you can lose a bead needle in shag carpeting. Next thing that happens is a trip down the shame spiral, with all of the creativity in the room getting sucked into it. Don’t let this happen to you!

Let’s turn the beading boat around and head for happy shores. Here are some tips for getting out the beads that you had shoved to the back of your bead stash and putting them around your neck.

Okay, this will require some dedication and maybe a day or two of your time. Consider it an investment that will yield treasures.

Spread out the beads that you own. Yes, even the weird ones that you’ve squirreled away under all the good stuff. Daunting, I know. Tell yourself that taking an inventory of what’s in those drawers will be so rewarding. If that doesn’t help, bribe yourself with a bag of fresh chocolate chips. Whatever it takes!

Now get up and leave the room. This is no time to start with the negative feelings and shame over having three tubes of the same color seed beads. Take a break and clear your mind.
Break’s over! Go back to your mini kingdom of beads with fresh eyes. Pretend that your accumulation of beads is in a bead shop. Give your shop a name, Maggie’s Lil’ Bead Store would be fab. Then go shopping in YOUR store.
Search Bead&Button’s projects at BeadAndButton.com/projects, or page through one of your copies of the magazine until a project jumps out at you. Then shop in your bead stash for the items you’ll need. While shopping, be sure to lavish praise on the totally chic shop owner (honey, that’s you!).
You’re gonna be on a roll once you start this. Keep some large sandwich bags handy. Place the magazine and beads for the project inside. You can even jot down notes to reference later. Keep going and don’t discriminate against the weird beads that you had previously rejected. Many a romance blooms at 20-year high school reunions!

I hear this all the time: "I love these beads but don’t know what to do with them." Last year, I went through a big bead-buying phase. By big, I don’t mean quantity, I mean size. I couldn’t resist buying large stone beads, gnormous-sized round beads. After a family intervention (I’m kidding!) it became clear that I was going to need to make something with the big beads. Here’s how I took my big beads out of the stash and put them around my neck.

Problem: Strands of semi-precious stone beads temporarily strung on fishing line, usually 16 to 18 inches long. You once loved the color, the shape, or were suffering from extreme bead lust. They’re languishing in your bead stash because you don’t know what to make with them.
Solution: Rekindle your love by stringing up those big beauties in a simple necklace. Use a heavier Soft Flex beading wire, along with a decent clasp. If your strand isn’t long enough for a necklace, add neutral spacer beads or make a simple bracelet.

Bring your beads into play by wearing them and you’ll become inspired to use them in different ways. You could wear a simple bracelet around for a few days and then try pairing it up with other beads to see how they look. The aha moment will arrive and you’ll be clearing the furniture for a happy dance.

What’s in the picture?

I just finished writing an article for Bead&Button about designing jewelry that fits the wearer. I needed photos of examples of various industry lengths for necklaces, so I strung simple necklaces that range from 14 inches to more than 40 inches long. The necklaces didn’t need any fancy briollettes or intricate beading, just simple beads to show different lengths. I used some of my big stone beads, since there was an abundance of them in my bead stash, and intended on taking these long lengths apart when the photo shoot was finished. Funny thing is, I actually like these new simple strands! They look smashing when paired with shorter, more finely detailed necklaces.

I hope these tips will help you take your sparkly treasures out of the trash stash. Create something now and start enjoying your beads!

The Bead&Button Show is over and I'm exhausted!

maggieroschyk — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:12:00 GMT

The 2009 Bead&Button Show is complete and it feels like the week after a major holiday! Even though the show staff, teachers, and exhibitors organize everything — make all the food and wrap all the presents, so to speak — hosts and guests alike are still winding down. Monday morning found me barely able to lift my coffee cup. Why? Because I TALKED TO A JILLION PEOPLE!

This was my third show. I lived in the Southwest until recently moving to Wisconsin, and now I’m near enough to Milwaukee that I can go back and forth to the show from home and sleep in my own bed. I know — it’s an incredible luxury. That said, if you haven’t been to the show, I feel your pain, sistah. Simply explain to your family or friends that Wisconsin is a terrific vacationland, especially the first week in June! E-mail them links to Milwaukee and Wisconsin travel sites and suggest quality-time ball games, festivals, museums, and water parks that they can take in together (while you’re at the show).

If that doesn't work, live vicariously! Make plans to get together with a lucky friend or acquaintance who just returned from the show. The crazy cool thing about the Bead&Button Show is that people from all over the place come together for a week and then return home with knowledge of the latest techniques, fabulous purchases, and most important — new friends.

When you’re at the show, you can feel the creative energy coming off the showroom floor. It positively buzzes (and no, it isn’t the coffee)! Explain to your significant other that it’s like the last inning/quarter/period of a tied baseball/football/hockey game. Everyone is focused, connected, and energized. The Bead&Button Show is also like a huge think tank for beaders. They take the show’s energy home, spread it around in their corner of the world, and it’s a beautiful thing. Many take pictures and even blog about their experiences. Find someone who has been to the show and ask her to dish all the details.

Now, back to me talking to a jillion people. I did talk to a lot people, but mostly I listened — that’s how we learn. If you’re a loyal reader of my blog, (and who isn’t, hmmm?) you may remember that I was up on my soapbox preaching the value of handcrafted jewelry in "Make your jewelry one of a kind." I stated that "handmade now means luxurious, unique, limited edition." I heard this sentiment echoed over and over again as I walked up and down the aisles of booths at the show. Art glass people, seed bead jewelry designers, polymer clay artists, gold and silver smiths and, of course, finished jewelry artisans — everyone talked less about the economy and more about a movement that’s taking place within the hearts and minds of handicraft artists. I want to make one point clear: These ideas and concepts being bandied about aren’t just for those wishing to sell their pieces in galleries. The move toward high quality, specifically seed bead jewelry, starts with beginning beaders receiving top-notch instruction and selecting high-quality materials to work with.

Speaking of receiving top-notch instructions, I took a polymer clay class, "Fabulous Foliage: 8+ from 1 Leaves," from Lynne Anne Swarzenberg of River Poet Designs. You know, I’m always talking about how people become stagnant in their craft and that everyone should learn something that’s a little out of her comfort zone, so I signed up for this class.

Let’s just say that I was challenged. Conditioning the hard Kato polymer clay was, well, look at the pic at the top of this blog and you’ll see what I mean. My pieces of conditioned clay looked like a map of Italy. But it was cool because Lynne Anne is an awesome teacher and a real trooper when you consider that she was teaching with a badly sprained ankle. That’s dedication.

I learned so much in this class about caning. Who knew?! You can do so many things with basic caning skills. I’m inspired to take what I learned and apply it to some new designs floating around in my head.

May I ask you, gentle readers, to please take time, however much you need, and re-charge your creative batteries.

Maybe you were able to go to the Bead&Button Show, perhaps could not, it doesn’t matter. Regardless, set aside a few moments to prioritize, make lists, and draw sketches for new designs as your work your way through the latest issue of Bead&Button. DAYDREAM and find that new spark of creativity that lives in all of us. After that, thread that needle, whack that clay, hammer that silver and see what you can craft by hand.