Pop on Top Bracelets

Pop on Top Bracelets

(new ones)

 

When we lived in Hemlock, NY I used to teach several different sewing classes at a fabric store in Honeoye. One of the perks of the class was that I was always making shirts for my family to show how it was done.

 

 

 

I demonstrated how to cut, sew and finish, usually shirts with ribbed necks (above) or the more popular collar and placket 3 button openings. My husband still wears some. (He never throws out anything - but that is another story)

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I taught Kumihimo for the Beading group at the Ames Library recently, I found a similar perk. I now have 3 new bracelets.

 

 

 

 

It took me awhile to actually finish them with clasps since I really only showed finishes and did not do it in the class time. Now I've finished them!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I used the pattern from Sally Battis that she calls "Pop on Top".

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've made Kumihimo bracelets with the long Magatama beads before and I really like them but sometimes they seem a bit thick and bulky to wear.

 

 

 

 

This pattern uses seed beads for the bottom part

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the Magatama beads to "Pop on the Top" of the bracelet. You may notice that I used different beads in this example and not Magatamas. Good catch!

 

 

 

 

 

Now that these are finished, I've added them to my website. You can see/purchase them here.

 

Birthstone Gifts

Birthstone Gifts

 

 

One of the things people like to give as gifts is jewelry with birthstones. It is a more personal gift and usually very appreciated.

If you do a "Google" search for Birthstones, you will get many choices. With in the choices you will find some disagreement in what specific Birthstone that fits each month. To simplify things, I chose the list of Swarovski crystals. That fits better into my jewelry making anyhow. Most months are pretty much the same in each list. April isn’t a diamond but (clear) crystal. October has a few choices as does December and June. Other choices for October are Opal, Light Rose and Green Tourmaline. For December other choices are Turquoise and Light Sapphire. For June, Pearl is another choice.
 

 

Most chain maille jewelry can have Swarovski crystals added to make a birthstone piece. Of course you can make a bracelet or necklace of just Swarovski crystals with some spacers

Another idea is Family, Grandmother or Mother's bracelets. Having the color of each birth month of each child. Here is an example of one with the child's name and October birthstone, sapphire.

 

Think of the people on your gift list. Would someone appreciate birthstone jewelry? You can design one of your own that will be special to the recipient.

You can see some suggestions of Angel Birthstones on my website. Actually, almost any angel will make a good gift. Do consider birthstones as gifts.

 

Let me know what you want to design for your gift(s).

 

Until next week,

Bev

 

New Video Magatama Kumihimo

New Video

Magatama Kumihimo

 

If you have been following my posts, you probably know what I mean by Magatama Kumihimo.

 

But if it is new to you: Magatama is a type of seed bead. Seed beads usually are small beads (seed like) Magatamas are not your normal seed bead.

 

 

 

 

They have a very distinctive shape. The holes are slanted rather that going straight through the bead. There are smaller magatama beads, too, however.

These are 4 x 7mm in size.

 

 

   

 

 

And they come in hundreds of different colors. It is great fun trying different arrangements of the magatama beads as well as using different colors. They can be strung all in one direction to have a "pine cone" effect or in a random fashion. Then you can add other seed beads and come up with an entirely different look. And of course, the colors can be in a pattern or completely mixed.

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, I made a video of the various Magatama Kumihimo bracelets I've made. It shows the different patterns that can be made and many of the different colors and color patterns. As you watch the video, see if you can pick out the ones that are the "pine cone" pattern (strung in all one direction) or the ones with random stringing. You've seen them all before but having them all in one place may help understanding how they really look. (Unless you have seen them in person, it really isn't clear.) This doesn't even touch the many variations that can be made.

 

 

 

 

 

The Kumihimo part is how the magatama beads are woven together. Kumihimo is Japanese braiding using (in my case) a foam disk. This is a picture of the disk and how it looks in progress.

 

 

 

 

 

Fibers and not beads are shown here - in case you are looking closely. But the idea is the same.

 

  

So, click on the picture below or here to view the video. Enjoy. (I really like the music that I was able to add even though it stopped before the end of the video.)

 

 

 

You can purchase or find more information on these Magatama and other Kumihimo bracelets on my website by clicking here.

 

You can feel like a "Devil Woman"  while watching   ;-)

 

Golden Raspberry

Kumihimo Bracelet

 

 

 

 

While on Thanksgiving vacation on Cape Cod last week, I made 3 new Kumihimo Bracelets. Two are similar to others I've made and one is quite different. I'm featuring the different one this week. (Actually, I haven't really finished the other two.  My reason for the feature - is because this bracelet is different, and I'm sticking to it!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may recognize it as the bracelet I showed under construction last week.

 

 

 

 

 

However, I was able to get a better picture of the lovely colors at home and show the hammered Antique Brass toggle clasp I found for the finish. Though nothing is like seeing it in person.

 

 

The other two should be finished next week. In the mean time you can see more information by clicking on the pictures or clicking here: Golden Raspberry bracelet and go to my website.

 

 

(Always remember you can email me anytime, if your prefer)

 

Until my Friday Special and next week,

 

 

Bev

Finding Things

Finding Things

(Lots of Luck!)

 

I have a habit, when I can't find something, of "cleaning". When I start doing that, if I find what I'm looking for, I can stop cleaning   ;-)

 

When you make jewelry, you have LOTS of little  things and it is very easy to lose some of them. They can, also, "hide" in plain sight.

 

 

 

Now think of a chain maille jump ring.

 

Even if you find a stray jump ring, the hunt is not over. Mostly because it is almost impossible to find the size you were looking for. I have a tin of smaller jump rings. They are mostly 20 and 22 gauge and inside diameters of  1.5mm to about 5.00mm. Yes, very  small!

 

 

 

I keep the tin in a sealed plastic bag. Reason for the plastic bag: I dropped a similar container with 6 mm crystals on the floor once. Youngest grandson helped me pick them up but I had to sort them. Sorting those small rings into the proper tins would give you fits. So, I try not to get into that kind of a situation.

 

Most of the jump rings I find on the floor are larger but still hard to match up with their mates. I have a pile of odd sizes waiting to be matched. I'll probably sort them out some day,  when I can't find what I want.

 

 

 

 

Anyhow, my recent cleaning led me to all my little plastic bags. Oh, there are many different size plastic bags! Most of them contained rings, beads etc. from my purchases. Some 2 inches by 2 inches and some larger. You really don't need big bags to hold beads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I have one big bag of lots of plastic bags, sorted by size. Would you believe it? I'm not sure I do. But my desk looks much neater.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I have not, yet, found what I started looking for. Actually, two things. I recently made a Kumihimo bracelet from hemp. I now want to make something else with the remaining cords - but they are MIA so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am also looking for a small clip I use to start a particular chain maille pattern. The pattern is easy but starting is very hard with out the "trick" of using this clip.

 

I have a small bag full of these clips. This type are very hard to find. They make clips that are much fancier than these. They are small and boy, can they hide.

 

 

 

So, the cleaning continues. When I find what I'm looking for, I can stop cleaning and make a new hemp bracelet and a half Persian chain maille bracelet. No use in starting with out the clip!

 

 

 

 

I did recently make a new Magatama Kumihimo bracelet. More fall colors but nice none the less.

 

Click on the picture or here for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until  next week,

 

Bev

 

New Items

New Items

Firecracker plus

 

 

 

I made this at the request of a friend who saw some of my other Magatama Kumihimo bracelets. This is sold but I can make a similar one. It is almost impossible to make pieces exactly alike in this pattern. So many different variables. The way the colors are arranged on the disk, the clasp etc.

 

 

 

 

 

The colors would not have been MY first choice but after seeing the finished bracelet, I really like them. My supplier has over 72 different colors to choose from (I know that should be 'from which to choose') If you use about four different colors per bracelet that is a lot of choices!

 

She provided the clasp and there is another choice to make.

 

 

 

 

Here is a close up of the beads.

 

Contact me if you are interested in having your very own Firecracker type bracelet.

 

(Since it is sold, it is not on the website but others are) Click  here for More info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My other new bracelet, Polka Dot, is of interest because of the new kind of clasp, rather than the design though the design is interesting, too. Clasps are always hard to put on yourself and that is what makes magnetic clasps so desirable. But they also have some draw backs.

 

 

 

 

That always reminds me of the first magnetic clasp bracelet I made along time ago. It wasn't very strong and led to the following story:

 

"I've lost my new bracelet, please, let me know if you find it." I knew it was in the house but not where.

Shortly, my husband walked into the room with the lost bracelet. "Where did you find it?"

"In the freezer" The freezer had more attraction than I did, I guess.

 

Consequently, I have not made any more magnetic clasp bracelets since. Until now.

 

 

 

 

This clasp is magnetic and includes the end caps BUT in addition has a locking feature such that with just a small turn, the clasp is securely locked in place. Just untwist and pull to open. How is that for coolness in a clasp?

 

 

 

 

The combination of end caps and clasp is a great cost saver both for me and for you as a customer.

 

 

I call this one "Polka Dot" and it is on the website with more  more pictures. Click on the pictures or here for more information.

 

 

New Kumihimo Bracelets

New Kumihimo Bracelets

I'm very excited to show you these new Kumihimo bracelets.

Awhile ago I showed you the Necklace made with Magatama seed beads. 

By mixing four different colors and also varying the direction of the beads, the look is very different than the one I showed you before.

I named this one "Blue Danube"

You can see more pictures and information about this bracelet on the website.

It is very hard to just make one so, I made one more. It only has two different colors but the colors are varied in the way they are put on the disk to be braided. Plus the directions of the beads are varied too.

This one is called "Sea Green"

You can see more pictures and information about this bracelet on the website.

The bracelet is about 5/8 inches wide but is not heavy. Because it is thick you need a slightly longer length for the bracelet than you normally would, so this measures over 8 inches in length but fits my normally 7 1/2 inch wrist.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Until this Friday's special

Bev

website:http://ringbyringdesigns.com

Email:info@ringbyringdesigns.com

or       bevcarlson@comcast.net

Also find Ring by Ring Designs on Facebook http://facebook.com/ringbyring

and Twitter http://twitter.com/#!ringbyring

Beaded Kumihimo bracelet

This is one of the unfinished pieces I found with my Kumihimo necklaces on my card table recently.

Awhile ago I had a post on teaching beaded Kumihimo. To teach the class, I started a bracelet that was like one I had made before. The purpose was to demonstrate the technique. The picture I showed in my recent post was of the one I made before.



Since I made that one, I have found a different type of ending that I really prefer and that is what I showed my student. So, this time, I took a picture of the finished bracelet with these endings. I found these at Rings and Things but have also seen them in my local bead store. They "crimp" and do not require glue. Glue is always so messy. At least when I use glue. They are much easier to use, a real plus.

New style:
Former style:


What do you think of the different types of endings?
It can be purchased at 1000 Markets.com

B


www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

Kumihimo class

The Internet never ceases to amaze me. How people find things in particular. I had an email from a lady in MA asking about Kumihimo. Specifically, if I taught Kumihimo. As of then, I have only taught Chain Maille but would be willing to give it a try.

After many back and forth emails, we settled on a class for her here in my home. She was very pleased and I got started on some written instructions and materials for her to purchase. (Since I'm not a bead store, she would need to bring her own materials.) I gave her a list of possibilities and appropriate choices.

She came Friday morning and we got to work. It was fun getting to know her and the skills she already had. She is a knitter and crocheter plus she has many other craft skills. (Much like most craft people, she has more than one interest). I also found out she is a perfectionist. She didn't mind starting over when the first attempts were not quite right.

She had settled on making a bracelet like the one above. I had an extra focal bead and some center crimp end loops. The picture above has end caps and I have since learned that I prefer the crimps. (No gluing!) She finished half of the bracelet in our class and was very pleased with the result. It looked great. Nice work.

One thing I need to point out, however, is that she also taught me something in the process. One of those "Duh!" things. The kind of thing a new person is apt to notice; not just following the way shown, at least with out asking questions. The bobbins unwinding have always given me fits. Despite many different attempts, short of buying new bobbins, I still have a problem with them unwinding. The fear is that beads will fall off and go all over the floor. Plus the way the long strings hinder your movements are a bother, especially to someone just learning.

The thing I learned: tie a knot in the end of the thread so the beads can't come off if it unwinds. Well, "Duh!" She also suggested using a different kind of bobbin. Maybe like some of the knitting bobbins. That I'll have to look into but certainly worth the look.

Isn't it nice to learn something new, even if you are the teacher? What have you learned from someone else lately?

B

Finished new Kumihimo Bracelet!

Here is a picture of my latest attempt to make my "Nemesis" bracelet. I'm not kidding. It is a story I really shouldn't reveal. It started about a year ago with a nice focal bead that I found at my local bead store. It happened to match some tear drop seed beads that I had. I was still fairly new at making Kumihimo but it seemed to be a good match. It really is a good match.



The problem was with "tear drop" seed beads and being new to Kumihimo. Stringing the tear drop beads was different and a little harder than regular seed beads but not really a problem. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of these beads so I had to count them out to make sure I had enough. I did.

When I started the braiding, I noticed it was harder to keep the beads under the previous cord. They wanted to pop up. The results was not so good. I noticed that there were holes in the finished braid. So, I started over again... and again. Unfortunately, I didn't see one of the holes until I was finished. That makes starting over really starting over not just undoing. Well, I did that twice and then decided I'd better put it aside for awhile.

After starting to reorganize after I got my new workspace/table the project resurfaced. Do I just ignore it or should I try again? I guess you know the answer to that question. So, I laid out my project



I made the first half with no problem and I was very proud of myself. What is it "Pride goes before a fall"? After adding the focal bead, the second half was like the first attempts. Beads dropped (thanks to my eagle eyed grandchildren I found them) Then I started noticing holes again - gheez, I'm loosing it. The third time I was determined to watch each bead added to make sure it was secure. That worked well until I got too comfortable again and decided to braid in my comfy chair instead of my workspace. Oops, one string let go and went all over the chair. The next day I turned the chair upside down and found all of the beads! Plus some other goodies that hide in chairs. (No money though)




So, after loading the found beads on the cord again and sitting back at my workspace/table, I was again back in business and finished with out any more mishaps.



You may notice that I still need to add a clasp. Easy peasy - I hope.

Lessons learned

Don't use tear drop seed beads with out being aware of the possible pit falls.
Practice first
Sit in a good spot where you can catch errant beads and
Pay attention to what you are doing!

B


www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

Third Kumihimo Bracelet

This bracelet is a bit plain compared to some of my other Kumihimo bracelets but it is one of those go with most everything colors.

The color on the package named it "Iris" and in fact the seed beads do look like all colors of Iris that I've ever seen (well, in blues anyhow) It is hard to get a good picture of the color variations plus the iridescence of the color.

It is finished with a small heart lobster claw toggle.

B

Second Kumihimo Bracelet

I really like this one. The long focal in the middle has blues and greens swirled around the length of the bead.

I found a nice mixture of beads that range from light blue to a darker blue with pinks and peridot colors that seem to compliment the focal bead.

I used a secure lobster claw clasp to finish the bracelet.

I have one more to share with you soon.

B

Violet and Black Kumihimo Bracelet

This is one of the Kumihimo bracelets I made while on vacation at Thanksgiving time. I showed a picture of it unfinished in a previous post.

I found a nice sterling silver square toggle with some cute flowers as decoration to use for the clasp.

It gives it a nice finish I think.

I still have a bit of problem with the color though it doesn't look blue anyhow as my first pictures did. The colors are black and light violet. Actually, it is a pretty good color, at least on my monitor.

I have two more bracelets to show soon.

B

Vacation Kumihimo bracelet

We got back from a week on Cape Cod on Saturday. We had a great time with many relatives joining us for Thanksgiving. Five from NH, two from NJ, four from MA, two from VT and one from MD. The usual gathering - rounds of Pinochle, jig saw puzzles with my youngest grandson. (The one who doesn't take "no" for an answer) The older grandson was more interested in the adult card games and is slowly learning how to play Pinochle. He'll be a "Carlson" yet. We also had several games of "Oh, Hell"and interesting round of Balderdash late Friday night. Plus lots of food!

My husband and I arrived on Saturday and had several days before the others came. So, I had some time to make some jewelry. Not having much in the way of Internet access, it took me until Wednesday to find out I had an order for 7 Lexie Bracelets. Yay! Fortunately, that is one of the things I was working on, until I ran out of daisy spacers. (They are on order) So I started some Kumihimo bracelets. It is impossible to bring everything you need to make jewelry, so, they are not finished but I thought I'd share what is finished. The "mixture" of seed beads in the first bracelet seems to pick up the colors in the focal bead.

The second one is black and violet. Now (my excuse and I'm sticking to it) is that I didn't have much other than my camera with me to take pictures. That is the coffee table in our little house in the background. The worst picture is the only one that shows the color as violet. All the others came out black and blue. Got to work on that when it is finally finished with a clasp and all.

Sorry for the poor pictures but that's the way it is right now. I hope the daisys come tomorrow so I can get busy on the Lexie bracelets and the last show of this season on Saturday. (Homepsun Treasures in North Easton, MA)

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving too.

B