Kumihimo Necklace: How to?

Kumihimo Necklace: How to ?

 

It seems that I run into times that I just don't get much done in the "creating" line. This is one of those times. So, what happens to the subject for my weekly posts?

 

 

I'll share a little secret with you. Around 4 - 6 AM on Monday mornings, I lay in bed and think... about what I might say. (I often lay in bed thinking on other mornings, too) Most often I come up with something easily. Today (Monday) not so easily. Finally, I decided to share one of my unfinished projects that I have.

 

 

 

I love this bracelet. Those of you who see me often will recognize that because I wear it often. So, the next project for me was to make a matching necklace.

 

 

 

 

 

The bracelet is made from a kit from Sally Battis and I figured I could order two bracelet kits and make a necklace. What I didn't figure, ahead of time, was that Sally includes the length cord for a bracelet. - Not a necklace, even if you order two kits. Well, duh!

 

 

 

 

 

So, I now have a bracelet size piece. Plus another bracelet size piece. But can I still make them into a necklace?

 

 

 

 

 

I could just order more from Sally (I'm sure she would send me the proper length cords) but could I do something else?

 

 

My plan is to take the two "bracelet" pieces and put a pretty clasp on two ends, (hooking the two bracelets together) then add a chain to the other ends and voila, I'll have a necklace.

 

 

 

The pretty clasp will be in the middle as a focal and the chain around the neck.

 

 

 

 

The thickness of the braid, really, is too much to go comfortably around the neck anyhow. Other similar necklaces I've made all have a chain around the neck. This also, allows you to vary the length of the necklace. This is a feature I love. Not only for selling to different people, but for me to be able to adjust the length for different clothing styles.

 

I should be able to finish the necklace by next week so I'll show the finished product then. Saying that in print gives me the motivation to get it done!   ;-)

 

 

Until next time,

 

Bev

Blue Danube Necklace

Blue Danube Necklace

A new Kumihimo with Magatama beads

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the time I had waiting for the Hurricane Sandy storm, I had a chain maille class  and then time to make a new Magatama Kumihimo necklace to match a bracelet I made last spring. Here is the bracelet.

 

 

 

 

 

There are 4 different colors in the pattern with the beads strung in random directions. It is similar to the one I called "Firecracker" and showed in a post in June.  I have several bracelets made with this design that you can see them all here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided that the Blue Danube bracelet could use a matching necklace. The colors are striking and very eye catching. So here is the matching necklace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

Here is a close up of the beads. Really beautiful, if I say so myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who are here in Massachusetts, I will be at a craft fair to benefit the Boston Children's Hospital (Pediatric Advanced Care System) on Saturday, November 10 in West Roxbury, MA at the Elks Club (248 Spring Street) across from the VA hospital from 10 AM to 4 PM.

 

 

Until next week (or Saturday) ,

 

Bev

 

Designing a New Necklace

Designing a New Necklace

 

 

I've been thinking about "How do I design a new necklace?" lately. I used to make most of my own clothes and had a similar dilema. Start with fabric first or a particular pattern? Well, it is much the same with a new necklace design.

 

Start with a particular technique (Chain Maille, Kumihimo or stringing) or design around some particular pendant or beads? Right now I need some new necklaces to go with a new top I recently purchased. That brings up another thought. Do I purchase clothes to go with my jewelry or make jewelry to go with new tops? (Mostly, I buy clothes to go with my jewelry)

 

The answer to all of the above questions is much the same. It all depends! And I use all of the methods and sometimes even combine the different methods. All that said, here is how I came to make my latest creation.

 

 

 

 

 

It started with a new top that required a necklace with some color to it. (The top is a neutral gray) I have about 5-8 pendants that I've collected over the last year from my trips to bead shows. One vendor in particular has great choices and it is hard to come home with only 6 - the quantity you need to purchase to get a better price per pendant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next decision was technique. I decided on Kumihimo for this one. (No particular reason other than I liked the colors in the pendant and thought I could find some nice seed beads that would go with the pendant) So, off the my local bead store where I found these two seed bead colors. Transparent Dark Topaz and Gunmetal Iris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I usually always have cord on hand to make Kumihimo braids but when I got home with my seed beads, I found I was all out. But I did find some  red/maroon/purple/?? C-Lon. and added that to the mix of supplies. It adds some extra color to the finished braid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loaded up my Kumihimo disk, mixing up the colors with 5 cords of the Gunmetal Iris and 3 of the Dark Topaz. If you make it an even number , 4 and 4, you end up with a spiral. That is very nice but I didn't feel it would look right with the design on the pendant. This is to be more "mixture".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing seemed to go smoothly in this project and after I started, I soon discovered that I had cut the cord too short for a necklace. So, the necklace project turned into a bracelet. No problem since it is nice to have a matching bracelet.

 

Here is the bracelet next to the pendant.  I do like the colors together. What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I admit, I still have not finished the project yet. I still need to add clasps to both pieces. (Thus the sort of "cut off" look in the pictures) I plan another trip to the bead store this week, or maybe search my stash here and finish the project. Sometimes I need to take a break in the process. ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've started another necklace project to go with my new top. Very different design. Much the same process, though, as this one. I started with another one of my pendants. And yes, I'll make a matching bracelet and probably earrings. This is a chain maille design. So far I like both projects. You'll see some pictures next week.

 

 

Kumihimo Necklace

Finished Kumihimo Necklace

Plus

 

 

 

Remember the unfinished Kumihimo necklace that I thought matched the Neiman-Marcus purse?

 

 

Well, I did finish the necklace and made more. I told you I was on a Kumihimo kick.

 

 

You can see more pictures and information on the website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had several kits of fiber cords that I had purchased awhile ago and when I pulled them out and matched them to some of the pendants I had, I made this one.

 

These fibers are in a collection called "Vegetation". Not a bad name but somehow, doesn't seem to fit a necklace. I changed it to "Green Moss" but I don't think that is any better.

I need suggestions, please.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see more pictures and information on the website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until this Friday's special

 

Bev

 

Birthday Present

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normally we do not give birthday presents in our family but every once in awhile there is a good exception. This is one of those years for my oldest daughter. I won't say what makes it special. ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you may have noticed, I've been making a lot of Kumihimo pieces lately. Also, you may remember the beautiful Michael Harrington beads I purchased at my last bead show?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

After several trips to my local bead stores I came up with the above design. I found two large hole Bali type beads to frame Michael's focal bead. The large holes allow room for the cords in the Kumihimo braid. (Trip one)

 

 

 

 

 

Then I must have looked over every single seed bead in the store to find the right color to go with the focal bead. After I found one, I noticed that I had chosen Emerald. Which just happens to be the gemstone for the month of May. (Trip two)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making the Kumihimo braid is often the easiest part of the whole design. The ends usually present a dilemma in finishing. End caps come in so many different sizes and shapes. I think we tried every end cap in the store and finally decided on these. (Trip three)

 

 

All of this is part of the jewelry designing process and I just love doing it. Especially with a nice result like this one. Any time you have design in mind you would like to see, just ask and we can usually come up with a great design.

 

 

I'm still working on last week's necklace. Haven't been able to find the end caps I like yet. But there is a bead show coming up this weekend and I plan to be there. No telling if I'll find anything but I'll be looking.

 

 

Until this Friday's special and next week,

 

 

Bev

 

website:http://ringbyringdesigns.com

Bead Kumihimo Necklace

Here is another formerly unfinished necklace. I really like the mixture of black, gray and white beads. Somehow, to me, it looks classy. I think an appropriate name is "Salt and Pepper". What do you think? I've been trying to name my pieces.

My original intention was to add a round, flat pendant. I had it on but it needed a different type of bail and while I was working that out, I decided the necklace looked better without the pendant. It was too big and looked overpowering.

I'll be adding this soon to my web sites too.

B

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

New Kumihimo Necklaces

Since I had to quickly clean up my little card table when we moved the Bird of Paradise in, I made a pile of everything on the card table and have just now been looking through it. I found several unfinished pieces. This Kumihimo necklace is made from a variety of blue fibers with a pretty blue pendant. I finished it by adding a clasp and a two inch extender. I'm finding that I like extenders on necklaces. My necklines vary from turtle neck to "V" neck and require different lengths to look right.

This one is similar, just different color fibers and pendant.


Both are about 18 - 20 inches long (plus the pendant) I'll have them on my web sites very soon.

Which is your favorite?

B


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

Kumihimo / Nice Day!

It has been an absolutely beautiful day here today. With a list of things to be accomplished, I sat out side for quite awhile. (I had my Kumihimo disk with me so I would look busy). Actually, I did quite a bit. The birds were flying around, chirping and I saw a pair of Cardinals in the large evergreen tree in our neighbor's yard. The planes were flying overhead. I discovered their path was right where I didn't even have to move my head to see them. OK, a few more rounds of Kumihimo. Then a few more.

Usually, I show things after I've finished but ... I'm not finished yet. But here is what I've done so far. You may remember the batch of pendants I purchased a few weeks ago. I'm making this braid to go with one of them.

Funny thing, I bought about 6 packages of fibers to go with my pendants. Only to discover that the best colors were from some I had left over from other projects. I combined them in a different group. This braid has 5 blue and 3 beige cords. It is hard, at least for me, to tell how the final braid will look. I expected this one to have more blue. Any how, so far I like the results.
Here is a close up.





Thanks to the birds, planes, gentle breeze I accomplished 3 or 5 inches of my Kumihimo necklace and got an idea for a blog post. All in all, a good afternoon.

B

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