Crystal Play

I'm longing for Fall, aren't you? Our afternoons are still peaking in the hot and humid nineties, so while lightweight and airy dictate the fabrics of the day, I CAN start the transition to fall with my jewelry.

This Snake-Belly Bangle combines autumnal earth tones with a summery hit of turquoise - the perfect transitional piece. It's from Anna Elizabeth Draeger's, Crystal Play, a book that makes me wonder why I don't reach for crystals more often when planning my designs!

 

A combination of two of my favorite stitches, peyote and RAW, this one can easily be finished in an afternoon. It sparkles with over 200 crystal bicones and gave me a chance to finally use my SuperDuo's. These two-hole seed beads give the bangle great structure, but I have one caveat - check the holes in these beads carefully before using - nearly a third of my tube had undrilled holes, requiring drilling the second hole mid-stitch.

My sister was visiting last month, and one afternoon I handed her a stack of my beading books to look through while I got dinner in the oven. Crystal Play was the one book she set aside, commenting that she would love one of every design! (Anna includes more than a dozen bracelet/bangle designs in her book, ranging from fun to fabulous to killer exquisite!)

 

So after I finished my bangle, I stitched up a Snake-Belly for Janet in season-spanning black and silver. She has two sons in high school and often finds herself drafted to chaperone at their school dances. She'll be one cool Mom rocking this on her arm!

Quite possibly the best Christmas bangle

I have stitched up a stocking full of these bangles for Christmas gifts. They’re really comfortable on the wrist, appeal to all ages, and would add instant holiday sparkle to everything from a flirty party dress to jeans and a t-shirt.

The gold and white bangle with Aurum 2x crystals is boxed and tucked into a Priority mailer, and will be on its way to my sister this afternoon. It’s guaranteed to coax her into the holiday spirit, even if she’s just bundling up on the couch for a night at home. I love the art deco look of the right-angle-weave band before it’s zipped around the rubber tubing.

The green bangle really stands out despite its muted palette and matte hex beads, with the addition of crystals in Black Diamond AB. It’s the chameleon of the bunch and looks great with anything.

And the season’s traditional red – that bangle’s staying with me! It’s the only sparkle I’ll need this holiday season. The pattern is Tamara Scott’s Infinity design, which can be found here.

Off to Idaho

Pink and gray. I rarely wear this color combination, but since I packed an open knit gray vest and pink tee for my upcoming trip west, a new accessory was needed. My outfit called for a cuff, and the current issue of Bead & Button featured a quick and easy solution - Donna Pagano Denny’s RAW Beauty bangle on page 30.

I chose a nickel seed bead base, with a soft and subtle crystal combination of black pearl, crystal, light peach, and light Colorado topaz. Pleased with the look of the first embellished strip, (Donna offers the option of ending the bracelet there), I’m glad I continued on with the pattern, because I love the structural look and feel that the addition of a second layer brings to this design. And the double-loop closure is a wonderfully clever finishing touch!

I will return to this pattern again. Although stunning with crystals running down its spine, I can see lots of design potential using gemstones, cubes, drops. But not right now. Last-minute accessory finished. Suitcase packed. Off to Idaho!

Revisiting Right Angle Weave

My constant companion, when I first began beadweaving, was Carol Cypher’s Mastering Beadwork. If my bead tray was on the table, it was beside it for quick reference. When my granddaughter, Bethany, visited last summer, she asked me to make a bracelet for her – in the colors of Mastering Beadwork’s cover.

I decided on a simple right angle weave bangle, finished with a magnetic clasp for an easy-on, easy-off accessory, and set off to my local bead stores, Carol’s book in hand, to gather 3mm beads in the reds, greens, browns and oranges of the ruffled collar featured on the front. One of the owners watched me holding strands up to the book and asked about my project. She loved the colors and extracted my promise to return to her store and show her the finished bracelet before I mailed it off. She admired it enough to photograph the bracelet on the spot and post it on her bulletin board. (Whenever I stop by she mentions the bracelet is still one of her most requested classes!)

While visiting Bethany in Kentucky last week, she asked me to shorten the bracelet a bit. Marcia DeCoster has an excellent tutorial in her book, Beaded Opulence, on shortening and cutting a piece of right angle weave. But when I examined the bracelet, I saw a few broken threads and decided to reweave it instead of trimming it. I’d woven the bracelet in 2-needle RAW, and was looking for an opportunity to learn the single-needle technique.

Although I really enjoy the cross-stitching that is integral to 2-needle RAW, I learned some valuable lessons exploring the single-needle method. First, I understand the properties of the stitch much better after working the bracelet in the single-needle variation. Adding subsequent rows was more intuitive with single-needle, and my stitches are much tighter. (This may just be the result of more beading experience, though.) I love both techniques! I think in the future, I’ll use the 2-needle method for flat, supple pieces and the single-needle method for more structured, dimensional projects.