Lovely Kumihimo!

In my last post, I mentioned that I have become obsessed with Kumihimocordsding.

Gold & Black rattail Kumihimo necklace with focal piece - from http://blog.johnbead.com

During the Ottawa Bead Bop in May, McBead and some of the other stores had demos of Kumihimo braiding. It is really simple but makes really nice base necklaces for pendants or beautiful braided beaded strands that look like bead crochet.

These are so easy to set up and something you can even do while watching tv. Once you get the momentum going, they go really fast.

Kumihimo earring with beads from http://www.beadoholique.net

I have a lot of "work in progress" braids - I've done the braiding, I just need to decide if they need a pendant or charm and to finish off the ends.

Satin Cord Necklaces:

These use Satin Cord, known as Rattail. There are also smaller versions called Mousetail or Bugtail. I've tried some different patterns but most are two colour basic twist. There is a great 8-strand Kumi Planner at http://www.lythastudios.com where you can place your colours to see how the braid will look or how to set up your wheel.

Satin cord necklaces - ready for a pendant and ends!

Bracelets:

I've been trying different fibres and patterns with these. The embroidery floss (top) made a nice braid but is more like a friendship bracelet. I didn't like the results with the suede (middle), its a bit too bulky but my daughter loves it. My youngest daughter did the diamond pattern on the bottom - it uses a 12-strand pattern and 4 colours - I really liked this one.

(Top to bottom) - Pink embroidery thread, Yellow & brown hemp cord, Blue & teal satin cord, Red & Black suede, Orange & cream satin cord, 4-colour satin cord with diamond pattern

Beaded Bracelets:

Made with the Super-Lon cord strung with beads. About a 1/4 inch is done without beads on each end which will be covered with a bead cap. I love the look of these!

Size 6/0 seed beads on S-Lon cord, bottom necklace is mix of S-Lon with beads and Grey satin cord

One of my Christmas projects - Size 8/0 sead bead mix on S-Lon cord

I've been thinking of new styles of pendants to go with the necklace cords. I have a couple done, just need to finish off the ends.

Pics to come!

2012 almost over! I'm going to have to change the name of the blog!

Well, this year didn't turn out quite as well for my beading projects and posting them.I have finished lots of beautiful projects - but I have been lax on getting them posted. :P

I need to find my recent projects and get some pictures up soon. I've been enjoying wearing them though!

Right now I am working on Christmas gifts - I am making some bracelets for my daughters and nieces. I got onto making Beaded Braid Bracelets that I originally saw on Honestly WTF - http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-beaded-bracelet/ 

Picture from Dianne Faw's blog

and also saw on Dianne Faw's craft blog, which gives a bit more detailed instructions - http://diannefaw.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/beaded-braid-bracelet/











These are really easy to do, I finished up a few in an evening. The hardest part is the set up actually. I cut and knotted the end and put several beads on before starting braiding to make it easier.

My beaded braid bracelets - (L to R) blue S-Lon with silver lined 8/0 seed beads, black S-Lon with purple mix 6s, cotton cord with pink mix 8s, blue S-Lon with aqua cubes, yellow S-Lon with yellow seed beads, black cotton with silver beads

Supplies for these are not too expensive so these are great to make and wear in multiples! You need about 1.5 yards of Irish Waxed Linen, 55 to 70 size 8/0 seed beads (I also used size 6/0 and silver spacer beads), 1 2-hole (or shank) button, Scissors, and Tape.

(Actually I set these up on a clip board instead of the tape to hold as I am braiding. Then they are portable and ready to work on anywhere)

I haven't been able to find Irish Waxed Linen locally, so I started out with Cotton Cord that I picked up at Wal-Mart to experiment. The cotton cord tended to fray a bit so wasn't the best material.

I then tried the bracelets with Super-Lon cord, which I use for Kumihimo braiding. (Oh, I will have to do another post on that! It has become another obsession lately.) The Super-Lon comes in many colours and makes a nice braid but isn't as soft as the cotton cord. I like working with the Super-Lon but may have to order some Irish Linen online to try it. (They have it here at http://store.ornamentea.com)

If you go for Super-Lon, make sure it is the beading cord, not the thread. There is also another brand called C-Lon which is similar to the Super-Lon cord.

Here is a pic of S-Lon beading cord compared to Super-Lon D thread. I haven't used the Super-Lon D thread for anything yet - it was suggested to me for bead crochet but then someone said it may be easier (for me who is a novice at crocheting) with the S-Lon. I'm thinking with the Super-Lon D, I can use smaller hole beads with the Kumihimo braiding - something new to try!

Super-Lon D Thread (L) - Super-Lon beading cord (R)

And a super tip for making threading the beads easier - get a "big eye beading needle". My biggest stress for both Kumihimo and these bracelets was getting the beads on the cord. I picked up 2 big eye needles at McBead for $1.50 each and it has made the stringing much much simpler. It is a 5" needle that has a hole almost all the way through - easy to thread the cord and allows you to put a lot of beads on at once.

Again, sorry about the photos - these were quickies taken with my phone. Realized too late that my camera needs to be charged. :(
  

Time to work on some new projects!

I've been getting behind so tomorrow is going to be a beading day!

Hope to get a few projects done and some new ones underway. I'd like to plan for a more challenging project for the following week. Maybe an extreme stitching project or some wirework!

Pics to come tomorrow of what I am working on and likely some finished pieces.

Laurie

Beautiful Beads found in Ottawa

I thought it might be a good idea to list some of my favourite bead sites and stores.

My favourite store locally is McBead Creations in Craig Henry. It is a family-run business and my daughter and I have taken a few classes there. Miriam and her staff are always helpful with our questions. And the store is big and fun to browse.


Dragon's Lair Beads is in Stittsville on Iber Road. Another family-run business. I have taken a couple of classes here and this is my place to go for specific items but also has many beautiful beads.

I learned how to make glass beads using glass rods and a torch from Grace at The Glass Shoppe Studio. Grace also sells finished lampworked beads made by local artists - there's some really beautiful designs and Grace's floral beads are amazing. I haven't torched in over a year, I think I am in need of a refresher. Making glass beads is not really difficult but it takes PATIENCE which is likely why I have difficulty. :(

How a lampworked bead is made

Next to Grace's shoppe is Canada Beading Supply which has a lot of crystal and gemstone beads.


I've bought some bead kits from Beadaddict when they were at the Ottawa Glass Bead Artists show in November. I like kits because you have all the components together to try new techniques and someone else has figured out the colours for you. They have some nice and unique designs


Bead FX  is an online Canadian supplier and its located in Toronto. Lots of beads to choose from and all types of Swarovski crystals. I order from here when I need a large number of beads or something I haven't found nearby. I love their Inspirations section.

The Ring Lord is another online Canadian supplier in Saskatoon. They have jump rings, scale and wire for making chain maille. Geared for making chain maille armour but the same rings can be used for jewelry.

I haven't ordered from U.S. beading sites since I like to buy Canadian. But I like the Fusion Beads site for the designs on its Inspiration pages. They also have good in-depth instructions on Beading Techniques. I like the Colour Ideas pages since I am trying to expand my design colours, something unique they have are Swarovski bead mixes.

So many beautiful beads!