Lots of new techniques

I've been trying some new techniques lately. This bracelet was made using two-drop peyote stitch, which is quite similar to regular peyote stitch, but you use two beads at a time (or one large bead) instead of one small bead at a time.



And this is the first time I ever attempted herringbone stitch. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, and I like the fish-scale look of it. I used antique seed beads I got when I was in Paris for this one. They're slightly irregular in size, but the uniformity of the beads doesn't seem to affect herringbone stitch as much as it does other stitches.



And for this one, I learned African helix weave (the tube of spiraling blue beads in the center), right angle weave (the bail for the blue bead hanging in the middle), and I learned how to make peyote stitch bead caps, which involves decreasing the number of beads per row, something I'd had trouble with before. Individually, I like the different things in the necklace, but I don't think they look great together (and the bead caps look a little phallic). But it's a good practice piece.

Stretchy bracelets

I've been pretty busy lately, so I haven't been posting much, but I have still been making stuff. I felt like doing something simple, so I made some bracelets with stretchy cord. It seems like the stuff I make keeps getting more and more complicated, so it was nice to be able to sit down and make ten bracelets in an evening.

These have some vintage crystal/glass beads and blue glass spacers.


These five bracelets are held together with magnetic beads (the gray ones).



And my favorites: vintage crystal and metallic spacer beads.

More resin experimentation

I almost always have a few resin pieces sitting and curing, but lately I haven't been happy with them, so I never get around to posting them here. But I want to document successes as well as failures, so maybe others can learn from them. And I can remind myself of what went wrong if I forget. Here we have a bunch of discs that I put pictures on and then put resin over them. I mod podged the pictures onto the discs, not to mention coating the pictures themselves with mod podge to keep the resin from soaking in and blurring the ink. They seemed fine when they finished curing, but some of them had bits of resin that had dribbled over the edges and stuck out on the sides. The resin book I have by Sherri Haab recommends sanding your resin pieces in warm water so you can avoid the resin dust raised by sanding--it's unhealthy to inhale. So I put them in warm water, but then the pictures began to peel away from the discs. If I were to do this again, I would cut the pictures slightly smaller than the discs so that the resin could cover the edges of the picture. The only pieces that turned out okay from this batch were the two small oval silver bezel settings that I put pictures in and the green cabochon on the left side. The green cabochon just needed an extra layer of resin to cover some holes left by air bubbles popping. The top looks fine, but the sides are a little lumpy where the resin pooled. I plan to make a beaded bezel for this one, so that's not a problem.

So, lesson learned, I got some more settings to put my pictures in, and I also tried using the pictures with my resin molds. And although I put several coats of mod podge on the pictures and re-coated them once they were in the settings, the resin managed to seep in around the edges of a bunch of pictures and discolor them. Oh, and the two cabochons with beetles turned out darker than I'd intended, so they look a bit sinister.

You can't see it as well in the picture above, but you can clearly see the discoloration in a lot of these pieces.
After I discounted the ones that were discolored, the ones that had bubbles, and the ones where the resin managed to set with hairs or bits of fuzz in it (even though I cover the resin pieces almost immediately after using the resin), these three are the only error-free ones.

And finally, I have a few pieces I'm really happy with. The pictures don't really do these justice; they look amazing in person. I'm currently making more of the rectangle shaped ones, and when I next get paid, I'm going to get a drill so I can drill through my resin pieces and string them. I'm thinking the rectangles will make an awesome bracelet.

Little round peyote tubes

For awhile, I had been making simple beaded loops for toggle clasps, and then I started using flat round peyote stitch to make the loops, but now I've graduated to tubular peyote stitch clasps. It probably doesn't look much different from flat round peyote in the pictures, but it makes for a much sturdier and nicer looking clasp in person. Basically, you start out with a circle of size 15 seed beads and after working the first three rows, you work rows up alternating sides, slowly adding larger beads to increase the size of the circle, and then you join the two sides at the top.

After trying a toggle, I though these little circular tubes would look nice as earrings, so I made a couple of pairs.

Another round of resin

This is from awhile ago, but I was disappointed with how a lot of it turned out, so I'm only now getting around to posting it. I put resin on some more discs, but they weren't on a perfectly level surface, so the resin coating on a lot of them ended up lopsided. And some of the pieces I made with molds turned out cloudy or had very noticeable bubbles/flaws.

Here's a close up of some of the discs and some hoops I made with leftover red resin I'd mixed. One of the hoops didn't get as much resin as the other. I also tried applying some resin to an acrylic flower bead I had, just to see what it would look like. The resin pooled in the deep end of the petals and doesn't look that great. I think if I could have gotten a more even coat it would have looked better.

More discs. I tried putting polymer clay on some of them and adding sparkles to the clay, but I'm not crazy about the way they turned out.

More discs and some pieces from molds. I put amethyst chips in the hoops, thinking that might look cool, but they look really washed out and almost invisible. I also put amethyst chips in the two long, rectangular pieces, but I also added gold foil. I think they would have turned out kind of cool, but the resin turned cloudy. The large green oval piece has peridot chips and gold foil. I really like the way that one looks, but it had some bubbles on the surface which left little holes in the piece where they burst. I've currently added another layer of resin to the top and we'll see if that fills them in and makes it look okay.

The large green oval would be nice if it didn't have that line in it--I'm not sure what caused it.

And a close up of my favorite from the batch. Hopefully, the new coating of resin will fix it. And hopefully I'll have some better resin pieces to show in a few days.

Pride and Prejudice bangle

I didn't make this one, but I thought it was nicely made and a cool idea, so I'm showing it here. A friend of mine got me this Pride and Prejudice bangle, covered in actual text from the book. I'm slightly aghast that the person who made it cut up one of my favorite books (couldn't she have photocopied it or printed it out from an e-book?), but I like it nonetheless.

Of course, I read around the whole bangle to see what part of the book I got. I recognized one part instantly--when Lizzy and the Gardiners discuss Lydia's elopement with Wickham. I got out my trusty copy of Pride and Prejudice to see if I could track down the rest of it. Most of it was within a few pages of the scene that I first recognized, but there was one section I just couldn't find, and I had to resort to searching this site in order to find it. And since I'm sure you're dying to know, here's what's on my bracelet. I've put the text that's actually on the bracelet in bold, but I've included the surrounding text for context. Some bold sections are longer than others because the pieces of text overlap a bit.

1st section
From Chapter 47

``Upon my word,'' said Mrs. Gardiner, ``I begin to be of your uncle's opinion. It is really too great a violation of decency, honour, and interest, for him to be guilty of it. I cannot think so very ill of Wickham. Can you, yourself, Lizzy, so wholly give him up as to believe him capable of it?''

``Not perhaps of neglecting his own interest. But of every other neglect I can believe him capable. If, indeed, it should be so! But I dare not hope it. Why should they not go on to Scotland, if that had been the case?''

``In the first place,'' replied Mr. Gardiner, ``there is no absolute proof that they are not gone to Scotland.''

``Oh! but their removing from the chaise into an hackney coach is such a presumption! And, besides, no traces of them were to be found on the Barnet road.''

``Well, then -- supposing them to be in London. They may be there, though, for the purpose of concealment, for no more exceptionable purpose. It is not likely that money should be very abundant on either side; and it might strike them that they could be more economically, though less expeditiously, married in London, than in Scotland.''

``But why all this secrecy? Why any fear of detection? Why must their marriage be private? Oh! no, no, this is not likely. His most particular friend, you see by Jane's account, was persuaded of his never intending to marry her. Wickham will never marry a woman without some money. He cannot afford it. And what claims has Lydia, what attractions has she beyond youth, health, and good humour, that could make him, for her sake, forgo every chance of benefiting himself by marrying well? As to what restraint the apprehension of disgrace in the corps might throw on a dishonourable elopement with her, I am not able to judge; for I know nothing of the effects that such a step might produce. But as to your other objection, I am afraid it will hardly hold good. Lydia has no brothers to step forward; and he might imagine, from my father's behaviour, from his indolence and the little attention he has ever seemed to give to what was going forward in his family, that he would do as little, and think as little about it, as any father could do in such a matter.''

2nd section
Also from Chapter 47, but starting in the paragraph preceding the 1st section

``I HAVE been thinking it over again, Elizabeth,'' said her uncle as they drove from the town; ``and really, upon serious consideration, I am much more inclined than I was to judge as your eldest sister does of the matter. It appears to me so very unlikely that any young man should form such a design against a girl who is by no means unprotected or friendless, and who was actually staying in his colonel's family, that I am strongly inclined to hope the best. Could he expect that her friends would not step forward? Could he expect to be noticed again by the regiment, after such an affront to Colonel Forster? His temptation is not adequate to the risk.''

3rd section
Also from Chapter 47, but starting in the paragraph after the 1st section

``But can you think that Lydia is so lost to every thing but love of him, as to consent to live with him on any other terms than marriage?''

``It does seem, and it is most shocking indeed,'' replied Elizabeth, with tears in her eyes, ``that a sister's sense of decency and virtue in such a point should admit of doubt. But, really, I know not what to say. Perhaps I am not doing her justice. But she is very young; she has never been taught to think on serious subjects; and for the last half year, nay, for a twelvemonth, she has been given up to nothing but amusement and vanity. She has been allowed to dispose of her time in the most idle and frivolous manner, and to adopt any opinions that came in her way. Since the ----shire were first quartered in Meryton, nothing but love, flirtation, and officers have been in her head. She has been doing every thing in her power, by thinking and talking on the subject, to give greater -- what shall I call it? -- susceptibility to her feelings, which are naturally lively enough. And we all know that Wickham has every charm of person and address that can captivate a woman.''

4th section
From Chapter 54

Mrs. Bennet had designed to keep the two Netherfield gentlemen to supper; but their carriage was unluckily ordered before any of the others, and she had no opportunity of detaining them.

``Well girls,'' said she, as soon as they were left to themselves, ``What say you to the day? I think every thing has passed off uncommonly well, I assure you. The dinner was as well dressed as any I ever saw. The venison was roasted to a turn -- and everybody said they never saw so fat a haunch. The soup was fifty times better than what we had at the Lucases' last week; and even Mr. Darcy acknowledged, that the partridges were remarkably well done; and I suppose he has two or three French cooks at least. And, my dear Jane, I never saw you look in greater beauty. Mrs. Long said so too, for I asked her whether you did not. And what do you think she said besides? "Ah! Mrs. Bennet, we shall have her at Netherfield at last." She did indeed. I do think Mrs. Long is as good a creature as ever lived -- and her nieces are very pretty behaved girls, and not at all handsome: I like them prodigiously.''

5th section
From Chapter 27

It was a journey of only twenty-four miles, and they began it so early as to be in Gracechurch-street by noon. As they drove to Mr. Gardiner's door, Jane was at a drawing-room window watching their arrival; when they entered the passage she was there to welcome them, and Elizabeth, looking earnestly in her face, was pleased to see it healthful and lovely as ever. On the stairs were a troop of little boys and girls, whose eagerness for their cousin's appearance would not allow them to wait in the drawing-room, and whose shyness, as they had not seen her for a twelvemonth, prevented their coming lower. All was joy and kindness. The day passed most pleasantly away; the morning in bustle and shopping, and the evening at one of the theatres.

Elizabeth then contrived to sit by her aunt. Their first subject was her sister; and she was more grieved than astonished to hear, in reply to her minute enquiries, that though Jane always struggled to support her spirits, there were periods of dejection. It was reasonable, however, to hope that they would not continue long. Mrs. Gardiner gave her the particulars also of Miss Bingley's visit in Gracechurch-street, and repeated conversations occurring at different times between Jane and herself, which proved that the former had, from her heart, given up the acquaintance.

More peyote stitch bracelets

I made the base for this bracelet with peyote stitch and then added the blue drops around the edge and the flowers on the top. The large flowers are vintage Swarovski buttons I got in Paris.

I also used one of the buttons for the clasp.

For this bracelet, I tried tubular peyote stitch with different sized beads in order to make this spiral effect, aka Cellini Spiral. I really like this technique, but I thought the instructions made it sound more complicated than it actually was. It's just circular peyote stitch, and for each row you use three size 11 Delicas, two size 11 Czech seed beads, one size 8 seed bead, and two more size 11 Czech beads. For the starting row, you double the number of each. That's it.