This week I've documented the O in L.O.V.E.
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| LOVE Letters by Marcia DeCoster |
If you made an L last week, you'll already know my recommendation for double waxed fireline to create a firm piece of beadwork. With the letters this works especially well as they are free standing with no external support. In the O you will be using size 15 seed beads on the interior edge of the curves so you may want to use a size 13 needle.
Supplies: You'll need small amounts of a main color in size 11º and an even smaller amount for the edge embellishment. Some size 15ºs will come in handy for adding the embellishments. Make a nice collection of some O beads, 3 and 4 mm crystals, pearls, or fire polish, a few crystal sequins if you have them and whatever else strikes your fancy.
If you're not familiar with CRAW this video from Heather Collin is a good one to watch.
In L we used Cubic Right Angle Weave to create two cubes next to one another. In O the shaping is created differently. There is only one cube atop another, but there are some tricks to the shaping. The top and bottom curves are created by weaving the first wall of the cube with size 15º beads, and the rest of the walls with size 11º.
The sides of the O are created by using a different count for the ceiling beads of each cube on the front and back faces of the O only. The interior edge and exterior edges use only the 1 ceiling bead as in a standard craw.
CRAW Cube 1: Pick up 1 size 15º and 3 size 11º seed beads and tie in a circle, weave to exit the size 15º. These are the floor beads. Pick up 3 size 15º beads (side, ceiling and side beads) and pass through the floor bead you are exiting from the opposite side (this forms the first wall) and the next floor bead. Pick up 2 11ºs and pass through the side bead from the first wall the floor bead and the next floor bead. (this forms the second wall). Repeat for the third wall, adding 2 size 11º beads. Pass through the last floor bead and the side bead from the first wall. Pick up 1 size 11º bead and pass through the side bead of the third wall, the floor bead, the side bead of the first wall and the ceiling bead of the first wall.
This will be the start of the top curve where you see 'Start here, First cube'. Complete 8 additional cubes with the first wall consisting of size 15º beads and the remaining walls with size 11º. By doing 9 cubes the top and the bottom of the O have a center cube. The size 15º interior wall will curve the length of cubic right angle weave. (note for the eagle eyes.....the illustration shows 7 cubes with the size 15 interior, the text which reads 9 units is correct!)
On the 10th cube you will switch to using all size 11º seed beads. You will be exiting a size 15 on wall one of the 9th cube. This is where you begin using a different ceiling count to increase the width of the front and back faces of the O.
Pick up 3 size 11º beads (1 side, ceilings and 1 side) and pass back through the floor bead you are exiting and the next floor bead. This is the interior edge. Pick up 3 size 11º beads (1 side and 2 ceilings) pass through the side bead of wall one, the floor bead and the next floor bead. This will be the front face wall. Pick up 2 size 11º beads (1 side and 1 ceiling) pass through the side bead of wall two, the floor, the next floor bead and the side bead of wall one. This is the exterior edge. Pick up 2 size 11º beads and pass through the side bead of wall three, the floor, the side bead of wall one and the ceiling bead of wall one. This is the back face of the O.
Weave the next two cubes with 3 ceiling beads on the front and back faces of the O.
Weave the next two cubes with 2 ceiling beads on the front and back faces of the O. (Note if you are stickler for symmetry, the ceiling bead of the interior edge on the second cube should be a size 15º, but in the overall scheme of things it will not alter the shape if you use all 11's on this unit.)When you finish the last cube with 2 ceiling beads you will switch to weaving 9 cubes with a size 15º interior edge to create the bottom curve.
After completing the 9 units of the bottom curve, weave 2 cubes with 2 ceiling beads on the front and back face, 2 cubes with 3 ceiling beads on the front and back face, and 2 cubes with 2 ceiling beads on the front and back face. Join the last cube with the first cube be adding a side bead to each wall.
The edge embellishments are optional, but since there are no serifs on the O I wanted to bring the same bronze color that unites the letters into the O. Exiting a size 11º edge bead, pick up 1 contrasting size 11º bead and pass through the next edge bead. Repeat around. Weave to exit an interior edge bead. Use size 15º beads to embellish the interior edge. You can optionally leave the outside edge un embellished and use size 11's on the interior front and back edges. This will 'tallerize' your O!
Embellishments: Make yourself a pretty little pile of coordinated accent beads and choose a location on your letter to apply them. Use the working thread or weave in a new thread if necessary. Exiting a seed bead on the base of the letter, pick up an accent bead, a size 11º or 15º turning bead and pass back through the accent bead and an adjacent bead on the base. Repeat until you have a pleasing assortment of beads arranged on your letter.
The response to the L.O.V.E. letters has been huge and the variety in color and embellishment styles has been fabulous to see! To have a look at some of the wonderful L's that have been created, click here!
For a printable version click here.
Next week I'll post directions for V and in the meantime, Bead with Love!
Content by Marcia DeCoster
Dear folks of the love letters.....there are no guarantees, it's a tad bit of a time consuming task, but if you would like me to do a journal of the O's if you post your O on Facebook please tag me, Marcia DeCoster. If you have the skills and you want to be really kind to me, post a square cropped photo that is 2.5 inches. You don't need to do that, but if you have those skills it will speed up the process! I will include as many as I have time for, but if you hope to be included please post by Saturday night to give me some time to get the work done. Thank you!
