Feeling the Love by Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

When Marcia told me about her idea for this blog, the first though that came into my head was, "I'm feeling the love." I let that idea ride around in my head for awhile, and came up with this idea: I would bead the word 'love' in Braille so that my love could quite literally be felt. It looks geometric, and sort of abstract, but while I'm wearing it, I can run my finger over the bumps and feel the love any time I want to. I've written instructions for doing it with CRAW, but there is no reason it couldn't be done many other ways, so I'm hoping that some of you take this idea and run with it. Let's feel the love!

Each Braille letter sits on its own CRAW block; these directions are for beaders who are already comfortable with CRAW, so if you have never done it before, I recommend practicing before you begin this project. You will need a two colors of 11° beads for the blocks; I used bronze (11°A) with border of dark green (11°B).

Make the blocks:

Step 1

To begin making the first unit of CRAW, string (4)11°A beads. Go through all four beads again, then go through the bead you started from once more. Keep your tension fairly tight throughout, but not so tight that you are breaking thread or beads. Some thread should show, but not a lot of it.uuj

Step 2

Starting at the red dot, string (3)11°A beads and go through the 11°A you started from, and the next 11°A as shown. Go through the next 11°A added in Step 1. (Beads added in this step, and every step that follows, are outlined in red.)

Step 3

 


Starting at the red dot, string (2)11°A. Go through the first 11°A strung in the previous step, and the 11°A you started from in this step. Go through the next 11°A added in Step 1. The beadwork will begin to form a cup shape.

Step 4

Starting at the red dot, string (2)11°A. Go through the first 11°A strung in the previous step, and the 11°A you started from in this step. Go through the next 11°A added in Step 2.

Step 5

Starting at the red dot, go through the last 11°A added in Step 2, string (1)11°A, and go through the first 11°A strung in the previous step, the 11°A you started from, and the 11°A added in this step.

Step 6

Starting at the red dot, take your thread through all of the beads at the top of the square to form a cube. (No new beads are added in this step.)

Step 7

To move into position to make the next cube, which will be made to the right of this cube, go down through the next bead, and through the bead on the bottom of this cube.

Step 8

To make the floor of the adjoining cube, string (3)11° and go through the 11°A you started from, on the bottom of the previous cube. Go thorough the first 11°A added in this step.

Step 9

To make the first wall of the second cube, string (2)11°A. Go down through the 11°A on the corner of the previous cube, through the 11°A you started from, and through the second 11°A added in Step 8.

Step 10

To make the second wall of the second cube, string (2)11°A. Go down first 11°A added in the previous step, through the 11°A you started from, and through the third 11°A added in Step 8.

Step 11

Starting at the red dot, go up through the last 11°A added in Step 8, string (1)11°A, and go through the first 11°A strung in the previous step, the 11°A you started from, the last 11A° added in step 8, and the 11°A on the top right side of the first cube.

Step 12

Starting at the red dot, take your thread through all of the beads at the top of the square to form a cub. (No new beads are added in this step.)

Step 13

To move into position to make the next cube, which will be made to the right of this cube, go through the next 11°A on the top of the cube, down through the corner bead, and come out the 11° on the bottom center of this cube.

Step 14

Continue adding cubes until you have a total of five cubes.

Step 15

Turn and add a new cube under the last cube to start the next row. You can either work right to left to add the next row, or flip the beadwork over and continue working left to right.

Make sure that each new cube has a floor, three new walls (some walls are shared with previous cubes!) and that you go through all four beads on the top to make the beadwork sturdy.

Continue adding rows until you have a total of seven rows; you will have a piece of CRAW that is five cubes across and seven cubes down.

Step 16

Add a row of CRAW cubes using 11°B all the way around the block.

Why did I add these later? Because I think it's easier. You'll notice that each cube on the sides of the border has only three dark green beads, while the corners have four.

I got too confused trying to do it all at once with both colors, but if you prefer to do it that way, go right ahead!










You'll need a total of four blocks, one for each letter in the word LOVE. Depending on the size of your wrist, the type of beads you use to finish the bracelet, the size of your clasp, and how much you love (or hate) CRAW, you may or may not need a bit extra on each end of the bracelet. But you don't need to decide that now. Make four blocks and go on to adding the bumps, or make one and jump right to the letter L. It's your choice!

Make the Bumps:

All of the bumps are made the same way; the only thing that changes is where you position them. To make it easy to see, only one cube of CRAW is pictured in the following diagrams. Always start at the red dot, and beads added in each step are shown outlined in red.

Step 1

Bring your thread out of the top bead on the CRAW cube. String (4)15° beads and go through the 11°A you started from. Go through the next 11°A. Arrange the beads as shown, in two stacks of beads. Don't pull too tightly, some thread will show.

Step 2

Repeat around the cube, adding (4)15° beads in each of the 11°A on the top face of the cube. Take your thread through the 11°A at the top, and up through the first (2)15°A added in Step 1.

Step 3

In this step, you will be working counter clockwise. String (2)15° and go down through the last (2)15° added in Step 1. Come up through (2)15° in the next stack, string (2)15° and go down through the next (2)15 in that stack.

Repeat until all four sides have stacks with three beads on each side. Keep your tension a little bit relaxed, your bead stacks will need a lttle bit of wiggle room to make nice bumps.

Bring your thread out the first 15° added in this step.

Step 4

String (1)15° and go down (1)15° on the next stack. Come up (1)15° on the next side, string (1)15° and go down (1)15 on the next stack.

Repeat around until all of the stacks have a 15° on top.

Come out the first 15° added in this step.

Step 5

Go through all of the 15°s added in the previous step. Go around the circle at least twice, or until the bumps no longer try to fall apart.

Either finish off your thread, or go through the beadwork until you come out at the top bead of the next bump.

The letters:

You can make the letters in any color of 15°s that you like. You can also google "Braille Alphabet" to find the whole alphabet and make a different message if you're feeling it.

The letter "L"

The letter "O"

The letter "V"

The letter "E"

Putting the bracelet together:

I chose to add some lampwork beads in between each block for my bracelet; other options would be crystals, pearls, or strings of seed beads. Use whatever appeals to you! I decided to add an extra, smaller, block of CRAW to each end to make my bracelet fit, but it would have looked just as nice with more lampwork beads. Get creative and have fun; make your bracelet fit your style! 

How I Nearly Killed My Creativity by Mandi Ainsworth

So what I thought I was going to write about is not at all what wants to come out. I wanted to give you a happy pattern for making a beaded LOVE pen and call it a day, but its time to dig into something deeper (LOVE pen instructions still included). I would like to share with you about how I nearly annihilated my creativity with judgment, and what Bead Love means to me now. It's a long story, so I hope you're ok with the shorter version.

I was so excited the first time I got accepted to teach at the Bead & Button Show. I felt like I had finally made it. I was proud of my my website and podcast, I had a business coach to help me, and I was ready to make my dream of entrepreneurship a reality. I quit my part time job to get everything ready and to design new things to teach at future workshops. Only the money didn’t come, no new teaching opportunities, and I watched my friend, another new teacher sell out of her kits.

In that moment, I let judgment demons take over. I made what happened mean all these terrible things about me that weren’t true: my work sucks, I don’t design stuff people like, it’s too easy, I’m a bad teacher, nobody likes me, what’s wrong with me, why can’t I make this business work…despite all the evidence to the contrary including the evaluations from the wonderful ladies in my classes.

I returned home, got a new part time job, and carried on. I was really excited about super duos and their potential, and ended up with my Ratan bangle, a class which sold out twice at the next Bead & Button show. It was fun, but the judgment demons were still there, and in full force. Despite the outward success, I was in debt, I hated my job, and I was unable to make a living from my passion. That last part hurt so bad I started resenting my gift. 

I quit beading and decided to explore some other things and business ideas. I didn’t touch beads for about a year, and when I redid my office, I considered giving away or selling them all.

I was working with my mentor on a couple things, and after one particular session, I felt the urge to get my hands on some beads. I finished Sherry Serafini’s Monster necklace in one night, and it was so joyful to play with beads again I wondered why I ever stopped!! THAT. That joyful feeling of creating something with your hands, having no judgments or expectations about it being a class or to sell, THAT is what Bead Love is to me. Not that it can’t be a class or something later, it’s that creation for creation’s sake is the joy and the number one priority without any expectations or judgments on it.

A year later I have a full time job and I’m discovering how I’d like to weave beads into my life along with other adventures. I have a couple designs scheduled for future publications, and I started selling finished pieces again. One form of beading that I have always loved that is kind of a black sheep is freeform peyote. I love having no rules, and here’s my work in progress piece. The working title is “the key to creativity is no judgment."

It is my hope that this story contributes to you in some way. If you’d like to make your own beaded LOVE pen, instructions, blank graphs, and the entire alphabet can be downloaded here: Beaded Pens Ebook.

SweetArt Gifts - Jayashree Paramesh

What could possibly be sweeter or invoke love more than a box of chocolates?  What a wonderful gift Jayashree has given us this week.  It would appear that she had great fun with the varieties here, using her embellishment skills to invoke the idea of several different kinds of chocolates.  Wouldn't this be a fun coffee table project with each set into their own little paper cups?  I'm pretty sure you're favorite craft store or kitchen store candy making section would be a good source for some display items. Enjoy!  Marcia

Nchantme

Weaving magic one bead at a time

SweetArt Gifts

How about showing your love for beads and chocolate? That has to be the winning combination! The perfect blend of aroma, taste, texture and looks makes eating chocolate a pleasurable experience that stimulates the ‘feel good’ centers of the brain. Beaded chocolates don’t have the aroma and taste but you could make up for that by nibbling on chocolate while beading these. Beaded with peyote stitch, these fun components are addictive. Use your imagination to embellish with suitable beads from your stash. Connect them to make a sweet bracelet or stitch them on to a purse. Make a pendant or a pair of earrings. Whatever you decide to do, it will be a conversation starter for sure! 

Original Design by  

Jayashree Paramesh

www.nchantme.com on Etsy

Contact: jay@nchantme.com

SweetArt

By

Jayashree Paramesh

Ingredients

1 tbsp size 10 delica chocolate brown #DBM 0715 A

1 tbsp size 10 delica opaque cream #DBM 0732 B 

1 tsp size 11 delica any chocolate brown color C

1 tsp size 11 delica any white chocolate color D

An assortment of other beads for embellishment 

  Coffee bean Czech glass beads in a couple of colors  

  Some small citrine nuggets for toffee

  Round garnet for blackberry

  Superduos 

  Red Miyuki drop beads for cherry

  Carnelian for orange peel

  Piggy bead for sea salt caramel

Tools

Size 12 or 13 beading needles

Scissors

Suitable thread like One G

Thread burner

 Method

1. Rows 1 and 2: On 2 ½ ft length of thread, string 24A. Go back through the 1^st bead strung in a circle and make a ring. Go through all the beads once more and exit from the 2^nd bead strung.

 2. Row 3: Pick up 1A, skip one bead on the ring and go through the next bead, thus making the 1^st peyote stitch. Pick up another A and peyote stitch. Now, pick up 2A and peyote stitch. This is the 1^st herringbone pair. Repeat this pattern and finish the round. Step up.

    

3. Row 4: Pick up 1B and peyote. Pick up another B and peyote. Peyote again with 1B, this time splitting the pair of As from previous round. In this way, continue and finish the round. Step up. 

4. Row 5: Peyote all around with B. Step up.

 

  

5. Row 6: Peyote once with 1A. Next, pick up 2A and peyote. Peyote 3 more times with 1A. Next, peyote with 2A. In this way, continue to peyote with 1A 3 times and then with 2A at the corners. Finish the round and step up.

6. Row 7: Peyote with A. At the corners, peyote with 1A, splitting the pairs from previous round as explained in Step 3. Finish the round. Weave through and exit from A in Row 1 as shown. 

Embellish 

8. Peyote one stitch with superduo. Add another superduo, skip A at the corner, go through the next A in Row 1. Continue to peyote on all sides.  Peyote for a total of 8 stitches. Step up. 

  

9. Make a U turn and go through the top hole of superduo. Go through all the top holes of superduos. Reinforce so that the beads are close together. Square stitch a 4mm garnet or any other berry colored bead. 

10. Weave through and exit from Row 7.  

 

11.  Peyote with 1C in every stitch and finish the round. Secure threads and trim. 

Make variations based on this pattern by using only A or B or both, changing the embellishments according to ‘taste’ or flavor. 

Connect all components using peyote or right angle weave stitch for a sweet bracelet. 

 Tip: If you would like to use size 11 delicas instead of size 10 delicas, then start with 40 beads. Follow the same steps but for a total of 40 beads at the start. You will need to build at least 12 rows for a good sized chocolate component. 

Original Design by  

Jayashree Paramesh

For more photos, please visit Nchantme page on facebook. Terms and Agreements: This design is available free for you to enjoy. If you plan to bead and sell copies of this design, it would be cool to mention my name as the designer.  

For a printable version click here.