Will Be Selling Online Again Soon

I will be selling my jewelry again (and some new fashion items) online sometime in February 2013.  My vision was comprimised by a large cataract in my right eye, making doing close work impossible.  Hope to start posting new designs soon.

Susie is no longer with us...

Many of you who have purchased my jewelry or have followed this blog have asked about Susie, my design coordinator in training.  On November 18th, I had to take Susie to the vet to be put to sleep.  She almost made it to her 14th birthday.  She lived 18 months longer than she would have if I had not rescued her from my ex-husband.  Her last days were happy and comfortable.  She had been suffering with cancer for several weeks and had become too weak to stand on her own.  The night of her death, her cries became so unbearable that I took her to the vet's emergency center to take her out of her misery.  She went peacefully and is now buried with two of our other dogs on our land.  Here are some last photos.

Susie and Lil Man on the sofa, 11/16/11. 

Susie's grave. 

Her headstone.

SHE WILL BE MISSED...

HOW TO MAKE A DOUBLE SPIRAL BRACELET

I get so many people asking me how to do a double spiral bracelet.  The trick is keeping the color segments separated while beading so you will get the look of two spirals.  Most of this instruction is from Mastering Beadwork by Carol Huber Cypher and is the easiest to follow.  I have added some tricks to get the pattern right and to get the most durable bracelet.   Use complementary colors in your beads to get the most striking bracelet!

Materials:

70 to 90 of two different color 4mm beads (A, B)

110 to 130 size 6° or “E” seed beads (C)

At least 300 of two different color size 11° (10° fits better) seed beads (a,b)

Spool of Fireline beading thread (size 1)

.015 Beadalon coated beading wire

Beading needle

Closure, crimps, wire guardians

1.  Place one full unit of base with both segments.  Pick up 4C (base beads).  Pick up 2a, 1A, 2a (Color Segment A).  Pass needle through the bottom of 4C base (see figure 1).  Push Segment A to the left.  Pick up 2b, 1B, 2b (Color Segment B).  Pass needle through bottom of 4C base (see figure 2).  Thread Beadlon wire through C base beads.

Note:  Rotate your work so that Segment A is on the right and Segment B is on the left.

2.  Pick up 1C base bead and a Segment A (2a, 1A, 2a).  Push them to the left side of the work.  Pass needle through the top 3C of the base and new C bead (see figure 3).  Thread Beadalon wire through new C base beads.

Note:  Because the initial base was 4 beads, pass through 4 base beads with every segment.

3.  Keeping Segment B on the right of the base and Segment A on the left, pick up a Segment B (2b, 1B, 2b) without the additional C bead.  This keeps the segments on the same level.  Pass needle through top 4C base beads.

4.  Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the piece reaches the desired length.  Keep passing the end of the Beadlon wire through each new C base bead added.  Threading it through the work at the end is practically impossible. 

Note:  Use Beadlon wire, crimps and wire guardians to add clasp to your piece.

As more segments are added, it will get more difficult to find the proper place to thread through the base beads.  Watch the staggered appearance of the 4 mm beads.  They should look “stair-stepped” if you are threading in the right place.  Also, you should starting a new segment right on top of an opposite color segment as you complete your way around the spiral (see figure 4).

Here’s a finished bracelet I just completed using round 4 mm Swarovski crystals in Light Siam and Lime.  It is for sale at my Etsy store, Rojagato Designs:

Have fun beading!

Sample of Sold Jewelry

Here's a few of my more recently sold jewelry pieces. Sold Jewelry  I do custom pieces and each jewelry piece is one of a kind.  Check out my EBay Store, Rojagato Designs for new jewelry that is currently for sale!

Claudia

Beading With The Daisy Chain

I've been kind of lax in my promise to post beading techniques and tips. School and my new part-time job are taking up a lot of my time, so I stayed up late tonight to write this blog post.

This stitch is a favorite of mine since you can use it as a base to build all sorts of jewelry on...plus it is a very easy technique to master. You can vary bead sizes, using a larger bead for the center of the daisy, or you can use all the same color and size to start a base for a necklace or choker.

Step One:
Pick up a "petal" bead on the needle. Pull the bead down the thread, leaving six to eight inches of thread as a tail. Pass the needle up through the bottom of the bead. (Try not to split the thread as it will be removed later. )

Step Two:

Pick up four more "petal" beads, then one "center" bead on the needle. Pass the needle back through bead #1 towards the tail.

Step Three:
Pick up three more "petal" beads (#7, #8 and #9) then pass the needle through bead #5.

Step Four:

Pick up one "petal" bead (#10) then pass the needle back through bead #9.

Step Five:
Pick up another "petal" bead (#11) then pass the needle back through bead #10.

Step Six:
Pick up three more "petal" beads (#12, #13 and #14) and one "center" bead (#15). Pass the needle back through bead #11.

Step Seven:

Pick up three more "petal" beads (#16, #17 and #18) then pass the needle through bead #14.

Last Step:

Add more flowers until your chain reaches the desired length by repeating steps four through seven. Each additional daisy consists of 8 "petal" beads and 1 "center" bead.

When done, work the thread tail emerging from bead #1 back into the piece using the zig-zag method.

Here's a wonderful picture of a finished choker necklace using the daisy chain stitch with an interesting variation of colors.

Try this stitch out. It's fun and hard to make mistakes on. One piece of advice, use different colors for the "center" and "petal" beads to keep track of your stitches before you try a variation like this necklace.

Enjoy!

Claudia