May/June 2000

Volume 3 Number 3

16 Kickin' lt with Joyce Scott /no Golub

18 Connie lehmon: Bead Diva Down Hamilton
27 Diane Fitzgerald: In Pursuit of Beads Peggy Wright
42 listening to the Beads: Hearing Secrets That Wont to Be Shored
Morgie Deeb

Beadwork's

52

Professional Development Series: Make Bead

Graphs and Handouts with PowerPoint Mory J. Tofoyo

21

Feather Stitch Garland Scarf

Amy C. Clarke

18

24 Clinging Vine Earrings

Barbara L. Grainger

55

2 Passing Through
5 Project Contributors
6 Calendar
8 letters

30 Flat Peyote Banner Pin )udi Wood

and Pins for Beodweoving
Carol Straus

10 Stitches

34 Suspended Admiration: Beaded

Fan Pulls Denise Perreault

12 Up Close

45 A Tantalizing Bead-looming Secret

)eanne Leffingwe/1

1 1 Abbreviations

37 Special Beads
Moria Chiaro

50 All Stuck Up Jean Campbe/1

38 Samplers
Lydio Borin

55 Fused Glass 101 Stephanie Houston

62 Cool Stuff

58 Fired About Wire Staff Proiect

64 Reviews
72 Stringing Along
)udith Duront

On the Cover

Fused Gloss 10 1
by Stephanie Houston

recently taught a class of pre-lcindergarrners

how to make beaded jewelry. Other than the
usual funny thi ngs that happen in a preK
class ("Teacher! Teacher! Haley just fed the
guinea pigs Playdough!"), Twas excited to see
that even rhcsc rea lly little people get the itch
for beads.
\_
r started the class with noodles and string.
The kids were bored. I got out rhe wire and
rools-that was a lirde more interesting.
Bur then, 1 pulled out the big bucker-o-beads.

J
l:;:::;;..;:::.-::::-"".,....-.

What's cooking in the Beodwork office

Beodwork just went to press with The Bes~ in Contemporary Beadwork:

Bead International 2000 eo-produced with The Dairy Born Cultural
Arts Center. If I do soy so myself (I got to edit it), it's gorgeous!
Come one, come all to BASH! Check our websi te or see page 68 to
find out more about this no-holds-barred beoderly retreat in May 2000.
Coming next issue (foster than a rolling Delico ... able to leap embroidery hoops in o single bound .. to doa) BEAD BOY! Every issue
we're going to give our new superhero (aka Dustin Wedekind) a
challenge to creole a piece of beodwork with a specific theme, and
we invite you to take port, too. Send a snapshot
of your work and a short explanation of
the technique to Beodwork. The July/August
challenge? BEAD THE WIND.

"Ooooh. Now we can

make REAL jewelry!" I
gave each child a length
of wire for making little
rings, then 1 turned them
loose on the bucket. They dug right tn, just like
any beadworker at a bead show.
As I studied the chaos J came ro rhe determination that the kids' bead-hungry behavior wasn't
just greed. It was narural. Innate. Single-celled .
They were like crows or walleyes drawn ro the
glitter and sparkle. What the chaos was really
about was the !iglu. "See my power ring? 1 have
blue power and that's the best kind." "Well/ have
red power and char's suonger!" "When l put on
my ring I disappear and go to the beach. " "Mine
has a special bead you LOuch rhat makes you go to
ourer space. "
Is thar what you do wbcn you open your
bucker-o-beads? Become powerful? Disappear to a
different place? Well, maybe ir doesn't fed that
dramatic, but as you stitch bead by bead by bead,
you gotta know there's a kid in there somewhere
who is rraveling the astral planes.
Radiandy yours,

UliiORIAI
cRt.~ 11\ 1 lliRI'CTOR Unda C. Ligon
lDIIORIAL lliRECI OR ~ larilyn Murphy
1 lliTOR Jean CampbeU
AS~I'lA:-11 Hlii'OR Amy C. Cbrke
COPY fOil OR Stc-phen BeaJ
Dn'ORIAJ..AOMI:\:IHRATIVI ,\.\\I~TA\J Robin Troxell
1 H:H'IIUL tnrro~ Marion Agnew. Mun;~ Pomptli
PRODL'CTIOI'. Wln>R Mona Pompiti
l'lli1USHNG
l'llKLI~HtR Ceri Ander~on
~ ~ >VIRTISING Tiffany Ball. Maril}n Kuponcn
AllVJ'RTISIN\, e<K>Rill'IATOR Karhie Karbowski
U IKlJ IJ\TlO'I \ IA'lt\CFR)cnny fi~h
SL'IlS\ 1\II'I ION SI'RVI<.F.~

Donna Mdwn

lilt I' & l' ltOI >UCTlO"'

lll.lJS I RATIO!' Je:Ul Campbel l. Gay le Ford, Alln Swanso u. Andy Wcbbcr
L'HO I ()(,Jli\I'II YJoe c~)C3
111 \lr ;r., r )it.tbcc h R. 'v1 ro~ka
PRODUC.I'Itlt<. MAt'\ACI R jen Li rzler
I'RODLC'IION C()ORI>II\Al OR Andy Webber

Dtsigns m thu ism of lle.tdwork '"'for wspirnti"" mu/ pmon.,J us- on/;.
F.xlll'l rtprodJ.,,tion {Or rommtn:ial purposn is co11rmry ro rl~ tpsrit ofgo<Jtl ,mji:,nlllmlup.

ift

INTERWEAVE PRESS

&.uiu"rk (ISSN I ~2X ~ll.ll ) i1 pul~i..h..-d bimonthly by lntorwcoe I'm>>. Inc., 20 I f Founlt Sr.. l.o>eb.nJ. CO 80H7 '\6'\5. (~'0) 66<J. 76~~ USPS .018 351
Periodical> p<t.rg< pa>d Jl l.ovtbnd, CO 80538 and additional mailing nlfiu, All <onnrs of this issue of &miu'llrk ore wpyn~hr,,l hy lnrcrw"''"' Press, In<.. 2000. All r.ghh
rcscm:d. R<prorlm nnn '" whuk '" "' pm i prorubircd, <>ct'pt br pcrmi'>inn 111 chc puhlhher. !>ubscription rate is 521. 'J~Ione year '" the l.. ~. $3 I .?'ilonc ye;u U.S. hmd' "'
C:uuda and lorcign counrric! (<U>face ddivery).l'cimed ut 1hc U.S.A. I'OS r\-11\STPR: Please send ad<lrc;.s dwt(\C tO 8Md~>or/., I'D Box S27, Mr. Morri&.IL 610~1 0527.
Vi~it

www ln terweove.com

the lnterwc;Jve rrcs.s w~hsire t1( www.irucrw~..a.ve.oom.

--

Magoificer1t Colors,
Coosisteot io size~~
shape a11d color .

'

Culindrical Shaped .
Precision cut

1-800-447-1332
www.millhill.com
www.millhillbeads.com
\

<iJ I!J~lD

rlllllllll Juntsvlllt, Wl USA

Needlecase Kit alld

MAGNIFJCA. Beads
available from Mill Hill
Division of Gay Bowles Sales, Inc. ~ ,_.
Needlecasr shovvn is actual size

:'\

66

nventtveness shows up
.
h
1
,,
tn eac new cata og.
Tim McCreight

r(
Do you

Instructor, Author, Precious Me ta l Clay Designer

Portland, Maine

HAVE any beads you

don't know what

TO DO.....with ?
-

... -..,

_..,

AMY CLARKE "Yes-and

ir's a good thing they're
patient. Tt rakes me months
to complete projccrs with he beads
that 1 know whac to do with!"

JEAN CAMPBELL Four

lampworked oranges. Maybe
when l retire eo Florida I'll
know what to do with them."

BARBARA

GRAINGER

"Tons of them! Wonderful

beads for char 'special piece'
I'm going to do some day. Trouble is,

Bead
ofPMC

ond
Polymer
Cloy

Gems & Findings

Tools & Equipment
Display & Packaging
phone 800.545.6566
fox 800.965.2329
www. riogronde.com

Join us at Embel/ishmentsOregon, July 14-16, 2000

source code A 9170

they're roo pretty to use!"

JEANNE LEFFINGWELL
"Several! They mosrly preen
and display themselves on my
eye-level-percolating shelf Bm since I
walk pasr them every day, they all know
rha( chey're just waiting their turn!"

DENISE PERREAULT "The

clear plasLic beads 1 bought
for fringing a lampshadeuntil I discovered Austrian crystals.
Placed inside bottles, they will make
fine maracas for my toddler!"

CAROL STRAUSS "No, I

only buy beads that 1 like.
Sometimes it tal<.es years to
find the right project fo r the beads,
but I can always just adm ire the beads
until I do. "

JUDl WOOD "I have several. 1 place them where T'rn

reminded of rhcm, can hold
them and, after a while, an idea starts
ro develop."

ColourCraft~

Our permanently colorod copper wire is perfect for wire wrapping,

sculpting . and beading. You can create ornaments, pottery.
sculptures, jewelry anrJ other designs with our specialty tools
and variety of popular wire gauges and colors.
Beadalon" 19 & 49 Strand Bead Stringing Wires
New Improved Beadalon~ 19 & 49 Strand w ires are softer and

even m ore flexible than before-now the softest mot supl2!.e...

wires on the market! Great for stringing g lass, ceramic, metal and
stone beads, seed beads and freshwater pearls. Available in the
largest selection of d iameters, colors and spool lengths. Attacl1
using our high quality findings and specially tools.
For more information, visit our website at
~a dalon.com. Send $2.00 f or catal og.

The only company in the industry

that actually manufactures i t s own wire.
205 Cao1er Drive Weosl Chester. PA 19382
FrAA 1 800.824.WII lE (9473) Tol: 1.610.692 755 1 Fax: 1.610.()92.2 190
a mait: sales@beadalon corn

www.beadalon.com

BEADWORK

"

Moy/June 2000

GATHERINGS

April 1-2: BMrl Bmuwr 2000 at the

lloliday Inn, I .!'5 ,111d I 20rh Ave.,
1'\orrhglenn. ( olor.tdo. ( :omact r.he
Rocky f\lountain Bead \octct\, Jcnnifer
Richard, (7 I9) i!l6 2682. or Allison
lknjJmin (303) 2"' I I676.
April 14-16: 14th Amwal American
Crnfi Counril Show .-r the Rivt:rCc.:ntrc
in Se. Paul, Minne~ota. Cumacr rhc
American Craft Cound l, 2 I S. J:l.ILings
Corner Rd., Highl.wd, NY 12528.
(91 4) 88.1-6 I 00; (ROO) 836 .1470; fax
(914) 883-6 UO: ~how'~'\r;tftcouncilorg:
''w,\.Cr;tftcoune tl.org.

April21-23: GroExpositionsSpring
Show in thl' Rockm .u the Holidav Inn
'
Oenvcr Nnrrh .md lk\t Western Cemral,
at the imc:rseuton of I 70 and I-25,
Denver, Cnlor.Hio. Contact GeoExposiriom, PO Box '505~. Culdcn, CO 80401.
(303) 278-1 218; glocxpoQoaol.com.

April 28-29: TIN 6tb Amwal Beat!

Bttznnr- The A1t of Adrwuing :H t.hc
Bo\vers Museum. C.,,lnt.t /\n.a, California.
Conracr l h: Bead \o~icry of Orange
Counf)<. 2001 ' . \1.un )t., Santa Ana,
CA 92 7 06. C' I 'l) -s SH6.
April 28 -30: &cont! Annual Moscqrv,
ldnho Bmd Stttmpcdt 2000 at the Latah
Counr: F.lirgrountk Lxhibir Building.
Coman L llnhson. Zillyt.;1Z.J Be:t<l~, 31 I
1\'. l)rh Sr.. Cmur d'Akl1l:, ID 83815.
(208) 664 ')'552; ~.iu.y<iilmic.:mu.neL

April 30: Suburbrm Fi/1(' Arts Cmte-r

Semi-Anm11tl Bead S11le- .tl Lhe Highland
Park Communitv, !louse. I 9 I .j Sheri-

of lijt'- lw Jo.Jn Dull.1. I.,., ><

](," X [(,". ~iz{ 14" sced heJds.
<.:oppl r, J11<diL.11 Lap.:. l'rom rlw
Rtwlumr/. in Anurim 2000
cxluhit at the I );t,un!'s ( ollegc An
l, 1llcn, lll lhhring:.. Ncht.aska
~fard1 J ll.
frtt

www.lnlcrweove com

dan Rd., I Iighland Park, lL 6003'i.

(847) 'l H-9 I 06; !:1x (847) 432-9106.

May 3 7: 8t'lldtvork B11siJ 2000 at

1he A\pcn Lodge in Esres Park. Color.tdo. Conuct Interweave Press, 10 I [.
Founh Sr., Lovebnd, CO 80537-565'5.
(970) 669-767 .2; nanL]d~imerweJvc.
.
com; www.tmcrwc.Lvc.com.
May 5-7: Be-ttd Relutisstmcc S!Jozv:
Dal/1/s/Fort Wortb .ll the Grapevine
Convention Ccmer, 1206 S. Main Sr..
Grapcvine, 1\:xas. Contact J&J Promotions, L. I..C.. 8490 \'1/. Colfax Av<.!.,
CS-27, Rox .H4. Lakcwood, CO
80215. (.~03) 232-7147; fax (303) 2325263; bca .hh<m <i''be,Jdsho\\.com; www.
be.td,how.com.
May S 7: Sugm-loaf's MarLOSsas,
Virginia C1"11fls Festival at the Prince
Willi.tm County Fairgrounds. Call (800)
210-9900: www.sugarloafcrafts.cum.
May 6: Thh-d Amlllnf Spring Bend
Bttznnr at 1he I.ivc O.tk Civic Ccmer, Sat1
Antonio, l cxa~o. Contact Lhe San Amonio
Bead and Omament Society, PO Box
70061. s.u1 Anton1o, TX 78270-06 I I.
(21 0) 495-138'5; dconley@texas.net.
June 2-4: Bend Rmaissnnce- Show:
Lns VegllS .u the fropicana Ca\ino/

I lore!, l.<ts Vt!(.l\, 1\'evad.t. Contact J&J

Promorion,, I..L.C., 8490 \Y/. Colfax
Ave., CS-27. Box 334, L.tkewood, CO
802 I 5. (303) 232-7 147; fax (303) 2325263; bcadshow~ilbeadsbow.com; www.
bcadshow.com.
June 2-4: Bead and Button Sbmv al
Oregon Convcmion C.cmcr, Ponland,

me

Oregon. Contact the B.:ad ;1nd But wn

Show, PO Box 3388, Zanewillc, 011
41"'07 .B88. {740) 452-454 I; f.n: (740)
4'51-l'i '52; lx':!dandburron<!z'offingcr.wm;
WW\\. h<.td.mdburro n.co m.

June 8-11: The Glass An Sociny's

30th Anmtfll Conference: Brit!gl' to the
ri11urr .tt the UrbanGlass Conrcmpomr}
Gl.tss ( enter and Long Island Univcr~ity,
Brooklyn, No:w York. Conracl C.A.~ .
UOS 4rh Ave., Suite: 7 1 I, ~c:utlc, WA
<JH I0 1-240 I. (206) 382-1 305; f:tx (206)
3ll2-Ul30; gb.sansoc@canhli 11 k.ncr;
www.glassan.org.
June 9- I I: Firsr Annual Billings,
/11ontnna Bead Stnmpedl' 2000 .11 the
Mtrra Park-)age Cmrer. Cont.u.t L.
llob,on, /.iay1..w1 Be-.td~, 31 I l\.. I 51h
St., ( ocur d'Aienc, ID 83815. (208)
664-9'552; tiuv@'micron.l1t:r.

June 11- 15: BW2K Bettdtvt'ttllei'S

2000 Relrettl in Jobmtown, Pennsylvania. Conu\ct Raven, PO Box 248, Sidnun, PA 1'i95'i-0248. (8 14} 'i36-!lH0/j;
bw lkG'Oltntlin k.m;t; hrrp://homepage.
l~n~ Iin k.ne1/1t~ers/ raven.
June 16-18: Thl' Wine Cowm-y Guw
Art nnd BellO Festi1111l ar the Veteran's
\1cmonal Building. Sonoma, Calift>rni;t.
Cont.Kt Soft Hex Co.. PO Box 80, )onn111.1, CA 9'ift76. (707) 938-3'5.39: ,(v. tm(il
sol rflex rm .eo m; www.softAcxt m .~om.
June 24-25: Third Awuwl lli,'l,IJItmd Pnrk Festi!ltt! of Fine Crt!ft i 11
duwntown Highland Park, lllinoi,.
Cnntau the Suburban Fine Am Ccn tcr,
1913 Sht"ridan Rd . llighland P,Jrk, 11
60{H';. (8'17) 4.32-1888.
June 24-25: Puget Sound Bend
Festilltt! .11 the Union ~ration, l:twm.l,
W;l\hingwn. Comau The Bead 1-.u:ror}.
(2'i3l 5~2 S'i29 or (888) 500-BF.AD:
f'a.\ (25J) 874-6596; www.rhchc;Hl
f:1~wry.wm.

July 7-9: Fo1ty-Eigbtb Ammal 2000

Pour Come1s Gnn a11tl Minrml Club
SIJom .H rh~: 1.~ Phaa Co unty l-ai1
ground,, Durango, Color:tdo. Contact
~ Donna ll.11111a, PO Box 9)'), Ourango.
~CO 81301. (970) 38'i-514S.
0
"' Jul} 14 16: Embellishmem at rhc
:i: Oregon Convention Cemcr, Portl.111d,
8I Orc~on.
Contact Emhelli,hrncnt,
'
3: (71 I) ""'81-6864; fa:< (7Ul 781 6889:
~ ~how,(/' tjllilts.corn; www.cmbdltshment
~ show.rom.

I I II

D.tiry Barn, PO Box 747, Athens, OH

4570 l 0747. (740) 592-4981; fax (740)
592 '5090; info@dairybarn.org. VlWV>'.
dai rybarn.org!beadi nt. htm I.

I . ~I il'l'll<

Are you excited about Bead

work magazine's comes
Beadwork If: The Embelll.uul.1 () 1\oo(fo
ished Shoe? Her<: s a hook
that might ger }'OUr crcati\'c
juices Bowing -Sbot'> A
Celrbration of l'umps. S,m.
daL<, S/ippm. and Morr by
lrncb O ' K.ccfc,. New \ork: Workman Publishing, J996. 507 pages,
l" X 6", mw I ,000 phorographs, paperback. $12.95. ISBN 0-7611011 4- t.

June 16 July 30: Cbnin Reaction

T:xhibitiou at the lcxtilc Arr~ Centre.
Chicago, Illinois. Comacr Textile Ans
Ccmrc, 916 \XI. DIVersey, Chtcago, I L
606 1 t. lmp://collaborarory.nunet.net/
textih:ans.

T hrough September: PnduktZ: Put

tmd Fooltoenr in tlu ludian Trndirio1l
.tt the Rara Shoe Mu,cum, 327 Rloor

!-.1'. W., Toronro. Onwio, M5S I W7,

Can~da.

(4 16) 97<J-779<J.

TRAVEL
Deadline May 2: Gleaming liet~sures
corrll!st at Embellishment, Oregon Con

C LA SSES
Ongoing: Glnss, Jerve!ry mul l.nmpworking Courses at d tl' M~:ndodno Art
Cenrer, 4'5200 Link: L1kc.: <it., PO Box
76'5, M~:ndotino, CA 95460. (707)
937-'i818; 1:1x (707) t.l.~7-l76tl; (800)

vcntion Center, Porrland, O regon. Send

SASE ro Embellishment, 7660 Woodway. Sre. 550, Housron. TX 77063. Pax
(713) 781-8182: shows@quilts.corn.

653-3328; mcndo.trte''mcn.org; www.

mcn.org/a/ menc.loan/.

Deadline June I: Uncommon Threads

}uried Runway Fashion SIJo rv ;tr the

O ngoing: Polymer Cuzy, Bendtvorking, tlnd Guzss \'(lorkshops ar rh, Brookfield Cr.tft Centcr. PO Box I 22. Roure
25. Brookfield. er 0681ll. (20H "754526: (tx (20 ') 740 7 81 '5; hrkflc.lcrfr(it)
aol.com; "ww.brookfieldcs.tftc.:cntcr.org.
O ngoi ng: Glms Blowing, Bt'ndwork,
Wiuworking Courses ar Horizons,
108-P !'.. ~1.un St., Sumbland. MA
01375. (l U) 66">-0300; fa>. (413)
665 -41"1 I; hmllumGthoriiOns-;~rr.org;
\V\vw.horiwm .1n.org.
O ngoing: G/,w mu/ Fiber Rrlnted
Courses .1r the Coupcvilk Art~ Ccuccr,
15 NW Birch Sr.. PO Bo-.: l7l. Coupcvillc, WA 9H2:19. 060) 678-J31)6;
fax (360) 678-7420; ,at<!nwhiJbey. cm;
www.cou pc vi l l c.crt~ .<l rg.

Fine Line Creative Arrs Cemer, St.

Charles, Illinois. Send LSASE ro Denise
Kavanagh. The Fine Line, GN 158
Crane Rd., St. Charles. TL 60175. (708)
584-9443; finelineCA@aol.com.

March June: Spring Bent! }etvelry

Design 1111d Cons1ruc1ion Courus at
Studio Baboo in Charluucwillc, Virginia. Contact ~wdin H.tboo. 3 16 E.
Main C.,t., Ch.trlom~willc, VA 22902.
(80.q) 24.:t-2t.JOS.

CALL FOR EN TRIES

Deadline March 3 I: Tbe llouse tiS
Uni11ersn/ Symbol Jt the l:crgcr (,allery
in AlexandiiJ, Virginia ( ontacr rhe
Target G.tllery. I OS l'.orth Union Sr.,
Alexandria, \'A 22.~ 14. (703) 5496877, ext. 10'-1; rargt:tg.lllcry@ljuno.com.

Deadline April 2 1: "Noi1" juried

e.xhibit.ll the 'iunwc c~llcry, llighl:tnd
Park, Illinois. Cotii>KC che Suhmban fine
Ans Centtr, 19 13 Shcric.l;ut Rd., llighland Park, IL 60035. (!H7) 4:12- 1888.

May 6- 13: } ewelry aud Silt1er.rmirbing in Ire/mu/. Coutac t Horit.ons,

108 N. Main St., Suo1derl;tnd, MA
01375. (4 U) 6(>5-0JOO; fax (413)
66'5 4 14 I. horizons@horizons-art.org;
www. h(11iu)IIS art.org.

Ballmrg Hmu~y b) Ann Te,epaugh Mirdtell. 7" X 17" X 9".

from the Bead lnlt'l'/1tltio11nl 2000 exhibit ar the DJiry
Barn Cultur.tl Arts ( .cnrcr, Arhens, Ohio.

Deadlin e June 15: l llcredibk ClnyFeats of Polymn at the Bead Museum,

C.lendale, Arizona. Send SASE to The
Bead Museum, 5754 W. Glenn Dr.,
C.lendalc, AZ 8530 I. (623) 931-2737;
cheryl@chebcadmuseum.com.

Deadline September l3: The EmbeUisbed Sboe juried rravcling exhibir. Send
SASE to The Embellished Sho<:, &,u}/IIOrk, Tnterweave Press, 201 E. Fourth
Sr., Loveland, CO 80537-5655. (800)
272-2 193; beadwork@in terweave.com;
www. lntcrwea vt::.com.

EXHIBITS
March 3-2 1: Beadwork in America
2000 at the Hastings College Art Gallery,
Hastings, Nebraska. Conract the I lay
don Gallery. Nebraska An A~~ociation.
335 North 8rh St., Lincoln, NE 68508.
(402) 475-5421.

March 3-28: Object Bend at me Suburban Fine Arts Cenrer, 1913 SheridJn
Rd., Highland Park, Tl. 6003'i. (847)
432-1888; fax (847) 432-9106.

T h rough May 21: }oyce ). Scott:

Kirkin' Ir Witb Tbe Old Masters at the
Ralticnore Museum of Arr, I 0 Arc Museum Dr.. Baltimore, MD 2 1218-3898.
(410) 396-631 1; fax (410) 39-7153.

May 27-September 3: Bettd lutemnJiounl 2000 at the Dairy Barn Cul tural

Cnlmt!m l!llt'JW of special interest to

brad/llltrkt'l) tm printetl ji-er: of charge ns
tt unia to our readers. l'lea.se smt!
inji1rmario11 twrlte weeks in adMnce of
pub!irtllion. l.isringJ are madl' on a spncettvai!tt/Jlr bnm. {'t?hik Wi' hJCludr tiS many
rrnw m f'Ossiblt, wr nmno1 guarantee
that yom li>llll,'{ will .tppt'ar. Smd calmlhrr nllrrrs 10 Beadwork, /ruaweme Press,
20 I !:. Fourth SI.. Lotef,nui, CO 805375655. F-:tx (9"'0) 669-6117: brndwork@
inurwrnvr. com.
<...heck out rhesc "cbsites-www.ind1amllage.com/
hemJge; \vww.whcspenngwmd.com. You'll find out ahout
tht Na tive American books, videos, and mrfi patft'rw
offcnd hy Wrirren llerirage as well as the magazine \\~his
prring Wind. Conracr Wrinen Heritage, PO Box 1390,
rohom. LA 70437-1:190. (800) 301-8009; (504) 796'5433; f:tx (504) 796-9236.

Arrs Cenrer, Athens, O hio. Contact the

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

HOW ' D HE DO THAT?

enjoyed your article on

Marcus Amerman in Lhe March/
April 2000 issue ol Bertdw01kil is jusr [he kind of work l wanr
eo learn how to do. But in your
article you didn't share how he
does ir. Is it loomed and pieced?
ls it embroidered? I am especially
inreresred in The Mtm With No
Name piece. What kind of fabric
does he work on? Does he use a
deer-hide backing? l appreciate
his views very much, bu[ now r
need to know how he does it.
-C. Cascy
Minncapolis, Minnesom

For the cot'er of Bcadwork,

Marws worker/ in lane stitch on
a "lentherette" kind of material
using size 14 Czech seed beads.
Amazing. eb?
PUSHED OVER
WITH A FEATHER!

I
What happened to this letter?!
Some of you have told us that

you get all fired up to bead

I
when you receive our magazine- but this is a little
extreme, don't you think?
(lt was actually burned when
the U.S. Postal truck was involved in on
accident and caught on fire. Postal employees carefully
sorted the salvageable mail and sent it along with a kind note.}
Thanks to the USPS for delivering our mail despite the extraordinary
circumstances!

have ir all and Lhe ladies who

own the store have been working
in this business for ages. 1 love ir
there- feathers, sequins, and
gems, oh my! And they have
trim, glitter, and all the gaudy
fabrics. And rhere always seems
to be one designer or another
working o n a project. You just
didn't know where to look. They
are not fa r off the Srrip-over
on South 3rd Snect in an industrial district close to the Stratosphere. Nexr rime you are here,
give me a holler, rhey know me

Oops/

www interweove .c om

-R:Linbow
Las Vegas. Nevada
\\7r lot't' to hmr
jiwn _you! Plrnsr
send your letters In
Beadwork. 201 E.
Fourth St., Lowland, CO 80'5J7-

5655 or berlllu(Jrk
@lnterwettze. f'OIIl .
i'lrtlil! br m re Jo include your naml' 11!1(/

mt11ling ndtlrm.

W0re so sorry we made time mistakes!

Winter 2000
~

[n the Mrtrc/;/April 2000 issue

ofBeadwork, jutlith Du rant wrote

about IJer trip to Lns lft>gas and
her bead-huming adventures. This
is Me rear/er's response to /m essay.
11111 \1
10u d'd
1 n't
H o n e e e ........
(',os rum e t:>fll
go to W .,,.
1 1a m~
.....
They have Czech beads galorelots of thar stuff- rh:u's where I
starred beading! No one here
rakes Williams seriously 'cause
they don't have any or rhe rrendsening stuff- bur if you like
Cz,ech beads this is che place
ro go. And you wi ll positively
drown in coslumc sruff- rhey

well. I'll introduce you lO more

ostrich plumes than you call ever
handle, and a lew beads, roo!

We misspelled the title of Ina Colub's piece, Adon Livyatan,

on page 12. She explai.ns "that ' li\'Yaran' is Hebrew for 'big
fish,' and 'adon' means 'mister,' making the rid e of rhis
piece Mr. Big Fish. It sounds beuer in Hebrew, don't you
t h.111 k)"

In "Cool Stuff" on page 62, we listed the dimensio ns for

the Bead and String reference chnrt incorrecrly-rhe chart
is 11 " X 17". Beaded Phoenix's c-mail address was also
wrong- it is bphocnix@besrweb.net.

March/ April
(j

ln Sylvic Elise Lansdownc's ad on page 53, the phone number should be (877) 387-3281.

We misspelled Pictorico's name nnd websice on page 62.

Lt should be Picrorico Ink Jet Media ar (888) 879-8592 or
. .
www.p1ctonco.com.

"-....

These basic instructions are for stitches used in this

issue's projects and are excerpted from The Beadcr's
Companion, interweave Press, 1998. Don't have
one? Call (800) 645-3675, dept A-Bl.

BEAD EMBROIDERY

FLAT PEYOTE STITCH

Begin by pa~~mg rhe needle through

me fabric, from wrong side [Q right
side. String 3 beads ;md pass back

This stitch cnn also

"gourd stitch. "

b~

riferrrd to

TUBULAR PEYOTE STITCH

t1S

One-drop peyore begins by stringing

an even number of beads ro create the
first two rows. Begin the third row by

Stnng an even number of beads to fir

in a circle around a tube. Make a foun
dation circle by passing through all the

;'

m rough the fabric to the left of where

the third bead lays. Bnng the needle
back through the fabric ro the right of
the bead, pass back through the bead.
You can sew up to three beads per stitch
by Stringing three beads and backstirching through the third as shown.

DECREASING IN PEYOTE
To make a hidden row-end decrease,
pass through the last bead on a row.
Weave your rhread between two beads

\
stringing one bead and passing through
the second-w-lasr bead of the previou~
rows. String another bead and pass
through the fourrh-ro- lasr bead of the
previous rows. Continue adding one
bead at a time. passing over every other
bead of the previous rows.
Two-drop peyote is worked the same
a.~ above, bur wirh rwo beads at a time
instead of one.

Figure 1

LOOM WOR K

After warping your loom, use a separate ducad ("weft") ro suing the number of beads needed for the first row.

strung head~ rwice more, exiting from

the first bead strung. Suing I bead and
pass rh rough the third bead of the
foundation circle. String 1 bead and
pa~s through the fifth bead of the foundation circle. Continue adding I bead
at a rime, skipping over I bead of rhe
fim round, umil you have added half
the number of beads of the first round.
I:.xit from rhe first bead of the second
round. Slide the work omo the form .
String I bead, pass through the second
bead added in the second round and
pull rhread right. String 1 bead and
pass through the third bead atklcd in
the second round. Cominue around,
filling in the ..spacesn I bead at a mnc.
Exit from the first bead added in each
round.

WIREWORKING: SPIRAL
Figure 2

of the previous row, looping it around

the thread rhat connects the beads. Pass
back through the last bead of the row
just worked and continue across in regular fiar peyote (Figure l).
To make a mid-project decrease, simply pass thread through two beads
without adding a bead in rhe "gap." In
rhe next row, work a regular one-drop
peyote over the decrease. Keep tension
raut to avoid holes (Figure 2).

10

www . lnterweove.com

To srarr a spiral, make a $mall loop at

rhc end of a wire with round-nose plier~.
Enlarge the piece by holding on to the

Bring the weft thread under the warp

threads and push them up with your
finger so there is one bead between
each of two warp threads. Hold the
beads in place, bring the weft thread
over the warp threads, and pull back
through all the beads. Repeat rnese
steps for each row.

spiral with chain-nose pliers and pu~h

ing the wire over rhe previous coil with
your thumb. @

Week-long summer workshops with

nationally renowned bead and jewelry
artists.
Virginia Blakelock/Carol Perrenoud, beadworking
Ken Bova, col/aged jewelry
David Chatt, beadworking
Pier Voulkos, polymer clay
Over 40 week-long intensive workshops in beadworking,
beadmaking, surface design, bookmaking, Navajo weaving.
fabric art, stitchery, fiber sculpture, and more. July 9 to
August 12, 2000. Held on the University's Duluth campus
overlooking Lake Superior. No prerequisites are required.
You select the workshop that is most appropriate to your
interests. needs, and level of experience. Optional University
of Minnesota credit available. Registration opens March 27.
For complete catalog, call: 612-625-8100
a-mail: srap@cce.umn.edu
visit our Web site: www.cce.umn.edu/splitrockarts
or write: Split Rock Arts Program (BW),
University of Minnesota
360 Coffey Hall, 1420 Eckles Avenue
St. Paul, MN55108

beg: begin, beginning

dec: decrease

'

me: 1nc rease

A program of College of Continuing Education, University ot Minnesota,

an equal opportunity educator and employer.

prev: prevtous

PBT pass back cluough; pass needle

through in the opposire direcrion

PT pass through; pass needle through

in the same direcrion
.
rern: remrun, remammg
~'t'p:

Design with Wire

Instantly!

repear

rnd(s): round(s)

RS: right side

st(s): srirch, stitches
tog: rogerher

WS: wrong side

TENSION BEAD
A tension bead lor stopper bead)
holds your work in place. To
make one, string a bead larger
than those you are working with.
pass through the bead aga in,
making sure not to spl it your
thread . The bead will be able to
slide along, but it still provides
tension to work against when
you' re beading the first two rows.

Over 140 pages of

free designs, wire
tecbrtiques and tips
at wig;ig. com.
Check our
itzternet specials!
Free sb lpf>ing 011
o rder s over $20.

BEADWORK

May June 2000

11

"Up Close" showcases your work and vimlll/y

describes the techniques employed. To be considered
for these pages, send slidts labeled with the title
of tbe piece, your name, address, techniques, nnd
dimensions to Beadwork, !nterweave Press, 201 E.
Fourth St., Loveftrnd, CO 80537-5655.

She Becomes the Sea by Sally Lewis, Tampa, Florida.

Peyote, tubular peyote, and brick stitches. 12" x 9" .

Brick stitch

12

www. interw eave .eo m

.J

Flat peyote stitch

Power Tie by Jen Clark, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Bead embroidery. l 8" x 4 W' .

Bead embroidery

Right-angle weave {single-needle}

She Has Beads to Keep Her Worm

by Rebecca Starry, Anchorage, Alaska.
Right-angle weave and square stitch.

9" x 53".

Detail of

She Has Beads to Keep Her Worm .

Square stitch

BEADWORK

May/June 2000

13

'

ong at the forefrom of the comcmporary bead movemcnr, Joyce Scon has inspired a generation of bead
..._.,<mists. Her 30-year retrospective exhibition ar the Balrimore Museum is a brilliant cribme eo an artist whose vision goes
far beyond beadwork.
T he luminosity of her beadwork first attracts rhe viewer.
Once drawn in by the technique, one finds thar the works
beaded and mixed-media sculptures, si re specific installations,
I NA GOLU B
and prints-address issues of racism , gender roles, violence, sex,
and memory. Score's works are often a scathing commcnrary
on the world, seen from the arrist's unique perspective. Many
images are dismrbing, but rhey are always tempered by Joycc's
irrepressible sense of humor that makes it possible, in fact
mandatory, for the viewer ro listen to her provocative messages.
J was excited by Joycc's placement of eight of her works beside works from the museum's collections. Of particular inreresr
was Somebody's Baby, a magnificent black male figure constructed
of shiny seed beads, surrounded by chains and hanging by his
neck-obviously rhe subject of a lynching-high above Rod in's
Thinker. Anorher black seed-bead figure, Mnmmy, is displayed
next to a Degas bronze ballerina. Such jarTing tensions emphasize the essence of Joyce's work-her abiliry ro commenr on
every facer of her life, and ro do so with wic, imagination, conviction, and superb technical skill.
Garnered from public and private collections, seventy plm
Buddha uppor/s Shiva
pieces in the exhibit arc divided into eleven thematic groupAwakening the Races, 1993 .
'""-'r'
ings- Family Heritage, Techniques and lmugery, Cultural RefFrom a pr vote collectio n.
erences, Srorytelling and Containers of Memory, Skelewns and
Three
Oblivious
Riruals, Nannies, How Prejudice Feels, Stereorypes, Violence,
While Los Angeles Burns,
Lose Love, and Evolution and Genetia..
1992.
My favorire piece in rhe show is Joyce's full-length selfCourtesy the Corning
portrait of 1999, Clear 1tnd Present. Sculpted enrirely of clear
Museum Gloss.
transparent and clear silver lined seed beads, hand-blown crystal,
and other transparent found objects, this work tells me thar
Joyce has transcended the anger expressed in much of her work.
The portrait has a spiriwaJ qualiry which is almost angelic, and
exactly rhe opposite of what you usually expect when confronting a Scott work- or rhe formidable woman herself, for
~ that maner. A Ion.grime colleague, Joycc knew I was going to re view her exhibit. When l arrived at the museum, rhere she was,
~ waiting for me in all her regalia. A hug, warm welcome, and a
~ personal tour of rhc exhibit were her gift w me.

with oyce Scott

()

'?53' ~ ~

Boy with

L7un .

s:; ln11 (,(lfub is 11 freeuma fiba ttrtisttmd be11duorker wboJt' works nre inilttl!rd in
~ public 1111d pril'llte collutirms. Vi.rit ber wl'bsitr nt IIJII'IV.imtgolub.com.

1995 .

Courtesy
Weatherspoon
Gallery,
The Un
of North
Carolina at ~Greetlsboro

~Q
)>

Spanish Sai t, 1992.

Courtesy of the ennsylvonio
Convention Canter.

16

www int rweave co m

CONNIE LEHMAN

DAWN HAMILTON

Connie in her studio.

nrcrviewing Connie Lehman is as much fun as anyone could ask, but

getting Connic down on paper is a little uicky. Called by many the
"Bead Diva," she is all rhat and much more. So it's difficult eo know
where lO start. I'll tal<e my cue from Connie and just jump in.
What inspired Connie, an English major in college, eo become an arrisc?
Throughout her life, she has been surrounded by arrisrs, but crisis and
serendipiry have seemed to play major roles in where she is roday. While in
college, a personal crisis compelled her ro draw a powerful dream she had
had when she was seventeen. W.'lnting to draw prompted her ro rake a lifedrawing class and then work in clay, but it was in her design classes that she
got permission to explore different techniques and experimenc wid1 finding
her own creative voice.
The serendipiry pan was a having a show hefore she had aCtually decided
eo become an anist. That first show, during the mid-seventies, featured
quilted, crapuntoed, and soft-sculprured batiks. Although quilting and
painting became her main forms of expression, she was eventually drawn
back ro her roots where, as a young girl, she had learned
embroidery and sewing from her grandmother, a dressmaker. She loved the round, clustered effect she could get
with French knots but found they were tOO slow, and made
each piece very labor intemivc.
!golochkoy, a Russian needlepunch technique, proved a quick
and effective way ro mimic
French knots. The knobby effect
Connic achieved from punching
thread into fabric was jusc whar
~ she was looking for. But when
~ she found that she could use
~
beads to get rhe same effect, pLus
1:
~
~ achieve a rcAective qualiry, she
knew she had stumbled upon
rhe perfect material! In l990, her piece guys
taLk trout launched a new direction as Connie
combined technique and materials in a unique
expression of self.
guys talk trout, 1990.

lifeboat: yogi warriors, 1999.

Backgrounds ore from Connie's sketchbook.

18

www interweave com

Connie has developed

her own visual la nguage
over time, and her seemingly light-hearted images
belie an inrense response
eo life experiences. She's
affected by what she sees
a rou nd her whether at
home or craveJing, a nd
images of boats, moons,
and snakes gathered
fro m her many trips to
fall from grace/Fu/, 1995.
India and Mexico continue LO appear in different incarnarions in interwoven with hu mor and a genuine interest in her stuhe r work. Techniques dents. This all comes from someo ne who is very outgoing
lifeboat: lody of labyrinth, 1999.
and materials of differ- but at the sa me rime retains her privacy. She shares bur
em cultures also inAu- keeps a sense of mystery, and you know char one day with
cnce the way Connie works. She daily sees rwo Haitian Connie Lehman is never enough.
voodoo Aags resplendent wirh sequins hanging over her stuThrough he r workshops, Connie e ncourages participanrs
dio door, so it's no surprise chat she's integrated sequins into tO move beyond patterns. "Patterns are vehicles to learn
her work.
technique, but eventually you'll wanr
Alrhough fiber has always been a
eo use rhe tech ni que to tel l your own
primary medium of expression, Constory-m make rhe work your own."
nie's art would not exist without her
And Connie's workshops are as much
drawings. And she draws on everyabout storytell ing as they are about
thing. Alrhough she carries a journal
technique.
everywhere, nothing is safe-not
Just how does she make a technique
phone books, napkins, or minutes
and material her own? Nor surprisfrom rhe town meeting. For Conni e,
ingly, she says, "There's a lot of fear
involved. The work may look bold
the drawings are a form of visual
journaling that allows her ro focus
but it's very difficult; it's scary. But
and do diawings she wouldn't normI have to get out of the way of wha t 1
ally do. These are nor mere doodlings
really want to do. Creative stuff is
scary as hell. It's imporrant to ask
bur the foundation for everything
rhar follows. They comprise a sign ifiquestions about rhe work but not
canc parr of a series of images, only a
while you're working!"
few of which will appear as work
When nor reaching, Connie conin fibcrs and beads. "Without the
centrates o n her own arc. She begins
eve/snake: beheld, 1997.
drawings there wou ld be no work,"
sometime after four in the aFternoon
says Co nnie.
and works until midnight so than she
Connie is accessible and genuinely excited about sharing can focus without interruptions
ideas, so teaching comes naturally eo her. Spending a day and phone calls. "Beadwork is
in one of her workshops is an invitat ion ro become in- tedious," she says, "so it's a real
volved in a dialogue about beads, art, and life. The conver- commitment when I start a piece."
sation can How from sharing the most personal feelings, ro Listening to NPR and books-onphi losophical discussions on the use of mythological i m- tape allows her eo focus on creating
ages in art, all punctuated by a Tarot reading. Viewing he r labor-imensive artwork that is lush
stud io as sacred space, she brings that feeling in to her in beads, sequins, and igolochkoy.
workshops where she fosters a safe environment for talking
Connie works intuitively. She
abour whatever comes up, all the while, participants are says, "1 want to do work without
making something wonderful. Instruction is seamlessly j udgemen r. I wa m rhe images to lifeboat: crowns 3, 1998.

BEADWORK

May/June 2000

19

Recently Connie was accepted. th~n eliminated from an

internacional miniature show because her piece was oversized
by a few millimetcrs. She also feels th<u her new work in
small beaded vessels and dolls is slow m be accepted. I asked
how she deals with disappoinrment. "1 pout and throw
temper tantrums. I 'm nor very
graceful about it. 1 birch ro rwo
or three people, and then ['m
tired of lislening eo myself
so r get over it and go on.
T he important thi ng is to
do my own work. That
can be difficult when
galleries and customers
wam an a nist to keep
lifeboat: kali, 1999.
doing the s~um: rh ing
over and over. The chalcome up from my beds and our my h.tnds without going lenge is to grow as an artist,
through my head.'' 'l har inruilion i!> well infom1ed by keep the work interesting,
education and experience. as well as years of travel and and still make a living." @
observarion. And, of cou rse, there is her commitment to
stay immersed in life, 10 be presem to li fe, aod ro bring nnwn Hmnilton is tbe managing
that experience to her work.
rditorfor Handwovcn magttzine.
beoutie: zog, 1993.

hen Connic and )efT Lelnnan decided to huild a swdio eight years ago.
they initially considered passive solar because Connie was just trying to
keep warm, whi le Jef[ likes temperatures a lirrle on the cool side. It turned out eo be a
win-win <.b.:ision ~or Cunnit and rhe environment.
The srnt<.ture was built hchind their home of rwentyrwo y<.ar~ and is actually two srudlos in on~. Bathed in
lighr, tiH.' roomy inreriot space can be dosed ofT by large
pocket doors char allow Connie and Jeff, a textile dealer,
10 work in privacy. Open doors allow for wnvers:.uion,
accommodating overnight guests, and the oc:ca~iona l in studio workshop.
A unique ft':uure of thi~ pa~sivc solar \tudio is the
four-toot high rrombe wall built of plastered concrete
blocks . .1'\atural light ftlh the rooms bUL doesn't expose
fragile rextilt"s to cl ireel sun light. The W<lll sirs about four feet inside doublc-paned
windows and creares a walkway or slarc. Completely heated by the sun Juring Lhe
day, both wall Jnd Boor release their scored heat after rh.c sun goes down; increased
insulatio n available from the two-by-six framing hdps hold the heat inside. When
ncu:ssary. rhc p.tssiYc solar is supplemcnred by electric b<lscboard hearers.

20

www interweove. com

....I;ArJ June 2000

21

e warned-the beads on this scarf won't

keep it from walrz.ing away in Bights of
tancy, and it is sti ll likely to catch the brcc7.c
otTthe ocean or be caught on a thorn in a rose garden . Chiffon won't hide a blush or absorb tears.
And when your granddaughter find s the trunk in
rhe attic and pulls the scarf from the tissue paper,
it may reveal more about you chan rhe Jeerers ried
with red ribbon.
ROLLED HEM

You may be able ro find a simple ch iffon scarf

that is already hemmed ac your local department
store. If not, making the scarf irsclf is pretty
straightforward .
To make sure your edges are square, by che
scarf on a cable and clip the fabric about!;.!" inside
rhe selvedge edge. then cear che Yl" suip down the
whole length of rhe fabric. Chiffon tears naturally
along the warp or weft, so tearing makes a straight
line that is more accurate than cutting.
Hold the edge of chc corn fabric between your
forefinger and thumb and tighdy roll the fabric
under so char you rake up about y,,_y,o ol fabric.
Using one strand of sewing thread, whip stitch the
rolled seam in place. Conri nue rolling and whip
stitching around all four sides of the scarf, raking
Care tO roll me l>ame amoum of fabric under (see
page 32).
FEATHER STITCH

The fetche r sLi tch works well with eh ilion b<:cause the thread path on the back is hidden by the
stitches on the from, so the stitch remaim clean
even though you can sec through the fabric (see
page 32).

18" X 45" piece of polyester or silk chiffon

Sewing thread of the same color

5-8 skeins of diftcn.:nt shades ofDMC green
cm broidery floss
4-6 shades of red size 14 seed beads

Size 11 o b<..-ading needle

Thread Heaven chread conditioner
Embroidery hoop-preferably a spring hoop.
Scissors
Paper and pencil

22

www interweove.com

Spring embroidery hoop, DMC embroidery floss, and beads.

The advantage eo working with chiffon is that

you can draw a de!iign on paper and then lay the
fabric over the design eo see your next Slicch rather
than drawing on the fabric. Draw your thread
path to scale. If the pattern is going eo be repeated
throughout the whole design, you need draw only
a couple of repeats nnd move the drawing under
the fabric as you proceed. If the pattern is going to
vary througbour the length of the scarf, you'll
want tO use a piece Ol paper that is the Same Silt: as
the scarf and draw the whole design.
To achieve a sense of depth, mix the colors of
embroidery floss. From two strands of similar
green embroidery Aoss, 1 take one m read of the six
that compose each strand. Mixing the (WO threads
creates a new color from a distance and rewards
viewers who look. As you move through the scarf,
cr:msirion from one colot to the next. for example,
scare with one strand orlight green and one strand
of olive green. For rhe next thread, use one strand
or olive green and one of forest green; for the ncxr
use one strand of forest green and one of emerald
green, etc.
Mix colors with the beads, too. Decide on a
dominant color, rhcn occasionally add irs shade~>.
To fiJ1ish a thread, secu re ir with a knot on the
underside of the fabric and clip ir close ro the knot
so char ic isn't visible from the front.
Not normally inclinrtlto flights offimr_y. Amy C C!drkr is thr
.Asmtant Editor to Beadwork.

RESOURCE
Dura111, Judith and Jean Carnpbdl. Thl' Beader's Companirm.
Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press, li1c., 1998.

...

~.-~.

'

.,

'

WI-ll~ ~fii~I~IN~

I
I
Pull the rolled fabric over your thumbnail.

Roll the hem between your

thumb and forefinger.

With a knotted length of thread, PT the

String 2 beads. PT to the WS of

the fabric 1/ .'' up and to the right of
the place you crossed the thread in
previous step. PT to the RS, using
your needle to cross the thread
before the first bead just strung.

fabric from WS to RS. String 4 beads.

PT to the WS of the fabric !. " to the right
or left of the original knot. PT to the RS,
using your needle to cross the thread
between the second and third beads.

EM BR0 I D ERY Tl PS

Whip stitch the hem.

Alternate sides so that the stitch

"feathers."

-~o:::;;-;::;;:;;

Wrap the inside hoop of your embroidery hoop with a thin strip of
muslin cloth the way you wrap the handles or tennis rackets or
the end bars or mountain bikes. Wrapping means the chiffon will be
held more securely; ir also provides a cushion for your beads when
you fit the embroidery hoop over rhem.
Chiffon is dclic.ue and tears easily. I recommend using a springhoop embroidery hoop because it 1':1cilitates placing the l:'lbric in ilie
hoop tighLly without having to pull on the fabric.
Use lengths embroidery Aoss no longer than the distance between
your finger11 and elbow-any longer and the thread tangles easily.
You also risk poking rhe person next ro you with your needle.
Thread Heaven thread conditioner helps keep your embroidery
floss from tangling.

Thread path
(enlarge 200 percent).

or

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

23

24

www 1Mie1 w oo ve .co m

BARBARA L. GRAINGER

ike rhe mythological Sirens of old, leafy,

viney, fringey things eaU to me. T am en...._.6 chanced by sinuous grapevines, flowing ivy,
climbing morning glories, weeping willows, and
the elegance of Art Nouveau. 1 am mesmerized by
the charm of such tendrils and often pause in my
busy life ro admire rhem. For me, the sweeping
grace of a leafy vine or me rhythmic dancing of
well-placed fringe is impossible to resist!
That's why beadwork is my chosen medium.
The marriage of cold, rigid glass and fine, pliable
fiber creates a Auidiry available in few orher art
forms. Fringe made from fiber alone, though fluid,
cannot begin ro compare with the seductiveness of
light dancing rh rough and reflecting off shimmering glass beads!
Beaded fringe begs m be fondled, admired, and
worn as body adornment. Who can resist it? Not f.
rr you love it as mud1 as I do, you'U really enjoy

making and wearing these elcganc, leafy fringe earrings. You can modify the look by making them
longer or shorter or adding more man one vine per
earring. Longer variations also make marvelous
fringe or ~urfucc embellishment for pouch necklaces
or any other piece char begs for vines and leaves.
VINE

Using a yard of single-strand waxed thread, add

a tension bead (see "Abbreviations," page ll) and
string 39 vine beads. Leave an 8" rail eo weave
back through lacer.
LEAF PATTERN

The rhread parh in this tedmique deviates from

that of normal flat peyote in chat it is worked in an
oval pattern insread of back and forrh.
FIRST LEAF

MATERIALS

Sin: 11 seed beads in rwo colors (one color for

the leaf and one for me vine and branches)
Site "B" Nymo or Silamide thread in color eo
march beads
I pair earring wires
NOTIONS

Si1.c 12 beading or sharps needle

Scissors
Beeswax or Thread Heaven..,.
Jcwclry or neeJJenose pliers

Rows 1-2: String 6 leaf beads ar me end of chc

vine (Figure 1). (Ignore che vine for now.)
Row 3: String and work the seventh and eighth
beads as you would in peyote scirch (see"Scirches;'
page 10). String the ninth bead but do not PBT
the first bead as you normally would. Instead,
pass up through me second bead (Figure 2).
Row 4: Work the tench and eleventh beads
(Figure 3).
Row 5: Srring the rwelfrh bead and PT the seventh
bead. Work the thirreenth and founeenth
beads. PBT rhe first bead and continue through
three of rhe vine beads (Figure 4).

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

25

SECOND THROUGH ELEVENTH LEAVES

S(ling 2 branch beads (same color as vine

beads) and 6 leaf beads. Work the leaf partern as
above. When finished, PBT the two branch beads
and three of the vine beads, working toward the
tension bead (Figure 5). Make nine more leaves on
the vi ne this way.
FINISHING

PBT the remaining vine beads, making a circle

with the last four. Reinforce rhe circle by PT at
least twice. Remove the tension bead on the other
thread, attach a needle, and PT rhe 4-bead circle
at least ooce. Finish off both threads by weaving
rhe ends down the vine and into a leaf.

r
)

ATTACHING EARWIRE

Carefully bend the loop of the ean.vire sideways

with a pair of jewelry pliers, slip the earring in,
and close the loop. @
Bmb Gminger b11s hte11 beadittgjor more tl1an tbilty years. SI.Ji! is
rmtht1r of Peymc At Lmltmd Peyote De.~ign Techniques. Her
thi1d br)l)k, Dimensional Flowers, Leaves, and Vines will be
avtJilable this srmmun: Bt11b will be mrching "f've Caughr a
Flower in MJ' Net" at Embellishmm./ tbis year. She has also
umgiJtat The Florida Cm{htrum's Beadworks workshop.

Figure 1

Figure 4

Figure 2

26

Figure 3

www .interweove.com

Figure 5

PEGGY WRIGHT

ince 1989, in pursuit or those little objects called

beads, Diane Fitzgerakl has opened her shop Bcauti ful Beads, become a reach er and author, and developed her own artistic voice.
Prior to thar rime, Oiane worked in two other media,
quilring and needlepoint. During those years she kept a
foot-square box of beads rucked away in her closer. She
appreciated their transparency, reAecriviry, and colors.
She also liked their scak
''Ever since 1 was young, l've always liked little things.
r had a six-inch high dollhouse with tiny furniture to go
wi rh il. 1 just loved it."
Diane's inreresr in needlepoint was natural, with irs
tiny stitching, but she found quilts were just too big.
"The scale of my work decreased when l worked in
needlepoint. I worked rwenry-rwo stitches to the inch.
Once I copied a friend's Oriental rug srirch by stitch, and
it came out 18 by 36 inches. Needlepoint and beadwork
are similar in their scale. I've just got the patience for il."
OPENING A BEAD STORE

Gingko Leaf 11 Necklace

Diane was frustrated, however, with the results of her

attempts to make jewclry from her beads. Finally, she and
a friend, Barb Hjorr, rook a class with Helen Banes in
Chicago and learned to create needlewoven necklaces.
After rhe class, Diane had trouble finding beads. Constantly alen for new sources, she found a woman through
her quilting contacts who was selling her inventory
of beads.
"The woman wanrcd to get out oC her jewelry business,
so 1 visited her and looked at the beads. We negotiated for
a while and then Alan [Diane's husband] finally said 'If
you wane them, ru lend you the money.' So we bought
chem and brought them all home in the trunk of the car
$11 ,000 worth of beads in rhe trunk of the car. Can you
believe it? 1 boughr rhc beads, but 1 had no idea how I
would use them. Tt was the start of my shop."

BEADWORK

May/June 2000

27

BECOMING A TEACHER

FOUNDING THE UPPER MIDWEST BEAD SOCIETY

Diane opened shop in 1989 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

She knew that she had to teach if she was going to sell
beads. "Other people were just like me. They loved beads,
but didn't know how rouse them."
Oianc asked Barb Hjorr, who was ::m art teacher, to eoteach a nccdlcwoven necklace with her. She acknowledges
both Barb and Hclen Banes as her first mentors in reaching.
Dianc learned additional techniques and acquired other
models for teaching by t:.tking more classes herself. She
taught her~elf techniques from Horace Goodhue's book,
Indian Bend-Weaving Pattems. When she discovered he
lived in St. Paul, she signed up for his classes. Diane also
took a class from Virginia Blakelock and several from
teachers at rhc Shepherdess in San Diego.
Dianc again used these experiences to develop her classes.
While teaching was necessary to sustain her bead shop, she
also found how much she enjoyed instructing srudems.
"It's always been my philosophy to reach because I get new
ideas as I do. It's fun ro spend the day with a pleasam group
of people, to sec what colors they choose. I always try ro organiz.e my classes by giving people srrucmre, bur I also provide
them with room for personalization, such as picking their
own colors. IL's inspiring to see the varied combinations."

Through reaching classes, Diane helped build the beading community in the 1\vin Ci1ics. As it grew, rhe need for
an organization tO support the large number of beadworkers
emerged.
"Some swdcnrs asked me to starr a bead society. Horace
Goodhuc made one of d1e first prcscntarions, and the room
was packed, giving us a really good scare. I published rhe
sociery's newsletter for about five years and organized rhc
meerings. At first, we met in my shop, but the beading
community just kept growing. We've been going suong for
ten years now. "

English Garden Bracelet

28

www. in terweove .com

BECOMING AN AUTHOR

While Dia11e has inspired students rhrough her classes,

and rhe Twin Cities' beading community through the Bead
Society, she has also reached a larger audience through her
books. She co-authored her first book, Beads and Threttds,
wirh Helen Banes to insure that Helen's needJeweaving technique would be documented. "I thoughr a collaboration
with her would be a great way to do a book. This partnership worked out very well. Bertds tmd Tbrends has sold over
twcnry thousand copies in five years and is still on the
shelves in bookstores."
Counted and C'harted Pttttems for Flat Peyote Stitrb is
Dianc's first self-published book. "I pub Iished it because I
could sec che satisfaction my mother receives from her
counred and charred cross-stitch. Every night she works on
her projects and follows the diagrams to a T. 1 decided to
write a similar book on peyote-stilched beadwork with a
bead-line guide eo isolate each row.
Diane wrote her rh i rd book, Serr Anemom Beadwork, to
document an unusual piece of Native American beadwork
owned by Ho race Goodhue. "!'m proud of this book because the technique would have been losr if [ hadn't studied
Horacc's piece. He owned only one piece using the technique, which was destroyed when his van burnt up, and he
had seen only one other piece."
Oiane's fourrh and fifth boob provide instructions for
beadwork char use techniques pracriccd by rhe Zulus of
South Africa. The fourth book, Zulu Bettded Chain Tec/;niques, covers eight Zulu chains, only one of which had
been documented previously. Oianc wrote the fifth book,
which gives instructions for eight more chains, after coming
back from South Africa, where she investigated more beadwork techniques.
''Zulu beadwork fascinates me more than any I've ever
seen. The work is intricate, and the Zulus often combine
their beads with a looping structure where one thread loops
around another thread instead of going through a bead. I've
never seen these stitches done by any Olher group of people."

EMERGING AS AN ARTIST
Recognized for borh her reaching and her books, Oiane
has also emerged as a crearive artist in her own right. Her
work is known nationally, appearing regularly in publications and juried shows.
Di~1ne frequendy works improvisarionally. She selects a
color palette and builds many small componenrs, not
knowing how they will fir imo a larger work. Guided by her
sense of design, Diane listens to these small pieces as they
suggest how they wam ro be com bined . le's often a maner
of serendipity.
"l made a piece rhat looks like branching coral because I
wanred
to imitate the ivy char was crawlincr
up rhc brick
.
b
walltn front of our condom inium. 1 got the effect for the
ivy :tnd for the brick wall, hut J never put the rwo pieces
rogcrhcr in a necklace. One day, 1 ran across a beaded
cnbochon thar was lying o n my desk. 1 wondered how rhe
coral piece and rhe cabod1on would work rogether. I tried
it and liked che effect. The besr work comes quickly, and
the pieces go right together. All of a sudden, it's just rh ere."
This piece, Coral ReefNecklace, became a class D iane offered last winter. When she creates a piece, she frequendy
develops a class around it a nd chc class reflects her philosophy of design.
"When J teach, J tell students 1hat mal<ing small pieces is
somewhat like making pares for a jigsaw puzzle. Many ways
ex_isr, however, to fir together a bead puzzle. You can play
wnh the components, balancing colors and shapes and texlllres unril you ger a pleasing arrangement."
Dianc likes to work wirh small compon ents because chcy
don'r call for much planning or sketching. She believes it's
easier eo think incrementally, creating one small piece and
rhen another, rather than developing a whole concept up
rront. You can let the piece take you wherever it wants.
Although she works in this incremental fashion, she considers all ele ments of design, such as line, texture, and
movemem, when she puts cogether her small pieces. "You
have lO consider how lines move your eye around a piece,
how they can lead to your focal point. Movement is important. You can create movement by having something in rhe
piece chat moves icself, like fringe, or something that causes
your eye to move, like a line or path.
"Contrast in te.x.-rure is also irnpormnt. You have m pur in

Sea Moss Necklace

some large, smooth, bold beads in freeform work. Seed
beads always create srrong texture. It's impossible eo escape
texture because you are joining small pebbly things. You
have to contrast them with something smooth."
Diane has incorporated things like gingko leaves into
necklaces, raking her inspira tion from nature. "In the first
gingko necklace, I played with the leaves as you mighr
arrange quilt blocb, combining them in different ways, and
the form emerged char became the piece. !like ro sec necklaces come eo a point because I think that form is more
flattering to the face. So I brought rhe clusters of leaves
rogether at the botrom with a triangle of netting, to which I
applied cabochons. The necklace needed more interest at
rhe top, so I added dragonflies."
Regardless of her inspiration, Oiane uses her sense of
color and design to delight her audience. "I like ro make
things rhat are beautiful. I don't make politi cal things; 1
~on't make startling things. 1 just want them to be appealIng so when people look at them they will feel good. So
much_ ugliness exists in the world. If you make something
beautiful, maybe you can push away some of the ugliness.
at least for a few minutes. If I can do that, ir makes me feel
good, too."
l'tggy Wright. an avid beadworktr. rurremly is Program Coordinator for tht
Upptr Midwest Bead Socitty She rdso works 11s tl technir:lllwritu to support
her hrading habit.

English Garden
Bracelel

BEADWORK

May/June 2000

29

30

www lnlerweove ,com

Flamin~oes

FRINGE

JUDI WOOD

l was inspired by a Nature Conservancy phorograph when

1 designed this motif I had originally placed the Ramingocs
on an amulet pouch, and I loved the way rhese beautiful
birds could be so elegantly rranslated inco peyote stitch. After
creating this banner for a pin, [ asked Carol Straus if she
would make a pin back to complimenr my design.
Carol came up with a pin that enhances the design
more than an ordinary pin back ever could.
.

..

,.='
~
.-

.-- . .

MATERIALS

2. 5 grams each of silver, gold, light pink, rose,

white, grass green, sky blue Dclicas
4 3rnm silver beads
2 4mm round freshwater pearls
3 4mm round coral beads
2 )mm round faceted blue crystab
2 3mm diruuond-shaped faceted blue crystals

m~u-oon,

NOTIONS

Silver or gray size "D" beading thread

Size 12 or 13 English beading needles
Bec~wax or Thread Heaven'"
Scis::.ors
Rows 1 58: Follow the flamingo graph as shown.
Rows 59-68: Create a three-point banner by following the
graph for dec (see "Stitches," page 10). Keep your thread
hidden within the beads as you weave from poinc eo poinc.

Exiting from rhe bead at the rip of the first point, string
I 3mm silver, 1 coral, 1 3mm silver, 1 diamond-shaped
faceted blue crystal, and 1 gold Oelica. PBT the diamondshaped faceted blue cryst::d, the silver, the coral, the silver,
and rhe gold Delica on the point.
Weave rhread through to the middle point and exit from
che gold Delica at rhc tip. String 1 3mm silver, 1 coral, I
3mm silver, l 4mm round faceted blue crystal, and l gold
Ddica. PBT the faceted blue crystal, the silver, the coral,
the silver, and the Delica.
Weave thread through to the last poinr and exit from the
gold Dclica tip. Use th<! same fringe sequence as for the first
fringe leg.
Remove the tension bead and weave working and tail
rh reads rh rough several beads to secure. Tie a knot iI desired. Trim rhread dose to work.
The rwisced fringe can be added to the pin back at each
side of the banner. String 9 silver and create a foundation
circle around the pin back, PT all again w make a loop.
String 4 silver, 2 blue, 2 silver, 2 blue, 20 silver, I pearl, l silver,
1 round faceted blue crystal, and I silver. PBT the faceted blue
crystal, the silver, and the pearl. Allow Yt" of rhread lag and
string 20 silver, 2 blue, 2 silver, 2 blue, and 4 silver. Twist
about 100 times ar the lag. Hold the thread tightly and in ~
sert the needle back in eo the last bead of foundation circle.
The force of the twist should make the fringe twist back on
itsel( Rep for the other side of the pin.
Note: I added dimemion to the beaks of rhe Aamingoe~
by placing three beads over rhe original beads.
judi WoiJds cre11tivr urgl'> ojim rrmlt' in thr middlt: of tht: night, tmd
11111king b~r up rxcited to b(tJd. Y<m ran see mort of jutii's Ulork '"
1111/!lll.jewtdspiegeigtlllery.com in the BMrL llrt Gallery. judi livr.s ill wesr

f>trlm BerJciJ, Florid11.

Pins for Beadweavin~

CAROL STRAUS

You can spend hours ol your time and talent creating

bcadwork for a pin, so why not make sure rhe pin back is
high quality, too? It's easy to make your own one-piece pins
or fibulas. The focus is to make rhe pin compliment your
piece, so feel free to bend the wire inro shapes that echo rhe
theme of your piece.
BASIC PIN

Step 1: Make any shape that accents

Flamigo graph.

the designs in the weaving. 1

used a simple spiral (Figure l)
(also see "Sritches," page 10).
BEADWORK

Figure 1
Figure 5

Figure 3

Figure 2

Figure 4

MATERIALS

16 or 18-g.mge copper wire

NOTIONS

Chain-nose plicn,
Rou nd-nosc pliers
Diagonal wire cuuer
Rough 1..lll hand file
Fine-cut hand file
Pumice \ronc or jeweler's .sandpaper (fine)
R:t\\ hide mallet

Step 2: ' lo make the hook part of lhe clasp, hold the wire
with the chain-nose pliers. Ar rhc po1nt you wanr ro start
the hook, bend the wire so char it extends straight up ar a
right angle from the body of the pin (Figure 2).
Strp 3: With rhe chain-nose pliers, bend the wire sharply
back roward rhe body of the pin parallel ro rhe wire from
Step 2. Pinch rhe bend closed with rhe chain-nose pliers
and hammer it to harden and straighten it (figure 3).
Step 4: L!old lhis doubled wire at its midpoint with rhe
round-nose pliers and bend it over to form a hook. Curve
the rip our slightly for a professional look (Figure 4).
Step 5: Roll out rhe wire to about y," to Y," below the hook.
With the chain-nose pliers, bend the wire ar a right angle
to a horizontal posirion to form the body of rhe pin. The
weaving will hang from this, so make this straight horizontal bar the desired length. Now make another rightangle bend so thar the wire goes srraighr up (Figure 5).
Hammer the body of the pin to harden the wire.
Step 6: About Y," above the horizontal bar, form a coil for

32

www . nlerweove.com

Figure 6

the spring by holding the vcnical wire with your roundnose pliers and using your fingers to bring the wire
around the nose of the pliers and beyond the coil so that
rhc wire runs parallel to the body of the pin. To get the
spring necessary to keep the clasp closed, it is very imponalll that the coil is placed so tbat the wire comes over
the top. This spring res<.: m bles the one on a sa fcry pin
( l~ igure 6).
Step 7: Extend cl1e wire !." beyond the hook. Cut it on an
angle to make the beginning of the point. This will be
rhc parr that pins, sometimes called the "tong." Hammer
this bar until it is very hard, but do not Oarren ic.
Step 8: File rhc point unril ir is very smooth and sharp
enough w go through fabric. Use a rough hand file first
to shape the point, then a smoother hand file. Then use
pumice or jeweler's sandpaper for a smooth finish thar
will not snag cloches.
NotP: The parts of the pin arc hammered as rhey arc
made. If you wish, you can add beads afrer a section is
hammered and before the next bend is made. I generally
sew rny weaving around the body of the pin once rhe pin is
completely finished.
Carol Stl'alll hrts bad a bend biiSiiiNS >illr'l' 1969 and has been trtlchinj(
lmrrl/ll()rk and wirewo1k since 1979. Sbr f'llj())'S playing with birrds f/s Ill IIth
as ever.

!"he teeth on files point away from the handle. They cur
on che pu!>h stroke, so file awa} from your bod) and lift
chc file !>lightly on the return srrokc.

:
"
Cl
C>

llol

t
4)

~
~

4)

Cl

~
~
~
~

~
~

~
~
~
~
C)

e
c
c

Q)

~f)
(l
~
q)
~
G)
Q)

f
~

Q'J
~

DENISE PERREAULT
34

www in lorweovo com

was inspired to make these fan pulls when I

cam e upon an amique version in a Lecsburg,
Virginia, store. The Victorian pull was simply
embelLished-metallic black ribbon glued ro the
bead chain bell and fringed with a carnival seed
bead mix.
Working with the same bead chain componentS
as the Victorians, I came ro understand why bead
(or ball) chains have remained unchanged for over
I 00 years: Bead chains are technically perfect.
They're e..'l:tremely srrong and durable, and they
can easily be trimmed ro any length; rhe clasps,
bells, and eyes thar connect parrs tOgether are
clever, versatile, and easy to use. Mo reover, bead
chains arc as amactive as they are utilitarian. They
come in a gold- or silvcr-roned finish and in small,
medium, or large si1e beads. Best of all , bead
chains can handle a great deal of wcighr, a discovery I made as I became bolder and more competenL, and as each fan pull became heavier and
more elaborate. This is an excellent project if you
have large lampworkcd beads chat you'd like to display, or extravagant beads rhar deserve sunlight
and attention. l have six beaded fan pulls hanging
in my old house now, and it is a treat ro admire
the lovely beads that were previously hidden unnoticed in my bead box.

8" bead chain; your choice of size and finish

BC"ad chain cla~p
Bead chain bell
Bead chain eye
I)" cord or heavy twine (for wooden beads)
Size "D'' Nymo thread in color to march beads
Crafr or fabric glue
FrayCheck (for ribbon-covered fan pulls)
A variety of beads appropriate for main beaded
body and/or fringe

Si1e l2 beading needle

Scissors
Small pliers
PEYOT E/GO URD-STIT C HED
BEADED FAN PULL S

Sup 1: Choose a large wooden bead or drapery tassel for your base, and thread a bead chain
through the ccnter hole. Arcach a bead chain

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER

Where will rhe pull hang from? lf ir's for a high ceiling
fan, consider using a chain with large-sized beads, a simple beaded design on ribbon for the base, and long, extravagant fringe. If rhe fan pull hangs in rhe sun, incorporate translucent, opaque, or crystal beads in rhe fringe to
catch the lighl. Conversely, if the fan pull bangs from a
low ceiling, don't make the fringe so long that ic grazes
people's heads.
A large bead base is best, because it allows you ro grip the
base, not the fringe. Don't design a pull that makes you
grasp cl1e fringe because ir will eventually stretch and
break. If the fan pull is so high that it forces you ro pull
on the fringe, add extra bead chain to make it longer.
The best design or pattern for a beaded fan pull is a si mple one: Seen from a distance, a complex pattern looks
muddy, whi le a bold design appears clear and dean.
Beaded fan pulls arc a perfect venue for experimenting
wich fringe techniques. Try stepping rheir lengths up or
down symmetrically, fitting scalloped fringes inside increasingly larger scallops, or netting rhcm all together in a
novel way. Also experiment with different bead sizes and
finishes within the fringe. The eJTecc you create can be
subdued, dramatic, elegant, or outrageous, largely depending on the fringe you employ.
Fan pulls don't have to be used just on ceiling fans. You can
also use them as shade pulls, luggage/bag pulls, bell pulls,
or suo catchers. To turn a beaded pull inro a tassel tharyou
can hang over 3 doorknob or drawer pull, use a pair of pliers to open up the bead-chain clasp wide enough ro fit over
the first bead of the chain and crimp closed.

If your base bead allows for che bead chain bell eo fir securely
inside, then you'll need ro bead your ccmcr fringe before you
begin the base beading. Because much of the cemer fringe is
hidden behind the outer fringe, you ca n utilize some of rhose
prcuy beads thar you only have one or two of, or other odd lor
and Clller beads.
If your bead hol e b roo large for the bead chain bell eo hold
the chain securely inside rhe base, u~e a pair of pliers to Aare
our the base of the bell.

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

35

In homage
to inspiration:
a Victorian lady
peyote-stitched
over a wooden
bead.

bdl and eye ro che bottom o[ the bead chain

and a bead <..hai n clasp.
Step 2: (This ensures char the chain stays cemered
inside th<: bead instead of hanging lopsided.)
Cur a 2"-3'' kngrh of cord or heavy twine .
.Squ<:eze a small amoum of craft glue inside the
base, and wrap the cord around the bottom of
the bead chain where it extends from the rop of
the b:tse. Push the cord down into the bead as
you coil it around the chain. Add a film of glue
lO d1<. rop and press rhc cord level with the top
oft he base bead. (Don't worry if it's not pretty.
No onc will sec ir.) Open a paper clip so that it
makes a h:1ngcr and insert one end of the paper
clip in to rhe bead chain clasp. Ha ng the base
from rh<: paper clip in a spot where ir can hang
stnlight; allow the glue to dry.
Step 3: Choosc rhe seed beads you'H use to cover
the base .tnd work in odd-count mbular peyote/
gourd sri rch (sec "Sti cches," page 10). To begin,
knot a lengrh of thread and string on an odd
number of beads. PT all eo form a circle and fir
the circle over the bead chain w rest at the rop
of the base bead. Work the next row.
Stt!p 1: Depending on rhe shape of your base, use
rwo-drop peyote (see "Stitches," page 10) for
the next two rows, three-drop for the next rwo

rows, <liH.I four-drop for che rows ar rhe base's

widest circumference. Any more beads than
'
four in a single srirch will cause slirs in the fabric, l.O experiment wirh drop peyote stirches for
a smoorh, seamless fir around rhc base.
Sometimes varying the stitches provides rhe
best coveragt: for the shape you're working on (a
row of single peyote after a row of three-drop
peyote, for example). Keep your tension t:mc
and consistenr as you work.
Sttp 5: Once you've completed the widest pan of
the base bead, begin dec as you work coward the
bottom: three-drop for two rows, rwo-drop [or
two more rows, etc., uncil you've covered rhe entire base. PT all beads in the last row again.
Step 6: Add rhc fringe m the bottom row of beads
in a symmerrical l.1shion. Create one fringe leg
for every bend or every other bead, depending
on how lush you'd like che fringe to be. Continue around until the fringe is attached, and
zigtag the extra thread back up through the
base beads ro secure.
Step 7: Attach rhc center fringe to the bead chain
eye inside rhc bell.
Dl'lmr Pr"t'tlult i; tl Boulder, Colomdo, fiber anirr who specialius 111 b1111~111g l>rttdJ tmd bMdwork.

Most window-treatment shops carry a wide variety of inexpensive drapery

tassels that make excellent bases for beaded fan pulls. Bead chains, bells,
eyes, and clasps all work together so nicely that Fitting them together is a
breeze. Bead chains ore sold by the foot, and components con be Found
at most hardware and lighting stores.

36

www lnlerweove.com

Victorian fan pull.

Freshwater Pearls

fv\ARIA CHIARA

reshwaccr pearls come in colors and shapes

Tennessee pearlli1rmer John Larcndresse is piochat evoke delicate spring buds and droplets neering American fre~hwarer pearl cultivacion. His
of misr. They are created by bivalve mollusks shell-nucleated pearls include stick, bar, <tnd coin
belonging ro rhe UnioTiidae family, which live in shapes, and the striking dome , and pearls with
lakes and rivers in fuia, Europe, and North America. lovely rose or blue overtones.
A natural pearl starts ro develop when a parasite or
Most people arc f.1mi liar with rhc dainty,
ochcr irritant becomes lodged in a moll usk's flesh. crinkled "rice" pearls. According ro jcwelry tksigncr
The animal encases the intruder in a sac lined with Eve J. Alfille of Evanston, Illinois, Chinese freshmantle tissue (the skin between the shell and body); water culrured pearls also include corn- and porarorhis tissue secretes nacre ro coat the panicle. Over shaped pearls and large round pearls of narural
rime, the nacreous deposits form a luminous gem.
pink, purple, and orange shades. AJfillc') own
Cenru ries ago, Native
expressive, versatile pieces
Americans of the Midwest
incorporate freshwater and
and Southeast interred large
"ll sal rwater
pearl~ of every
description. She is founder
quantities of pearls and
~
marine-shell beads in their
~ and director of rhe Pearl
~ Society, whose members
temple shrines and burial
e promote awareness anu1
mounds. "Pearl fever" srruck
~ conservation of pearls.
rhc United Statel> following
rhc discovery of a spectac~ "Combining drilled
,~ pearls with other beads can
ular pink pearl in Notch
~ he difficult," says Alfille,
Brook, New Jersey, in
1857.' Men, women, and
"because pearls typically
children scoured streams
---' have much smaller holes
Earrings from the Botticelli series
from Vermont to Washrhan other heads; when
by Eve J. Al fi lle, Evonston, Illinois.
ington, finding $20,000
combined with pearls, the
wonh of gems in some localities. During the Vic- beaus will not balance and large beadl. will wear
torian period, freshwater pearls glowed in filigreed the chin rhread." Her solution: "I try nor eo use
gold settings inspired by Renaissance designs
beads wich huge hob rogccher with pearls, and if
Almost all pearls sold roday, both salrvvacer and 1 do, rhen 1 will re-drill rhc pearls [with a reamer].
freshwater, are culrivaced on farms; thus natural Jr's nor (har hard to do." A litde acetonc-bas<.:d nai.l
pearls a re expensi vc collectibles. Sa hwmer pearls polish remover safely cleans pearls discolored by
are cultured by implanting oysrers with shell bead mcml beads. @
nuclei, togcrher with pieces of live mantle tissue
from donor oysters. Mosr freshwawr pearls, by
FURTHER READING
comrast, are mande-nucleared. Shimmering, lusMarlim. Anroineuc L. rhr lhTrl Book. 71Jr Dtjimtll'f' Buying
trous pearls from Lake Biwa, jap~u1, were rhe first
(,'uid<'. Woodstock, Vtrmonr: C..emSton<.: Pr<.'ss. 2000.
<.:ommerciaUy culrurcd freshwater pearls, bu warer Ward. fired. Pearl.-. Bcthcsda, MD: Gem Guid<.'~ Hook Co..
199?.
pollmion has halrcd their production.

' Jo..unz. George Frcderitk, and Cbarles Hugh Stcvenson. The

Hook tif the Petlrl 01r History. Art. Scimu 11nd Industry of
flu Qut!m o[Gems. New Yurk: Dover Publita11om, Inc., 1993,
p. 2S9-60. 276.

Alttritl Chittra, a freelanu writrrfrom Ev,wslon. 1//inlli!, wrius

ubout historiett! topics. For morr information ttboul tl" F1r}.

Alji/11 GnllrJJ' 1111d Studio. writr or ml/ them

Ellii/ISIIJII, If. 60201. (847 869 7920.

111

613 Grtwr St.,

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

37

li A b

Bead Embroidery

BAP.BA.RA

t'

1'-1

1 '\D I

FOR THESE SAMPLERS

c found so many fun facts about bead
embroidery rhar we couldn't fit them aU
here! Check out Lydia's site, www.bead
wrangler.com, for historical information, directions
for other bead embroidery stitches, a listing of great
resource books, and a detailed explanation of the
"Sampler Project."

STITCH NOTES

> Bead embroidery bulks up and requires you to

work stitches differently than tl1read stitches.
Generally, beads are not tUliform and each stitch
will nor line up exactly as thread stirches do.
' ) Fourteen-count fabric works weU with size I 1<~
seed beads and Delicas; however, bead size variations require some adaptation eo the slirches.
J The edges of counted fabric should

be whip

stitched (see instructions on page 22); you can

also apply Fray Srop ro prevent raveling.

> Stitch each row of bead embroidery separately. Tf

there's a mistake in one row, vou can conecL it
'

without redoing the whole sample.

) While knots are not used in mosr thread embroidery, bead stitching requires knots at rhe beginning and end of each row to keep rhe beads Crom
pulling loose.
) I use the term "stitches" ro dcnme the tiny holes
thar run the length and width of cow1red fabric
forming a grid of small squares. Counr one hole
to the next (one small square) as a stitch; this is
extremely importanr when counting. If you hold
Lhc [abric up to the light, the tiny holes wiJl be
obvious.

38

www .i nlerweav e .com

Use rhe smooth side of counted fabric.

Plan for 29 rows down and 26 rows across
for the embroidered area. The counred
fabric I use has 29 rows down and 27
across, so leave one extra blank row on one
side of each sampler. Each piece of fabric
measures approximately 2 W' long by 2"
wide (not including the whip stitched
edges).
For every row in each sample, use 40"
of beading thread and double it. Make a
knot in the end and cut off rhe thread
ends.
When you finish a row, make a knot,
cut off the thread end and beg the next
row with a new thread. Each time you
string beads onto the fabric, PT to theWS
and pull the thread taur. By alternating the
bead colors, you can easily idendiy the
duead path.

Size 11 Czech seed beads: amethyst

S/L rocaille (color 1); crystal tan
lined (color 2); medium dark green
matte iriJ (color 3)
Oelicas: lavender blue gold lustre# 117
(color 1); lined ivory AB #064 (color
2); semi matteS/L light grey green
#689 (color 3)
Size "A" Sjlamide thread, #914 Ash
Gray or equivalent beading thread
1 1-yard package of 14-counr nawral or
off-wnite counted cross stirch trim,
2" wide

Size 12 sl1arps or beading needles

Scissors

BEAD CHAIN STITCH

(also called Loop, Tambour,
or Point de Choinette Stitch)

Beg in the LOp left corner of the fabric.

l:1ke the needle from W'::J to RS in rhe first
stitch below rhe whip stitching. String 20
color 1, PT the fabric in the ncxr adjacent
stitch. Counr down 5 stitches from fir~t
bead chain and bring the needle back
through the front inside the bead chain
just made. String 20 color 2. PT the fabric
in the adjacenr stitch. Now the second
bead Lhain sticks our of rhc first one.
Count down 5 stitches from the last bead
chain and mnke t.he next chain with 20
color 3.
Cominue alternating the bead colors for
each chain, couming down 5 stitches each
rime. When you've made the last chain,
rake the needle from the back to the flom,
counting down 6 stitches for Dclicas and 7
stitches for Czech beads. Pass the needle
over che bottom of the bead chai11 between
the two middle be-ads and PT to rhe WS.
ror the ncxr row, PT l'rom WS Lo RS
H the third stitch to the right of rhe
first bead duin and continue ahernating
bead colon;.
BEADED CROSS STITCH
(also called Sampler, Berlin,
or Point de Marque Stitch)

Delicos

Czech seed beads

Delicas

Czech seed beads

Beg at the rop left corner of rhe fabric.

Count down 5 stitches from rhe top. PT
ro the RS. String 7 color I. Colll1t up 5
srirches .md w the right 5 ~titches. PT ro
rhe WS. PT ro the RS at the top left of rhe
first stiLch. String 8 color 2. Count down 5
sLi tches and to rhc right 5 sri rches. PT to
theWS.
Beg rhe ne't stitch by couming 6 stitches down fiom the last bead stitched on the
left side. Rep rhc stirch beg with calor 3,
rhen cross with color I. Continue alternating bead colors. Beg the next row three
stitches acro~s and 5 ~titches down from
the last bead stiLched in the firsr row. @

(ydia B01i11 h Ibf &adwJilll,~ltJ: lillram morr about

r!Jr Bradtd \amp/a Projur. check 11111 Lydia's momur
fibrr wrb,uc uuu.bmdwrangln.com.

Cross stitch

Chain stitch

BEADWORK

Moy/Juno 2000

39

MARGIE DEEB

42

www tnlerweave cam

-,

he playfulness of a deep purple matte

bead can surprise me. Upon first glance
it seems so serious and steady. But when I move
aside my ideas about purple's role in an and listen to what this tiny piece of glass has to say, I
hear it longing ro dance with gold, or wanting
to take the center spotlight. It whispers that it is
tired of me instructing it to sir quietly next to
deep blue and turquoise because I know the
three of them won't cause any trouble.
Beads are alive. Anyone who has tried ro force one omo
rhe tip of a needle has proof of this. Beads will not be dominated! Bur I've learned rhal chey will cooperate wirh my creative plans if J give them a say in what rhey are helping me
create. And if I try more rhan rwice lO get a seed bead on
my needle and it in~ists on rolling away, I know it does not
wanr ro be there (maybe it had a tiff with the one I just
threaded?). "OK rhcn, who's next? Who wanrs to spend the
rest of their lives co7.ied up with duce demure mauve lusLL'rs?" l ask. There are many brave and willing volunteers.
I look for the life in art. Design, techniques, skill, and
craftsmanship or execution arc vital. They are inregral componems working wgether ro create art that i_nspires and
ignites emotion. Bur rhey are not what moves me or speaks
to my soul. I am more captivated by how beadwork feels on
an emotional level. To me, much art roday is interesting, :.lttractive, and well execured, but it l::1cks life, feeling, depth,
and substance. As L stand before a piece, dol feel inspired,
awestruck? Am 1 exhilarated and filled with gratirudc? Do I
wanr eo rush home, pick up my pen, paintbrush, or beading
needle and get ro work? That is what I seck from arr and
treativicy, and 1hat is what 1 strive ro give duough my own
art and cre:-~rivity.
I am enchanted by handcrafrcd art that is alive and suffused wid1 the energy of its creator as well as its own unique
energy. Many of my pieces have their own personality long
before I give binh ro them. They speak to me in feelings
~tnd images. The more I listen and rrust my intuition, rhc
more the piece becomes imbued with life. Trusting whar I
sec, feel, and hear is, perhaps, the most difficult parr of my
process.
Tr is this "listening" aspect of the creative process thm fasc.in:ues me mosr. lr acrually i_nvolves all my senses focused
m ward. I work wirh the parts of myself rhar are not as conscious as r am, <lnd char's where I he magic lies~ Often ]

"see/sense/feel'' the piece completed in my head, not with

every detail, but with a strong sense of the overall design.
Even more clearly, f feel what rht' piece wants to say. These
kinds of sensarions have no words, bm when l listen, r can
tell when an idea is adamant abour making it out of me and
into the physical world.
Colors have frequencies that 1mmlate inro a palpable energy, each unique and personaL There is so much more to
calor than what we can see, and learning ro sense "beyond"
colors has opened me up to new wodds. Colors seem to
have a consciousness. That is the wa} l work wirh them,
treating each with a respect and honor. Sometimes ir seems
that several colors want me eo work with them eo express a
feeling or idea. Other times, I get a sense of a shape that
wants to be explored. It is as if colors and shapes arc working their way eo the surface. Cold says "cry me next eo the
teal." Crimson urges "try lots of me in a swirl enveloping
the mocha, but nor roo close to the" ioler, please."
My pieces often come to me already titled. lf nor, they
name themselves in a split second as I am weaving. The
Heart of Her surfaced with her name intact. Creating this
piece brought passion and inspiradon. As I look at it today
(four years later), there are several changes 1 would make in
the design. But overall, The Heart of Her kindles rhc emotion 1 had hoped it would. lt evokes a vibrant, powerful,
living tribute ro the Goddess. A feminine shape, based
loosely on the rorso of the female body, The Hertrl of Her is
voluptuous and sensual. I used the rich, saturated, jewel-like
colors of each chakra (the seven energy cenrers of the physical body). from red to violet, and I included shades of pink
for healing, gold for the balance of the masculine, and black
ro represent the shadow and the darkness of night. The
heart chakr::t is rcpresemcd by a large, transparent emerald
green bead.
This piece is woven in the traditional split-loom method,
and 1 improvised several non-traditional techniques as I
went along. I experimented wirh using seed beads on the
warps for a varied texture. Placing the large bead in 1he center requi red careful planning at the earliest stages, and relatively loose warp stringing, as L had to pull eight warp strings
rightly away from the cenrer. l wamed to keep the round,
curvaceous shape of the body for The Heart of /fe1; so I
needed ro remove any straight edges or lines typically created
by straight loom weaving. I achieved this after removing the
piece from the loom by adding beads on borh sides of rhe
loomed body so the sides don\ appear chopped off.
I'm a graphic designer/illustrator and tend Lo work very
methodically, from thumbnail skC[ches to finished drawings. I also sketch pictures of the finished pieces on figures,
like small fashion illustrations, to help me envision how
they will hang and look when worn. When I'm creating
BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

43

commissioned pieces, these steps

become the visual presentation
of my ideas to my clients. I
spend lots of time on these
initial design stages (drawing,
coloring, mapping, and graphing) for several reasons. Thougb
tedious, they actually save me
rime in the long run. Because
I write om che count of every
,
row, I don't have to stop bead' 0

0
ing to counr. Planning also frees
~
me to be more creative as I arn
beading. Sometimes wonderful
ideas emerge when l am in that magical rhythm of stringing
and weaving, and I always allow myself room to
veer off my charted course.
I began The Heart of Her wirh a series of
black and white pencil sketches. After shaping
and molding the basic form on paper, r made
several copies of the drawing. 1 then worked
with markers and colored pencils, making several versions wirh the colors I'd chosen. With
final colored design in hand, I used a light
rabic to uace the project's outline onto 1: l
ratio loom graph paper. 1 then colored each
bead on the paper and metietJously cut away
all graph paper that was nor part of the piece.
Essentially, I had a paper template rhe exacr size of the
finished piece before l ever started stringing the loom.
T mounred this template to poster board. I began the counting process by marking off sections of the graph in red pen
so T could count beads by fives. l counted and wrote our
each row of beads by color (i.e., Row 22: 3 crimson, 4 matte
violet, 6 metallic teal, etc.), so that T would be counting as
lirrle as possible while
beading. When I made
.......
mistakes, 1 didn't have
"!!:.::..::::.\. " . ..
........ ......
to recount every bead
........
.......,.......
on paper and on my
,. -..
........ .......
thread. I worked with
both the colored graph
template and rhe handwritten counted document simultaneously,
cross-referencing when
necessary. lf 1 should
ever want to recreate
....
the piece again in different colors, I have all
rhis information on file,
"''
and because 1 write the
rl ... ., ....."

'

-r

-i

44

www . i nterweove.c om

bead cow"lt in pencil, l can simply drop in new color-codes

without having eo recoum a single bead.
Since rhe release of BeadScapc software for rhe Macintosh, I'm now able to scan my color rendering into a digital
format, import it into the program, and the sofcware helps
me graph and count.
The art of beadweaving is exploding, and it is amazing
to watch that growth. The creative ideas, new techniques,
ingenuity, and innovation chat abounds is nothing short of
marvelous. As more bead arriscs bravely venture out to
become visible, the climate is changing. The downside is
that this expansive growth can sprout limitation of protocol,
rules, and competition.
My life is my art. 1 was trained as a fine arrist and musician, and J make my living as a graphic designer and illustrator. Inherent in much of that formal training
was anificial prerenses, judgments, highbrow
elitism, and expectations. r've made very
conscious decisions to move away from chose
limitations because they suffocate che spirit,
joy, and authenticity that engenders true
creativiry. When I discovered beading, it was
as ifl stumbled upon a ripe, ferrite garden of
color and light with no limitations. "No one
can tell me what 1 am supposed w do, and
what it is supposed to look like,'' I thought,
and I felt rhe limitless vista of the artistic freedom T didn't even know 1 had been seeking.
l began beading for rhe same reasons I paint and write
music-for the joy. Piecing together tiny gli rn mers of
cexmre, light, and color imo fluid, magical rapesuies gives
me indescribable joy.
For me, authenticity and honesty are the qualities chat
add to the lHe and magic of art. Creating eo please an audience or cater ro trends usually becomes a hollow performance. Bur when 1 can listen LO my own voice, to the voices
of the colors, shapes, and beads, and Lhe inherent magic
within creativiry itself, I embark on rhe enchanted journey
towards auchenriciry. This listening opens me ro the creation of art chat speaks to the soul.
1 am honOLed to be pan of eh is expanding collective of
bead artists. There is space for each person's unique, artistic
expression ill beadwork. It is my intention to keep my beadwork as fresh, alive, and authentic as the day l first invited a
rurquoise rocaille onto my needle. @

lvfargie Deeb is the author of Out On A Loom. Her work appettrs in Do11
Pierce's book Bead i n.g On A Loom (1999, lutmveave Press). She sell> her
work ns private commissions nnd througb gaflerii!S aud shows. Ha course 'it
Passion for Color: Creatiue Colorfor Bead Artists" is inspiring bender> rtcross
the c01mtry to expand the way they su and tllf)rk with cofo1: See mme of
A1argie's work nt www.minoa.com.

fall rhe beading techniques I'm familiar with,

beadweaving on a loom is my current fuvorire
for one reason: instam gratification! Well, almost
instant, and I admit that's a relative rerm.
Several available books adeptly cover the fundamentals of bead looming. Among the best of them
are Virginia Blakelock's Those Bad, Bad Bends and
Don Pierce's Bertding on a Loom. But here is an innovation from a person who loves organization, comfort, efficiency, speed, and some social interaction
now and then.
A TWO-PART PROCESS

Any prinred directions I've read describe a traditional mer hod of first counting a row of beads, weav-

ing it, then counting anoilier row, weaving iliac, and

so on.
Instead, l break the whole process into two
parrs-rhe .first part involves loading a "bobbin" on a
separate iliread, with all of the beads in a project (or
a good-sized sccrion of ilie project) so that iliey arc
coumcd our and ready ro weave. The second parr is
ilie actual weaving, row after delicious row, without
having to stop and coum! Splitting Lhe procedure
inw rwo pans has the following advantages.
le can grearly decrease the chance of errors in
counting. This is more of a factor che larger the
.
p1ece.
Splitting the procedure keeps my body better
aligned. When I'm loading the bobbin, I have
only the beads and ilie patLern in front of me. I'm
BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

.45

If your design and color choices are symmetrical, side ro

noL reaching around rhe loom or off to the side to pick
up or put down a bead dish (risking spills each rime). I side, then it doesn'r matter from which side you begin
also avoid rvvistiog, leaojog, or sitting crooked while I'm counting. lf they are not symmetrical, begin counting from
working because 1 have too much stuff spread our in che last bead of the ending row. If you are doing the project
included here, start counring where indicated (*).
from of me.
For the bobbin, Tuse a spool of regnlar sewing rbread be Splitting allows me to make a project ill one- fourth or
one-third less rime than the traditional method of cOLmt- cause it's cheaper than beading thread and works fine, bm
ing each row and then weaving ir. That's because it tal<es you can cerrainly use beading duead. Just don't cm the
more concentration and time w shift back and forth thread off the spool. Simply begin couming and picking up
consrandy berween L-wo different, fairly tedious, and from the end point. I repeat foJ emphasis: This is t/;e first
complex activities than ir does ro do a longer stretch of row you load, but it will actually he the last row you. weave.
After you have loaded rh is first row, put on one marker
one, then chc other.
This rwo-part procedure leaves me free to do a good par- bead. Then push rhe whole row back roward the spooL
cion of my project while visi.ting, enjoying the company of Choose marker beads whose calor does not blend with your
my family, or (heaven forbid!) even keeping track of a tele- project. Larger-sized beads work well, loo. You wane the
vision program. 1 used to view beadweaving as a solitary markers to be obvious so that, when you are weaving, chey
affair. Now 1 reserve my limited "alone" time for rhe count- will tell you where one row ends and the next begins.
Now count and load the next row, finishing it with a
ing process only. After that, I'm our among the living.
Once [ figured our a few important tricks, weaving this marker bead. Continue in this manner until you have
way has become more and more fun. Like so many otheis, loaded an enrire section, or rhe whole project. Hold up the
I love beading for its meditative quality, and yet 1 don't thread every once in a while to let the beads slide back tOlike to waste rime or energy--especially to back up! I ward, and curl around, the spooL If you realize you made a
screw up less often now rhan with the traditional met:hod, mistake in counting a Line, no matter how far back, just
and l tend to tackle more loomwork projects more fear- take a litrle piece of tape and gently fold it around yotu
lessly, knowing char I'll finish them. The counting part bobbin thread right next to che bead (or beads) in question.
builds my anticipation, and then seeing the weaving come This will be a warning beacon to make you correct the
count when you later weave this line. You can even add an
rogether quickly makes it roo much fun to quid
arrow, or write on the tape, leaving specific directions.
After you have loaded the final row, don't string a marker
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS
bead. Put a fold of rape on the end of the thread to keep the
First, remember this phrase: Last on, First off That means beads from sliding off. Remove the needle.
Now put another small flag of tape around the thJead (not
we load in reverse. Oriem yourself by noting where your
weaving will begin, both on your pattern and on the loom. over the beads themselves) every 12" m l8" along the bobFor right-handed beadworkers this should be the upper-left bin. When you hold it wirh yom rhumb and forefinger, you
outside warp thread, and for the left-handed, the upper- can slide any of these tape flags along with the beads, as necright outside warp thread. Next locate the end of the first essa.Jy, up or down the line. Bur w1ril you slide them, they act
section or motif, or, when you get the hang of ir, the end of as stoppers, keeping the beads between from slipping back
toward the spool as you transfer beads off the bobbin to the
t:he whole piece. This is where you starr counting.
weaving thread.
WEAVING

Loading the bobbin.

46

www . in lerweave. com

To begin, cut off a length of beading thread from another spool, thread a need le on one end, and cie rhe other
end to yom starring point on Lhe loom.
Now take the end of your loaded bobbin (remember: the
last bead on becomes the jirJt to weave) and transfer this
firsc row, plus the marker bead between the first and second
row, from the bobbin ro the beading thread, using the following method. Hold che tail of the hobbill thread between
your thumb and one finger of your non-dominant hand
while the beads stretch away from you over that hand.

With your dominant hand, insert the beading needle up

through the beads. Holding that group ofbettds on the needle,
pull the bobbin rhrend back out and set it down. Remove
the marker bead (which should be the closest one to the
poim of rhe needle). Lc.:t the row of beads sude omo rhe
beading rh read. (lf you are used ro working from a hank.
you probably do this auromatically.) Also. when you arc
weaving a piece wider than the project here, simply transfer
the first row in scctio.ns. An alternative method of transfer is
to gather a group of beads off the bobbin thread while
holding ir fairly fhu against a tablecop.
Now slide this first row of beads all the way back to
the loom. Position the beads underneath and between the
warp threads, and weave in the traditional manner (sec
"Srirches," page 10).
Now you are on your way. No sroppi ng eo cotmt. Just transfer the nex.t row of beads plus the marker. Remove rhe marker
bc:1d off the end of the needle. Weave the row and carry on.
In order to keep from wasring time pulling more and
more empty thread from rhe bobbin back through the
beads being transferred, either rrim the bobbin thread off at
regular intervals, or use rhe tape "behind" rhe current section of rows you arc transferring ro push rhem all closer LO
rhc end of rhe bobbin thread.

SMALL BOX
Prepare your bobbin thread as described prcviou~
following the chan for bead numbers. When finished
we-aving, carefully glue the piece ro rhe cover of the box.
t' .
I .5
7

13
9

S.

13

Load bobbin from bottom up, back and forth .

MATERIALS

WHEN YOU MAKE A MI STAKE

Sin ce there is " " way you can have counted everything
exactly right (if you did, you're luckier than 1 ever am!)
here's a painless way to fix boo-boos. We wish ro avoid at
all costs rhe "Dump them all off, find where it was in the
patttm, nnd recount" method.
When you're short two beads at the beginning of the row
just cou nrcd, or you realize rhat three rows back you put che
wrong color in one parr: Pur several lon g chin sewing pins
(or bealung needles wirh a small Aag of rape over each eye)
on your beading plate.
Once you figure out exactly where the mistake is, slide all
the beads (up to and including any "wrong" ones), back toward rhe needle. To save un tb reading and rcch reading your
need le, push it tempo ra ri ly up rhe thread so that the tai I is
longer. Slide all th e wayward beads over your needle and
thread (baclnvard now) ro the end of the beading rhrcacl.
Now rake one of the pins and transfer all che beads that are
properly counred (bur bervveen the mistake and where you
sropped) onto it. Use more rhan one pin or needle if necessary; jusc remember in which order you used chem.
Once you have added or switched beads, or otherwise
made your correction, rerransfer, in order, the properly
counted part of rhc row from the pin(s) or needle(s) bac.k
onto rhe beading thread. You are now ready ro go forward
again. lf your mistake is several rows back, or you are weav-

Delicas: marre bronze, shiny maroon, shiny navy,

cornHowcr lllatre, hot pink lined, buttercup
shiny, amber shiny
Marker beads of larger si7e or di Herent color
Black, ~ize "B" beading thread
2% X 2;< cardboard gift box
Glue
NOTIONS

Size 12 be;H.ling needles

Bead loom
Scis:,ors

ing a wide piece, you may find ir easier eo pUL a needle onro
a short length of rh read, tape the end for a sropper, and use
this instead of pins or needles as a son of "spur" line for the
temporary rransfcr.
O nce you have grasped the bobbin concept, learned
rhc nicks, and cx pcrimellled with how ro painlessly fix.
the inevitable glicches, you will marvel at how f'asr and
fun loomwork can be.
}etmnt L4Ji11gu>t/l, knmvn for ht!r large 5mlt llrchiucturnl workJ mmg gf,w
>l't!d IH:ads, has n/:;o collrctrd 1111d ttmgbt lmuluorking reclmiqurs for thr pmt
twmty yenrs. Sbr lillt'J 111 MIISC01V, Idaho.

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

47

JEAN CAMPBELL

was inspired after re-ading Pin Beading by Victoria Wailer (Design Originals, 1999) to make these sweet
and sexy photo album covers. lt was
great fun, and although this is one of
the least technically challenging beadwork projects I've done (take a straight
pin, put a bead on it, jab it into a cushion), I'm hooked.

X yard ivory sarin

2 yards ivory twisted polyester Yz" trim
2' ivory lace, 5" wide
8 W' satin ribbon roses
Hor glue sticks
2 BY:' x 1 I" pieces of W' cardboard
1 9'' x 12" photo albllill
1 9" X 12" piece of W' sofa foam
17 5mm faux pearls
27 size 10 green seed beads
3 dozen size 17 satin suaight pins
I I" white button

Scissors
Hot glue gun

50

www .inte rweave .com

Sweet Weddin~ Photo Album

BOOK COVER

Step 1: Glue foam m cover of photo album.

Step 2: L:;1y sarin face-down on a clean flat StLrface. Open rhe

photo album and lay it on top of the satin cover side

down. Leaving a 2" border all around the photo album's
outer edges, cut the sarin to size.
Step 3: *Glue along one edge of the inside cover of rhe
album. Pull the satin over the hot glue. Rep from* with
the opposite side of the album, pulling the fabric gently
as you go, but not so tight rhar the album won't close.
Continue around unril all edges are glued.
Step 4: Using the rem satin, cover one side of each cardboard piece as you did. the albtLm. Set aside.
Step 5: Place the lace in position, slightly to the right of
rhc cover's center. Glue the top and bottom edges to the

in~idc

from cover of the album. Embellish the lace with

trim b) cmring m size and gluing as you did the lace.
Sup 6: Cur a 2" piece of trim and glue the button m the
end. Glue it at rhe midpoinr of the inside back cover so
th:u l" sticks out.
Step 7: Ccnter and glue one piece of the covered cardboard
to the inside from cover. Do the same for rhe inside back
cowr.
Step 8: Carefully glue the trim ro rhc album to conceal all
exposed rough edges. Beg ar the midpoint of rhe front
cover and follow rhe edges of the album umil you reach
rhat same midpoinr.
Sup 9: Using rhe rem length of trim (don'r cm) create a
loop that will acr as a closure for rhc button. Tie a neat
square knOL and cut rbe trim ro !l" afrer the square knot.
Bend the rail behind the knot and carefully glue rhe end
ro concca I i L
ADDING THE BEADS
11m~ad

a bead ro a suaight pin and add it anywhere you

like m embellish the lace. I used a faux pearl ro embellish
the ccnter of a ribbon rose, and then jabbed rhc whole lot
into the cover. Don't worry if you make a mistake-just
pull out the pin and rry again.

Sexy Elvis Photo Album

ADDING THE BEADS

Place the transfer paper on the front cover. Using the

template at left, trace the image onw rhc cransfer paper so
1he image appears on the vd vet.
Fill in the spaces with rhc appropriate color (sec remplate) in a paint-by-number fashion. Refer ro photo for
head and sequin distribution.

BOOK
jl'flll

Cover rhe book as described above, bur skip Steps tl- 7

and 9. "lo conceal inside from and back covers, use white
glue w atrnch pieces offelt directly ro the album.

Gm1phel/ is 1h~ edi10r 11/ lkadwork.

/'1 ynrd black crushed vdvct

l yard black twisted polyester /')"trim
Y. yanl red fd t
I 5'' X 7" piece of'' " sofa foam
I 5" x 7" phow album
llor glue sticks
Whire glue
I ,000 sequin pins
'lransfcr paper (you can buy it ar quilting supply stores)
l gram each orange, red, and black size 1oo seed beads
2 grams yellow siz.c 10 seed beads
50 hlack irid sequins
25 small white sequins
25 large silver sequins

Sci~sors

I Lot glue gun

Enlarge 200 percent.
BEADWORK

Mov/Jvne 2000

51

BEADWORK's
Professional
Development
Series:

ra...., s
a e
an . . . . outs

ower Olllt
MARY J. TAFOYA

f you're using MicrosoftOffice on your computer, you own all tbe software
you need ro make custom beadwork illustrations and class handouts. PowerPoint"' is a well-known program within MS Office for creating multimedia
slide presentations, and you can exploit its lesser-known drawing features eo
create professional looking graphics. Beads and thread drawn in PowerPoinr are
smooth-edged and fully edjrable objects. They can be resized and rearranged with
the click of a mouse. You can copy illustrations ~nd paste them into Microsoft
Wordwand other programs, or you can use PowerPoim's Notes View to put stepby-step instructions on the page. You can even create pages and pictures for Ebe
World Wide Web. Here's how to ger starred. (These procedures may vary somewhat in djfferent versions ofPowerPoint.)
MAKE A ROUGH SKETCH

START WORKING IN SL IDE VIEW

Before you sit down at rhc computer, get clear

about what you wane ro draw. Sketch it on a piece
of paper and you'll have a better idea about the
lines and shapes you'Ll need. lt's also helpful to
write our all rhc beadjng insrruccions first, rhen
decide what needs ro be illustrated.

'37%

Slide View

Curve Tool

Notes View

CS

Freeform Tool

Oval Tool

Rectangle Tool

J:.

Scribble Tool

Zoom Box

Fill Color Tool

: 01:.-o
I

"Capture" the objects by

dragging a marquee

'-------

Line Tool

Figure 1: Icons and examples.

www . in lerweove .eo m

Rotation Tool
Text Box Tool

Type inside a shape

'- Arrow Tool

,.------.
I
I

Make multiple copies

52

- -..__,.,...- Reshape a curved line

I
I

Line Calor Tool

Launch PowcrPoint and open a blank presentation and a blank slide layout. Tf you're planning ro
print our your pages, go eo the File menu, Page
Setup, and size your slides for letter paper. You can
also select Portrait (vertical) or Landscape (horizontal) page orientation.

Arrow Style Tool

:=

Line Style Tool

Dash Style Tool

Pow~rPoinc

shows five dilTerem views; you can

click an icon shown at the bonom lefr of the
screen or choose one from the View menu. Stay in
Slide View while drawing and labeling your
graphs. Go ro Notes View 10 type step-by-step
instrucdons and other large blocks of texr.

~ Mlclotoll Powe rPont

.~ f'o tdt

D ~ lil

PiQ

(Puaentbltonl)

lf!<t , _ . I<XIIs ~- Yllrodow ~

l)ew

a :.'

.,

1J!L ~

liill$1

~w 1\lde.,

Slide L~Wl .. ,
Apply oe.;gn ..

DRAW BEADS AND THREAD

WITH THE DRAWING TOOLS

t\ 1akc sure the Drawing tool bar is open along

the bonom of rhe screen (View, Toolbars, Drawing). As you work, zoom in (200% or so) ro
cnlarg~ rhe page for viewing derail, and zoom out
(Fit) to sec how your drawing firs on the page. An
easy way to zoom in a11d our is to rype a percentage in rhe Zoom Box on the Standard coolbar at
the rop of the window.
Choose from the Oval, Rectangle, and AutoShapes Tools ro represenr your beads. You can
change the outline and fill colors of any shape by
clicking on rhe Fill Color and Line Color dropdown arrows, then selecting from the options. For
black and white prinrouts, lill ob jects wirh black,
then sdccr from a variety of patterns to rcprescnr
different bead colors (Fill Color, Fill Effects, then
click the Pattern rab and choose a hatch pattern)
(Figure 2).
To dra\\ a shape, click once on irs icon, then
click and hold down the mouse butcon while you
move the mouse across the page. To rcsizc a shape,
select i 1 (i rst by clicking insidc i r once, then drag
one of it~ boundary handles (Figure 3).
'lo move an object without rcsizing it, select it
and drag ir ro a new location (be careful nor ro
drag a boundary handle). You can also rzudge, or
move an object in small increments, by selecting
it, then pressing one of the arrow keys on the keyboard. By default, PowerPoint aligns all objects ro
an invisible "magnetic" grid. ro turn off this grid,
go to the Draw Tool at the botrom of the screen,
then select Snap and deselcct To Grid by clicking
.
on 11 once.
'lo draw a srraight line, use the Line Tool on
the Drawing roolbar. To draw curved lines, go to
AutoShapes, Line, and choose Curve, Freeform, or
Scribble. Each wol is explained in PowcrPoinr's
Help Menu Index. To reshape a curved line, select
it and go to Draw, Edit Points. Drag the vertices, or
points within the line, to adjust the Aow of the
line. Remove exrra points by holding down the

Figure 2: Using
ti Mcrotofl PoworPomt

Fill Effects to create hatched patterns.

P-ir:J i

1Pte.sentallon11

~ 1Jo t.d! ~ ~ f'lrmat Ioois 5to1o- w;ldow tl4

1i1 5

eo

e, <1

~~~to~"

"'l

'1. ~ r;a ll.Hl llH~Hi~ 0 ,..,

'..D OlE.-

37"4

<J~~- ..;;.A.= E:: e w

""'"'*0..'9'

Figure 3: Resizing a bead.

Control key (Windows) while clicking on a point.

Add more poinrs by holding down Control while
clicking on a line segment.
PowerPoint objects are arranged in a sltlcking
order, with the most recenr objects on top. To rearrange the stacking order, go to Draw, Order, ~md
select an option from rhe lisc To send a thread line
behind a bead shape, for instance, select the line,
then go to Draw, Order, Send to Back.
To select several objects at once, hold down the
Shift key while clicking on rhe objects. You can
also "caprure" the objects by dragging a marquee,
which appears as a box outlined in dashes, around
them wi lh the pointer.

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

53

To make multiple copies, select objects and hold

down the Control key while you drag the mouse.
You can also use the Copy and Paste options from
rhe Edit menu.
To rotate a bead shape, select it and click the
Rotation Tool. Drag the green circular handles in
any direction. You can also go to Draw, Rotate or
Flip, and select an option from the list. To rotate
several objects at once, group them rogether first
(Draw, Group). You can Ungroup and Regroup
them at any rime.

CREATE TITLES AND LABELS

Click the Text Box Tool in the Drawing toolbar,

then click once on the page. Begin typing. To
change the size, font, or other text attributes, click
and drag across the rext to highlight it, then select
from the options in the Formatting toolbar near
rhe top of the screen. You can also type inside any
shape- just click on the shape to select it and
begiJl typing.
I a good idea to put a text t itle on every slide
to clearly identify the projecr. Copyright information should al.so be included. To insert a copyright
symbol, go eo Insert, Symbol, choose a font, and
click on the copyright symbol in the character
map. Then click Insert.
Use the Arrow Tool in t he Drawing toolbar, if
desired, ro point out cercain pans of your illustration or ro show thread direct-ion. Custom ize the
arrows with the Arrow Style Tool. Use the line
Style and Dash Style Tools to emphasize and deemphasize thread paths and objects. For example,
you can use a dashed line to show previous steps
and a heavier line to show the current step.

es

CREATE STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

To type long porcions of text that will become
part of your handouts, click on PowerPoint's Notes
View. Notice that a smaller version image of your
slide appears at rhe top of the page, wirh a large
text block below it. To type instructions, simply
click inside the text block and start typing. You
can change me dimensions of the small slide or cl1e
tex:t block by dragging their boundary handles.
lf you want to interweave your be.:'ld graphs
and illustrations with the text, you can type your

54

www .inlerweove . com

insrrucrions in Microsoft Word, then copy and

paste portions of your illuslrations right into char
document. One way to do this is to select the
objects you want to put into Word and copy them
with Control+ C (Windows) or Edit, Copy. Switch
to Word, and press Control +V or Edit, Paste. The
objects will "float" on top of the cext, and you can
drag them wherever you wam rhem to be.
lf you want to embed your objects within the
text, copy them in PowerPoint, then swirch ro
Word. Click the cursor at the exact location you
want the picrurc to appear. Go to Edit, Paste
Special, then choose Picture, and click OK. When
the Float Over Texr box is deselectcd, the pasted
objecrs will be grouped togelher and embedded
within the text.
PRINT HANDOUTS OR
CREATE WEB PAGES

First, save your PowerPoinr file. Then, go to

File, Print. By default, PowerPoint prints the Slide
view. [f you would rather print the Notes View, go
to Print What near me bottom of the Print dialog
box and select Notes Pages.
You can print PowerPoint files to yom own
inkjer or laser primer. For large quantities, you
can have a quickprinr shop output your file on a
digital printer (such as a Docutech~l). Talk to the
print shop before creating your handouts to find
out how to prepare your fi les. PowerPoinr is generally nor suitable for color separations and offset
. .
pnntmg.
You have several options wirh PowerPoint eo
create documents and images for the World Wide
Web (sec the Help Menu Index for more derails).
You select from mese options when you're saving
the file. To save graphic images suitable for placing
into web pages, go to File, Save As, and select GIF
or JPEG from che Save As Type box. You will be
a,~ked whether you wru1t to save all slides or just
the currem slide. Save the current slide and give iL
a name. You can also save the PowerPoim document as an HTML file by going to File, Save As
HTML. In most PowerPoinr versions, a series of
dialog boxes will appear-experimenr to find the
settings you like.
!Yfary J Ttrfi~)'fl is a brad artist and graphic arts inftructor in
New il1exico. She also maintains the pt!pular beadwo,k-tefated

website, Aunt Molly'.r Bead Street (www.forsh.uetl~ rttjtt'.foyaJ).

As Rita Mae Brown put it, "Lead me not into temptation;

I can find the way myself." When the need to bead takes
you beyond the boundaries of bead stores how do you
satisfy the urge for n1ore? Fusing glass is the answer!
u'ing is a merhod of manipulating
- glass in a kiln by a vari~ty of techniques. Slumping, sagging, raking, frit
casring, and adding chemicals for differc:nr surf.1.cc looks arc all possibilities in the
fusion process, and each one begins by cmring glass.
CUTTING GLASS

Glass does not act, it reacts, and ddTcrcnt

glasses react diffen:nrly. One [hlng they have
in common is th:u pressure applied on one
porlion- particuln rly defined pressure- gets
transmitted ovemll. SLore the glass by putting
a fissure in t ht su rfac~ with your cut rer.
\~hen you appl} secondary force, rhe glass
will break along rhc score line. (This is called
ruruung the score.)
GLASS COMPATIBILITY

STEPHANl E HOUSTON

Glass expands when heated and contracts

when cooltd. Jl' two glasses expand and (Oil
tract similarly, rhcir coefficient of expansion
(COE) is the same. fhe greater the difference
in the COF, tht more str~s there is in the
piece, and 11 will be liable m break. I can't
emphasi;.c enough rbar compatibility is the
single most irnponanr facror in glass fusing.
The COL: is rhe changeover poin from solid
ro liquid state, and the tempcratme at whi<..h
changcovcr 1akes place varies widely with different glnss.
The greater dw difference in COl- of fused
glasses, the greater sm.:ss becomes. If the stress
is extreme, the two p1eces will break .tparc
upon cooling. If the stress is moderate, the
piece will be intact upon cooling but won't be
able to h,1ndle sudden tempcrarure changes
(like tbo~e in a dishwashing cycle).

_ _ _ _ _ _.:....:.._::.:.;_::=::::._~~~~~~~~~~~------=
BEAOWORK

Moy/ June 2000

55

ANNEALING

Annealing is the process of slowly cooling glass to room temperature. The kilns
I use are designed jusr for this purpose. In general. when you are making small
pieces, you can let the kiln do the annealing for you by c.rash-cooling ir. Do this
by opening the lid of the kiln ro release some heat, then close ir again and ler rhe
kiln cool down at its own ~pecd.
Cracking due to incompatibility is readily distinguished from poor annealing.
Incompatibility produces fractures that follow the imerfaces of the glasses. Tmproper annealing produces random fractures that c.ross color boundaries.
PREPARING THE KILN SHELF

le is necessary to prepare your kiln shelf with a wash so rhat the glass does not
fuse with the shelf. Use a good kiln wash (high-temperature clay and alumina
mix) and rake care when applying il. I always apply my wash wet. If you are only
using the kiln to tack fire (adhering pieces so they maintain their original shape
bur come our with rounded cdges- LW0 1300 P), you don't need ro reapply
the wash to the shelf when you fire again.
Prepare the wa~h by adding I pan powder to S parts water. Use a haik brush ro
cover the shelf. lr is best to do the first coat in one direction and the second coat
at a right angle ro the first. Three coat~ arc usually sufficienr (the third coar rakes
the same direcrion as rhe first). The smoothness of your wash application will
determine the smoothness of rhe back of your piece. You can expcrimem with
rhe wash texture, even creating a bas-rclic.:f effect by building it up.
Be sure your wash is completely dry before you fire or you will get bubbling,
sticking, or cracking in your final producr.
FIRING

I use one basic firing schedule for jcwdry and adapt ir eo whatever work l am
doing by slowing down and holding the temperature at different poinrs. My basic
firing startS with a cold kiln, taking it to S00F over about 30-40 minures on setting 3 (the setting may vary depending on your kiln). Then 1 raise the remperatme to 5 and continue for abour 30 40 minutes until rhc kiln reaches 1000F.
Then 1 turn the kiln lO High and continue firing until my desired dTect is
reached-either tack firing (rounded edges) or full fusing (when everything is
completely melted rogetl1er and Oat). When rhc desired temperawre is reached,
shut off the kiln, open the lid, and cool to I 000-l200F to stop the glass from
continuing to cook (dcvirrification). When your piece looks rhe way you want,
you have to cool the kiln so the piece can stabiliL.e. Close the kiln lid and cool w
room temperature.

HELPFUL TIP
Set up a firing rc<:orJ hy caking
thorough notes Juring firing.
RewrJ rype of glass, rcmperatun:,
time of vcntings. and rhe rime you
close or open tit{' lid. l'hc.sc nares
will hdp you reproduce work or
prevent something going wrong
the next t imc.

56

www . i nl e rweov e.co m

FUSED GLASS MINI-PENDANTS

In my srudio we make these colorfultrinkcts in three sizes using a black base

covered with dichroic glass. You can vary the process according ro your tasre. Vs111g
iridescent glass topped with dichroic in a design that doesn't cover the whole piece
has a very intriguing efTecL. I find rhat using transparem glass on either the top or
bottom allows the visual distraction of the silver jump ring showing.
This is an ideal projecr for using up all the little scraps you have in your srudio.
So use your imagination and create!

MATERIALS

Thin bl.t~.:k and scraps of Ji chroi~.. glass (Urbaros or Bullseye)

16 gauge.' hard, round sterling 'ilvcr jump rings
(i mm sterling silver split rings
Fusds or Elmer's wl-litc glue
Kiln W;tsh
ACl'lOlll' (to dean
glass)

me

NOTIONS

Gl.m wucr (I prefer Toyo's pistol grip)

Running plier\
Brea king/grazing plicrt>
Crindtr (optional-to u~t: for fine-runcd cuning)
Perm<lnen 1 fcl t Lip or glas~ marker
Kiln with l>helf
llaik brw.h (a \vide soft-hrisdcd brush)
\iln:r polish, polishing cloth, or rougcltripoli polisher
l'ireproof gloves
~akt} glasses
~ Pn:p;m a kiln sl-lelf with kiln wash and allow w dry.
( (
Put on your safety glasses. Mark .llld cut two X" X I y, base pieces of black

or

glass. 'f'ht: double layer

black <lliows you (0 hide rhe jump ring and use clear
ditbroic glas:-. over the top. lt also gives you a piece rhat is slightly rounded on top.
Clue a jump ring to one of' the pieces of black glass. Position the jump ring
with hair txrending off the edge of the glass.
On dw second piece of blatk, design your pendant. ror one nice look, cut a
piece of didHoiL the same sin as the bb(.k glass, put your design on, and use it in
pl.tn: of the wp piece of bl.1(. k.
Once vou have a design you like, glue cveryrhing down. Use your glue sparlnglv so ir does nor leave re~ idu e that will show up as s hadow~. Thi ~ is especially
imporrant when you're using di(.hroic. Give your glue a chance ro scr. Elmer's is
pn:tt) quick and Fuser's glue is slow, but Fuser's leaves less ca rbo n residue. Glue
ymu des1gned piece on top of the hase glass with the ring.
Place your pendants on rl1L prcpan:d kiln shelf about Y" ~1pan. Put the shelf in
the kiln, clmc the door, and beg111 firin g. Srarr by rurning the control switch tO 3
about }0-'-!0 minutes or until the temperature reaches '>001. rurn
kiln up
to ') fi>r another 30-40 minutes ro reach I 000F.
Then wrn the kiln to I iigh .1ml allow the pendant~ ro fire unril they are finished. If you want a full fuse, allow rhc kiln to reach 1600 E If you prefer a more
textur~J pendant, srop rhc kiln <1t a lower temperature.
When rhc.: fusion is finished, ~>hm oiT the kiln, pur on your gloves, open tbe lid
of thl' kiln, :111d allow the tt:rnpcrawn: to go down to 1000 l 200"F (abour a
minure). fhcn close the kiln ro allow ir ro cool eo room temperature.
When your pieces are LOo!. poli~h the jump ring. Conne(.t a splir ring ro the
Jump nng.

for

me

::,rrph.uut' /low/on uacheJ ji1;ing 11111/ lnginning f,nnpuork classes fll her Wtdu1 111 li:lluri.dl', C'olomdo
.md llllritmt<'id< Strpl1i1nies studio ,tf,o ctlrrit, ,z/{ t/g roofs an.d g/m; dr>tnbrd ulnwl' nmtncr lll'r 111
'1/1(11<' oj f/,u~rJ, (,'/.n.r Studio. G'cna,zl LJclitr~l' lrlluritlr, CO 81 '"135. (8/ 7 ) 369 OR69; II'U'w.nshoiiJof
h.nu!J.~lu.'.'' om.

BEADWORK

Moy/June 2000

57

Kathe Hoyden

editorial
Down Hamilton

editorial

'

Cloudia Chesneau

hat a great way to spice

up your resume! Fifteen
Interweavers got together
recently to make these special clips, and
some were beadwork or wirework virgins.

editorial

Make sure to "trap" the beads with

o the wire so they don't slide around.
Kothie Korbowski
advertising

Create some kind of

o mechanism to clip paper.

Holly Doughty

Have fun.

marketing ~

It was great to see the ingenuity and creativity in the

room-in an hour we created over 20 clips.

fJQSo Beware when hardening or flattening your wire.

It's not smart to smash your finger and faint as Jean did.

Jennifer Nastu

marketing

Moren Bzdek
editorial

e were recently introduced to

Nancy Todd's "Book Gems"something very similar to what we
made here. One very cool thing about
Nancy's work is that a portion of the
profits goes to Laubach Literacy, a non
profit organization that teaches adults
to read. For more information call
1888) LAUBACH or Nancy's company,
Moon Mambo, in Asheville, North Carolina, 1828) 254-6356.

Amy Clarke
editorial

Ceri Anderson
publishing

Noncy Disney
events

Jenny Fish
circulation/distribution

\j~ J

Aundreo Monson

Stacio Ray
editorial

liso Fleck
editorial

Bonnie Hoover
oFfice services

May/ June 2000

59

u
DIAMOND BEAD REAMER SET

Beadworkers who have to struggle with rough

or tight bead holes need m have a reamer on hand.
EuroTool's reamer is extra nifty because it comes

a rubber band. I did a lirrle experimenting and

found rhat knotting and melting will secure the
ends well, but the cleanest way is to use a big
crimp bead. Elasticity is available in . 50mm,
.80mm, and lmm sizes. Retail prices range from
$13- $15 for a 100 meter spool. Buy it at your
local beadshop or through any authorized Bcadalon disrribucor.

WACKETDOWN ~

I could've saved my fingernail a couple months

ago if I'd one of rhese. le's simple enough- two
pieces of hard synthetic material that you literally
with three nibs- an itty-bitty one for freshwater
pearls; a large one for smoothing, straightening,
and enlarging holes in ceramic, stone, or glass
beads; and a 45 edging point for rounding and
smoorhing bead edges so they won't cut through
your cord. Retail price is $12.75; $13.75 with
comfon grip. Call EuroTool ar (800) 552-3131 to
6nd a distributor near you.

ELAS Tl CITY"'

BcadaJon"'' has introduced this new product

just in time for us al1 tO make our own power
bracelets! This soft, clear bead cord stretches like

whack together ro harden and press your wirework. It's better than using a hammer because it
prevents nicks, it doesn't change the diameter of
your wire, and, well, it solves the hammer+finger
problem. lt's so rough you could use ir as a quasi
bench block, coo. Get rhe Wacketdown for
$13.95 at your local bead shop or by contacting
the Soft Flex Company, (707) 938-3539, www.
softBexlm.com, or Helwig industries, (800) 579WlRE, www.wigjig.com.

-Jean Carnpbell
62

www .inlerweove .com

ADORN THYSELF
Suzonne Cooper
Spring Branch, Texas:
Suzonne Cooper, 1999.
Paperback, $19.95.
37 pages, calor.

BEADS OF THE WORLD

Second Edition
Peter Francis, Jr.
Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer
Publishing, 1999. Paperback,
$1 9.95. 128 pages, calor and
black a nd white.

DEUCA BEAD LOOM

Part 2

Tokyo, Japan : Delico Bead

Loom Association. Hardcover,
$31.50. 72 pages, calor and
block and white.

THE THREE-BEAD
BRICKSmCH
Necklace Expressions
Carole Collier
New York: Carole Collier,
1998. Spiralbound, $19.99.
60 pages, black and white.

64

www .interweove.com

I love Suzanne Cooper's writing scyle-her books

always make you feel like you're sircing at her kirchen
table over a bunch of beads with coffee and chocoJate
close at hand. Suzanne's latesl, Adorn Thyselj is no differe nt. Ir offers 64 panerns chat include floraJ, animal,
and geometric motifs. Suzanne provides the basic
image for each design (appropriate for one of chose
"Oh my goodness, did you make that?" neckJaces), bur
the bonus is that she also charts for smaller projects (like
chokers, bracelets, earrings) with the same, or portions
of the same, image. Suzanne also includes a concise,
very clear scitch imro. Buy this book at your locaJ bead
shop; through Copper Coyote, www.coppercoyote.
com; or from Suzanne at www.suzannecooper.com.
Peter Francis, Jr. and Sch iffer have come up with a
second edirion of Beads of the World. This updated
book has so much straightforward, quick information
rhat it's a must for collectors and students. The other
nice thing, of course, .is that recent quotes for bead
vaJue are listed next to each photograph. Buy Beads of
the World at your local bookstore or through Schi~Ter at
www.schifferboo ks.com.
Arc you hip to rhe Del.ica Association's book line? lf
nor, get with it. The Japanese are doing amazing things
with their favorite type of bead-patterns, colors, and
shapes that you don't see in Western beadwork. Delica's
larest book is printed encirely in Japanese, but you don't
really need the text to appreciate the picrures. Plus, the
publisher has graciously provided step-by-step instructional drawings and photographs as well as detailed
photographs of the cools of the trade. This one's worth
it! Order Delica Bead Loom: Pmt 2 through your locaJ
bead shop or Copper Coyote, www.coppercoyoce.com.
Carole Collier was so excited after studying Native
American jewelry using the "three bead brick stitch" as
she calls it, she had to write a book. And a nice book it
is! Carole includes very explicit directions and diagrams, gives tips and supply suggestions, and, best of
ill-the patterns!-beautiJul Native American inspired
motifs in colors and designs char will make people srop
you on the street when they see them gracing your
neck. Buy this book at your local bead shop or through
Carole ar threebead@arr.net.

~First Day

of Se ool

r's been eight monrhs since I became selfemployed. For the most part it's been great. l
seem ro gee twice as much work done in half
rhe rime. Thal's because I spend no chunks of time
on one of my favorite activities-socializing. Here
in my one-person office chere are very few distractions from the casks at hand. For rhe most pan
rltis is fine. But some days it's not. Some days l feel
like if J just sit here by myself and do nothing but
work for another minute !1n going to lose my mind!
So when the Educational Outreach
caralog from Colorado Scare University arrived in rhe mail, 1 dove in for
a diversion. 1 was seeking nothing in
particular, but the fim thing I saw was
DCE I 033: Traditional Narive American Beadwork. Eureka! Through travel,
plus reading and editing books about
beadwork, ['d had small glimpses of
rhis aspect of my favorite crafr. Now
here was an opportunity to spend one
evening each week for eight weeks exploring the
history, tradition, and spirit of beadwork from a
Narive American perspective.
Excuse me if this sounds arrogant, but l deciued
to attend the class incognito. No need to mendon
char I've seen a few beads in my day. Nope, no
need ac all. This is going to be a brand new experience, and I'm scarring ar ground zero. Don't know
what eo expect, want nothing expected of me.
Five of us gathered in the brightly-lit classroom,
eager eo begin our lessons with Manuelico Good
Wind. We had the usual introductions, then
Manuelito cold us a litde bit about what we were
going to learn, what we were going ro make, and
what types of materials we would need. He rold us
char mere's a very good book available, one that he
would recommend eo anyone interested in beadwork of any kind. And he pulled our a copy of The
Reader's Companion. "That's our book!" 1 blurted
our. ''I'm Judith Ourand I wrote that book with
my friend Jean Campbell, the editor of Beadwork
magazine!" So much for anonymity. With my face

72

www interweove.com

JUDITH DURANT

scarlet red, I apologized for rhe outburst and tried

to quiet my enormous sense of pride.
Fellow srudenrs asked why I was taking this
class if I already know so much about beadwork.
Still blushing, T explained that while l've done
some beading in different techniques, r know
notlting about the Native American Tradition. I
signed up for the class nor ro learn how to do
beadwork, bur how to feel bead work. How to connect to che past and to a culture foreign ro my
own heritage. Oh, God. Didn't rhat
sound pompous? 'Nuff said.
Back to the business at hand.
Manuclito meted out a few supplies
ro each of us: a small collection of
seed beads in black, red, yellow, white,
blue, and green; a beading needle;
about a yard of white chread; a piece
of leacher approximately 2'' square
and Yar." rhick; and a piece of chin
leather to use as a work surface.
"Make a rurde," he said, and headed for the door.
Then he turned around. "If you have uouble with
rhe rurde shape, make a lizard instead."
1 threaded my needle wirh some confidence.
Then my brain and my hands turned ro mush.
Okay. Deep breath. Obviously we're supposed to
embroider on the lc<~ther. I began tentatively.
Manudico returned as 1 was beginning my third
do-over and helped me on my way. As we all began
to gee me knack of working with beads and leather,
he talked about the significance of the colors we
were working with. This newfound knowledge
tempted me ro start over yet again. But then I decided to give myself a break. One of the colors L
used represents ignorance, and the first hour and a
half of class had reaffirmed for me char ignorance,
though perhaps not acwally bliss, is certainly pure.
And while there is a different color to symbolize
purity. me two together make a pretty goodlooking rail on my orherwise incognito lizard.
I'm going eo love this class.