Peachy Bangle and Necklace

I finished this bangle a month or two ago and then the necklace I started was left in the dust behind a trail of yarn and weaving on my loom.  I picked it back up and finished it last week though. 

This will probably be the end of "summer-y" pieces as I'm already looking to the Fall Fashions because they have wonderful purples coming in!  (Purple is my hands-down favorite color)

So enjoy this last little blip of my summer beadwork, watch for it over at Grove Gallery before I swap it out in the next few months! For my usual darker-color themed pieces.

Beadweaving into your Weaving.

I'm starting to play with this technique just within plain weave, but you can really insert beads into any type of warp, anywhere in your warp. 

What you need:
Beading thread (I use nymo size D)
Beading Needles (I keep a 2 inch size 10 and a 2 inch size 12 on hand)
Seed beads size 11/0 (you can really do any size, but this is a good starting bead, I am using "Dyna-Mites" with this piece, they have an easy hole to pass through multiple times)

I am weaving off a plain-weave scarf and deciding to place a row of seed beads in every 6-8 inches.  I start with a length of thread about 3 times the width of my warp.  This is because you will be passing the beading thread through twice to put it into your warp and you definitely want extra so that you're not struggling with the needle falling off the end of your thread.  My warp is about 14 inches wide, and I'm putting on around 150-160 seed beads. You won't need the exact width of beads to the warp because the warp threads will be in between your beads spacing them out as you go.

1) To start, thread your needle (do NOT double over your thread) place an "anchor bead" on the end of your thread.  You will slide 1 seed bead toward the end of your thread, leaving at least a 4 inch tail.  Tie an overhand knot around the bead, holding it in place.  We will be pulling this bead off later, so don't double knot it.

2) Thread on enough beads to go across your warp. (Mine is about 155 beads give or take a few, it's better to have more than less, we will remove extra at the end.)

3) Find the middle of your beading thread.  Slide the last bead (opposite end from the anchor bead) on to the middle of your thread.  Lay into the right side of your warp. (I'm right handed and will be working right to left of my warp for this.) Depending on how tight your selvage is, you will place the bead between the very end thread and the one to it's left, OR place the bead 2 spaces in. 

4) You are then going to go around the outside of your warp thread(s), to the underside of your warp and through the bead from the bottom.  Then pull the thread up to the top of your weaving through the warp threads so it looks like below:

 

5) From here, you take your needle, pull it under and up through the next warp thread (on my left), and then thread through the next bead on the strand.  Repeat all the way across your warp but as the beads start to squish the warp out of place, thread under 2 warps, pick up a bead to even it out.  See images below:

6) When you have gone all the way across your warp, you will probably have beads leftover on the top thread.  Tug the knot out of the "anchor bead" and remove all excess seed beads.

7) Now tie together your top and bottom thread in a square knot, and with the beading needle (sometimes you need a smaller needle), pull the 2 threads back through the seed beads on your warp to secure them in (not all the way, just in 2 inches or so).

8) Cut the ends that you've threaded back through the beads close to hide them in the beadwork.

This is the most-basic version of beading into a warp.  There are so many things that can be done with your weaving and this technique can be used multiple rows at a time, randomly though your warp, etc.  One of the reasons to use this technique is it will show on both sides of your weaving and it will stay securely in place.  If you'll be washing your piece make sure to test that the beads wash well also.  Some finishes don't do well when heat or water is applied.

Most of all, Have Fun!!!

Beaded Flower Hair Piece

Funky fancy hair pieces have been in for a while, and I keep getting requests for them, but never any actual orders.  As much as I am happy to do commissions, I really prefer to make things that I would wear, since I am my own biggest promoter.  I am generally wearing something that I made when I am out of the house. So it has taken me a long time to get into the idea of working with this trend, and I think I may have missed the boat on it.  The single flowers seem to be getting bigger and heading toward facinators, but I have had these little hair clips and am jumping into trying them out, finally.

Part of the reason I got inspired to do this little hair flower is that I feel I have finally have mastered the Russian leaf and the variations that I learned from the class I took with Huib Petersen in 2010. (See blog "Beadweaving with Huib Petersen")  I now need to move on from the individual petals/leaves over to seamlessly connecting them to create even more dimension.

I have in now way mastered the combination, and I prefer to do things from memory and experimentation so it will take a bit. I am pretty happy how this first one tired out since I have not really addressed the pattern since the class.  I finished it while I was at the Soup Spoon Cafe post-lunch meeting!

This piece is approximately 2.75 in x 2.75in x .5 in.  The clip is about 1 in x .5 in.  I chose this particular clip because it will actually stay in my very thin hair rather then messing with a hair comb!  This size will be running around $65

Note: I did purchase an adorable hair flower in for a dinner party last year which was perfect from Pixel & Hank.  They're very cute, reasonably priced and a Michigan crafter!  I just had a hard time making one myself!

July Beadweaving Classes

I will be offering two classes on two count peyote stitch coming up in July:
Sunday July 17, 2011
at Grove Gallery Co-op
12-4pm



Tuesday July 19, 2011
at Grove Gallery Co-op
4-8pm


I have openings for up to 5 people on each day.  Payment is due 1 week before the class or the class will be canceled.  You can give Jenny a check or cash before hand, or go to http://www.jennyschu.com/ the front page accepts paypal (note the paypal button next to the date).

If you have your own beading materials the materials fee may be waived, here's what I will be providing for you to keep:

-nymo size D thread (enough for 3-5 bracelets)

-2 beading needles, 2 inches, size 10

-2 colors of dyna-mite seed beads (you pick from the workshop stash)

-1 large bead 6mm or larger for clasp (you pick from the workshop stash, I like to use these round Swarovski pearls: http://www.firemountaingems.com/swarovski-crystal-pearls.asp )

-Directions, suggestions, graph paper etc.


Here are what you may like to bring, but I will have on hand (and some for sale):

-velvet pads (either something on the link, or I have made some larger ones of my own with velvet around cardboard)

and last but not least, if you have problems with lighting, we will be in a room with florescents, you may bring your own light.  I have been told that this rechargeable ott lamp is great for workshopping: http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=search&flag=true&PRODID=xprd285431

Weaving: Finishing up a warp.

After a wonderful workshop with Briony Foy, I ended up with a loom that I needed to return to it's owner and about 12 feet of lavender warp still on it.

As a weaver, it is hard to just rip warp off of a loom if it's still weaveable.  Even if that which is warped on the loom is uninspiring.  Since it wasn't a background color that thrilled me, and the supplemental warps were not evenly spaced across the loom, I wanted to weave it off quick. I decided to take out the supplemental warps and just do plain weave.  In light of being tired of lavender (even 2 years after our wedding), I grabbed green for the weft to try to off-set it.  I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I always like green.

I also decided to add in some seed beads.  I thought that I would do this in my Theo Moorman that I warped on my loom, but I don't quite have the mental grasp on how to layer them into the supplemental warp, but getting them into a plain warp is easy!  I think I'll do a little tutorial on it soon.  It's somewhat time consuming (as most beadworking is), but if you're just going for some light sparkle in a scarf or wrap, it's not bad.

The way that I am weaving the beads into this weaving is great because the beads show on both sides of the scarf, yay! I'm actually just using the basic technique of beading on a bead loom.  You have to bunch some of the warp threads together as you go (using your best judgement).  When you weave the warp make up half of the square footage of the fabric and the weft makes up the second half.  With this piece the 11/0 seed beads are larger (spatially) than the weft so you have to make up for it by bunch some of the warp to keep it even. 

I can't wait to get this one off of the loom now!

Briony Foy Workshop with GLWG

At the beginning of May the Greater Lansing Weaver's Guild brought textile artist Briony Foy in for their Tuesday evening program and a 3 day weaving workshop called "MORE WEAVING: TEXTURE! PLEATS, BUMPS, HOLES AND LUMPS!".  She managed to squeeze a ton of information into 3 days, but I think we could have gone on for weeks!

The workshop was set up so that each weaver was given a draft in advance, and brought their pre-warped loom to the class.  Below are some photos of samples, weavers and the name of the weaving draft.  I can't wait to get back on loom this summer!

Martha weaving "Scribbles"

Sue working on "Bead Leno"

"Scribbles" on loom (this is woven with cotton and wool so that after it is washed it scrunches to a scribble effect in the open-square sections).

Bead Leno up close.  The straws (or what the y have used are beads) push the warp to cross over itself while you're weaving to create the pattern.

Spanish lace and spacing and denting, along with other various things you can do on a straight draw warp.

Triple weave creating layers. (One of the many reasons I want an 8-harness loom)

Structure and texture. This draw you can weave together for interesting texture with the spacing, but you can also weave as a double weave and pull it apart to 2 cloths after it is off-loom.

Cannele, the detail hangs out at the front side of the cloth. (Yes, those are beads up toward the top.)

Undulating Twill.  One of the biggest reasons I've always wanted a loom with more harnesses.  You can do this on an 8-harness, but this draw up is for a 12-harness loom.

We also did a cloth that is solid when you weave it off, but when you burn out parts of it, those spaces create a double-layer in the burnout and stay solid where you leave it.  

I was worried that my Theo-Mooreman weaving that I had been planning for the Michigan League of Handweavers Conference exhibit would change to something else at the end of this workshop, but I've got it on loom and am taking a break from serious beading to get back to my weaving.  Plus I have 2 looms going right now.  No one can weave 5 yards of Theo Mooreman in 3 days (that was on my loom), so I have to finish off that warp to return Martha's loom to her, and work away at my current project. 

More to come on that. 

Netting and Pearls Bracelet

 I at at a Starbucks in Bellevue Washington  for a while, finishing some earrings and mulling over making a bracelet that wouldn't compete with the Orange dress.

 

I'm sure this is a beading pattern from somewhere but it's sunk so far in my memory that who knows where it resurfaced from.  I was using tiny 15/0 orange beads and some white delicas for accents and directional beads.  When it came to figure out how to clasp it together, it turned out that the swarovki pearls that I had brought with me popped through the netting for the perfect made-to-fit clasp.  It was really just fate that brought this piece together.

It was perfect for the wedding that I went to and it also helped me solve a problem I was having with the Blue Wave Diode Bangle.  I needed a structure for the center of the piece, so I used this same netting pattern in silver lined clear seed beads with blue accent delicas.  I love how it turned out structurally for that piece and also the way the blue light bounces into the clear beads and spreads.

Definitely expect some more colors in this piece, it's simple looking but rather elegant with any outfit.