eTextiles: e-Beaded Bangle #1

I finished putting in the other half of the LED sequines into my first eBeaded bangle.  It's really growing on me, and I had a fun time showing it to people at the Ann Arbor Fiberart Guild Fiber Feast (Is that bracelet... blinking?)

There's 1 LED that has a faint glow when sparkle is going, and then lights bring in the patterned blinking.  I'm not sure if the LED is a little off, or if I did something wrong.  In any event, I'll keep playing.  I have a design in mind for the blue LED sequines that I got in last week from AnioMagic.  I'd like to place all 10 of them into a bracelet.

Oh so Orange

I'm not sure if I just like all colors and am exploring them one by one or if I'm seeing a lot of orange coming for spring and I want in.  I partly blame the J. Crew catalog, and a new dress I couldn't pass up from Le  French Bulldog in Bellaire, MI.  I am now the proud owner of a tangerine/neon orange Jax dress.  I have been plotting new geometric designs to compliment this dress and I have already found the prefect cream pumps.  In the meantime though I have been dabbling with some orange beads and noticing that I need a wider array of orange options in my bead stash.

These pieces I have been playing with have made it over to the Grove Gallery display case for the time being, but will make a 1-day appearance at the Ann Arbor Fiberart Guild's annual Spring fashion show, Fiber Feast.  I'm taking a small hiatus on making stock at the moment due to learning about eTextiles and integrating conductive thread and LED lights into my beadwork.

eTextiles: Half of the lights are in!

I ran into a few problems:

1) I wired it so that when you slip the battery in, you have to put it in backwards. (Which is actually a relief because at first I thought that after all that sewing conductive thread through beads it didn't work.)

2) Broken beads/needles.  Which happen in a lot of my projects.  Normally a broken bead is easy to drop in after you break it out but since the conductive thread is so thick it can only really go through the beads twice (only once in some of them). Broken needles, well, I do that a lot these days from passing too much thread through my beads.

3) I'm not 100% on the design, this is so new to me that I tend to have to play a lot before I have totally pure inspiration based on a technique.  So I ordered 30 more LED sequins, 2 more Sparkle and and on/off switch last night from Aniomagic.  I think I'm going to make the next one with more lights and less different types of beads, it feels busy to me.  Thoughts?  I would really love comments on what you think of the design.

On the up-side, the conductive thread is a lot easier to bead with than I was expecting, I just need a decent amount on the end where the needle will tear at it as I go (to cut and throw out), but it passes through delicas quite well, most size 11/0 seed beads, and *sometimes* a 15/0 seed bead (very tiny). 

(Please excuse my cat, Danielle, in the video.  She likes to be the center of attention).

eTextiles: Framing up a Bangle

Lesson learned today: sewing together LED lights with sparkle must be done in a certain fashion.  I kept thinking that it is just like doing electrical (plugs, light switches etc.) in your house.  Thought process has been changed.  I doubt I'll forget to wire normal electrical but I have to avoid that thinking.

Using http://www.instructables.com/.  This is the diagram that helped me the most: Step 3.  And here's me getting it right:

So then I was on a bit of a roll and I got the battery holder and sparkle attached to the bangle "frame."

So my question for Tuesday's eTextile meeting will be, cal sparkle be worn against the skin? I'm guessing that little back-circuit board will be fine all in all.  Of course, I can always cover it in beads!



eTextiles: Beaded Battery Holder

I finished my beaded battery holder this morning and of course needed to test it out.  I started with conductive thread, the holder, my 3Volt battery sparkle and a size 10 beading needle.

I made large knots in the conductive thread and threaded them into the inside and the tail of the thread out of the holder as seen below:

My first try there was no light, so I took it apart and tried it with just the thread, battery and sparkle,

that worked, so I ended up making my knots that needed to be hitting the battery much larger.  It seems to be working well!

Next step is to work on the frame of the bangle design and mull over how the lights will be intergrated into it. 

Comission in Red.

Well, I have been so busy I haven't been blogging or taking pictures really.  I have been beading a lot, traveling a bit and finishing up some comissions as more comissions walk in the door.  My most recent comission that was sent out was a special request in red, black and silver.  For my own comfort I had to integrate some greys into this set since I have a hard time using red in my work.

I am however pleased with the outcome.  I think that the laboradite beads and silver pearls I picked up at Beads Beads Beads in Boulder, CO helped me out.



The set will end up being a Leaves Between bangle, a pair of cluster earrings, and an extra long lariat which is still in the works. Iwill do an extra-long lariat necklace psot since this is the second one that has been ordered!

March Update

Ack!  I didn't even blog in February!!!

The beginning of February was crazy-busy-awesome for me.  February 1st brought a nice jewelry sale over at the Soup Spoon Cafe right as snow-pocolypse began to come down.  Thank you to everyone for coming out and enjoying food and drinks over at the Spoon!  Then we cleaned the house (pushing all bead-messes into the guest bedroom) for a bridal shower at my place for an old high school friend on the 5th.  February 6th held my first beadweaving workshop over at Nonpareil in Ann Arbor with four great students and I wound down with a delicious dinner at Arbor Brewing Company.  My end of February held some unpleasant surprises but I managed to get my vacation in to Colorado to visit friends and do some skiing. I also met the fabulous Lynne Bruning for an hour or two, there will be more to come on that connection!

I have been managing to bead weekly and throughout my trip, but it seems that things are selling pretty quickly too!  I want to get a blue-green themed case together for the Grove Gallery Co-op this week.  I always am thinking of green popping through the snow and brightening the dreary days of winter this time of year.  Last night at the Greater Lansing Weaver's Guild meeting I won a philodendron as a door prize which I am pretty excited to add to my house plant collection.  Just a little more inspiration to add to my life!

Coming up I am planning on giving a beading workshop in the Lansing area as I have had some requests as of late.  Please feel free to contact me if you are interested and I can keep you updated.  I am also working on a follow-up to my Beadweaving Peyote Stitch class on how to design your own bracelets which I will get together to teach in both Ann Arbor and Lansing.  Events on the table are:

Fiberfeast with the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild, April 16, 2010 (I believe tickets are $28.00 and they go fast)

East Lansing Art Festival is May 21st & 22nd, I will be hanging out at the Grove Gallery Co-op during the downtown festivities.