Michigan League of Handweavers Conference, 2011

This is the first year I have had the opportunity to stay for the weekend at the MLH Conference and take seminars.  

This year our guild (Greater Lansing Weavers Guild) was inn charge of setting up the Fiberart and Functional Exhibits.  We were given classrooms instead of actual gallery space but I think we got everything hung and laid out the best we could.  Here's some photos from the exhibits:

Fiberart Exhibit

Artist: Barbara Van Dyke

Artists pieces in this photo: Martha Town, Lestra Hazel, Marie Gile, Marilyn Pruka

"Congratulations and Thank you Mr. Finkle"-Martha Town

"Braided Bangle" -Jenny Schu (that's my Second Place award!)

Artist's Pieces in this photo: Pricilla Lynch, Jill Ault

Artists pieces in this photo: Priscilla Lynch, Joyce LaVasseur

Artists pieces in this photo: Loyce LaVasseur, Loretta Oliver

"Theme and Variations" by Bonnie Kay

Artists piece in this photo: Marilyn Pruka, Majorie Mink, Terry Tarnow, Joyce LaVasseur

"Project Runway Grocery Store Challenge: Ms Closure, Ms. Too Too and Candy Girl" Jennifer Gould

Artists pieces in this photo (that you can actually see): Mary Ippel, Joyce Lavasseur, Loretta Oliver

Artists Pieces in this photo: Marla Smith, Bonnie Kay, Mary Ippel

Artists pieces in this photo: Jenny Schu, Marie Gile, Millie Danielson

Artists pieces on the table on the left: Mary Ippel, Lauren Anderson

Functional Fiber Exhibit

The basic set up of the room

Artists pieces on the back blue board: Leslie Johnson, Catheine Roberts

"Symbols" by Bonnie Kay

"Lemon and Lime Kitchen Towel" by Ellen Wilson

Atists pieces shown here: Ken Allen, Nanck Peck

"Midnight Sky" Rya Rug by Catherine Roberts

Artists pieces shown here: Nacy Hedburg, Anne Flora, Andrea Anderson

Pillow: Priscilla Lynch

Artists pieces hown here: Priscilla Lynch, Marla Smith

All three of these are by Janet Peters

I'd like to apologize for the photography.  I remembered to take these photos last minute, with my phone.  I'll do better next time!  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to all who won prizes!!!!

Bead Shopping and Bead Books.

I get asked a lot what my sources are, where I purchase my beads, etc...  I needed to make a handout anyway for upcoming classes, but it should be general knowledge of my personal favorites.  So here they are:


Where I purchase my beads:

Fire Mountain Gems (online)

www.firemountaingems.com

-This is my main source for my seed beads and supplies. If you sign up for an “account” with them then you can save your cart as long as you like. The price goes cheaper per-item that you purchase (15, 50, 200 quantities...) The cart is particularly awesome for when I notice I’m running low on a supply but don’t need it quickly.

Bead Boutique: Lansing, MI

www.beadboutiquelansing.com

-I go here in a pinch (it’s a mile down the street from me). Barbara is fantastic and very knowledgeable. She also will do really cheap one on one classes as long as you purchase the supplies from her.



Bead Gallery: Ann Arbor, MI

http://bga2.com/

-I have been going here regularly since my college days. They don’t have the seed bead collection that Findings does but if you love gemstones and accent beads, and want to see them in person, go here. They are really specializing in gemstones and have quite the offering.


Findings: Ann Arbor, MI

www.beadseekers.com

-Seed beads seed beads seed beads! Go here if you’re looking for specific colors, you’ll be able to find it. They also have a much better selection of 15/0 seed beads than Fire Mountain Gems, so I sometimes have to take a bead trip here.



Books:

There are 2 books that I use on a regular basis. I use them for patterns and problem solving my designs.
1) Indian Beadweaving Patterns by Horace Goodhue

-I have owned this book since I was in the 4th grade. It was my original go-to book. You have to read the instructions, but they are very thorough. Horace Goodhue actually studied with Native American tribes and wrote this book.

2) The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells

-This author was suggested to me and you can find her books on Amazon way below suggested retail. I really like this book because of all of the options it has for beadweaving stitches.

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!