LINDA'S ART BARN

Easy to Knit 28X28 Fingerless Mittens

2011-12-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

Haha! You didn't know I could knit, did you? Actually, I'm not an expert, but I do find it enjoyable to knit simple items. Last Christmas I made fingerless mittens for my sister and my niece. I was pleased with how they came out, although they were surprisingly time-consuming to knit because of the intricate design.

Saturday night we had our coldest night of the season so far here in Vermont--it was only10 degrees around 10:00 PM and my husband said it was 2 degrees at 4:00 Sunday morning. I have two little Yorkies who like to dawdle when they go out to potty. I can't hook up the two leashes if I put my gloves on first, but then they get so excited to go out that they dance around making it almost impossible to get my gloves on afterward. So I decided that I need a pair of fingerless mittens for myself. I can put those on BEFORE I hook up the leashes.

Daffney is 9 years old and weighs 10 pounds. She's big for a Yorkie. That's a freckle on her ear! She's the Queen--can you tell?

Oakley will be 2 years old next month. He weighs 6 pounds, which is normal Yorkie size. He's full of the devil! That's the camera flash making it look like he has green eyes. They're really dark brown, almost black.

This is the logic of a lazy knitter: I want to use big needles with chunky/bulky yarn and a really simple pattern so that my project works up quickly. Chunky yarn can be warmer than finer yarn, but...if the needles are too big then there's open space between the stitches and the cold air gets in. I already had some Bernat Softee Chunky yarn which is rated 5-Bulky and some large needles in various sizes. I don't use wool because of allergies, but if you can wear it, wool is warmer.

I decided that, for a really simple design consisting of ribbing and stockinette stitch, I'd make my own pattern. My first effort was with #15 U.S. needles, but the stitch was too airy and my small hands find it hard to get consistent stitches with such thick needles. My second effort was with #13 U.S. needles and that was an improvement, but the mitts were too big for me and the stitches still a little too loose.  Rather than reduce the number of stitches, I decided to try my #10-1/2 (6.5mm) bamboo needles and those were the best. I love the way those bamboo needles feel in my hands!

I prefer to use circular needles whenever possible, even when I'm knitting a flat item. I find them easier to hang onto and they don't get in the way when one of the dogs decides to cuddle up in the chair with me.

If you can knit, purl, cast on, cast off, and sew a simple seam by hand, this project is really easy. It only took me about an hour per mitten. I call them "28X28 Fingerless Mittens" because you cast on 28 stitches and knit/purl 28 rows.

This is what the fingerless mitten looks like when it's finished. The thumb and fingers are free, while the rest of the hand, the wrist, and a couple of inches of the arm are kept warm.

If you need a little help with the basics I love this website: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit

The long-tail cast-on is my favorite because you don't end up with a loose strand of yarn between your needles that keeps growing:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/long-tail-cast-on

There are several ways to sew seams. Here's an easy one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxLLcwjiwk8&feature=related


SUPPLIES--If you want to try this out, these are the supplies that I used:

1 ball (100 grams) Bernat Softee Chunky yarn (100% acrylic)
#10-1/2 (6.5mm) Bamboo needles (I use 29" circular needles, but they can be much shorter for this project--or you can use straight needles)
A yarn needle for sewing the seam (I like the steel ones with big eyes for chunky yarn)
Scissors
A knitting counter (optional) This is a necessity for me because of frequent doggy interruptions.

There are three sections:

A long ribbed section (Knit 2, Purl 2) for the wrist.
A stockinette section (Knit a row, Purl a row) for your hand and your fingers up to about the first knuckle.
A short ribbed section at the top

My Gauge for the stockinette area (the ribbed area will be a bit different):
    - 10 stitches to 3 inches
    - 10 rows to 2 inches

INSTRUCTIONS (For ease of following, there are no abbreviations in my instructions!)

Cast on 28 stitches, leaving a 10-inch tail to be used later for stitching your seam.
Rows 1 through 14: Knit 2, Purl 2. Repeat until you reach the end of each row. This makes a long ribbed section that will keep your wrists warm. If you want to cover more of your arm, simply add more ribbed rows.
Row 15: Knit
Row 16: Purl
Row 17: Knit
Row 18: Purl
Row 19: Knit
Row 20: Purl
Row 21: Knit
Row 22: Purl
Row 23: Knit
Row 24: Purl
Rows 25 through 28: Knit 2, Purl 2. Repeat until you reach the end of each row. This makes a short ribbed section at the top.
Cast off (also known as bind off) in a pattern of Knit 2, Purl 2 until the end of the row. Leave a 10-inch tail for stitching the seam.

This is what you have after you've done the cast-off/bind-off.

Fold the piece in half with the wrong side showing.

The piece has been folded in half with the wrong-side-out. I'll use the bottom tail to stitch up the entire lower ribbed section. Then I'll used the top tail to stitch down as far as the opening for the thumb. Don't forget to weave in your tails.

Using the bottom tail (the tail left over after the cast-on) stitch a seam from the bottom of the wrist ribbing to the top of the wrist ribbing. Then leave an opening in your seam long enough to allow your thumb to fit through. My opening is about 1-1/2 inches. The opening starts where the long ribbed area meets the stockinette area.
Using the top tail (the tail left over after the cast-off/bind-off), finish stitching the seam from the top of the mitt, down to the top of the thumb opening.
Weave in both tails so that they don't show.
Now turn your mitt right-side-out and it's ready to wear!

NOTES:

I have fairly small hands. Before stitching up the seam, my mitts are about 8 inches wide in the non-ribbed (stockinette) area. The mitts measure 6-1/2 inches from top to bottom. They're still a little roomy on me, so next time I might make them 24 stitches wide.   I've also decided I'd like them to go further up my arm, so next time I'll add an extra 6 or 8 rows to the long ribbed section.

If you need bigger mitts, you can use bigger needles. If you don't want to change the needles you can cast on more stitches. If you decide to cast on more stitches, be sure to add the stitches in multiples of 4 for this pattern. In other words, cast on 28, 32, or 36, etc.

If you have long fingers, you may also need to add some rows in the stockinette section--not the ribbing section. For each Knit row you add, you'll need follow it with an added Purl row.

If you want the mitts to go further up your arm, simply add more ribbed rows to the long ribbed section.

Also, don't forget about gauge. Remember that if you knit more tightly than I do, your mitts will be smaller than mine. If you knit more loosely than I do, your mitts will be bigger.

Daily Etsy Holiday Special

2011-12-11T10:56:00.001-05:00

From December 11 through December 15 I'll be giving free shipping on a different, selected jewelry item each day. I've also decided to include a hand-painted jewelry gift box with each of these special items. Please check my Etsy store each day so that you don't miss out.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasArtBarn

December 15 Special

December 14 Special

December 13 Special

December 12 Special--includes necklace, bracelet, & earrings

December 11 Special

If you don't love any of these items for yourself, I'll bet you know someone who would love receiving them as a gift!

First Few Rows of Flat Peyote Stitch

2011-12-08T21:55:00.001-05:00

Just as I was wondering what I should write about next, Amber came up with a question in a Comment on one of my other blogs about the Peyote stitch:

"I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to keep track of the beads in the first couple of rows. My beads always slip around and I end up threading through the wrong beads. I use a toilet paper roll to keep them straight with tubular peyote but can't figure out what to do with flat. Any help would be greatly appreciated."

I do have suggestions! I have two different methods that could help. So this is for you, Amber.

Before I talk about the two methods I recommend for starting the Flat Peyote stitch, I'd like to point out that anyone who is not familiar with the flat, even-count Peyote stitch really should practice making the swatches I talk about in my earlier tutorials. Start with Tutorial: Beadweaving the Peyote Stitch. It will be easiest to learn if you make those practice swatches with 6/0 beads.

What I'm talking about here is how to work the first few rows in a real project, where you're probably using smaller beads.

I've gathered 3 different colors of beads for Method 1 and a piece of wire for Method 2. I'm using 6/0 round beads because they're large and easy to photograph. I 'll also need a #10 or #12 beading needle and some thread. I recommend Fireline because it won't slip around like nylon thread will.

FIRST METHOD:
I think that the easiest way to start a Flat Peyote project is to use 3 different colors--a separate color for each of the first 3 rows. Well, I'm sure some of you are rolling your eyes and saying, "But what if I don't want to use different colors?" Trust me! Use 3 different colors for the first 3 rows. Make your third row the color (or pattern of colors) that you want all of your work to be, then continue stitching rows in that same color (or pattern of colors). The first two rows are only temporary--the third row will become the real first row of your piece.

The pink Stop Bead is on the left. Green beads are the Temporary Row 1 and red beads are the Temporary Row 2. As you'll remember from my Peyote tutorials, I'm right-handed, so I stitch from right to left. This piece has been turned in preparation for starting Temporary Row 3 (which will eventually become Row 1).

Blue beads make up Temporary Row 3 as well as the remainder of this piece. This is the start of Temporary Row 3, which is stitched into Temporary Row 2, the red row. That means that I pick up a blue bead and run the needle through a red bead. Repeat as many times as it takes to complete this row.

Temporary Row 3 is complete. Try to keep the beads snug and don't forget to turn the piece to begin Temporary Row 4.

Temporary Row 4 is complete. At this point, your beads may look messy. Just try to keep them snug. Smaller beads, especially cylinder beads, will fit together better and look much neater.

Temporary Row 5 is complete.

Temporary Row 6 is complete.

Temporary Row 7 is complete. I now have enough rows so that I can remove the Temporary Rows 1 & 2. Carefully remove the Stop Bead at the beginning of your first row and pull out red and green beads from the first two rows--the colors that you don't want in your work. Replace the Stop Bead if it feels like you still need it, but you probably won't.

You can see that the pink Stop Bead, the green beads from Temporary Row 1, and the red beads from Temporary Row 2 have all been removed. This leaves 5 complete rows of blue beads.

There are now 9 rows of blue beads. Oops, there's a defective bead in this piece. Make sure you check your beads so you don't end up something like this in your work.

SECOND METHOD:
In this case you may use the same color beads in all your rows. In addition to your stitching needle, you'll either need a piece of wire that will fit through your beads or an extra long unthreaded needle. I've used a piece of copper wire.

Beware--that same wire that will help you keep the rows separated can also get your thread wrapped around it as you stitch.

Here I've picked up a red Stop Bead and then the first two rows of beads for my piece. Then I turned my piece in preparation for the next step, because I work from right to left.

I've run my wire through the Row 1 Beads. This isolates them from the Row 2 beads, making it easier to see which beads are in Row 2, which are called the "up" beads.

Now pick up a bead and run the needle through the first "up" bead in Row 2. Repeat this until you complete the row. Turn your work in preparation for stitching the next row.

Continue stitching rows until you have enough work to hold onto comfortably. Then slide the needle or wire out of Row 1.

Try both methods and see which one you prefer.


If anyone else knows another way to make it easy to begin the Flat Peyote stitch, we'd love to hear about it.


One more thing. I mentioned above that Fireline won't slip around like nylon thread will. Fireline is great for bead weaving because it "grips" and doesn't slip. Personally, I don't like to use nylon thread for bead weaving because it slips and makes it hard to snug up the beads.

On the other hand, if I'm making fringe, nylon is my thread of choice. It is much more supple and won't stiffen up like Fireline will.

ETSY STORE IS OPEN--FINALLY!

2011-11-28T22:55:00.001-05:00

This morning I finally built my light box and took better photos of some of my hand-made jewelry pieces so I could list them in my Etsy store. I created the shop about 18 months ago, but I knew I had hours of research to do before I could get it off the ground, so I kept putting it off. It took me so long to figure out shipping and shop policies today that I only got two items listed. Pretty pathetic for Cyber-Monday, LOL!

Here are the two items that I listed today.

1. An Aurora Borealis blue crystal necklace. You can see in the closeup how sparkly the beads are.

2. A beadwoven necklace of blue seed beads and clear drops. If you look closely, you can see a tiny purple core in the drops. Sandra Halpenny created this lovely design, but I put in hours and hours weaving it.

Please check out my Etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasArtBarn. I wouldn't mind if you let me know how I'm doing. Thanks!

Three-Drop Peyote Stitch

2011-10-25T11:23:00.001-04:00

THREE-DROP PEYOTE:

Three-drop is another Peyote stitch. I'm only dealing with even-count, three-drop Peyote here. If you don't know anything about simple, flat, even-count Peyote, you should click this link to read about that first.

I'm not going to do a full tutorial for the three-drop Peyote stitch because it's so similar to the two-drop Peyote stitch. See the two-drop Peyote tutorial here.

If you know how to do the two-drop Peyote stitch and you understand the differences between the two-drop and three-drop Peyote stitches, that's all you need to know.

This is a swatch of 10 rows of the three-drop Peyote stitch. In case you were wondering, the black and white beads are 8/0 Japanese seed beads and are very consistent in size and shape. The pink beads, although also 8/0 seed beads, are not Japanese. You can see the inconsistencies in the shapes and sizes of those pink seed beads.

There are really only two differences between two-drop Peyote and three-drop Peyote:

The number of beads picked up at the start to create rows 1 and 2.
The number of beads that are picked up, skipped, and run through with the needle in the stitching pattern, starting with row 3.

FIRST: How many stitches do you pick up at the beginning to create rows 1 and 2?

Two-drop Peyote—you initially pick up an even number of beads that is divisible by 4. So you can use 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, etc.

Three-drop Peyote—you initially pick up an even number of beads that is divisible by 3. Another way to say this is that the number of beads you pick up must be a multiple of 6. So that would mean 6, 12, 18, 24, etc.

This photo shows the first two rows of even-count, three-drop Peyote. You can see that I picked up the stop bead first. Then I picked up 3 white beads, 3 black beads, 3 white beads, and 3 black beads, for a total of 12 beads in rows 1 and 2. Before I can begin row 3, I need to turn my work.

SECOND: Once you begin row 3, everything in the stitching pattern is done in multiples.

Two-drop Peyote—starting with row 3, you pick up 2 beads, skip 2 beads, and run the needle through 2 beads.
Three-drop Peyote—starting with row 3, you pick up 3 beads, skip 3 beads, and run the needle through 3 beads.

In this photo, you can see that I have turned my work. The first row is black and the second row is white. You can see by looking at the needle that I picked up 3 pink beads for row three, I skipped the first 3 beads, and I ran the needle through the next 3 beads. I continue to pick up 3, skip 3, and go through 3 until the row is complete.

Once you complete row 3, you'll see the beads in row 3 will stick up like zipper teeth. Those are called the "up beads."

NOTE: The beads in row 1 will also look like zipper teeth. When you turn your work, be careful to keep row 1 on the bottom and row 3 on the top. You don't want to accidentally start stitching into row 1 when you begin your 4th row. This is another good reason to use a different color bead for each row, at least for the first 3 rows.

From row 4 on, you can continue to count as you stitch: Pick up 3, skip 3, run the needle through 3.

OR you can simply pick up 3 beads and run your needle through the next group of 3 "up beads." You're doing the same thing, it's just easier to see which beads are which once you get to the fourth row and beyond.

Tutorial: Two-Drop Peyote Stitch

2011-10-19T09:32:00.003-04:00

TWO-DROP PEYOTE:

There are some who say that two-drop Peyote stitch is easier for beginners and I agree—BUT, I think a beginner should understand the concepts of the simple, flat Peyote stitch first. If you aren't familiar with the simple Peyote stitch, click here to see my "Tutorial: Beadweaving the Peyote Stitch."

I believe that this is called "two-drop" because within the stitching pattern you skip 2 beads instead of 1. If you're a knitter, don't be confused by the word "drop." It has a totally different meaning here.

I recommend that anytime you're learning a new bead stitch you make several practice swatches.

One of the benefits of the two-drop Peyote stitch is that it works up faster than the simple Peyote stitch.

In these photos below, I've used three colors, alternating the colors by row. I don't need to use different colors for this stitch—I'm doing so to make it easier for you to see the rows. When you practice, you'll find it easier to learn if you do the same.

Color A = white
Color B = black
Color C = pink

black (B) for row 1
white (A) for row 2
pink (C) for row 3
black (B) for row 4
white (A) for row 5
pink (C) for row 6, etc.

Two-drop Peyote is a form of even-count Peyote. However, it isn't only sufficient to pick up an even number of beads to start—in this variation of the Peyote stitch, you must pick up an even number of beads that is divisible by 4. That's why I picked up 12 beads to start my swatch rather than 10 beads. Another difference is that everything you do involves 2 beads. When I pick up the beads for the first two rows, I pick up 2 beads of one color, then 2 beads of the other color in an alternating pattern.

ROWS 1 and 2:

Pick up the"stop bead" first, then pick up the beads for rows 1 and 2. Notice that there are 2 beads of each color.

First, pick up a "stop bead" and run the thread through it a second time. Leave a 6-inch tail and snug up the thread around the stop bead.
Now pick up the beads for the first two rows, alternating colors so that you can see the rows more easily. With two-drop Peyote, you need to pick up 2 beads of each color. Pick up:

2 color A beads
2 color B beads
2 color A beads
2 color B beads
2 color A beads
2 color B beads for a total of 12 beads across in this swatch.

Snug them up against the "stop bead."
Now turn your work in preparation for the next row.

*If you're right-handed, you'll pick up beads from right to left. Note that the photos are from the perspective of a right-handed person.

*If you're left-handed, you'll pick up beads from left to right.

ROW 3:

I'm now adding row 3. Look at the needle and you can see that I picked up 2 pink beads, skipped 2 black beads, and ran the needle through 2 white beads.

Pick up 2 color C beads, skip 2 color B beads, run the needle through 2 color A beads.
Repeat until row 3 is complete (pick up 2, skip 2, go through 2).
Turn your work in preparation for the next row.

Row 3 is complete. See how the new pink beads stand out? They are the "up beads." Don't forget to turn your work so that you're ready to start row 4.

NOTE: Do you see how the black beads in row 1 also look like zipper teeth? When you turn your work, be careful to keep row 1 on the bottom and row 3 on the top. You don't want to accidentally start stitching into row 1 when you begin your 4th row. This is another good reason to use a different color bead for each row, at least for the first 3 rows.

ROW 4:

This is row 4. Pick up 2 black beads and run the needle through the 2 pink "up beads" until the row is complete. See how easy it is now--pick up 2 beads and you really don't even need to put any more thought into the fact that you're skipping 2 and running the needle through the next 2.

Pick up 2 color B beads, skip 2 color A beads, and run the needle through 2 color C beads.
Repeat until row 4 is complete.
Turn your work in preparation for the next row.

ROW 5:

This is row 5. For this row you're picking up white beads and running the needle through the black "up beads." Remember, the "up beads" are the beads from the most-recently completed row.

Pick up 2 color A beads, skip 2 color C beads, and run the needle through 2 color B beads.
Repeat until row 5 is complete.
Turn your work in preparation for the next row.

Continue to follow the pattern, alternating the colors for each row until done.

COMPLETED SWATCH:

This swatch has 10 rows.

FINISHING THE THREADS:

When you're finished with your swatch, run the thread through the beads in a zig-zag pattern several times to secure it. Snip the thread close to your work, but be careful not to cut into the working thread.
Slide the "stop bead" off of the thread on the other end and put the needle onto that thread.
Run the thread through the beads in a zig-zag pattern several times to secure the it. Snip the thread close to your work, but be careful not to cut into the working thread.

I kind of like this airy, uneven look--the black and white beads are very uniform in size because they're round Japanese seed beads, while the pink beads are a little larger and a little unevenly shaped. The pink beads also seem to be more cylindrical. I'm not sure where the pink beads are from, but I'm sure that they are not Japanese because of the inconsistencies. Despite the size and shape discrepancies, all the beads are size 8/0.

If my pink beads had also been round Japanese seed beads, they would have fit together more tightly. If I had used smaller beads, the swatch will appear to be more tightly stitched. Japanese Delica beads, because they are cylindrical in shape, will fit very closely together.

Tutorial: Beadweaving the Peyote Stitch

2011-10-13T19:36:00.002-04:00

What I'm writing about today is an off-loom beadweaving stitch called the Peyote stitch. The Peyote stitch is only one of many off-loom stitches. Off-loom beadweaving simply means that you are stitching beads together in a repetitious pattern without using a loom.

The Peyote stitch, which can also be called the Gourd stitch,  has some variations: It can be flat, shaped, or tubular; it can be even-count or odd-count; it can be simple Peyote, two-drop Peyote, or three-drop Peyote. The simplest form is the flat, even-count Peyote stitch and that's what I'm going to focus on here.


STOP BEAD

Before, I begin I want to address the "stop bead." Whenever you are doing a beadweaving stitch you need to load some beads onto a thread and something needs to keep those beads from falling off the other end of the thread. We call that a "stop bead." It's ideal to use a bead that is a different color, shape, and size from the beads in your project, but if that's not possible, at least make it a different color.

This stop bead is a red, 5mm triangle. It is larger than the the beads in my project, as well as a different shape and color. I've used black thread here so that you could see it more easily.

Start by running the thread through the "stop bead," leaving about a 6-inch tail.
Then run the thread through the "stop bead" again in the same direction as the first time. Here you can see the loop that was created when I ran my thread through the bead a second time.
Now, simply pull on both ends of the thread so that the loop snugs up against the "stop bead" and you're ready to begin your project. Don't forget that 6-inch tail.

OVERVIEW OF THE PEYOTE STITCH

Beginning the Peyote stitch can be confusing because the beads that you pick up on your thread when you start are actually the first 2 rows—you pick up both rows at the same time. What makes that more confusing (at least to me) is that although they are 2 different rows, together they make the full width of your project in a staggered design, which looks a bit like zipper teeth once you get a few rows stitched.

I laid out the beads on my bead mat to show you how 2 rows are actually created out of the first beads you pick up. You won't really see this happen until you've finished the third row. Remember, you are looking at rows 1 and 2. Also, these beads are on their sides. If they were already on the thread, you wouldn't be able to see the holes.

Because I'm doing even-count Peyote, I picked up an even number of beads. That's it. Even-count Peyote is simpler than odd-count.

To make it easier for you to see the rows, I'll be working with 3 different colors. To start, I'm using 2 colors, which represent the first 2 rows.

For the longest time, I thought that if I picked up 10 beads (rows 1 and 2) my project would be 5 beads wide. That is NOT the case, as you can see in the photo above. Because the rows become staggered, the beads in the second row act like spacers between the beads in the first row. The bottom line is that your project will be exactly as wide as the number of beads that you pick up on your thread at the beginning. In other words, it will be as wide as your first two rows combined. It was a huge “aha” for me when I finally figured that out.

PICKING UP ROWS 1 and 2:

As you can see in this photo, I've picked up the 10 beads on my needle. Because I'm right-handed I pick up beads from right to left. If you're a leftie, work from left to right. I'm going to pull the beads all the way up the thread and and snug them up against the "stop bead," which you can't see, but is on the right. After that, I'll turn my work so that I am ready to begin the next row.

In this photo, you see that the beads are on the thread and up against the stop bead. Notice that I've turned my work around--you can't see it, but the needle is now on the right, so that I can again pick up beads from right to left with my right hand. This means that the white beads are going to be row 1 and the black beads are going to be row 2.

ROW 3:

When you start to work on your third row (which feels like it should be row 2, but truly is row 3), you’ll stitch into every other bead, picking up a new bead between them.  The beads that you’re stitching into are technically the second row. This third row is the most difficult to stitch, but it gets much easier after that.

This is the start of row 3. I used pink beads for row 3. The pattern is: pick up 1, skip 1, run the needle through 1.

Pick up 1 pink bead for row 3.
Skip the first white bead. This is a row 1 bead.
Run the needle through the (next bead) first black bead. This is a row 2 bead.
Continue until the row is complete.
Turn your work around in preparation for row 4.

Repeat these steps until you have the number of rows that you want.

Here you see 3 rows are complete. Row 1 is white, row 2 is black, and row 3 is pink. The pink beads are the "up beads." Notice that the thread is coming out of a bead on the left. That tells me that the work needs to be turned around so that I can begin row 4.

NOTE: Do you see how the white beads in row 1 look like zipper teeth, too?. When you turn your work, be careful to keep row 1 on the bottom and row 3 on the top. You don't want to accidentally start stitching into row 1 when you begin your 4th row. This is another good reason to use a different color bead for each row, at least for the first 3 rows.

ROW 4 and BEYOND:

After you finish the first 3 rows, stitching even-Count Peyote is a breeze. The piece will be large enough for you to hold onto with your non-dominant hand and the zipper-shaped edge becomes well-defined, which allows you to easily see where your next stitch goes. The row most recently stitched looks like zipper teeth and those beads that stick out are the newest row. They're called “up beads.” You simply pick up a new bead, and then run your thread through the next “up bead” in the row. When the current row is finished, you turn your work around and start the next row. Don't worry about the curve in your piece at this point. It will straighten out as you add more rows.

You're looking at 6 completed rows here.

Notice that the black and white beads are the same size and shape, but that the pink beads are a little wonky. If the pink beads were more uniform in shape, all these beads would fit together better. I'm not bothered by this as it gives it a little bit more of an open look. Another thing to consider is that size 11/0 beads, which are smaller, would fit together more tightly because of their small size.

This piece has 10 completed rows.

The thing that complicates the Peyote stitch, or any other beadweaving stitch for that matter, is when you have a distinct design that is made up of different colors. For example, you’re stitching a cuff bracelet that has pink hearts along its length on a background of white. That’s when you’ll need to pay attention to which row you’re on and you’ll need a graph to help you choose the right-colored bead for each stitch. Wait until you’re comfortable with the Peyote stitch before you attempt to use a pattern.



PRACTICE THE PEYOTE STITCH

Before you begin a real project in Peyote stitch you should:

Practice with larger-size seed beads to make it easier to see what you're doing, like 8/0 or 6/0. Remember that 8/0 beads are smaller than 6/0 beads.
You must use the same size beads throughout or you’ll get a 3-dimensional piece that will be difficult for a beginner to work with.
Make a few small swatches—10 stitches wide by 10 rows long. You can always take the swatches apart and re-use the beads later.
Use three different colors (A, B, and C) and use a different color for each row. That means that you’ll pick up alternating colors (colors A and B) onto your thread when you start. That will help you to see the difference between rows 1 and 2. Make row 3 in color C, row 4 in color A, row 5 in color B, row 6 in color C, etc.

You'll need:

Seed beads in 3 different colors.
1 stop bead.
A beading needle. With larger seed beads, a size 10 needle should be fine, but a (smaller) size 12 needle would be OK here.
Beading thread. I would probably use 6 lb. Fireline, but there are other good beading threads.
*Click here and go to the bottom of the May 31, 2011 blog for a list of some of other threads.

Start by threading the needle with about 2 feet of thread. Pick up your "stop bead" and leave a 6-inch tail. Secure the "stop bead" by running the needle through it again.
Pick up an even number of beads—10 is a good number to start with—in alternating colors A and B.
Pick up a bead in color C, skip the first already-strung bead (color B) and run the needle through the second already-strung bead (color A). Repeat until the row is finished. This row will be difficult to manipulate. Take your time and make sure that your stitches are snug. The rest of the rows will be much easier.
Turn your piece so that the needle is back on the right if you're right-handed or on the left if you're left-handed. You should now see the "up beads," which look like zipper teeth. Pick up a color A bead, run the needle through the first "up bead," and repeat until the row is finished.
Turn your piece so that the needle is back at the beginning. Add color B beads between the "up beads" in this row (repeat step 4).
Continue, alternating colors, until you have done about 10 rows.
Weave the thread in a zig-zag pattern through the stitched beads several times to secure it and cut the thread close to the beads. Be very careful not to cut into the thread that is holding the beads in place.
Remove the stop bead and thread the needle with the 6-inch tail you saved at the beginning. Weave that thread through the beads in a zig-zag pattern several times to secure it and cut the thread.

Save this swatch as a reference and make several more swatches until you feel comfortable with this stitch. After you've done it a couple of swatches with a different color in each row, try to stittch a swatch using all the same color beads. Once you can do that, you're ready to tackle a project with an actual design on it.

Irene, What Have You Done?

2011-09-04T22:41:00.001-04:00

It has taken me a week to get to the point where I could write this. It's been hard to focus for any length of time--my head has been spinning.

One week ago tonight Richard and I were sitting in the dark, due to a power outage caused by Hurricane Irene turned Tropical Storm Irene. We knew in advance that we would get the storm. We knew that Vermont would be just to the west of the eye of the storm, which meant that we would get more rain than wind. We expected to lose power. What we didn't expect was the incredible devastation to huge portions of the state of Vermont. After all, it was only a tropical storm and it should have lost much of it's strength as it traveled so far inland. We certainly didn't expect flooding. For Heaven's sake, we live on a mountain.

As you can tell from my last blog entry, I was expecting our area to be inconvenienced with heavy rain and brief power outages and I was ready. Boy, was I wrong!

Richard and I spent the day reading the Sunday newspapers, watching TV, working on our computers, and shaking our heads at how heavy the rain was...but we've seen full days of heavy rain here before. The power went out a few times during the day, but came back within a couple of minutes each time. The news said it was a "non-event" in New York City, so we thought that by the time it hit here, it would be very weak. We were thinking that we've had snowstorms much worse than this.

Around 3:30 that afternoon we spoke to our friend, Vito, who gave us shocking news. The house down the road from us, about 1/4 mile away, had been washed away. WHAT???? We thought we had misunderstood him. No, we hadn't. In fact, Route 4 in front of that house-now-gone was also washed away for about 200 yards. Route 4 is the major East-West highway in Vermont. You've heard the old Yankee expression, "You can't get there from here?" Well, we're living it now.

This is the house that was washed away. I believe it was the oldest house in Killington, VT. This photo comes from my friend Regina's Facebook page and was taken a couple of hours before I got there. Notice the water rushing all around the house. It's coming from the right of the house. The only good thing I can say about this is that the house was for sale and unoccupied.

We lost our power for good at about 4 PM. At about 4:30 Richard and I got into the car and drove down Route 4 to see for ourselves what had happened, because we just couldn't visualize it. What I saw was almost beyond description. There were cars parked all over the road, but it didn't matter where you parked because there was no traffic flow to block. What used to be a house with a tiny mountain stream behind it was now an empty lot engulfed by a raging 30-foot wide river. There wasn't even a foundation. We couldn't see where the remains of the house had gone. Amazingly, the church across the street was still there, untouched by the raging water. In fact, the visibility was too bad to see what was down the road in front of us in the area called Sherburne Flats. There should have been a couple of houses, the Kokopelli Inn, Goodro's Lumber, The Water Wheel General Store, Hemingway's Restaurant, and The Pasta Pot. We didn't know if any of them were still there. The "river" was rushing from the right of the road, from behind where the house used to be. It seemed to be roaring down from a high cliff behind the house. It crossed the road-that-was-no-more and turned the corner onto River Road, taking that road with it, too. We couldn't see the rest of River Road either, but we heard that other houses were gone. It was too dangerous to get any closer.

I took this photo with my cell phone. I didn't have my glasses with me, so I couldn't see what I was doing. Route 4 is in front of the woman. River Road intersects with it on the left. What you can't see here is the water roaring down from what appeared to be a high cliff behind the missing house. Richard said it looked like the Colorado River.

We drove home and sat in the dark, with candles lit, absolutely stunned. We wondered if there were other houses and roads washed away. We had no power, no phone, no internet, no cable, and Richard's cell phone was acting up. My cell phone was working, but we wanted to save the battery in case things got worse. We did try to reach Paulette and Richie in Pittsfield, but couldn't get through to them. We found out later that they lost 15 feet from their back yard, but their house was OK and they were safe. Our neighbor, Kay, stopped in for a while and we had sandwiches for dinner. We went to bed early because it was too dark to read.

The next morning we got up to a beautiful, sunny day. Still no power. Richard is an early riser, so he had already driven up the hill and found that nothing was open...not the markets, or the bakery, or any restaurants. He said the roads he saw were kind of chewed up and undermined along the edges in places, but nothing was as bad as what we had seen on Route 4. Vito and Susan made coffee for him on their camping stove. After I got up we drove down to Route 4 again to get a better look. This time I brought my glasses and a real camera.

This is the lot of land in Killington where the house used to be. You can see the "For Sale" sign still standing and the rocks, boulders, and tree parts that were washed down from the mountain. It almost looks like a beaver dam, but it isn't. What you can't see is the water, which is still flowing very strongly behind the debris. It was running across and under the heaved-up asphalt where both roads used to be.

The first thing that I noticed was that there was no cliff behind where the house used to be. It must have been the sheer power of the water that made it appear that it was coming from a high cliff on Sunday. We could now see that the businesses below us were still standing, but we had no way of knowing what condition they were in. The water was still flowing heavily down River Road and under the first house.

You can't get a good look at the water in this photo, but you can see the eroded yard on the right. Believe me when I tell you, the water was rushing onto this property where the yard used to be and underneath the house. It's amazing that this house survived. It isn't possible to tell from the road what kind of internal damage occurred. What you see on the left side of the photo is what remained of River Road, which is paved underneath the rocks and dirt. River Road is very important because the Killington Town Hall, Library, Recreation Center, and Transfer Station are there.

This is the view of the intersection of River Road and Route 4 on Monday morning. You can see that the water is still flowing freely down the highway. You can also see the edge of the road where it's washed away. The pavement was nothing more than an overhang for a couple of feet along the edge , so it was dangerous to get too close. The building in the background is The Kokopelli Inn, which is still standing, but took a lot of damage.

In this photo you can get a better look at the boulders and trees that were washed down the mountain along with the water. The two-layered white sign on the left of the photo says that it is River Road and points to the Killington Town Offices. The building you see in the background is Goodro's Lumber, which is on Route 4.

We found out on Monday that Route 4 in Mendon was also washed out, as was Route 100 toward Pittsfield. Those are the only roads out of Killington, so we were prisoners in our own town. The rumors were flying, and there was a good possibility that we could be stuck in town for weeks with no power.

On Monday afternoon, Craig Mosher of Mosher Excavation, brought his heavy equipment and workers up from the Sherburne Flats, where his business is located. They began diverting the flowing water back to its natural path, which is beside Route 4. I won't go into the details, but it took an amazing amount of work. They also began moving the broken pavement out of the way; they filled in the gulf where the road was washed away by using the boulders and dirt that had washed down the mountain. By the next day the road was safe for emergency vehicles. That's astounding!

It's amazing how much progress had already been made by Monday afternoon. The buckled asphalt was pushed out of the way and the top of River Road was filled in with boulders and dirt. Notice the River Road sign in the center. It's the same sign you see in the photo just above this one.

CVPS, our power company, sent ATV's from Rutland through the woods of Mendon and into Killington to restore power around 1 PM on Monday to the part of town where the markets and most of the restaurants are located. We were amazed that they had done it so quickly. Our friends, Peter and Kathy, live in the neighborhood with restored power and invited us to shower and have hot dinners at their house. With communications restored, we began to realize that there were other places in Vermont that were even more devastated than Killington.

By Wednesday morning Route 4 toward Bridgewater and Woodstock was patched up enough to allow the tourists to leave, along with any locals who wanted to get out of town. The catch was that there was no way to return.

We finally got our power back on Thursday around 5 PM and cable/internet/phone service was restored on Friday afternoon. Richard and I feel very blessed because we had no real damage to our house or property and we had good friends helping us out when we had no power.

We now know that our neighboring Pittsfield lost several houses. Our friends, Richie and Paulette, took in a dog that was rescued from a mobile home that had been washed away. Two men literally had to swim to reach the home. The dog's owner had gone to the next town during the storm and couldn't get back home.

We live in the mountains. Nobody has flood insurance here. It's just heartbreaking to hear about the damage and loss of property.

Tonight we are having thunderstorms and it is expected to rain for the next few days, with predictions of flash floods. Our ground is already saturated and our rivers still swollen. I pray that there is no more damage from this new weather.

OTHER PHOTOS:

This link is to a website that has photos taken from the ground and the air, starting from Waitsfield, VT, which is near the Sugarbush and Mad Riven Glen ski areas, then into Stockbridge, Pittsfield, Killington, and Bridgewater. There are also photos of Mendon where Route 4 washed away: http://www.mansfieldheliflight.com/flood/

Here is another link to a site with photos taken from a Piper Cub. All of the photos are labeled:
http://www.wingsoververmont.com/

This link is to videos taken by the staff of the Rutland Herald, our daily newspaper:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1958258645087#!/photo.php?v=1959164467732&set=vb.58365611478&type=2&permPage=1

UPDATE ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5:

Last night we had very heavy rain all night long, but as far as we know, this rain didn't cause any other destruction. We're still looking at more rain and flash-flood warnings for the next couple of days.

UPDATE ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6:

It rained off and on all day yesterday, but it was just ordinary showers. Overnight the rain got very heavy again, but we haven't heard of any further damage to the roads or people's property. The best news is that the flash-flood warnings are over, at least for now. We even saw the sun peak through for a little while today, although we expect more showers later today. They say rain all day tomorrow. I guess rain is heavier than showers. The forecast for Thursday is light rain all day.

UPDATE ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7:

It's been raining steadily since last night and much of the time it has been very heavy. We're still not hearing about any new problems, which is wonderful. I saw a bunch of National Guardsmen outside the Killington Deli this afternoon. It was about 55 degrees and raining and the poor guys were sitting at the covered picnic bench eating lunch.

UPDATE ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8:

This is the 11th day since the storm. I can't believe so much time has gone by already. The rain finally stopped so for now, we don't have to worry about more damage.

KILLINGTON INFORMATION:

For the latest updates on road conditions, transportation, food and supplies, prescriptions, and lots of other information, go to:
http://www.killingtontown.com/

Good Night, Irene

2011-08-28T01:12:00.000-04:00

We were supposed to go to Cape Cod for five days over this weekend. I spent days writing up my packing list and then putting it all together. I had everything ready by Wednesday afternoon. I was totally ready to leave first thing last Thursday morning, but Wednesday night we realized that the Cape was going to get a direct hit from Hurricane Irene, so we cancelled our trip.

I've lived in Vermont full-time for the past five years and didn't think that hurricanes could come this far inland--but Irene is coming straight for us here. My sister told me that this hurricane is the almost as big as Europe!

They say we should expect to lose our power, which is no surprise because we lose power here in the mountains on a regular basis. So over the past three days I've been getting ready. I brought out the candles. I filled 10 gallon-sized bottles with tap water so that we can flush the toilet, brush our teeth, and wash our hands and faces--and put the bottles in the bathtub. I bought plenty of spring water for drinking. I baked several loaves of bread and cooked up a few pounds of chicken so we can have sandwiches if we can't cook. My cellphone is fully charged and I have a book to read during the daylight hours. I've also fully charged my MP3 player, so I can listen to a book after dark.

So, we're as ready as we're going to be. Good night, Irene. We hope we'll be ready when you show up tomorrow!

Part II: How to Paint Lettering on Clear Glass

2011-08-10T08:00:00.010-04:00

Painting lettering on glassware is similar to painting lettering on wood. You need to start by choosing a font and a font size as described in Part I. Of course, the lettering is likely to be much smaller on a wine glass than on a wooden sign.

Once you've printed your letters onto plain white paper, the steps are a bit different from lettering on wood. A biggest difference is that there's no sealing or basecoating required on glass and there's no need to trace the letters onto the surface of the glass before painting!

On the other hand there are some unique requirements for painting on glass. Regular acrylic paint will quickly chip, peel, and wash off of the glass. There are a variety of paints that were created to stand up to the wear and tear that glassware receives. I've used a few of them and they all have their good points. My favorite is FolkArt Enamel, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those paints are the best. Whatever I write about here is based on my experience with FolkArt Enamel paints. They are water-based, so the paint is easy to clean up with soap and water before it is cured.

FOOD CONTACT:
Another thing to consider is that, although most glass paint is classified as non-toxic, it isn't necessarily classified as food-safe. Therefore, there should be about an inch at the top of a drinking glass that is left free of paint. This also protects the design because acids from food, lipstick, and saliva can damage the paint over time. If you want to paint on a clear glass plate to be used for food, you should paint the underside of the plate, so that food does not touch the paint.

GLASS PREPARATION:
When you paint on glassware, you need to wash the item throroughly with warm soapy water and let it dry completely. Just before you begin painting, wipe down the surface with alcohol. Be VERY careful that you don't touch the surface where the paint will go after that or you'll leave fingerprints or oils from your skin that will interfere with the adhesion of the paint to the glass. This can happen no matter how clean you think your hands are.

PAINT A FLAT-SIDED DRINKING GLASS: Placing the lettering on a cylinder-shaped glass is fairly easy because the glass is the same width from top to bottom.

Print the letters onto plain white paper.
Cut away most of the excess paper around the outside of the lettering, but I don't recommend cutting the letters apart. If you do that, you'll have to spend a lot of time lining up the letters.
Clean the glass and wipe it down with alcohol.
Place a rubber band at the top of the glass, about an inch down from the top. Try to make the distance between the rubber band and the top of the glass somewhat even, but it doesn't need to be perfect. Just eyeball it. This is simply a guideline that will keep you from painting on the area where your lips will touch.
Tape the paper onto the inside of the glass, below the rubber band, with the letters facing out.
Paint the letters. You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats. If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine.

PAINT A CURVED-SIDED DRINKING GLASS: Placing the lettering on a curved drinking glass, or one that is not the same width from top to bottom can be a litttle more challenging.

Steps 1 through 5 are the same as for a flat-sided drinking glass above.
If the paper with the lettering doesn't conform to the curve of the glass, you can cut slits into the paper (don't cut into the letters themselves) so that the paper can move and spread, so that it will fit better. Add more tape if necessary.
Paint the letters. You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats. If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine.
These instructions would also work for a curved glass bowl.

PAINT A FLAT GLASS PLATE: The paint must be applied to the underneath surface of the plate so that it doesn't make contact with food

Print the letters onto plain white paper and turn the paper over.
Retrace the letters with your Ultra Fine Sharpie on the back of the paper--those letters will be in "mirror image." If you have a hard time seeing the already-traced letters on the front of the paper, just put your paper on a window with light behind it. Put the already-traced letters against the glass while you retrace.
Cut away most of the excess paper around the outside of the lettering, but I don't recommend cutting the letters apart. If you do that, you'll have to spend a lot of time lining up the letters.
Clean the glass and wipe it down with alcohol.
Tape the paper onto the TOP of the plate, on the eating surface, with the normal letters facing UP. As you look at the tracing paper from the underneath surface of the plate, you will see the mirror image of the letters. After you paint the letters, when you look at them from the top of the plate they will be normal.
Paint the letters onto the underneath surface of the plate. You'll be looking through the plate at the letters from above when you're finished.
You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats. If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine.

TIPS:

Remember that you don't want to transfer fingerprints or oil from your skin onto the surface to be painted.
Sometimes you can fit your non-painting hand inside the glass to hold it. Other times you can hold the glass by its stem or by the top edge above the rubber band.
Wearing a disposable latex glove on your non-dominant hand will allow you to hold the glass without transferring fingerprints or oil. Be careful not to smudge wet paint with the glove. I can almost guarantee that you won't like wearing a glove on the hand you paint with.
Remember when you're painting around the side of a drinking glass that you have to be careful not to smudge wet paint as you move around. You can't lay the glass on it's side and roll it along as you paint, or you'll be rolling the paint onto your table and smudging the paint all over the glass. Ask me how I know this!
One of the nicest things about painting on glass is that you can fix mistakes and smudges pretty easily before the paint has cured. A cotton swab dipped in alcohol can often be used to remove a mistake. There are also tools that look like paintbrushes with the brush part replaced by rubber tips of various shapes. They can be used to remove mistakes and smudges, but they work best when the paint is very wet.
If the paint has dried, but is not yet cured, you can scrape off small mistakes with a toothpick or craft stick. I don't recommend using a razor blade or craft knife because it can scratch the glass.
For more specific information on FolkArt Enamel paints, see these FAQs: http://www.plaidonline.com/eduPDF/FolkArt%20Enamels%20FAQs.pdf
Even though the company says it's OK to put your painted items in the dishwasher, I prefer not to. I definitely will not put a stem glass in the dishwasher.

CURING THE PAINT:

FolkArt Enamel paints must be cured so that they are permanent. This can either be accomplished by air-drying them for 21 days or by baking them in your oven. Some people swear that the paint is more durable if you bake it, but the manufacturer says that it's the same either way. If you air-dry, that means you can't use or wash the item for 21 days. Here are the instructions for baking:

Let the paint dry for several hours. If you bake it too soon, some of the paint can spread slightly and make clouds around your design. I usually like to wait at least 8 hours.
Remove the rubber bands!
Put a cookie sheet into a COLD oven on a shelf that leaves enough room for your glassware. You'll want to keep the glassware away from the heating element.
Put the glassware on the cookie sheet in the still cold oven. Don't let the painted areas touch the cookie sheet. With most stemware, I like to turn the glasses upside down so that the top is against the cookie sheet. This is just for stability.
Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.
When the oven temperature reaches 350 degrees, set your timer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes turn off the oven. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR.
Let the glassware cool completely in the oven before you open the oven door. I like to do my baking at night and leave the glass to cool overnight.
In the morning I remove the cooled and fully-cured glassware, one glass at a time. If you try to remove the cookie sheet and all the glassware at once you're courting disaster.

If you open the oven door while the glass is still hot, cool air can hit the hot glass and crack or break it. I'm told that the thinner the glass, the more likely it is to crack or break. Some people say that even if you do everything right, you might lose a glass here or there because of flaws in the glass itself. So far, I've never lost a glass to baking.

Part I: How to Paint Lettering on Wood

2011-08-09T12:42:00.002-04:00

I just realized that I've never posted anything about decorative painting on this blog! I guess that's because I've been so focused on jewelry lately.

Recently I was hired to paint a plaque that is going to be given as a present to a man who will hang it on his deck. He jokingly refers to his deck as "The Martini Deck," so that's what the plaque needs to say. Of course, there is other embellishment as well—after all, this is "decorative" painting.

The person who hired me gave me a few ideas that she had for the plaque and asked me to think about it. A few days later we talked and we had very similar ideas about the design. We quickly came to an agreement and I painted a sample for her to check out. She liked it, so I got to work.

This is the photo I sent to my customer for approval before I begin varnishing. I don't like the way the yellow "t" in martini looks and she agreed with me. I'm going to re-paint it the same deep pink as the glass at the top.

Here's the finished sign with a pink "t" and some minor adjustments in the design of the glasses.

The first thing I needed to do was to design the lettering and that is the main focus of what I'm going to talk about here. An important thing to consider is that lettering can be tricky to paint, so you don't want it to be too fussy—Victorian serifs would drive me crazy—but it does need to be interesting.

For simplicity, let's say that I'm going to paint a sign that says Linda's Art Barn. Before I start the lettering, I would have already decided on the size of the sign and have a pretty good idea of the placement of the words. These are the steps that I follow:

I open a word-processing file and type Linda's Art Barn. I personally use Microsoft Word, but there are other sources of lettering on your computer that you might prefer.

I enlarge the text to a size that looks like it might work. If necessary, I change the layout of my page to Landscape or even change the size of my page so that I can make it wider to fit the words. Of course, how you do these things will vary depending on the software you're using.
Sometimes when I want really big lettering, I put each word on a separate line. I've even split a single word onto more than one line when I wanted extra big letters.
Next, I Select my text and browse through my fonts until I see one that I think will work. Then I change the font of the selected text. At that point, I might decide to readjust the font size.
Now, I'm probably going to want to test out a bunch of different fonts before I make a decision and I want to be able to compare them. So I type Linda's Art Barn several more times. Then I change each occurrence to a different font. I always make a note below the text that says which font and font size it is. That way, I don't have to depend on my memory when I make a final decision.
When I've made my font decision, I finalize the font size. Then I change the lettering to Outline. This is because I don't want to waste all that printer ink/toner by printing solid letters.
Finally, I print the lettering onto plain, white paper.

Now that I've printed my letters, I'm ready to transfer them to tracing paper and then trace them onto the plaque/sign.

My husband cuts the wood for my signs. Then I sand, seal, and basecoat the cut wood. It's important to let the sealer dry completely before basecoating and then to let the basecoat paint dry totally before continuing.

My next step is to trace the lettering onto the basecoated sign. Decorative painters usually know how to do this, but for anyone who doesn't, it's fairly simple:

Trace the letters from the printout onto tracing paper with an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie. If you don't mind the price, tracing vellum is wonderful. It's stronger than regular tracing paper so it stands up to repeated usage. It's also easier to manage than regular tracing paper.
Now tape the tracing paper/vellum onto the prepared wood. Make sure it's exactly where you want it before you tape it down. Use Scotch Magic Tape because you can remove it without damaging the paint.
Slide a piece of graphite paper or Chaco Paper between the tracing paper/vellum and the basecoated wood. Be sure that you've done this with the colored side of the graphite or Chaco Paper face down.
Using a fine stylus, empty ball-point pen, or other device, trace the lettering. This will transfer the design onto your wood. Don't press too hard or you'll dig into the wood and make dents. You will probably also rip your tracing paper.
Now you're ready to paint.

Graphite paper comes in gray or white and is inexpensive. If you have a dark background, use the white; if you have a light background, use the gray. I have pretty much stopped using gray graphite paper for several reasons. First, new graphite paper leaves very dark lines. Second, even the light gray lines of older graphite paper can be difficult to remove after you're painted over them. It can be a real bear to clean this up because some colors of paint are just too transparent to hide those lines. Even worse is that while you're resting the palm or side of one hand as you're tracing with the other, you can leave a messy smudge. I don't find it to be as much of a problem with the white graphite paper.

Instead, I prefer Blue or White Chaco Paper, depending on my background color. It's more expensive, but SO much nicer than graphite. What makes it so wonderful is that most of it will disappear when you paint on it with acrylic paint. If there are some marks left after your paint has dried, you can remove them with a damp cloth. Be sure your paint is fully dry before you do that.

You do need to be careful of moisture while using Chaco Paper. If you're in a humid environment, you might find your transfer disappearing before you've completed your painting! It's not a huge problem; you can just retrace the design. Be careful that your Chaco Paper doesn't get damp or wet because the transfer color can disappear from the Chaco Paper itself. You should store it in the paper folder and plastic bag that it's sold in. It wouldn't hurt to seal it up in a zipper bag, too.

Another tip I'd like to pass on is to tape a piece of waxed paper over your tracing paper before you begin transferring the design onto your wood. First, it helps your stylus or pen to glide over the design as you trace. Second, you'll scratch the outline of the design into the waxed paper as you trace, so you can always tell what part of the design has already been transferred and what part has not!

I don't recommend using a pencil to do any of your tracing because you can get black marks on your hands and smudges on your project. A ball-point pen that still has ink in it can also make a mess. My preference is a stylus.

I almost forgot to say that if you don't find a font on your computer program that you like, you can search the internet for free fonts and download them to your computer.

Don't forget that your finished, painted-wood project needs several coats of water-based varnish, especially if it's going to be hung outside. Also, be sure that if holes are drilled into the wood for screw-eyes or other hardware for hanging a sign, you need to go back and seal those holes so that moisture doesn't enter that way. If there is even a single spot for moisture to enter the wood, the moisture will keep collecting until it touches the paint from the inside and makes the paint peel off.

If you plan to hang your sign/plaque, the hardware needs to be stainless steel, aluminum, or something else that won't rust or develop a patina that will run onto the sign and stain it.

Although there are other ways to do some of these things and there are people who have other preferences, what I've shared here are my opinions and my favorite methods.

Gold & Silver Prices August 2, 2011

2011-08-03T14:31:00.004-04:00

My husband was just watching one of the business channels on TV and they were talking about what a great day it is for metals--their words, not mine. Apparently the debt ceiling upset had caused precious metal prices to drop for a few days, but as of yesterday, they're back up again. From their perspective, if the prices are rising, then investors are doing well. For those of us who make jewelry, it's just more bad news.

Ending prices on August 2, 2011:

Gold closed at $1664 per ounce, the highest price yet in 2011
Silver closed at $40.09 per ounce
Copper...I can't find the closing price of Copper from yesterday, but I did find a site that quotes Copper currently at $4.33 a pound, which is about $ .27 per ounce. That's almost no change from the $ .25 per ounce that I told you about in my blog last August 14, almost exactly a year ago.

On May 5 of this year I blogged about the new (at the time) Silver-Filled wire. I included links to a couple of companies that sell Silver-Filled wire. I've just learned of two other companies that have added Silver-Filled wire to their inventory:

Blue Mud.com sells Silver-Filled findings, beads, and clasps, too. I imagine that means that other companies are selling Silver-Filled findings as well.

I've also heard of local bead stores that are now carrying Silver-Filled wire and findings.

August 2011 Jewelry Classes at Michaels

2011-07-31T19:02:00.004-04:00

This is the schedule of classes that I'm scheduled to teach at the Rutland, Vermont Michaels store during August 2011:

- Tuesday, August 9.....Fundamentals of Wire Wrapping
         6:00 to 8:00 PM
- Wednesday, August 10.....Kid's Friendship Bracelet
        10 AM to Noon
- Monday, August 22.....Bead Night
        6:00 to 8:00 PM
- Monday, August 29.....Fundamentals of Wire Crochet
        6:00 to 8:00 PM

If you live in the area, I'd love to see you in one of my classes.
For class details and photos of the projects, go to my website:
http://www.lindasartbarn.com/beadclassesatmichaels.htm

Online Friendships

2011-07-31T18:39:00.007-04:00

I retired five years ago and now I'm able to work on the art that I never had time for when I had a real job. I also spend a good amount of time on the computer each day, reading email messages and newsletters and looking at endless websites and blogs with information on decorative painting, polymer clay, and jewelry-making. It's so easy to get lost for hours when those sites have links to other sites--it's like being on a treasure hunt! My husband thinks I'm just wasting time, but I've learned so much from all those places I visit. It's sort of like going to art school where I get to determine my own curriculum!

I've also joined several decorative painting, jewelry, and polymer clay groups, forums, and blogs. I'm amazed at how many friends I've made in those groups--people I will probably never meet because they live in places that it's doubtful I will visit at this point in my life...although you never know. They're all so generous with their help and information.

One of my friends is Bonnie from Arizona. She has a fabulous blog and she posts there frequently with all the gorgeous new polymer clay beads and jewelry that she makes. I'm amazed at how much she gets done on a daily basis! She also has a wonderful, dry sense of humor.

A couple of weeks ago Bonnie was helping me with some information I needed and she informed me that she was going to send me a pair of earrings that she had made. A few days later the mail arrived and there were two, not one, but two pairs of earrings! They are both beautiful and I love how they sparkle. What makes them even more special is that Bonnie designed them herself. She is one very talented woman.

These are the earrings that Bonnie sent to me. Aren't they beautiful?

The light green ones go with my favorite summer dress. The irridescent blue/black ones go with almost anything because they pick up so many colors. They work really well with the Manhattan Skyline bracelet that I made, which is great because I didn't have earrings that looked right with that bracelet.

Thank you, Bonnie, my friend.

Check out Bonnie's blog at and plan to spend some time there!

http://bleekreations.blogspot.com/2011/07/celebrating-200-and-oh-my-its-resin.html

Can't Make a Comment to Blogger?

2011-07-28T23:47:00.001-04:00

It's funny what a small world it is. I was having a problem with Blogger and spent quite a bit of time searching around the Help files trying to resolve it. It took me about a week to find the answer. OK, so I wasn't searching constantly for a week--but I did use up a lot of time trying to find an answer. Tonight, I was reading info from a polymer clay artist's Blog and linked to a second Blog from the first one. Wouldn't you know? Both of those Blogs told me how to fix my problem! If only I had found them a week ago!

The problem was that I was unable to enter a comment on my own Blog. Therefore, I was prevented from replying to a question that was asked in a comment to my last Blog entry. I had no difficulty going to my Dashboard, where I was automatically signed in and able to work normally. I ran into a roadblock when I viewed my own Blog.

I tried to reply to the Comment but I couldn't because I was not signed in. Every time I tried to sign in, I was redirected to my Dashboard page, already signed in. So...I was signed in on the Dashboard, but I couldn't get signed in to my Blog page.

The first solution I found was to try a different Browser. My computer is kind of tight for space, so I really don't need to be installing Browser files that will use up more of my computer's space--and I really don't want to spend time learning how to use a new Browser. This was not an option for me.

The second solution was to Sign Off (from my Dashboard) then Sign In again. This time, I was instructed NOT to check the box that says, "Stay Signed In." Or words to that effect. BINGO! This solved the problem and I now can reply to comments on my Blog entries.

So if anyone is having problems getting signed in or staying signed in to Blogger, try out one of these two solutions.

TIPS ON HAND-KNOTTED PEARL NECKLACES

2011-06-09T00:12:00.053-04:00

I got into a discussion online tonight with a beader friend about how to hand-knot pearls. She was just learning how and I was offering some tips. I decided to share them here.

As far as I'm concerned, the pearl-stringer's bible is Pearl and Bead Stringing with Henrietta, by Henrietta Virchick. It's a small paperback book with most everything you need to know if you want to string pearls like a professional. I Googled the book and found that it's available for $10.95 on several sites.

I've seen other books as well as online tutorials for stringing pearls. In my opinion, none of them will give you the same professional results as Henrietta's instructions will give you. Henrietta says silk thread is best and that French wire should always be used to protect the thread next to the clasps. I do as she says!

You can see the French wire attaching the pearl to the clasp. This French wire is enveloping and protecting the silk thread from wear and tear. By the way, filligree clasps are traditional on pearl necklaces.

Some of you may wonder why we use silk thread when stringing pearls and why we knot that thread.

First, let's talk about pearl basics, starting with the nacre. The nacre is what gives a pearl it's sheen and color. It is the material that the mollusk, usually an oyster, uses to cover an irritant that has gotten into it's shell.  Over time the irritant is covered with many layers of nacre. Basically, there are natural and cultured pearls. They are both REAL pearls and it is often difficult, even for an expert, to tell them apart without an X-ray.

A natural pearl is begun when an irritant invades the mollusk's shell naturally--without human intervention. It is likely that the pearl is almost entirely made up of nacre, meaning that the nacre will be very thick.  Natural pearls are rare and getting enough round pearls of the same size is extremely rare, which makes it prohibitively expensive for most of us to own a natural pearl necklace.

A cultured pearl begins when some sort of a sphere-shaped bead is deliberately inserted into the mollusk's shell by a human. After that, the process is the same as for a natural pearl. Ideally, the nacre will be thick around the bead, but sometimes cultured pearls are started with large beads and are harvested when only a thin layer of nacre has been formed.

This website has information about cultured and natural pearls:
http://www.pearlsintime.com/pearl-jewelry-education/cultured-vs-natural-pearls.html

Wire or threads that are more abrasive than silk can damage the nacre of the pearls, especially at the drilled openings. Pearls with a thinner nacre are especially susceptible.  Silk thread is very strong and has a beautiful "drape." There are two reasons for knotting the silk thread between the pearls. First, the knots keep the pearls from rubbing together, which would be damaging to the nacre. Second, if you break your strand of knotted pearls, only one pearl gets loose from the strand, so you only risk losing that one pearl. On the other hand, if you have a strand of unknotted pearls, a broken strand means pearls are rolling all over the floor.

This Swarovski Crystal Pearl necklace has nice, tight knots, which are up close to the pearls. However, I just noticed that the necklace needs to be restrung because some of the knots have been discolored by makeup.

It's very important to pre-stretch the silk thread or it will stretch as you wear the necklace, which will cause it to grow gaps between the knots and the pearls. Also, never hang your pearl necklace when you're not wearing it or the silk will stretch some, even if you already pre-stretched it. Always lay your necklace flat when it's not being worn.

This silk thread here is so badly stretched that the knots actually became elongated and some of them slid into the holes of the pearls! When I made this necklace I didn't know enough to stretch the silk. To make matters worse, I didn't make the knots close enough to the pearls and then I hung the necklace for several weeks on the hanger of the dress that I planned to wear it with.

Never store pearls in plastic bags or containers. Pearls need to breathe; they will dry out in plastic. I've heard of people who store their pearls in fabric bags in the bathroom so that the pearls get moisture from the steam of the shower. NEVER wear your pearls in the shower or when swimming. If you should accidentally get the thread wet, let the necklace dry completely on a flat surface. Avoid handling it while it dries...and while we're in the bathroom, be sure to apply your makeup, perfume, and hairspray BEFORE you put on your pearls. As you can see in the second photo above, if you have makeup or sunless tanner on your neck, it's going to discolor your silk thread and could damage your pearls.

Stretching the silk is the one thing that is not addressed in Henrietta's book. I don't know why. I learned all about knotting pearls from that book, so I had no idea that silk needed to be stretched—until my necklaces started getting gaps between the pearls and the knots after I wore them a couple of times.

I restrung the necklaces and it happened again, so I went online to see if I could figure out what the problem was. I was quickly able to learn that I needed to stretch the thread, but after hours of research I couldn't find any good instructions on how to do that. I found that some people stretch their silk thread by hand, sort of yanking on one small section at a time until the entire length is stretched. I was not pleased with my results when I tried this. I think it's hard to get consistent results throughout the entire length of thread. I just don't think you can be sure that the thread is fully stretched using this method.

After a lot of thinking I decided to try hanging the thread from a plant hook in the ceiling, with a weight attached to the thread at the bottom, and leave it overnight. This allows for knotting the thread with the two-strand method. This works great and it's how I stretch all my silk thread now:

Measure and cut the silk thread.
Run the silk thread through Thread Heaven.
Thread the silk onto a beading needle made for pearls. It will have a collapsible eye.
Tie off the ends of both threads with a single overhand knot.
Separate the doubled thread with your hands so that it is in the shape of an oval and hang the thread from the top of the oval, with the knot near the hanger. Don't pierce the knot.
Now drape the pearls you'll be stringing later—don't remove them from their original strand yet—over the bottom of the oval and let them hang on the silk thread.
Leave the thread to stretch overnight.

By the way, if you're stretching a single strand of thread, you might want to string the pearls onto the thread without knots and use bead stoppers on each end to keep the pearls from falling off. Then you could use the stoppers to hang the strand for stretching. Honestly, I haven't knotted pearls on a single strand of thread since before I figured out that the silk needs to be stretched, so you might have to experiment on this--and I wouldn't begin to guess what you do if you're using one of those cards of twisted silk that already has a needle imbedded into it.

If I'm in a hurry and don't want to wait until the next day to start work on the necklace, I add another strand or two of pearls if I have them, or even a finished necklace or bracelet to make more weight on the thread. Then I let it stretch for a couple of hours. The extra weight should make up for the shorter time.

No matter how you do it, the silk will start to twist while it's hanging, so be careful not to get the "weight" tangled up in the twisted thread. When you're removing the "weights," carefully untwist the lower part of the thread first.

Because it makes a static charge that causes the threads to repel each other, the Thread Heaven should help to keep out tangles and unwanted knots.

I don't use beeswax because I think that it stiffens the silk and makes it bulkier--that's strictly my opinion. I believe that can be a problem for use with pearls because they have very small holes. Anyway, I think it ruins the sheen and the feel of the silk.

When the stretching is finished and you've removed the "weight," gently untwist the rest of the thread. Rearrange the thread so that the needle is on one end and the knot is on the opposite end and run the thread through Thread Heaven again before you start adding pearls. You may occasionally need to untwist the thread as you work. Use the Thread Heaven whenever then thread becomes difficult to manage.

I'm not going to get into detailed steps for actually stringing the clasps and pearls or for making the knots. Henrietta's book has all that information.

When knotting with a single strand of silk thread I prefer to use a knotting tool rather than tweezers. Even with the knotting tool, it can be very tricky to get those knots close enough to the pearls—and if the knot tightens up before you get it in place, you have two choices: try to undo the knot (frequently impossible) or cut off the pearls and start over again.

I find it faster and easier to use two strands of silk thread. When knotting with two strands of silk, make an overhand knot in the same direction every time, as close to the pearl as possible. I like to use a needle tool (like an awl) to pull the loose knots close to the pearl. Then I gently tug the two strands away from each other, with one strand in each hand, to tighten the knot and pull it up tight to the pearl.

Because silk thread will still stretch a bit even if you pre-stretch it, I like to tie my knots up snugly next to the pearls. It may look a little too tight at first, but it will quickly loosen just enough. If the necklace doesn't hang smoothly at first, just give it a gentle tug or two. That should make it drape nicely. If it's still too tight, just wear the necklace around for a couple of hours and it should relax enough.

I should mention that these tips will work if you knot silk thread with many other beads, not just pearls. However, as a general rule, silk thread should not be used use with crystals or other beads with sharp edges that could cut the thread.

These are fossil beads which have been dyed to look like turquoise. The holes were very large, so I had to use thicker silk thread. you can see how large the knots are.

I'm going to mention one more thing. If you knot a pearl bracelet with silk thread, be very careful to make it exactly the right length for your wrist. If the bracelet is large enough to slide down around the lower part of your hand, the silk thread is probably going to stretch out quickly due to the motion of your hand. Another problem is washing your hands while wearing the bracelet. If you get the silk wet, you must remove it immediately and lay it flat to dry. Otherwise, it will stretch and the thread will attract dirt.

July 22, 2011: I made some edits to the text above in order to clarify information, based on Cherie's question in the Comments below. For some reason, there's a glitch in Blogger that was preventing me from responding to comments! If you're having a similar problem, see my blog from July 28.

Woven Necklaces & Bracelets with Multiple Strands--How to Finish

2011-05-31T12:48:00.006-04:00

This morning I was searching for some information and ran across a question by someone who wanted to know how to end a Kumihimo bracelet that had multiple threads. The person who posted the question mentioned using crimp beads. Unless there's something I'm missing, it's a very bad idea to use crimp beads on fiber because they will eventually cut into it and break it. The same thing happens with stretch cord—and I know from experience that when the crimp bead causes the stretch cord to break it will cause an EXPLOSION of beads!

I have used crimp beads on 2 strands of Fireline in a couple of necklaces, but I worry that they will eventually begin to wear. I don't think that using a crimp on a single strand of Fireline would work at all. Bracelets are under a lot more stress than necklaces, so I would definitely not use crimps on a bracelet woven with Fireline. From what I can see, most experienced beaders would tell us not to use crimps on Fireline. As a general rule, crimp beads are strictly for flexible beading wire.

There are numerous methods for attaching clasps to necklaces and bracelets. Here is one method which will work for multiple strands of Fireline.

You will need:

2 eye pins
2 bead cones
2 beads, size 2, 3 or 4 mm
Hypo Cement
Clasp of your choice

It's probably best if you make your own eye pins. That way you can choose the correct length and be sure that the eyes will be large enough to hold all the threads—just don't make them too big or they won't fit far enough into the cone to be hidden. Be sure that the eyes are closed tightly so that thread cannot slip off of them. You might want to hammer the eyes lightly with a rubber or nylon mallet to give them strength before you begin.

You probably want to use 18 to 20-gauge wire for strength. If you use a finer gauge wire, you should make wrapped loops for strength and security, but I myself wouldn't go with anything finer than 22 gauge.

Start with one end of your bracelet or necklace:

Split your threads into 2 sections and tie a square knot, snugly against the beads. For example, if you have 6 threads total, use 3 threads and in each hand to tie the knot.
Using the same two sections, tie a square knot tightly onto the eye.
Secure both knots with Hypo Cement.
Trim the ends of the threads (make sure that they are totally secure first).
Put the eye pin through the wide end of the bead cone, so that the eye, all the knots, and the trimmed ends are hidden inside the cone. You should only see the beaded part of the bracelet/necklace protruding from the wide end of the bead cone.
String one of the beads onto the wire outside the narrow end of the bead cone.
Be sure that the eye and knots are tucked snugly inside the cone and turn a loop outside the narrow end of the bead cone next to the small bead.
Repeat on the other end of the necklace or bracelet with the second piece of the clasp.

Fireline is my thread of choice for bead weaving because it really helps you to control the tension. When you snug up the beads the thread seems to grip—and the knots tend to stay put. Of course, when you finish you should still make a couple of half-hitch knots as you weave the ends through the beads for added security.

I don't care for Nymo for weaving because I can't get the tension I want, but it's great for making fringe because it's more fluid than Fireline. Fireline makes fringe that's way too stiff.

By the way, I mention Fireline and Nymo because they are the most common names used, but there are other brands of threads that have the same or similar characteristics.

Some substitutes for Fireline are Wildfire, Spiderwire, Power Pro, and Dandyline. I have only used Fireline, so I cannot recommend any of the others.

Some substitutes for Nymo are C-Lon, Super-Lon and One-G. I have used C-Lon, but don't have enough experience with it to state a preference.

Thank you, Blogspot Staff

2011-05-28T14:49:00.002-04:00

Having worked for a computer company as a software test specialist some years back, I know that making changes to software frequently causes unexpected bugs. Apparently that is what happened to some of us Blogspot bloggers this week after Blogspot made some changes.
I contacted Blogspot last night to tell them that I was unable to access my Dashboard, or even to make comments on other Blogspot blogs. I am thrilled to find that my problem is already fixed and I'm back in business today. That was so fast!

So, I want to thank everyone who has been working so hard to fix this problem. You should know how much your hard work is appreciated.

Precious Metals Update & New Sterling Silver-Filled Wire

2011-05-05T22:54:00.005-04:00

I read today that gold and silver prices have gone down a bit in the past couple of days after hitting all-time highs. I'm not going to get excited, because it's probably only a temporary trend. Also affected are the prices of platinum, palladium, and oil.  I don't pretend to understand the stock or commodities markets, so I have little understanding as to why this has happened or what the future holds.  I won't be surprised if we don't see a corresponding reduction in price when we purchase any of these commodity items, though. If you speak investor language, then you might be interested in reading about it at: http://www.tradingnrg.com/

Did you know that you can now purchase sterling silver-filled wire? It's made in the same way as gold-filled wire--there is a thick coating of sterling silver bonded around a base of brass or copper.  It's a much thicker coating of silver than what is found on silver-plated wire, making the sterling silver-filled wire far more durable--and it can be soldered. In addition, it shouldn't trigger allergies in people who don't already have a problem wearing sterling silver.

I heard about sterling silver-filled wire for the first time a few days ago at Lisa Niven Kelley's website, Beaducation, where she explains how it compares to sterling silver and silver plate. http://www.beaducation.com/

If you go to Fire Mountain Gems you can see a drawing that shows how much thicker the silver is on sterling silver-filled wire than on silver-plated wire. http://www.firemountaingems.com/sterling-silver-filled.asp

Another site, Bead Factory, has an article comparing sterling silver, fine silver, and sterling silver-filled wire.   http://www.thebeadfactory.com/catalog/pages.php?pageid=3

So at least we have an alternative to sterling silver that will hold up to being worn and won't cost us a fortune!

FREE CINDY LIETZ TUTORIAL VIDEO--Available for a Few Days Only, Starts May 2

2011-05-02T08:05:00.020-04:00

Let me start out by saying that I don't receive any benefit for telling you about this.

For the past 18 months I've been following Cindy Lietz's polymer clay blog, which is a goldmine of information. Cindy is known as the "Polymer Clay Tutor." Four times each month those of us who are paid members get to view a new polymer clay beading tutorial. These are extremely high-quality videos--and as long as we continue our memberships, we have unlimited access to those tutorials--for an amazing price of less than $3.50 per month. Oh, let me not forget the two color recipes that are included with each tutorial! If you like to work with polymer clay, you're crazy not to become a member.

Recently, Cindy did a tutorial called the "Lietz Teardrop Blend Shift Technique." If you've ever struggled with the Skinner Blend, or just felt that the Skinner Blend is too time-consuming, you've got to see Cindy's video! It's her own technique and it's brilliant!

Starting on May 2 Cindy is allowing free access to this tutorial. Read about it and access the tutorial here. Hurry up and view the video because it may only be free for a few days.

ONE MORE THING...be sure to sign up for Cindy's free newsletter at http://www.beadsandbeading.com/ and you'll receive a free color recipe four times a month (these are different from the color recipes that come with the paid membership), along with free access to three polymer clay tutorials.

Don't miss these great free opportunities!

ADDED ON JUNE 9, 2011:

Readers, please note that you can STILL get Cindy's free polymer clay newsletter, even though the "Lietz Teardrop Blend Shift Technique" video is no longer free.

Along with Cindy's free newsletter you get unlimited free access to three tutorials. You also get four free color recipes each month.

MY JEWELRY CLASS SCHEDULE

2011-05-01T20:58:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted that I've been certified as a Bead Cornerä Design Academy Instructor at Michael's. I'll be teaching classes at the Rutland,VT, Michael's Arts & Crafts store starting on May 10. Here is my schedule:

Tuesday, May 10, 6-8 PM: Fundamentals of Wire Wrapping
Tuesday, May 17, 6-8 PM: Fundamentals of Bead Stringing
Tuesday, May 24, 6-8 PM: Fundamentals of Crimping Techniques

To see detailed descriptions of these classes, click here.

New Record on Gold Prices

2011-04-18T23:19:00.006-04:00

OK, my jewelry-making friends...take a deep breath.

Gold hit a new record today, so I thought I'd quickly post the latest gold, silver, and copper prices. As of today, April 18, 2011 those prices are:

Gold....... $1495.00 per ounce--record high
Silver...... $43.31 per ounce
Copper....$4.26 per pound--that's only $ .27 per ounce!

If you recall, I blogged about the prices of these metals back in August of this year.

Yikes! Silver has more than doubled in price since August, with an increase of almost $25 since then, and is approaching the record high price of $48 from January of 1980.

Gold has increased by $299 since August 11, and today's price is an all-time high.

I didn't record the copper price last August, but if you're using copper to make jewelry, it's still a bargain compared to gold and silver.

Of course, if you're a plumber or electrician, both of whom use large amounts of copper, this price is painful because it, too, has increased.

Good thing we don't need to use oil in jewelry-making--but I'm not going to get into that!

My New Job: Jewelry Instructor at Michaels in Rutland, Vermont

2011-03-20T09:33:00.004-04:00

Gee, it's been a long time since I've posted a new blog. I've been working hard to lose weight since early November including lots of exercise, which is taking up quite a bit of my time. I ski two to three times a week and play tennis three times each week--I hate to do traditional exercise, but playing sports that I love works for me. I need to find a flat place (I live in the mountains) to roller blade when the snow is finally gone. I'm also following Weight Watchers, more or less--I've tweaked it so that I'm eating lots of fiber and NO white carbs. Sort of a combination of Weight Watchers and South Beach. Thanks, Dr. Goulding for making the suggestion! So far, I've lost 23 pounds, but I still have more to go. My goal is to be thin for my 60th birthday this July. But this is not what I'm writing about today...

I recently received my Bead Cornerä Design Academy Instructor Certification, and will be teaching Jewelry classes at the Rutland, VT, Michaels store. Today I'm doing a four-hour demo at the store. I used to teach One-Stroke Painting there, but Michael's took a break from offfering all classes except for Wilton about 2 years ago. I've really missed teaching classes there and I'm excited to be back.

On Tuesday, March 22 I'll be holding a Bead Night. It's an informal setting where people can bring their unfinished projects and work on them at the store. I'll be there to help them when they need it.

Once the store receives all of the Instructor supplies, I'll be scheduling regular classes.

Choosing Wire for Jewelry Part 2

2010-11-19T17:37:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted Choosing Wire for Jewelry Part 1, where I talked about solid wire. This post is Choosing Wire for Jewelry Part 2 and is about craft wire. In the future I'll write Choosing Wire for Jewelry Part 3, which will be about flexible beading wire.

Solid wire refers to gold, silver, copper, and brass wire.
Craft wire can be copper, brass, aluminum, and colored copper wire.
Flexible beading wire, such as Tiger Tail, Beadalon, Soft Flex and others are most often used for bead stringing.

CRAFT WIRE: is a type of solid wire which is used for wire-wrapping, jump rings, and coiled wire beads. It's usually made from a base of copper or aluminum with a colored coating. The coatings can be silvertone, goldtone, or a variety of other colors. The coating on most of those wires is a bit more delicate than the plating on gold-plate or silver-plate wire. Hammering and handling with pliers must be done carefully so that the coating isn't damaged. The thickness of craft wire is measured by gauge, the same as solid wire.

Typically craft wire does not come in different tempers. It's usually somewhere between dead-soft and half-hard, but closer to dead-soft. Of course, the larger the gauge (the smaller the number), the more difficult it becomes to work with the wire because of its thickness. Craft wire will work harden with bending and hammering. Be cautious, because too much bending will harden the wire to the point that it becomes brittle and it will break.

A week ago I would have said that craft wire only comes in a round shape, but in this month's beading magazines I've been seeing advertisements for wire that comes in other shapes. It's a bit hard to research all the wires available because some manufacturers only sell large-quantity wholesale and require registration to access their websites (which I didn't bother with because I can't buy those big quantities). Here is some manufacturer-based information that I was able to find. I'm sure that there are other manufacturers of colored craft wire. These are the ones that I'm most familiar with:

Beadalon is known for the manufacture of Artistic wire, which is round, copper wire, colored with an enamel coating. It is dead-soft and comes in 55 colors and 13 different gauges. http://www.beadalon.com/artisticwire.asp
Beadalon has a "German-style" silvertone wire, made from copper and brass with an anti-tarnish coating. This wire comes in four gages, "medium" temper (half-hard), and five shapes. They categorize this wire for wire-wrapping. http://www.beadalon.com/germanstyleplatedwire.asp
Beadalon makes a stainless-steel wire for wire-wrapping that is about half-way between half-hard and full-hard. It comes in round, half-round, and square. It's available in 20 through 26 gauge sizes, depending upon the shape. It is already more difficult to bend than half-hard wire and will work-harden more quickly than other wires. http://www.beadalon.com/stainlesssteelwire.asp
BeadSmith manufactures round craft wire. I found one website that sells 22 gauge in silvertone, goldtone, and copper, as well as 18 gauge in a variety of colors. Because their website requires registration, I did not find out exactly what they have available.
BeadSmith is now advertising "pro quality...non-tarnish copper craft wire." It comes in 18 and 21 gauge and comes in half-round and square shapes. The four available colors are Silver-plated, Gold Color, Pure Copper, and Vintage Bronze Color.
Darice is another manufacturer that makes colored wire, in a variety of colors and gauges, but only comes in a round shape. http://www.darice.com/ecom/Products.aspx?ct=CRAFT%20BASICS-CRAFT%20WIRE%20AND%20WIRE%20SHAPES-2013&oid=99
Parawire manufactures round, permanently-colored copper wire, with a non-tarnish coating. They have a large selection of colors (I counted 36), which come in various gauges. It appears that some colors come in 12 gauge through 32 gauge, while others come in limited gauges. http://www.parawire.com/craftstore.html
Soft Flex Craft Wire is a new product. It's another permanently-colored copper wire, which comes in 18 through 28 gauge, round, and 23 colors. Not all colors come in all gauges. http://www.softflexcompany.com/CategoryProductList.jsp?cat=Soft+Flex+Craft+Wire

If you know of any other reliable manufacturers of colored craft wire, let us know.

To see "Choosing Wire for Jewelry Part 1" click here.

SLIDESHOW OF MY WORK

2010-11-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

This slideshow is a collection of some of the jewelry I've made. Included here are: hand-knotted pearls and lapis lazuli necklaces; chain maille bracelet and earrings; beadwoven bracelets; and a variety of other pieces.

September 11 Beaded Tribute

2010-09-12T11:50:00.003-04:00

On Friday night, as I watched a 9/11 documentary, I finished my first square-stitch cuff bracelet, a design showing the Manhattan skyline with the Twin Towers still intact.

I first saw the pattern, by a wonderful designer named Irene Landaw, in the June 2008 issue of Bead & Button magazine. When I saw the Twin Towers in this pattern, I immediately knew that I had to make it--even though I had no idea at the time what the square stitch was. Irene told me that she finished stitching her bracelet a month before the Towers came down. The pattern was so popular that it will be included in a book that Bead & Button is publishing in 2011. Irene has another pattern being published in the upcoming December/January issue of Beadworks.

In June of 2008 I had just begun to learn about bead weaving and all of the stitches seemed incredibly complicated to me. Nevertheless, I was determined to learn how to make this bracelet, so I went to a bead shop and asked one of the clerks to help me choose the beads. For whatever reason, she picked out iridescent beads for me. If I had been a little more knowledgeable I might have held out for plain beads. I'm so glad I didn't because I love the shimmering colors that I see in the bracelet now when the light hits it certain ways.

I put the beads and the pattern aside, waiting for a time when I knew how to do the illusive square stitch. This past June my husband, the dog, and I went to our summer cottage for a long weekend and there was no room in the car for my usual trunk of beading or painting supplies. But there was room for the Manhattan skyline bracelet supplies.

After two years of bead weaving, I was no longer so intimidated. I went to the back of the magazine and tried out the generic square stitch instructions. It was surprisingly easy! I started the bracelet.

Three months, about 25 hours of work, and almost 3000 beads later, I've completed the bracelet. The first photo above is how the bracelet looks when the light is flat. The second photo shows the shimmering pinks, purples, and blues that appear when the light hits it a certain way.

This bracelet is the most special piece of jewelry that I have ever made.

God bless the souls who were lost on September 11, 2001 and the people who worked so hard to rescue them.

Choosing Wire for Jewelry Part 1

2010-08-21T23:15:00.034-04:00

Several things must be considered when choosing wire.

Solid wire refers to gold, silver, copper, and brass wire.
Craft wire can be copper, brass, and colored copper wire.
Flexible beading wire, such as Tiger Tail, Beadalon, Soft Flex and others are most often used for bead stringing.

Today I'll be talking about the solid wires.

GAUGE: is the thickness of the wire. There are gauges of wire that are much thicker or thinner than traditional jewelry-wire gauges, but there's no reason to discuss them here, so I won't!

The lower the gauge, the thicker the wire. The higher the gauge, the thinner the wire.
The typical gauges for jewelry range from about 10 to 30 gauge.
10 gauge wire is probably the thickest wire used for jewelry as it is very difficult to bend.
The best gauges for rings are probably 10 through 16. You want ring wires to be thick and stable.
Bracelets and necklaces are sometimes made from a base which is a single piece of fairly thick wire. Other times they are made from smaller sections of wire, such as jump rings and shaped links. Typically, necklace and bracelet wires will range from 16 to 20 gauge.
Earring wire is usually 18 through 22 gauge, with 21 gauge as the preferred gauge for ear wires.
24 through 30 gauges are most often used in wire wrapping, wire knitting, and wire crocheting, where fine, flexible gauges are needed.
If you are stringing beads onto wire, you must use a gauge that will fit through the bead holes, which can vary considerably, with pearls usually having especially small holes.

SHAPE: Jewelry wire comes in four basic shapes.

Round wire is used for a variety of jewelry items. Round is the traditional wire shape.
Half-Round wire is like a piece of round wire that has been sliced down the middle, leaving it to look like a half-moon when viewed from one of the ends. It's good for wire wrapping because the flat side sits against the bead and doesn't slide around as easily as round wire will while you are wrapping it, but it appears like Round wire on the outside.
Square wire has four flat sides, which makes it good for wire wrapping because it sits against the bead without too much sliding around. It can be very attractive because three squared edges are visible.
Twisted wire is sometimes made from square wire. Twisting turns square wire into textured round wire. If you have a pin vise or a drill you can twist your own square wire.

TEMPER: is the hardness of wire. For me, this has been the most difficult thing to grasp about wire because there are so many variables that affect the hardness of a wire. Hard wire can be softened by being annealed, which involves heating it. Soft wire can be hardened by hammering, tumbling, or "work hardening." I'll talk hammering and tumbling wire on another day. Work-hardened wire is just what it sounds like...the wire gets harder as you work with it. Have you ever bent a piece of wire back and forth until it broke? That's because it will eventually become brittle and break if overworked. As wire gets thicker, it will feel harder because thick wire is more difficult to bend.

Dead-soft wire is best for wire wrapping, wrapped loops, knitting, and crocheting because it is so flexible and does not work harden easily. It is not good for something that must keep it's shape, like a ring.
Half-hard wire is the temper that is used most often for jewelry. It is relatively easy to bend, but hardens somewhat as you work with it. Sometimes, work hardening isn't enough. I'll talk about hammering and tumbling on another day.
Full-hard wire is not good for projects that require flexibility. It is hard to bend and quickly becomes brittle, causing it to break easily.
Spring-hard wire is very difficult to bend. When made into "memory wire" it springs back into its original shape after being bent--perhaps that's where it got its name. It is also used to make pin backs and other items that need to maintain their shape.

When you purchase solid wire, including copper wire, from a bead shop, it should be labeled with its temper. When you buy copper wire from a hardware store, it won't be labeled but will usually be half-hard. Craft wire is soft and won't be labeled.

To see "Choosing Wire for Jewelry Part 2," click here.

Copper & Pewter

2010-08-14T22:33:00.008-04:00

This is a follow-up to my blog from the other day, "Gold & Silver Prices."

Copper:
A lot of us have started using copper for our wire and findings instead of gold-filled and sterling silver. Copper is also a commodity and is subject to fluctuating prices, but it's not nearly as expensive as gold and silver. The day that I posted the gold and silver prices, I saw that copper was a little under $4 a pound, which means that it's less than 25 cents per ounce. That's a great price if you compare it to gold and silver.

Copper can be very nice on some pieces, but in my opinion, it doesn't work with all colors. For example, I just don't like the idea of using copper with red, because it's like mixing orange and red. You might like that look, but it bothers my eyes--probably goes back to the days of my youth when you weren't supposed to mix red, pink, and/or orange. Of course, you can patina the copper so that it turns a dark brown if you like--I usually don't care for this patina very much because it's dull and looks like tarnish to me and I tend to prefer my metals shiny. There are recipes for creating a verdigris (green) patina on your copper. I love the color of verdigris, but it's a form of corrosion and it will flake off. You might be able to protect it with some spray sealers, but I'm not sure. I suspect that the sealers would quickly wear off, which makes this a bad choice for items to sell.

You can buy ready-made copper findings for reasonable prices in many local or online bead shops.  You can buy your copper wire in a hardware store--it's usually even cheaper there. If you can find a hardware store that sells copper wire in various gauges without a plastic coating, you've hit the jackpot!  I understand that Home Depot used to sell small reels of 20 gauge, round copper wire, but I haven't been able to find it recently. I have bought some copper wire by the foot in their electrical department, but they mostly don't seem to have the gauges that I want. If you're doing wire-wrapping, you'll need to get your half-round or square wire from a bead shop.

Something to consider...Often the copper wire you buy in a bead shop is treated to resist tarnish. The copper wire you buy in a hardware store is not treated. I once made a necklace out of copper links from 2 different gauges of wire. After a while the larger links (hardware store copper) turned a dull brown while the smaller links (bead shop copper) maintained their color and shine. In this case, it doesn't bother me because I can occasionally soak the necklace in a vinegar/salt solution for a few minutes to remove the tarnish.  I know that the focal bead I used won't be harmed by the vinegar and salt because it's not porous.

Lead-Free, Fine Pewter:
Another inexpensive alternative to sterling silver or gold-filled findings is lead-free pewter, also known as fine pewter. It's made in gold-tone and silver-tone. Fine pewter doesn't tarnish, which makes it superior to base metal findings. While the silver-tone looks like sterling silver, the gold-tone can sometimes be a tiny bit brassy.  One downside to fine pewter is that it's brittle and cannot be "work hardened" so you'll only find ready-made findings. You won't find wire, earwires, open jump rings, or clasps with moving parts made from fine pewter. There are some wonderful fine pewter spacer beads, bead caps, cones, charms, and toggle clasps available.

For much of my jewelry, I use fine pewter toggle clasps and spacer beads with sterling or gold-filled jump rings and earwires. Of course, I always list the types of metals I used in my items for sale in their descriptions.

Gold & Silver Prices

2010-08-11T14:00:00.010-04:00

One winter, about 20 years ago, I hurt my back in a car accident and couldn't ski that year. While my friends were skiing, I wandered into a small bead shop and fell in love with beading. I started out with clasps, jump rings, chains, and headpins in goldtone and silvertone "base metals." I soon learned that those base metal findings didn't maintain their original color or shine for very long.

I continued to "practice" making jewelry with base metals for a while. After all, I was a beginner and I was the only one who was going to wear those pieces—and precious metals were much more expensive than base metals. For example, I think that base-metal headpins were about a penny each while sterling headpins were about 5 cents each back in those days. You might say that's not expensive, but it meant that sterling cost 5 times more than base metal. It really added up when I was making a necklace with lots of dangles or buying clasps and chains. Once I developed skills, I moved up to sterling silver and 14K gold-filled findings.

Here is some information that some of you might not know about gold:

• Gold—cannot rust or corrode. 24K gold is pure gold and is very soft. It must be alloyed with base metals to create 22K, 18K, 14K, and 10K gold to make it hard enough for jewelry. Alloys are also used to make colors, such as rose gold.

• Gold Plate—a very thin layer of gold over base metals, such as zinc, nickel, and copper. It is relatively inexpensive, but the plating will wear off quickly.

• Vermeil—like gold plating, but is a very thin layer of gold over a core of sterling silver. It is more durable than gold plate, but not as durable as gold filled.

• Gold Filled— a layer of gold over brass or other base metal. The gold layer is 50 to 10,000 times thicker than the layer of gold on gold-plated jewelry. Therefore, it lasts much longer. The gold layer will eventually wear through, but could take many years.

Here is some information about silver:

• Fine Silver—is 99.9% pure silver and is softer than sterling. It is too soft for clasps, but is good for wire-wrapping.

• Sterling Silver—is an alloy using 92.5% silver plus other base metals.

• Argentium Silver—is a modern alloy made with 93% silver and 7% germanium. It is similar to Sterling, but is a bit more expensive. Unlike Sterling, it is resistant to tarnish and firescale.

• Silver Plate—is similar to gold plate. It is a thin layer of silver over base metals. The plating will wear off quickly.

All this brings me to the current prices of gold and silver, which have been rising quickly in the past few years. These precious metals are commodities, which makes them subject to fluctuating prices.

Average prices in 2000:
     - Silver was about $5 per ounce.
     - Gold was about $280 per ounce.

Closing prices on August 10, 2010:
     - Silver closed at $18.146 per ounce.
     - Gold closed at $1196.20 per ounce.

Of course, these prices are a huge problem for those of us who like to use precious metals in our jewelry creations. Many of us have VERY small businesses and cannot afford to buy in the quantities that most wholesalers require. We are stuck paying retail for our findings, and then we have to pass the cost on to our customers.

Easy Way to Sand Polymer Clay After Baking

2010-07-12T18:50:00.038-04:00

Most of us like the glow of a sanded, buffed polymer clay bead. In addition to the sheen, it has a really nice satiny feel. For those of us who have Fibromyalgia, MS, back and neck pain, pinched nerves, and other such conditions, the sanding process quickly turns into torture. For those who are blessed with good health, sanding can be tedious and time-consuming.

A few months ago I happened upon a post at Polymer Clay Central by Eva (Mejsel) from Denmark, who made a battery-operated toothbrush into a sanding tool. She's a genius! Her website seems to be closed, but she's still a member at PCC. Anyway, it was she who introduced me to this fabulous idea. I've done a few things differently, but it's basically the same tool.

Above are photos of my sanding toothbrush with a piece of 320 grit sandpaper attached to the spinner head with a piece of Velcro.

Eva used a toothbrush with multiple heads, gluing a different grit to each head. I used multiple Velcro dots to change the sandpaper on a single head. For me, it's easier to keep track of the grits that way.

Here is how I made my sander. I've written this information in minute detail, so there's no confusion. It's actually very easy and only takes a few minutes to make.

MATERIALS:

1 battery-operated toothbrush, the kind that uses replaceable AA batteries (a rechargeable toothbrush is good, too)
1 package of Velcro "dots"
1 Velcro strip, about 6 inches long
Glue gun and glue stick
A checkbook cover or an old Weekly Planner cover with side pockets (remove the pages)
Piece of cardstock to fit into one pocket, about 3X6 inches
Wet/dry sandpaper in multiple grits. I used: 320, 400, 600, 800, 1200, 2000
Sharpie pen
Dish, bowl, or other container for water
Water
Dawn dish detergent
Paper towels

SOME THINGS TO KNOW:

The Velcro strip and dots will probably have glue on them already. You might want to use hot glue to reinforce the glue that's already there, but it's probably not necessary.
Velcro is made up of hooks and loops. The hook piece has tiny, hard, sharp, plastic hooks, which are scratchy against your skin. The loop piece has soft, loopy fabric. The hooks catch on the loops and that's what holds the Velcro pieces together.
The toothbrush head should have a circle of bristles that spin. It may or may not have other bristles that don't move. Ignore those stationary bristles.
You will go through far less sandpaper now, so when the sandpaper is worn or the glue stops working, just make a replacement.

STEPS:

Turn on the toothbrush so that you can see which bristles spin. Turn it off. Using the glue gun, squeeze hot glue down into the circle of spinner bristles--this will hold the bristles upright and keep them from spreading while you sand. Also put some hot glue on the top of the circle of bristles, as smoothly as possible--this will make a platform for gluing Velcro to the bristle head. Be careful that you don't glue the circle of spinner bristles to any of the stationary bristles.
Stick a hook piece of a Velcro dot to the circle of bristles while the glue is still hot.
Cut a strip of Velcro, about 6 inches long, and glue the hook piece of the strip to the inside pocket of the checkbook or Weekly Planner cover (see photo below). The glue on the back of the Velcro strip works fine on the plastic.
Cut a piece of cardstock to fit into the pocket where you glued the Velcro strip and place the cardstock in the pocket. Mine is 3X6 inches.
Using a Sharpie pen, write the grits on the cardstock above the Velcro strip. Notice that the grits are in order, starting with 320 and ending with 2000 in the photo below. Leave enough room for a Velcro dot to sit under each number. I put extra unused Velcro dots in the other pocket. In the photo below, you can see that the soft loop pieces are on the top row and the hook pieces are in the bottom row.
Cut a piece of sandpaper in 320 grit, using a Velcro dot as a guide.
Stick the 320 grit sandpaper to the glue side of the loop piece of a Velcro dot. If you use hot glue, be sure to apply a thin, smooth coat. So far, I haven't bothered with the hot glue--the glue on the dot has been sufficient.
Press the 320 grit sandpaper/Velcro dot onto the Velcro strip, right under where you wrote 320.
Cut a piece of sandpaper in 400 grit, glue to a loop dot, and press under where you wrote 400 above the Velcro strip.
Repeat this for each grit of sandpaper until you have a sandpaper/Velcro loop dot for each grit.

NOTE: Cut several extra circles of sandpaper for each grit. Label a zipper snack bag with the grit number and store the extras in the zipper bags. You should have a labeled bag for each grit. Also, be sure to have an extra package of Velcro dots on hand--see the photo above. Now you can quickly make replacements.

OK, you're ready to sand:

Prepare a container of water with a couple of drops of Dawn dish detergent. The Dawn helps the sanding process.
Remove the 320 grit sandpaper/Velcro dot from the labeled strip and stick it to the Velcro hook dot on the spinner head of the brush.
Dip the bead and the toothbrush head with the sandpaper into the water.
Wear an old shirt or apron because the wet spinning brush will fling filmy water at you, although it washes right out. I keep plastic behind my bowl, too, to protect the wall. (You could hold the bead and brush under water the whole time you're sanding, but the glue will probably fail sooner if you do it that way.) I'm right-handed, so I hold the toothbrush in my right hand. I usually wear a long rubber glove on my left hand, which is holding the bead, to keep the water from running down my arm.
Turn on the toothbrush and sand your bead thoroughly with the 320 grit. Rinse the bead and the head of the toothbrush in the water frequently to remove the sanded clay from them. Otherwise the sandpaper will clog up.
Shut off the toothbrush. Rinse the sandpaper, then dry it off with a paper towel.
Gently peel the 320 grit sandpaper/Velcro dot off of the Velcro on the spinner head and stick it to its spot on the labeled strip.
Remove the 400 grit sandpaper/Velcro dot from the labeled strip and stick it to the spinner head, dip in the water, and sand the bead.
Continue to sand the bead with the rest of the grits of sandpaper, in ascending order by number.

At this point, your bead should be well sanded and ready for buffing. For Cindy Lietz's excellent tutorial on how to use a Dremel tool to buff your beads to a shiny finish, go to Buffing with a Dremel Tool.

Cindy also has a free video that explains the sanding process if you've never done it before. Sign up for Cindy's Weekly Newsletter and you have free access to the sanding video and two other videos.

WARNING: Don't be tempted to sand dry beads with dry sandpaper. First, it will make fine dust that you don't want to breathe in. Second, the friction of the sandpaper on the bead will heat up the bead and could scorch or melt the spot that is being sanded.

Jewelry and Polymer Clay

2010-06-24T20:00:00.005-04:00

I've been making jewelry for many years, but I'm always learning something new.

Years ago, I took a polymer clay class and learned how to cover a pen. It was fun, but when I went home and baked my pen, the plastic inside melted and I couldn't get the ink cartridge back inside--and there was a nasty smell while it was baking. I knew something went wrong, but I had no clue what.

Last year, I decided I wanted to make polymer clay beads to add some pizzaz to my jewelry and I began searching around the internet for information. I learned some interesting things, but it wasn't until I found Cindy Lietz's Blog and Tutorials that I really began to learn about polymer clay--including why I burned that clay-covered pen and how to avoid doing it again.

Here are some photos of clay beads and jewelry made from clay beads that I've created since then from Cindy's tutorials.

The first photo is my very first clay bead. It was actually supposed to be something totally different, a technique called Mokume Gane. That failed, so I played with the clay and this pendant is what I ended up with. Considering that it was born from a mistake, I was pretty pleased with it at the time, but I didn't have anything to hang it on. I put it on a piece of ribbon, tied a bow at the back of my neck, and wore it out to dinner that night. I thought I would have to make a beaded strand to hang it on, but shortly after that Cindy made a Cord Ends Tutorial, which showed me how to attach a clasp to my ribbon.

The next thing that I learned from Cindy was how to make a Lentil Bead. They're really fun to make and quite beautiful when they're finished. The center of the bead has a swirl in it. Here are a couple of my lentil beads.

Another thing that I learned from Cindy was how to form a Heart Bead. Every time I wear either of these necklaces, strangers tell me how much they like them!

When I created the next bead, I was attempting to do something quite different, but again had a happy accident. I was attempting to make an Extruder Flower Cane, but my extruder wasn't the brand that Cindy uses, and it wasn't cooperating. I managed to get a short piece of flower cane, but mostly I ended up with ribbons of clay. They were quite beautiful, so I made this Fantasy Bouquet bead, added crystal rhinestones to the top swirls, and put a pinback on it.

Here are a few more beads that I've created: Torn Watercolor beads, which look like they were covered with torn pieces of paper; Faux Raku beads; and some beads that remind me a little bit of a peacock feather.

Oh, by the way, I am now capable of covering a pen with clay, baking it without burning, and getting the ink cartridge back inside! What you see here are three objects that I covered with clay: a stand to hold my pen, the pen itself, and my needle tool.

What's New in My Blog

2010-06-22T15:42:00.001-04:00

I've been making some adjustments to my Blog over the past few days and thought I'd tell you what's new.

The most noticeable new thing is the photo of my painted roses at the top of the page. I was teaching One-Stroke painting classes at Killington resort last summer and one of the students asked me to do my painting demonstration on her tote bag. So I painted One-Stroke roses on her lavender-colored, satin tote bag. I'm glad I photographed it before she took it away because it fits so nicely on the Blog.

I've also added links that will take you to my Website and my two Photo Galleries. The Photo Galleries need to be rearranged. I hope to get to them soon... :)

Finally, there is a link to my currently empty Etsy Store. As soon as I am able to take some good photos and figure out how to calculate shipping prices, I'll be opening the Esty Store. Of course I'll make an announcement on this Blog.

Weekend with Auntie

2010-06-19T23:46:00.004-04:00

Since this is my first blog, I should probably start by telling you that my name is Linda and I can remember wanting to be an artist as far back as my kindergarten days.

Speaking of kindergarten, last weekend my 6-year-old grandniece, Paityn, came to visit. Her sixth birthday present was to spend a weekend with me, painting and making beads from polymer clay in my studio. We had a wonderful time. She painted some chipboard boxes with lots of color. Then she made some interesting beads, which you can see here.

Paityn is very visually perceptive and she thinks like an artist, even at her young age. Most of these beads are made from colors that she chose and marbled together herself. She actually figured out that she could make the tube-shaped bead evenly shaped by rolling it with a flat piece of plexiglass. Her most impressive bead is the gold and fuchsia "swirl" bead, also known as a "lentil" bead, at the bottom of the photo. She wanted glitter on all of her beads, and unfortunately, the glitter makes it hard to see the pretty swirl she got in the center of her bead.

I learned how to make Lentil Beads from Cindy Lietz's (the Tutorial is here) and that is the technique that I taught my niece.

While Paityn was busy making her beads I made three mushroom beads, which I learned from Cindy's Mushroom Bead Video. Later I strung them into necklaces for Paityn and her two sisters. I would have preferred to use my own colors, but after Paityn watched the video with me, she said she wanted the same colors that Cindy used. It was her weekend, so her wish was my command.