New PDF Tutorial: Criss-Cross Lantern Beads with Right Angle Weave

Preparing for a workshop early last month, I pulled out the pattern for my Cap Beads from my book Corsets, Caps & Stays: Elegant Beaded Beads.  What would happen, I wondered, if I used some of the fun, shaped beads that have come out since then?  My new Criss-Cross Lantern beads are the result. 

I promised my students that I'd send them the revised instructions, including this variation.  And here it is, nearly a month later!  I've heavily revised the original pattern, doubling the number of detailed bead diagrams and added all-new instructions for the Lantern Bead variation. 

The Lantern Ornaments Beaded Beads PDF pattern is now available in my Etsy store.   To celebrate its release, I'm offering a special deal. 

 
2015 Holiday Special

** If you purchase a copy of my original Corsets, Caps & Stays book (either paperback or digital versions) now through December 15th, I will include the download code for my Lantern Bead PDF tutorial with your purchase. 

** Also, for friends who already own a copy of my original Corsets book and are on my mailing list, my next newsletter update will include instructions for how you can claim your free copy of this new pattern.  

To simplify my life, I've decided to post all free updates via my email newsletter from now on.  There's only one of me and trying to keep track of who purchased what, from where, and when gets to be sooo crazy, especially since I have no way of tracking Amazon sales.   Trying to track everything takes up a tremendous amount of time that I could otherwise use for designing, beading and writing.  From now on, I'll post update opportunities in my email newsletters, along with simple instructions on how to claim your PDF updates for my patterns that you've previously purchased. 

Not on my mailing list?  Click here to sign up.  Normally I send out one to two email updates per month, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.  It all depends on what's going on. 

This month, I've decided to get ambitious!  My plan is to send out a special update every Wednesday, starting tomorrow for the next three weeks, with a new pattern addition or update code.  If you already own the base pattern (or purchase it during my promotion), you'll receive the updates for free.   Next week I'll be sending out an addition to my Snowflakes and Stars tutorial.  This is my way of saying thank you for helping to make it possible to do what I do! 

Thinking about Snowflakes

Years ago, my mother-in-law was known for her Christmas decorating.  In more recent years, her decorating has become more and more minimal, not even including a Christmas tree.  Last year I decided she needed a tree, so I bought one of those table top trees and made a bunch of snowflake ornaments for it and sent it to her as a surprise.

I liked it so much, this year I decided to do something similar for myself. Found myself a little live tree at the hardware store (come spring I'll plant it in one of my large patio pots).  For ornament hooks I use the inexpensive, craft earring hooks - the type you can buy by the gross at Michaels or Joann's.  They're better suited in terms of size for these smaller trees.  And if you need a last minute gift and can't find anything else, you could snag a couple of snowflakes off of your tree and call them earrings! 

I've noticed that my freebie snowflake pattern is one of the most popular pages on my site right now.  Yesterday I received an email from Julia in the UK asking some questions about her snowflakes, because they were buckling.  Both from my pattern, and some other patterns she'd found online (though I'm pleased that mine gave her the least troubles).  I tried to help her do some trouble shooting, and thought I'd share some of that here.

Seven-sided snowflakes are most likely to buckle

This ring must lay flat before you go on!

In the picture above, the buckling in the snowflake to the lower right was caused by too tight of tension.  The snowflake at the top is the exact same stitch pattern, but I've avoided the rippling by keeping careful tabs on the tension, adjusting it as I go so each round lays nice and flat.

The tension in your first couple of circles is especially important, if it doesn't lay flat at this stage, it won't lay flat later.  So take some time to manipulate the beads until they're happily arranged in a flat circle.

Sideview of buckled snowflake with too tight tension

Side view of nice, perfectly flat snowflake - lower tension

And if you're looking for more on snowflakes: here's a pitch for my snowflake pattern for sale on Etsy - 10 full pages of instruction on 5, 6, and 7 sided snowflakes with as many variations as I could come up with, with carefully proofed color illustrations and photos.

Special For Amy

Spiral Dancers:  ruffles and flat spirals

One of my students in my freeform peyote ruffles class this weekend was determined to recreate this set of earrings I'd made as a sample.  It had never even occurred to me that someone would want to do so - the class was focused on creating original pieces after all.  But hey, I'm game.

I think we did a pretty good job in class, just by looking at the bead structure.  But yesterday I decided to check my old files and sure enough, I had taken process photos as I made them, thinking I might use them in my book.

So, here you go Amy; I put together a Photo Essay outlining the steps to make both earrings.  The right earring is a flat spiral, while the left earring ruffles out and has cross bridges to link the ruffles.

Since I hadn't intended it as a pattern, the stitching pattern is somewhat erratic.  That being the case, I decided to make another pair to sort out the pattern.  So far, I've made two more pairs.

I fixed the pattern and then played with different ideas, and now have actual, someone-could-follow-it patterns. Can you believe it?  I plan to include them in the Freeform Peyote Ruffles ebook that I aim to publish before November 1st.  Starting with the 10-page handout from my class,  I'm expanding it to 20 pages, including patterns for these earrings and a pendant. 

The ruffle's the exact pattern, the flat spiral's a variation

The ruffle's the variation in this sample