Peyote, so many ways...!

I love beading with Peyote stitch. When i first get them, I look through my beading/jewellery making magazines to find all the Peyote patterns/projects and lodge them in the 'to try later' file in my brain. One such technique is flat (even count) peyote. For most people, this will be the first peyote they will learn. Not me. 

From a request to make a small extension bar-clasp for my mum's bracelet, and needing something that could be made with size 15 seed beads, be pretty and substantial. 

So I turned to this months edition of the US mag Bead & Button where a good little 'tutorial' for flat Peyote is in the back -along with a quick and clear explanation of 'zipping up' the work. A few minutes later, and I had a little flat piece of peyote even stitch ready to make into a tiny tube for the extension. It was so easy to do, I want to do more!!!

Instead, I concentrated on creating my design piece for this months competition on the new sparkly blog for The Bead Shop Liverpool (thebeadshopliverpool.blogsopt.co.uk). I think I'm going to add a bit of flat peyote to the piece now I know I can do it!

I thought it would be good to "have a play" with wire crochet...

Okay, so no wire or crochet-hook related accidents have occurred. However, what I have been left with is a half-flower-half-sprout!
This is because I had the idea "Well, I can crochet normally, I have crochet flower patterns - what is the difference?"
I would say very little. Yet, I realised pretty quickly that it's quite different. You can't see the stitches of the previous row/round after the foundation row, you lose your place, and in the end, the finished result is pretty pathetic.

I like crochet because it gives me a quick result - a couple of hours pays off with a nice little pattern or part-finished product. I don't (often) have the patience to practice with things that may/will not give me a near-finished ending. Or in my case a sprout-flower.

So a quick search result brought up a few items and tutorials on this technique. My favourite one is  from Diane at Craftypod http://www.craftypod.com/2008/02/16/how-to-crochet-a-wire-flower-pendant/ Simple and with tips that you can only ever get from people who have done the same mistakes as we have.

It's too late for me to start now, but maybe tomorrow...

Beading/jewellery making is contagious

It might have been a few weeks since I last posted, but I haven't been slacking-not at all! In fact, I have been spreading the love of beading & general jewellery making to my family. 

Last week, my fab cousin Emma came to stay and we made jewellery and learned to do Nepal Stitch at my usual place, The Bead Shop Liverpool. 

Emma has been learning silversmithing techniques over the past couple of months, and is continuing in September. As a result of all this inspiration and bead-fuelled excitement, I convinced her to start a blog about her learning experience and exploits as a jewellery maker! I will put links to her site once she has put her project photos up. 

Add to this my parents. Both are creative people in very different and wonderful ways, and I can usually find them sitting around the dining table with me surrounded by real gemstones and other non-gem beads asking where the head pins are, if I have any odd-coloured findings, and if I can get a tube of copper seed beads for spacer beads!! I came home tonight from my beading class to find them hard at work!

Soon I will put our makes up for sale online. And try and get to a couple of craft fairs. In the meantime, please ogle our display of earrings!

Like it? I got the basket from a charity shop for under £2, the material, foam insert & dowels are all our own! Marvellous eh? The credit must go to my dad though for making it look so good, all I did was buy it!

So, what have I been making in my last two beading classes? I've learned Nepal Stitch and spiral stitch. Aren't they pretty?

I might have found a new favourite stitch!!

And so, this months inspiration? I think I might have gone into overdrive on the project ideas...

I can't decide where to start!!

I'm also trying to find some inspiration/knowledge about steam punk jewellery and the genre in general. I love vintage style anything up until the 1960's

and I love the writing of most kinds of fiction but I'm fascinated by the wonderful combinations that steam punk brings. So if there's anyone out there can can give me a hand to point me in the right direction there, give me a shout!!

Now, I have to go and design my August challenge for thebeadshopliverpool.blogspot.co.uk

Where shall I begin??