Beaded Shank Button

Beaded Shank Button

Many pieces of jewelry like necklaces or bracelets need some kind of closure. Purses do, too, journals perhaps. Maybe you crochet an iPod cozy that should be closable.
You can use pre-made closures (which I mostly don’t like), but you can make a self-made shank button match just as you like.
For my bracelet bracelet *Little Black Dress* with the beaded spiral bead I made such a shank button and it worked out really fine.


Links:
Beaded Shank Button (Tubular Herringbone/Ndebele)

Here at unikatissima:
Beaded Spiral Beads

Coin Ring

Coin Ring

Browsing craftster I found one day the thread about coin rings.
Somewhere in the thread is also a link to a tutorial on how to make your own coin ring (with many explaining pictures).
I can’t image that I will ever do this, but I find it interesting enough to present it here.

Perhaps someone wants to make their weddings rings this way? ;-))


Links:
craftster: ‘coin rings! i’m an addict!!!’

Tutorial on how to make a coin ring

Freeform Peyote

Freeform Peyote

As I said before I really love freeform work.
Another wonderful freeform technique is Freeform Peyote.
To give you an idea of the variety of pieces of art, see those results of the Google image search ‘Freeform Peyote’.
Stunning, aren’t they?

First I had the problem that I really didn’t know where to begin.
Up until the day I found a tutorial on how to make a freeform peyote bracelet.
After I’ve seen how easy it is, I worked several pieces with this technique. The photo shows close-up of three of them.
If you like to see more of them, take a look at the judaica, many mezuzot are made in freeform peyote technique.


Links:
Tutorial on how to make a freeform peyote bracelet

Results of the Google image search ‘Freeform Peyote’

Peyote stitch:
About.com: Beadwork: A website with lots of tutorials about beadwork
Basic Beading Stitch Tutorials

Perlenhobby.de: A website with lots of (german) tutorials about beadwork: click on
‘Anleitungen’ in the sidebar left and there select one of the Peyote tutorials
Wikipedia: Mezuza (english)Mesusa (deutsch)

Wire Bracelet

Wire Bracelet

Inspired by the tutorial on how to make wire beads I created a wire bracelet (I couldn’t get enough of all this wrapping of wire ;-)).
I although didn’t use any special tool but a simple steel kebab skewer I found somewhere in my kitchen ;-)
Because my wire seemed quite boring to me, I strung some green seed beads on it but they are barely visible.


Links:
Jewelry Making Techniques by WigJig: a colossal website for Jewelry Making and Wire Design
Tutorial on how to make wire beads

Beaded Spiral Beads

Beaded Spiralbeads

I once found in internet photos from some spiral beads beaded from seed beads. Because I really liked them, I figured out how to bead spiralbeads.
The instruction is in German, but I drew explaining pictures that (I hope ;-)) say it all.
You begin in the middle. First you increase the circumference of the bead in the first 3 rows, then in rows 4 and 5 you work straight to create the sides of the bead and from row 6 on you decrease in the same way you increased before.
I then created the necklace *Summer, Sun and Spots* and the bracelet *Little Black Dress* with such spiral beads.
The beaded strings for the necklace where made in tubular peyote stitch (here an English instruction). After having finished them, I sewed them on.
The bracelet ‘strings’ where made in flat Herringbone weave (here an English instruction).


Links:
Beaded Spiral Beads (in German)

Spiral Beads Necklace *Summer, Sun and Spots* (in German)
Spiral Beads Bracelet *Little Black Dress* (in German)

More instructions on:
Tubular Peyote Stitch (English)
Tubular Peyote Stitch (German): click ‘Anleitungen’ in left navigation bar, select ‘Schlauch-Peyote’

Flat Herringbone/Ndebele Weave (English)
Flat Herringbone/Ndebele Weave (German): click ‘Anleitungen’ in left navigation bar, select ‘Flaches Ndebele’

Paper Beads

Paper Beads

I always loved paper beads, but never knew what to do with them. Then one day I created an artist book (more to follow in a later entry) and – eureka! – I found a use for those paper beads: I wanted to use them on the fibers embellishing the spine of my book (see photo). For those beads I used an advertisement flyer from a furniture dealer with lots of sofas in matching colours. They just had the right size for the beads ;-)
To make the beads I used those instructions on how to make paper and fabric beads.
It can also be used to make the fabric beads I mentioned before.
Later on I found an entry at craftster: A bowl made out of paper beads! I stood there in awe!
But I think that I never will make such a bowl – it’s all a question of having or not having patience ;-)


Links:
Instructions on how to make paper and fabric beads

craftster.org: A website with sooo many craft ideas, inspirations and tutorials
A bowl made out of paper beads

Here at unikatissima:
Making Fabric Beads

Paper folded bracelet

Paper folded bracelet

Of course you don’t see the bracelet on the photo, but my first and only attempt to make such a bracelet.
Better look at the photos in the tutorial on how to make a Starburst wrapper bracelet at craftster.org.
After I’ve finished the little piece on the photo I had enough – it’s such a fiddly work ;-)
If you like this technique, try the tutorial on how to make a wrapper purse!


Links:
craftster.org: A website with sooo many craft ideas, inspirations and tutorials
Starburst Wrapper Bracelet
Chip Wrapper Purse Instructions

Miniature 3-D Star

Miniature 3-D Star

I found (and enjoyed ;-)) this article at craftster and then remembered, that I once have seen an instruction on how to fold those little stars how to fold those little stars (the link isn’t available no more).
I tried it once but again my fingers didn’t worked the way I asked them ;-) This time it were the stars that looked clumsy ;-)


Links:
craftster.org: A giant craftsters community
Mini Star Bracelet (original topic title: “It’s Britney Bitch ;)”)