Here is a picture of the bracelet I made in the Russian Spiral class I attended yesterday at Market Beads. It was a lot of fun to learn a new stitch. Stacy Murphy, the owner of Market Beads is such a nice and friendly person, and a great teacher. I also got to try out some new threads, like the one I used for this bracelet: Fire Line Smoke 6 lb. I am such a fan of Nymo D thread that I never try new ones. But this worked out well once I conditioned it with some Beeswax. But I admit it took some getting used to. Stacy thinks it is a good one for this bracelet because it helps the spiral stay round instead of collapsing. Mine is a good sturdy tube.Those lovely galvanized light raspberry beads are from her shop.(she has a super good variety of colors) The others I had, and are from ShipWreck Beads.
The other new thread that Stacy introduced me to is from Japan and called SoNo.( It is touted to be tenacious, strong - yet pliable, superior in fray resistance and workability.) I didn't try it yesterday but brought home a spool. Have any of you used it?
Got the clay as planned and some colored pencils for bisque as well. Once I try them out I will let you know how they work. Supposed to work well on Earthenware clay.
Sun again today. Hopefully I fit in some snowshoeing in the woods after I do my glazing. I hope you have sunshine today too.
Love your bracelet! I am SUCH a Fireline girl - I use it all the time...Especially when working with crystals! I have to be talked into using anything else :o)
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing in about the bracelet. I am glad to hear that you like Fireline. Makes me think I should use it more often.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, Do you think you can add this stitch to your fantastic and "so different" freeform design work? I wish you would give a class in that some time.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, thanks for the great shout out about my free form peyote work. I think that I could use this with the peyote. It makes a tube that could be incorporated into a freeform necklace I think. I don't have any classes planned but I do offer a step by step ebook of my freeform peyote on my website.(http://www.maryhardingjewerly.com) You might find it helpful. It has a lot of close up photos and takes you through making a bracelet.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I've tried creating jewelry like this by following instructions from a magazine. It just takes so much time and patience. I guess it's the little beads that I don't have the patience for, but it sure does pay off when you make something like that :O)
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary Ann. Actually once you get the tube started it goes along easily. Some people can learn easily from a mag but I really need to see it in action or maybe on Youtube. I'm starting another one now so I won't forget how to do it.
ReplyDeleteThe bracelet is gorgeous! I'm trying to learn all the seedbead stitches and I'm having a blast. I'm a big fan of Fireline too. Now that I know you have a ebook on freeform peyote, I'm going to your site to get it.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll have fun with your colored pencils. The colors tend to fade a bit when fired, so try to color a bit darker/harder than you might otherwise.
Mary, I am so impressed with your bracelet! This is coming from someone who has never done any kind of beadwork...it really baffles my mind. Looking forward to seeing that second bracelet that you started! :-)
ReplyDeleteCindy
www.sweetbeadstudio.com
Hi Chris, Nice to get your take on my new bracelet. It is an easy stitch to learn. You can find directions on the web under Rusian Spiral. And thank you for the tip on the ceramic pencils. I am hoping to have some time soon to try them, as soon as the sales tax stuff gets done.
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy, Thank you so much for the nice feedback on my Russian Spiral bracelet. It looks amazingly complicated but is actually quite simple. I just love seeing the pattern develop as I bead along. Immediate gratification. I will post the next one when I finish it.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary! I'd love to see one of your toggles on a bracelet like that. I keep wanting to learn other seed bead stitches, but haven't had the time yet. This Russian spiral ends up looking similar to the bead crochet I do. You did a great job.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, Great to hear from you. Yes, I am going to try putting on one of my small toggles on this type of bracelet. I have incorporated some of my beads. I will be putting on the toggle in the next week or so and will post pics. By the way, this is an easy stitch to learn. Here is a website with instructions: http://www.beadpatterncentral.com/russianspiral.pdf
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part is getting it started and having faith that it will turn into a tube. Hope you had a great vacation in Florida.