Trying New Things : Soutache

Happy new year everyone!

I've sadly neglected this blog for far too long. I had been busy with work and really wasn't able to do much crafting until the last few days.

I have been fascinated with soutache. It looks so lovely. Somehow it always looks intricate and fancy and oh so pretty. So after doing some research on what soutache braid to get, I bought some from beading.pl. They are an online store in Poland but you can email any questions and they'll reply in English. They were so helpful too! Me being a complete newbie in soutache, haven't even seen the braid in real life before, and yet I was soon able to get my soutache stash soon.

And here is my initial attempt:

I realized that my tension was too loose and this made the piece kind of soft. I also used Fireline initially and realized that this is probably one of the few instances that Fireline isn't quite the best option. I think it's because Fireline tends to be stiff when it gets "folded" and sticks out in the wrong places along the shaping stitches. Just my two cents though. I don't consider myself a soutache expert, of course.

Then I tried Nymo and this drapes quite nicely. I never liked Nymo for my usual beadweaving but I have to say it seems to be perfect for soutache.

My succeeding attempts:

Still not even. It sure takes a lot of getting used to especially when joining to make the "lollipop," or even just shaping the braid to create a gentle curve.

At any rate, I was able to work on better tension and this doodle seems to be better coordinated:

Then I got all excited and did embellishment already without adding any backing yet.

More soutache adventures to come!

By the way the soutache braid I got from beading.pl is composed of viscose and is the Pega brand. It's nice and does not fray too much. Although I haven't tried any other kinds of braid yet (rayon or polyester), I think this viscose kind is just great.

CRAW Bangle

This has got to be the longest time it has taken me to finish a bracelet. And not because it's too difficult. I've just been so busy lately.

But I love cubic right angle weave and this bangle is my own design. I guess the reason why it's taking longer than usual too is because I'm adjusting as I go along.

I'm now using my new Tulip size 13 beading needle and I love it! It's quite tricky to thread though, as the eye is quite small. It's also shorter than the average size 12 beading needle. And it's so sharp! I pricked myself a few times as I wasn't used to the length. It takes getting used to.

But it feels really lovely, it doesn't bend yet it's very flexible. Another marvel from Japan. They make so many cool things there.

This is the bangle so far. I placed a bezeled 14mm Swarovski rivoli as focal bead. I have a few gaps in between the Craw bands where I'll put 4mm bicones in the same color as the rivoli. Then I'll put a continuous CRAW band for the final layer.

Netted Crystals

Haven't been blogging for a while but I have been beading. :)

Did this bracelet a couple of months ago. It's made using a simple netting technique, from a pattern called Crystal Suspense by Gwen Fisher and Florence Turnour, from the Best of Beadwork book.

I used 4mm rondelles and size 15 seed beads alternating with size 13 Charlotte single-cuts.

I love this because it works up really fast. You can finish it in a couple of hours, maybe less if you work fast enough.

The pattern was for a bangle but I actually ran out of rondelles so I made it a bracelet. I used a bead cap at both ends, put a flexible wire in the center of the tube and crimped it with the clasp.

The finished bracelet. It's one of my favorites, I like wearing it and people have noticed it. It's simple yet elegant.

Floral Inspiration Bracelet

This next bracelet was from a design by Callie Mitchell featured in Bead and Button Magazine. The inspiration for this bracelet is the mimosa flower, which looks like a fireworks burst.

Its main base is a double St. Petersburg stitch, which uses size 15s as the main bead and 11s at the ends before another 15 to bring the thread back into the stitch.

The center spine uses 11s as well.

The spine is then embellished with 4mm bicones between two 15s, alternating along the 11s along the length of the spine. In my bracelet I used 23 bicones.

The end of the toggle is then composed of the "mimosa" feature, with dainty bead strands mimicking the thin needle-like petals of the mimosa.

The finished bracelet. The other end of the toggle is a 6mm x 11mm Swarovski crystal top-drilled teardrop crystal that should fit tightly into the hole made by the "mimosa" part of the toggle.

Bugle Bracelet Number 3

Decided to do another bugle bracelet and I definitely love how quickly this stitch works up.

I made a bangle this time and even without a tube or wire at the center I think it's firm enough.

I alternated a metallic brown rocaille with pink at the center, and used silver lined size 15s in between.

The bugle beads I used are a caramel color with a rainbow sheen.

Here's the finished bangle. I really love this pattern.

Finally!!!

Finally finished the green herringbone bracelet a couple of days ago. Been so busy with the office but I'm happy I was able to make some time for beading again.

Here it is.

Herringbone progress!

Finally some progress! 48 inches of Fireline got me about one and a half inches of the Herringbone Highway bracelet. And around an hour of leisurely beading. Not bad at all. :)

Been so busy the past few weeks and when I get home I'm usually too tired to start beading because I just want to sleep. Hopefully I can work on this bracelet an inch at a time somehow! :)

Bugle Bracelet #2

Made a green version of the bugle bracelet. This particular stitch is definitely one of my favorites now. But I have to say that the bugle beads have to be 6mm. Or, alternatively, if longer bugle beads are used, more seed beads should be added to the round as well. This compensates for that.

I used bead caps again at the ends. To reinforce the bead caps and prevent them from moving out of place, I sewed through the flutings of the bead caps and through the beads underneath to fix them in place.

Not sure if you can see here how I fixed the bead caps. I also don't have a crimping plier (not locally available and I don't use it too often) so when I flattened out my crimp bead, I filed the corners just to get rid of the sharp edges.

Bugle Bracelet 2

Making a second Bugle Bracelet with different colors. It really works up quite quickly.

In contrast, the Cellini spiral takes long to make. The one I started took so long to finish and when I closed it up into a bracelet I discovered that it was too short. My bad, I got too impatient and didn't really measure. It would have been pretty though if I did it properly. Oh well.

The second Bugle Bracelet on the top is made from 6mm blue twisted bugle beads and size 11 Japanese round seed beads. This time with green and gold beads.

Bugle Bracelet

Been busy the past few weeks and I haven't been able to make anything. Started again last night and finished this Bugle Bracelet today.

It's from a pattern from Bead and Button Magazine October 2011 called "Russian Wraparound" by Carolyn Cave.

I decided to use two colors for the round size 11 seed beads instead of three.

I'm using 6mm twisted bugle beads.

The bracelet is done in a Russian spiral and is fairly easy to understand once you get the pattern. It also works up quite quickly and it's very pretty. It's now one of my favorite spiral stitches.

Here is the finished bracelet. I placed bead caps at the ends, and I ran flexible wire through the middle of the bracelet so I can crimp the ends. Then I used jump rings to attach the clasp, which in this case is a toggle.