A beader’s turn to Greige and testing your colour comfort zones

Amongst a mad time beading in preparation for my exhibition at the Drysdale Festival of Glass (19th Feb, 2012) I am also preparing for my 60th birthday. Lots of consultation with friends led to it being a themed party inspired by the letter ‘G’. Still not sure what ‘G’ word might inspire what I wear but in trying to decide I bumped up against Griege. In the way of these things I am seeing Griege every way I turn and I even discovered that I have several tones of Griege beads.

Griege is a neutral colour somewhere between grey and beige. It’s an earthy warm beige/gray that designers call elegant and sophisticated. Its not a colour I bead with much – I never seem to feel comfortable with neutral tones. So, having just discovered the word Grienge I decided last night to move beyond my colour comfort zone and to try a turn at beading with Griege. Here is the result – three pairs of earrings with varying tones of Griege in them.

We all seem to have our colour comfort zones – neutrals and pinks are well outside mine. What about you? What colours test your colour comfort zone? Maybe finding a new name for them might tempt you to go beyond your colour comfort zone.


A great link to see Griege in all its hues:

• http://www.color-swatches.com/c2/greige/223/swatch.html

Being and becoming a dotty beader: techniques to inspire

Dotty beads are very much on my mind at present. I am just beginning to learn how to make lampwork glass beads and I am currently practicing how to put dots on my beads. Here are some of my efforts to date. You’ll see from these efforts that there is more than one way to dot a bead and a little way to go in my dotty skill building.

Reflecting on my efforts to date it’s clear that there is more than one way to be dotty. You can dot in specific spots, cover a bead in dots, scatter them, fleck them or litter them. The dot might be a speck, a circle or a strange dab on the surface of the bead. They might be symmetrical or not. You can pair dots, line them up, angle them or squash them. So, as you can see a dot is not just a dot. There is a glorious range of dotty possibilities.

In my efforts to become a better dotty beader and explore those possibilities I’m gathering a dotty technique a day using my old friend Google. Today’s dotty technique comes from: Glass Beads: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Learning the Craft, By Louise Mehaffey, Kevin (PHT) Brett. Lousie show how dots can be flattened with a paddle to add a decorative effect or to increase their footprint. You can then also poke the dot to add a decorative effect (see page 60).

Decorative dotty possibilities are not new to beaders. They have been using dots to decorate glass beads across the centuries.. The Solarflare Creations website (http://www.solarflarecreations.com.au/Timeline.htm) has a fascinating overview of the history of dotty decorations on beads that includes images of dotted Celtic beads from France and England (350 – 100 BC), Chinese Warring States beads (480-220BC) and Compound Eye Beads from the Mediterranean Basin (400-300 BC).


In current times, contemporary beader Deanna Griffin Dove has even devoted a book to dots.

 Dot, Dot, Dots! ISBN # 978-0-9789721-1-0

For a beginning beady dotter, such as myself, the possibilities seem overwhelmingly and gloriously endless. With only my imagination to limit what might happen my desire to be a dotty beader could be with me for a while.

If you have dotty beads in your life – wearing them, designing with them or making them I’d love to hear about the dots in your life.

A musical treasury, the Great Bead Tidy and musings on the music of beading

As always I was delighted to have one of my beadworks included in an Etsy Treasury this week. It was curated by Leva Krustina and you can view it at this link:

• http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTE0NDc2NTd8MTIyNDg3NTk5MQ/piano-sonata-no-1

It included my Annotations beadweaving bracelet pattern:

• http://www.etsy.com/listing/74574605/annotations-peyote-beadweaving-bracelet?ref=tre-1224875991-16

Viewing the Treasury I mused on the place of music in beadwork. One Google search later I had uncovered a 2008 poll by Beading Daily that had found in a poll of 1000 beaders that 74% percent bead while listening to music! 27% bead to rock music, 24% to classical music and 17% bead to pop music. Poll participants said that they bead to music because it helps them to:

• feel less lonely
• pace their work
• drown out their "inner critic"
• create and be inspired

Some beaders also find music inspires their design work. My Annotations bracelet designs are a case in point. Here's the latest just listed:

• http://www.etsy.com/listing/87634654/annotations-2-musical-beaded-bracelet-or 

Annotations 2 peyote graph pattern

For other beaders, beading is an expression of their own inner music. For instance, Ukrainian beader Alexandra Sydorenko writes ‘my song is embedded in beads’. In a twist on this relationship between beading and music, ome musicians are also inspired by beadwork. I found two recent albums featuring beadwork in their titles. The first was Bead Songs by Andy Wasserman (TransMedia Sound Music). The album is described as “acoustic instrumental collection of original compositions for the Native American flute, featuring solo and ensemble arrangements in both traditional and contemporary styles” and features a pair of traditional Native American beaded slippers on its cover (see image). The second was, Beading the Rook, by Fence Kitchen (Northeast Indie; 2006). It  is described as a combination of jazz, chamber music and modern dance score. Unfortunately, this album cover didn’t feature any wonderful beadwork. In my search I also stumbled across a famous Australian composer - Percy Grainger (1882 – 1961) who collected beadwork.

The other way for me in which beading and music come together is in the Great Bead Tidy. I have just finished one and bouncy music was present right the way through. In the Great Bead Tidy I furiously sort beads, put away stray beads from past projects and any newly arrived beads and in the process generally totally re-organise my bead storage area. In a very Great Bead Tidy I unpick UFOs that are clearly beyond revival and reorder samples and inspirations for future projects. Little can divert me from the Great Bead Tidy when the mood hits. It often advances with music booming that suits my frenzied tidying mood. In this weekend’s Great Bead Tidy the rockabilly of Carl Perkins kept me company through the deepest part of the tidy – that point at which the tidy is deeply untidy and it seems I will never surface from it! The deeper the untidy, the louder and more robust I seem to need the music to be. Paula Morgan calls this music her ‘wild-side’ music.

Love to hear if and how music and beading go together in your life - what is your 'wild-side' music? Thanks to Leva for inspiring some musings about their relationship in my own beading life. Annotations to all….


Sources

• http://beadwork.about.com/od/enhanceyourcreativity/a/Beading_Music.htm
• http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-ma-an40416448
• http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2008/04/14/music-to-bead-by.aspx
• http://inventivesoul.blogspot.com/2011/11/beading-along-while-i-am-singing-song.html

Sizing bangles for beadweavers: hints and how to from the world of bangles

I have just finished beading a new beaded herringbone bangle for myself (pattern in my Destash shop) that I was sure would fit me perfectly. Of course, it didn’t and not for the first time it's became a sample to sell rather than something I can wear.


Promising myself to learn how to more accurately size beaded bangles I turned to Google for help.
Most bangle sellers measure (size) their bangles using the internal diameter of the bangle.

There seem to be two tried and tested methods for measuring your hand so that you know what the internal diameter of your bangle should be.

1. Make a fist and measure the length from the outside of the first knuckle to the point between the third and fourth knuckle. This measurement is the required internal diameter of your bangle.  (Purple fist in diagram 1)



Number 1 method

2.  Place your clenched hand on a flat surface. Measure between the highest points of your first and fourth knuckles. This measurement is the required internal diameter of your bangle. (Beige fist in diagram2 )

Number 2 method

To double check that you have the internal diameter of your bangle correct there are also a couple of methods you can use:

1. Take a plastic lid (for example, from a yogurt container). Use a ruler to draw a line the diameter of your bangle measurement. Cut a round circle and put your hand through it to check you have the right size. 
2. If you have a bangle that fits you well, just measure the internal diameter of the bangle and make the internal diameter of your bangle the same size. 

Different sellers size differently but here is a general guide: 60mm diameter - SMALL (Size 7) 64mm diameter- MEDIUM (Size 8) 67mm diameter - LARGE (Size 9)

Love to know what methods you’ve used and you have found easiest, least frustrating, most accurate.


Sources 

• https://eveandruby.com.au/pages/Bangle-Sizing
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVZrAeRAuD
• http://www.how-to-make-jewelry.com/how-to-size-a-bracelet.html - downloadable bracelet sizer

Sizing up some beading software for sizing beads

iBead software logo

If you have trouble sizing beads the latest beading App for iPhone might be for you. That is of course if you have an iPhone. iBead is a very neat little App that  provides you with visual guides to sizing beads and things bead related.

It has a bead size guide (see screen grab image - to the right) for sizing beads from 2mm to 16 mm in size, a calculator for counting the number of beads needed for a particular length string, a wire size guide that shows the size of various gauge wire (34 – 18) and their mm and inch details, rulers and a guide for seed bead sizes 6/0, 8/0/, 11/0 and 15/0 and a handy ruler that enables you to measure length and bead sizes.

I can imagine using it in various contexts but especially when I am ordering supplies, and trying to match the size of beads in a specific project. Its easy to place your bead on the iPhone screen and presto find the size of your bead. 

Wire gauge sizes I can never remember so I appreciate the inclusion of the wire gauge guide.

The bead calculator would be good for those doing bead crochet and stringing but for bead weavers it needs a few more features added to make it useful. Imagine being able to be able to choose a specific weaving stitch then calculate the number of beads in grams needed to weave a piece of a specific dimensions (e.g: length, width, row numbers and bead sizes). There are various bead weaving books that attempt to provide this information but imagine having it readily to hand. Mind you, for some, maybe it takes the fun of the guesswork out of beading.

The seed bead guide could also be enhanced to make to more useful. It doesn’t include cylinder seed beads, size 12/0 and size 18/0 beads that I sometimes use. I’d also love to be able to compare the sizes of the major manufacturer’s beads. Being able to compare size 11/0 beads from Japan, China and Czech for instance would be helpful. It would also be great to include the different shaped seed beads now available – triangles, tila beads, square beads and fringe beads to name just a few.

The manufacturers of iBead (Associated Systems Professionals) see this as its first version and say that they are planning to make many additions. What do you think would be helpful to you? What are the calculations you regularly do or need to do as you bead that you’d like to see automated? Consider passing them on to iBead (Adam@aspwv.com) and maybe you can help shape its next version.

Rainbows, mnemonics and beading: an aid to memory, and ode to hope

The first email of the day brought me a feast of beadwork full of rainbows. It was in the form of an Art Fire Collection curated by a member of Art Fire Beadweavers Guild  curated by KraftyMax on ArtFire.com. My Rainbow Butterfly bracelet was featured (see photo).

• Link here to the collection: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=27929

Amongst the delight of exploring the rainbow beadwork of others came the reminder that I can never remember the colours of the rainbow, despite having been taught a mnemonic to do so.

A mnemonic is a device that aids memory. It is often a short poem of saying. It is a wonderful word with a heritage in Ancient Greek and is related to the goddess of the memory in Greek mythology called Menemosyne (remembrance). The mnemomic I was taught is the name of an apparently colourful fellow called, Roy G Biv. The letters in his name give us the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet 

However, for some reason I can never seem to remember his name. My partner who is from the UK learnt to remember the rainbow through remembering the phrase - Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain - Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet. For me, this never works either. I don’t seem to be able to remember the saying. So, I set to trying to find some alternatives that might work for. Two I found are great for travellers or those who enjoy a drink or two and could perhaps work for me:

• Ryanair Offers You Great Breaks In Venice 
• Ran Out Yesterday, Got Blotto In Vineyard

However, inspired by these and borrowing heavily from them I decided that a beading based mnemonic might just work better for me. Here’s what I came up with:

• Ran Out Yesterday, Got Beads in Venice
• Rondelles Offer You Great Beading in Violet

Not great poetry, but they might just help my memory a little.  If you can improve on them and/or have any handy beading mnemomics you use I’d love to hear them. After all rainbows are well worth having and remembering in our life. As Wikipedia tells us they have been a symbol of hope across many times and places:

Rainbow flags tend to be used as a sign of a new era, of hope, or of social change. Rainbow flags have been used in many places over the centuries: in the German Peasants' War in the 16th century, as a symbol of the Cooperative movement; as a symbol of peace, especially in Italy; to represent the Tawantin Suyu, or Inca territory, mainly in Peru and Bolivia;^[35] by some Druze communities in the Middle east; by the Jewish Autonomous Oblast; to represent the International Order of Rainbow for Girls since the early 1920s; and as a symbol of gay pride and LGBT social movements since the 1970s. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow)

Here's to better rainbow memories and the hopes that rainbow flags can carry. 

Beadwork in the Antique Pattern library - fascinating and free pattern downloads

Sometimes, I stumble across surprising and delightful finds on the web. Last week was a case in point. I was doing some online research on beadwork in the 1850s for my local beaders group (Bead Society of Victoria, Geelong branch) and found the Antique Pattern Library. Thanks to the hard work of several volunteers you can download free antique craft patterns from the site.

Imagine my delight when I discovered a special area of the library dedicated to beadwork. It was with great anticipation that I downloaded each of the 14 titles in this section of the library. What I found was a wonderful treasure trove of beadwork patterns that look very different to those we use today. Patterns for bead crochet, knitting and beaded embroidery in wonderful detail - some with images, some just words and most, but not all, in black and white. The Priscilla beadwork book: A collection of new and old beadwork with patterns and lessons for working (1912, USA, Ed. Belle Robinson) was one of my favourites. I have included some images from it here as a taster. 

From the New Bead Book

I also totally delighted in the Emma Post Barbour's New Bead Book (1924, The National Trading Company, Chicago). It is full of wonderful colour plates of her finished items, clear patterns and instructions for a range of beadwork techniques.  See an extract from her preface (left ) I learnt that apparently at the time Natrac quality beads are 'the highest grade made" and much much more. (Of course, I am now off to find out what happened to Natrac!)

Sherwoods, 'Impression Powder and Perforated Patterns for printing all kinds of designs for braiding, embroidery and beading' is testament to the creativity of those who bought it. Only the sketchiest of pattern guidance is included.

You can loose yourself in patterns from the 1700s onwards from France, Germany, UK and USA to explore and learn from.

All of the patterns in the library are free to anyone to use for "educational, personal, artistic and other creative uses". (http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/).