The Beading Mixing Pot

I find I have a lot UFO's kicking about. I cant seem to sit down and finish them off. My brain does not want to let me finish the one piece before it throws the next piece into the mix that is my ideas pot. At the moment I have two flower pieces on the go and a peyote bracelet cuff. Last night while getting on with the cuff I lifted one of the flowers and laid it on the cuff and it was really quite beautiful. . . The large flower and the 'Kind of a Passion Flower' were made from the tutorial on http://www.blisstree.com/jewelryandbeading/making-beaded-flowers
The small rose was made from a book 'The beaded Garden' by Diane Fitzgerald



By the way I made the passion flower, in a kind of a way, but I could
not make the stamens stand up so did away with them and am going to add a golden seed bead center.


It is a 'Kind of a Passion Flower' Can you see a kind of a passion flower?

I have so much whirling round in my head I wish I could slow it down just a bit...
At the moment I have a hankering to bead the edge of a scarf. It just has to be a project for the future.

Beading with 'Shaped Beadwork'

I have an apology to make to all my readers. I have not been very well recently, nothing to do with my visitors, just a cold type thing I could not seem to shake . However I am feeling much better now. There seems to be a lot of this sort of bug at this time of year. (The change from high summer to a little cooler autumn). There is so many people going around with this infection you would think we would be prepared for it. But no we are all caught out every year..




Now I will show you just what I have been doing. I had another trip through Diane Fitzgerald book 'Shaped Beadwork' I do love this book. I said some time ago on the blog that I hated Peyote, well since buying this lovely book I have changed my mind. I have tried quite a few of the pieces, I need to tell you all ' I love Peyote '

A Happy Mistake

I will tell you all of a happy mistake I made not long ago. On my travels through the internet I came across a book called 'The Beaders Bible' . Now I did not realise there is two Beaders Bibles.

Anyway I duly sent away for 'The Beaders Bible' from my old favorite Amazon.co.uk. I did not check that it was the right book. However when it came (Amazon has never let me down) It certainly was The Beaders Bible this book was by Claire Crouchley. The book has a fund of designs in Square Stitch. This stitch can be used on a loom as well as square stitch. This was great because I had not long before purchased a wire loom. the other stitch is Peyote Stitch or Brick Stitch.

Well if you have read my previous posts you will know I had no great liking for the pesky peyote.. I did try some of the simpler patterns in all the different stitches. I got caught up in some of them .

The stitches in the book are very well explained and the pictures make you want to try all of them.

I was trawling through the internet on Saturday and guess what I found another Beaders Bible.I now realise this was the book I had wanted in the first place. This book is by Dorothy Wood and is a Comprehensive Guide to Beading Techniques. It sounds good dont you think. When I recieve it from the trusty Amazon I will let you know how I get on with it.

Beading Books

At the beginning of this month I turned 70 and on my birthday I decided to buy myself Diane Fitzgerald's book 'Shaped Beadwork'. One of the things that decided me to buy this book was the fact I could not get the hang of the Peyote Stitch and on looking at many web sites and beading blogs this book came up time after time when I found articles on the pesky Peyote.
I have loved working through the book. Her instructions and descriptions of the wonderful items she has made and shows in the book are amazing..
However there was another book I was very interested in and that was Horace R. Goodhue's 'Indian Bead-weaving Patterns' . I have always have been interested in the beadwork of the American Indians. Again while surfing the net I kept coming across this book. However there were as many against as there was for.. some people thought the drawings left a lot to be desired.. and on the other hand there were people that thought his explanations and stories on the subject of the American Indian beading refreshing. I am one of those people. Since receiving the book from Amazon.co.uk (wonderful web site, wonderful service) on Monday I have read it from front to back and loved every word and diagram.
As you can imagine I am working my way through this book too. Wish me luck..

Beading with 'Shaped Beadwork'

I am sure you can imagine the excitement here when I opened the package yesterday. This is a lovely book. A joy to read and to follow the illustrations. I have pottered through all the basics in chapter one. Well I have never been able to get the hang of peyote stitch but Diane Fitzgerald's book has shown me I can do this stitch. Maybe I am not proficient just yet but I am getting there.
In the recent past I tried the chevron stitch then I found out it was one of Diane's. She has a knack of breaking down the instructions to make things simple. Thank you Diane

The photos in the book of her work leave me gasping for air. I have always liked the thought of being able to make simple 3D jewelery but, come on, in peyote stitch.. no way, well here I am attempting to do just that. I dont sell the things I make I just love the challenge.
I will keep you posted how I get on with THE BOOK

At last I have got the BOOK

I received a book I had sent away for this morning. What a book! The title is Shaped Beadwork by Diane Fitzgerald. The book is all about peyote stitch. I never did get the art of this stitch . The illustrations are lovely and the photos of her work WELL Now! will I ever be able to make items like these?..
The book is like a continuous lesson it takes you from the simplest to what, to me, looks a lot more difficult. I have already started the triangle. I am going to try and make it 3D however we shall see.
As you can see I whipped up two sides of my tri-angle I will show you the finished article.Of course I have delved right in.