Welcome To My Ultimate Bead Party

Hello Ladies,
My name is Brenda. Welcome to my “Ultimate Bead Party.” I’m so glad that you could stop by and party with me. Virtual cocktails are being served at the bar along with a virtual picnic smorgasbord, and, virtual chocolates for dessert.

And, what would an ultimate bead party be with out beads?! I have a lovely selection of beads available so that you may sit back and create for yourself a fabulous piece of jewelry.

If you are not sure what to make, I can help you get started. I have designed 3 patterns for this party and you are welcome to use them. If you choose to use one or all of these patterns, I encourage you to put your own stamp on them. Do not feel that you have to use the colors that I chose. And, feel free to choose whatever size seed bead you would like to use. These patterns would look great beaded into earrings, pendants, book hook, or whatever your imagination may come up with.



If you would like a free copy of one or all of these patterns, email me at

beadbetweenthelines@hotmail.com

My patterns are copyrighted. So, the only thing that I ask is that you do not distribute the patterns themselves in any paper or electronic media form, as I claim distribution rights. If you know someone who would like to have a copy of any or all of these patterns, give him or her, my email address, and I will send out a copy of the pattern(s). You are more than welcome to sell any piece of beadwork that you create with my patterns. Just, please give me (Brenda Federighi) credit as the designer. Additionally, I would love to see a picture of what you have created using my design(s) so that I may share it on this blog.

As hostess of this party, I should tell you a little about myself. I am a self-confessed beadaholique who cannot go into a craft store or bead store without purchasing beads. You will find beads in every corner of my house. Be not alarmed if you walk out the door with a bead stuck to the bottom of your shoe. Hopefully when we move this summer, I will get a little more organized, but I highly doubt it. I firmly believe that beads have a mind of their own and like to invade the most unlikely of spaces.

Also, you might be interested to know that “Bead Between The Lines” is giving away a necklace as a prize during the “Ultimate Blog Party” event. Below is a picture of the necklace. I made it using the “coraling” beading technique.


So, thank you again for partying with me. You are welcome to come back at any time. Please leave me a comment telling me something about yourself along with a link to your blog so that I may come and party at your place.


I invite you to visit my picturetrail website “Bead Between The Lines.” You just might find something that you like or something that will inspire you. And, please, take a moment to sign my guestbook.
http://www.picturetrail.com/bead_between_the_lines

Angelina's 11th Birthday Present

My daughter Angelina will be 11 years old on March 20th. When she turned 9 yrs. old I made her a Daisy Chain bracelet. Last year, I made her a Very Pink Heart Pendant necklace. But, this year I had some trouble deciding what I should make for her. Since Angelina was born on the first day of Spring, I wanted her present to have a Spring theme. Inspiration hit as Angelina and I were watching the move, James And The Giant Peach. The ladybug was Angelina’s favorite character in the movie. So, I decided to create a Ladybug Pendant Necklace for her. And a ladybug fits right into the Spring theme.

I went to my computer and opened up my Beadesigner program. Then I sat down and created the Ladybug pattern for the necklace. I have to admit, the Ladybug in the movie was much cuter than the one that I designed for her necklace. However, I never claimed to be an artist. Here is a picture of the pattern that I made.


After creating and printing out the pattern, I realized that I only had 2 of the 7 colors of beads that I needed in my bead stash to make her necklace. A trip to the bead store was in order so that I could obtain the other five colors of beads necessary for me to create this necklace. So, I hopped on the bus and went to the bead store that is about 2 miles away from my house. At the bead store, I chose five tubes of size 8/0 beads, paid for them, and hopped on the bus for the return trip home.

When I got home I immediately began to work on her necklace. Unfortunately, I caught a bad cold. So I was only able to bead in between the breaks of sneezing fits and watery eyes. It took me 3 day to create her necklace because of my cold. But, all things considered I think her necklace turned out rather well and I am excited about giving it to her for her birthday. Below is a picture of the finished necklace.





I invite you to visit my picturetrail website “Bead Between The Lines.” You just might find something that you like, or something that will inspire you.

http://www.picturetrail.com/bead_bead_between_the_lines

I am also on myspace

http://www.myspace.com/beadbetweenthelines

Learning Herringbone Stitch

One of my beading related New Years resolutions was to learn “herringbone stitch", also called “Nbedele.” So, since I am dyslexic finding a tutorial with good graphics and clearly written instructions is essential for me. So after googling “herringbone stitch” I found a wonderful tutorial for “flat herringbone stitch" on Billie Sanchez’s site, Wicked Oak Designs. So, I downloaded and printed a copy of Billie’s tutorial and proceeded to learn “flat herringbone stitch".

When learning a new bead weaving stitch, I like to use the larger size 6/0 seed beads for my practice piece. These beads are easier to see, and have larger holes than the smaller size 10/0 and 11/0 seed beads. After beading about five inches of my practice piece, with some trial and error, I felt like I had a feel for the stitch. I was ready to try creating a “herringbone stitch” bracelet.

For my bracelet I chose 2 colors of size 8/0 seed beads, color lined crystal copper and color lined amethyst copper ab (aurora borealis). The size 8/0 gave the bracelet a marvelous texture. I used the color lined crystal copper to create a toggle clasp and loop closure. Here is a picture of my first “herringbone stitch” bracelet.

I am very pleased with how this bracelet turned out, even though it is just a little bit too big on my wrist, although, it fits my neighbor’s wrist perfectly. And, she has been dropping broad hints about her upcoming birthday.

After finishing this bracelet, I also created 2 more bracelets using a variation of the “herringbone stitch." One bracelet was made using size pink 8/0 seed beads and size 10/0 cream seed beads. The other bracelet was created using size 8/0 yellow, orange and 10/0 cream seed beads. These two bracelets can be seen on my picturetrail website. They are located in the bracelet album and are labeled as “Cotton Candy” and “Florida Citrus”

So, I would like to thank Billie Sanchez for creating and offering this tutorial free of charge and I think that I am now ready to tackle “tubular herringbone stitch. If you are interested in learning “herringbone stitch, I highly recommend Billie’s “herringbone stitch” tutorial. You can find this tutorial on her website, Wicked Oak Designs. Billie also has lots of other beading -related goodies available on her site.

Wicked Oak Designs
http://www.wickedoakdesigns/

I invite you to visit my picturetrail website, “Bead Between The Lines.” You just might find something that you like or something that will inspire you. And, please, take a moment to sign my guestbook.

http://www.picturetrail.com/bead_between_the_lines

I am, also, on myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/beadbetweenthelines

Beading With Angelina

The other day I went into the craft store to purchase some yarn so that I can make a hat and scarf for my son. So, of course, being a self confessed beadaholic, I did not pass up the opportunity to peruse the craft store’s selection of beads. While debating with my self whether or not I wanted to spend the money on a strand of ridiculously over priced glass beads (for which I had no clear idea as what to make with them), Angelina said to me, “Mother, I want to bead too.”

I looked down at her, smiled, abandoned the string of ridiculously over priced beads and said to her, “Alright lets go get you some beads.” Angie picked out a large bag of multi-shaped and brightly colored plastic beads and some clear plastic cord in which to string them on. Angie had a huge grin on her face and hugged her beads tightly to her chest as we made our way to the check out line.

When we got home I poured the beads into a bowl, cut a long length of plastic cord, added a stopper bead to the end of the cord, and gave her the bead bowl and prepped plastic cord. She went into her bedroom with her beading supplies, sat down on her bed, and began to string the beads on the cord. I grabbed my current beading project and joined her in her room and, also, began to bead.

As we sat together and beaded, I found myself more engrossed in watching her string beads, than working on my own project. At first, it seemed as though she picked out and strung the beads on the cord at random. There didn’t seem to be any type of color pattern or particular bead shape pattern. I thought that she was creating a sort of freeform necklace. But as I watched her more closely, I saw that before she added a bead to the cord she would rub it between her fingers. Then she would decide if the bead would be strung on the necklace or would be put back into the bowl in favor of a different bead. It was then that I realized that she was choosing the beads that she would string by their texture.

If you are unfamiliar with Autism, this probably doesn’t make much sense. Many autistic individual, Angelina included, are very tactile sensitive. There are textures that feel good to them as well as textures they can’t tolerate the feel of. That is why it is not surprising that she would choose the beads for her necklace based on their different textures.

When she was finished, I tied the knot for her, buried the ends of the cord inside the beads, and cut off the excess cord. Angie then asked for a second piece of plastic cord to be cut for her so that she could create another necklace. Angie beaded 2 brightly colored, multi-textured necklaces. She was very proud of her work and so am I. She kept one necklace for herself and gave the other one to me. The necklace she made for me is the best present that anyone has ever given me!!!





I invite you to visit my picturetrail website, “Bead Between The Lines.” I recently added pictures of several necklaces and chokers that I have created. You just might find something that you like or something that will inspire you. And please, take a moment to sign my guestbook


http://www.picturetrail.com/bead_between_the_lines

I am also on myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/beadbetweenthelines

Beading Threads

When I first started beading, (a long time ago) beaders were fairly limited in the selection of thread choices used to string or weave beads. Because cottons thread deteriorate, break, or mold and mildew, beaders commonly used nylon thread or, believe it or not, dental floss as their beading medium. But as times have evolved, so have our selection of beading threads. Today there are many types of threads that are used and are quite suitable for beading. Here is a list of a just a few of them…

Salamide is an all purpose beading thread. It is twisted and pre-waxed. Salamide comes in a variety of colors. I have tried using Salamide on several occasions, and I personally do not care for it. For me, it was hard to thread, tangled, and broke too easily. However, many beaders swear by this thread and won’t use anything else.

Nylon Coated Beading Wire is a great choice for bead stringing. The wire is very strong. You can easily tie knots with it. The wire also comes in many varying sizes or gauges depending on the weight and type of beads you are using.

Stretchy Cord is another great stringing material, especially if you do not want to use clasps. Stretchy cord is thin and flexible enough to stretch over your wrist for a bracelet, your neck for a necklace, and even your ankles, for an ankle bracelet. The ends tie easy and are fairly easy to hide when you tuck them into your beadwork. Stretch cord is also great to use when you create a gift for a child. No complicated clasps for the child to have to fasten. Stretchy cord is also a great first beading medium if a child is interested in learning how to string beads

100% Polyester Thread that is sold in the notions department in any sewing or fabric store is a great choice for bead crochet. This thread makes lovely soft crochet ropes. It is strong, difficult to break, and comes in a variety of colors. And, because polyester threads do not break easily or mildew, polyester thread is a good choice for warping a beading loom.

69 Weight Upholstery Thread is also excellent for bead crochet. It works well with size 11/0, 10/0, 8/0, and 6/0 seed beads. This is also a good thread to use when creating netting stitch beadwork or loom work.

Kevlar Thread, yes the type of thread that is used to make Kevlar vest, is another thread that is used in some types of beading. Kevlar is strong and durable, but does have it’s drawbacks as a beading thread. For one, it has a bad reaction when exposed to UV light. Over exposure to sunlight can reduce the strength of your thread. I would not recommend it for use in beaded jewelry because the thread tends to breakdown when exposed to skin. This thread does not knot well either. Beaders tend to use this thread mainly for bead appliqué that does not involve direct skin contact, such as an appliqué on a purse. It is also often used for tapestries but said tapestries should not be hung in direct sunlight.

DandyLine is a new beading thread from Beadalon. I have a spool, but have, as yet, not used any of it. It is suppose to be as strong as the GSP fishing lines. But, DandyLine is a soft unlike the GSP fishing lines which are stiffer. I have only seen this thread in the colors of white and black, but it probably comes in other colors. Dandyline was created specifically for beading and it is also water proof. I am looking forward to trying out this product, and if I like it, I will most probably right a blog post about his thread.

PowerPro is a GSP braided fishing line. PowerPro is very strong and is great for beading. It comes in various thicknesses and weights (test is the official term used on the packaging). You can buy PowerPro at almost any sporting goods supply store that sell fishing tackle. I have also seen reels for sale at K-mart. PowerPro is available in 3 different colors, moss green, hi-vis-yellow, and white.

Fireline is also a GSP braided fishing line used by beaders. It is also very strong and comes in various test sizes. You can purchase Fireline, also, at almost any sporting goods store that sells fishing tackle. I have also purchased reels of Fireline at K-mart. Fireline is one of my preferred beading mediums. I usually use 4, 6, 8, and sometimes 10 lb test. It just depends on the project that I happen to be working on. The colors of Fireline that I purchase are smoke gray, and crystal. I have also seen it at K-mart in pink and a sort of lime green but have not purchased those colors.

Nymo is my current other preferred beading medium. It is a non twisted fiber. It is easy to thread and fairly strong. You can purchase nymo thread in small bobbins or large spindals. It comes in a rainbow variety of colors. The 3 biggest drawbacks to nymo are that it stretches while you are beading, so pre-stretching your thread is definitely recommended. The other drawback is that the thread does tend to fray if you have to repeatedly fix mistakes in your beadwork. So when the thread does start to fray, I recommend tying off and weaving in a new length of thread in order to continue your beadwork project. The 3rd drawback is that nymo is not waterproof. So you do not want to get any beadwork made with nymo wet. Nymo thread comes in various thicknesses, E, D, C, B, A, 0, 00. E is the thickest thread size on down to 00 which is the thinnest.

There are many more types of thread that are used for beading. The ones listed above are just the ones that I am most familiar with. But as you can now see the choices for beading thread has come a long way from the days when beaders used dental floss. Beaders are now able to retire the dental floss as a beading medium and now it can go back to its original purpose, flossing our teeth.

I invite you to visit my picturetrails website “Bead Between The Lines.” You just might find something there that you like or something that will inspire you. And, please, take a moment to sign my guestbook.

http://www.picturetrail.com/bead_between_the_lines

I am also on now on myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/beadbetweenthelines

Happy New Year: New Years Resolution For 2009

Happy New Year Everyone! 2008 held a lot of changes for me. Some good and some bad, but every change was a learning experience. And I hope those learning experiences both the positive and negative have helped to shape me into a better person. I am now ready and happily anticipating all the learning experiences that this new year, 2009 will have to offer, especially those learning experiences in regards to beading.

One of the best beading learning experiences of 2008 was learning how to use my new digital camera. My first beading pictures were blurry, fuzzy and pretty out of focus. But over time, and with the help of some very nice beaders who have been giving me beading photography advice, my beading photos have greatly improved. I am still in the process of editing my pictures, but I hope to have nice images of all the new necklaces that I have created on my picturetrail site by next week.

I also experimented and learned a few new beading techniques. I am currently working on learning herringbone stitch. As soon as I have the stitch mastered I plan to make a choker and bracelet set using this stitch. Learning Russian Spiral stitch is also on my "bead learning to do list"

Unfortunately, due to illnesses and just busy circumstances, during the last half of the year 2008 I only posted 2 beading blog entries. So this being the case, I have made it one of my new years resolutions to update my bead blog on a regular basis. My goal is to have at least 2 beading blog entries a month. I do not thing this is an unreasonable goal. After all, there is so many interesting and informative beadwork topics to blog about. I also plan to share some of my original beadweaving patterns free with all of my beady friends out there in blog land.

With my new bead goals and objectives in mind. I eagerly look forward to all the new beading challenges and experiences that this year, 2009, will have to offer. I wish everyone a Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!!

I invite you to visit my picturetrails website, "Bead Between The Lines." You just might find someting that you like or something that inspires you. And please, while you are there, take a moment to sign my guestbook.

http://www.picturetrail.com/bead_between_the_lines.

I am now on myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/beadbetweenthelines

Back To My Beading Blog After A Nearly 4 ½ Months Leave Of Absence

After my post regarding my bracelet collection, I took a long hiatus from blogging. Even though I have sold several bracelets (customized bracelets and a couple of pairs of earrings too) since my last post, I also decided to cut back on beading in favor of devoting more time and attention to other aspects of my life, being the most important aspect, my autistic daughter, Angelina.

Angelina is the light of my life and the center of my world. And, even though she is autistic, Angelina is very loving and very funny. I spent much of the summer months going places with her, playing with her, and just taking the time to get to know her better. Our time together also renewed my appreciation for her and the struggles that she has in her life.

Our summer together flew by very fast. Angelina loves school. She was very excited to be going back. She had missed her friends and her school day routine. I, on the other hand, was not as excited about school resuming for Angelina. I have to admit that it was with some sadness that I put her on the bus and waved good-bye to her on her first day back at school.

So, now she is back in school and I am back to beading nearly every day. I have created several beautiful necklaces and chokers. I am also in the process of learning how to use my new digital camera. I hope to have pictures of my latest creations posted on my picturetrail site very soon. I have also been working on creating a website and will soon have a Blujay store.

I must admit, over the past several months I have come to see that my life is truly blessed. I have a beautiful daughter that I love with all my heart, and I have been blessed with the ability to express myself through my beadwork.



I invite you to visit my picturetrails website, “Bead Between The Lines.” You just might find something that you like, or something that inspires you!! And while you are there, please, take a moment to sign my guestbook

http://www.picturetrail.com/bead_between_the_lines