On
Tuesday, November 22, Beautiful Jewelry - Make It, Wear It will be
available on newsstands. This special issue is a joint venture with BeadStyle
and Art Jewelry magazines and showcases more than 40 designer projects
featuring today's hottest looks in fashion jewelry you can make yourself.
You'll find step-by-step instructions for projects in stringing, wirework,
stitching, metalwork, clays, and resin, along with tips and tricks from the
experts and product reviews. In addition, it also comes with a bonus DVD with
more than two hours of video content covering 25 techniques and three projects
that don't appear in the issue itself. Here
is a free project shown in Beautiful
Jewelry - Make It, Wear It on page 11.
"Birds of a
feather" necklace
Materials list
1-in. (2.5 cm) square glass dome (check bead shops, craft stores, or rubbernation.com)
1-2 g 11/0 seed beads (Miyuki 2006, matte metallic dark
bronze)
1-2 g 15/0 seed beads (Miyuki 2424, metallic dark gold)
1 x 1-in. (2.5 x 2.5 cm) MeTal patinated copper sheet
(Lillypilly Designs, lillypillydesigns.com)
2 4 mm jump rings
clasp
Fireline 6 lb. test
beading needles, #10
1 yd (.9 m) of 8-needle 4.8 mm flat SilverSilk, copper
(silversilkonline.com)
2 gold-plated 4.5
mm end-cord connectors (silversilkonline.com)
Collage sheet by Nunn Design (nunndesign.com)
Diamond Glaze
Mod Podge or another sealer
E6000 or other adhesive
Sharp kitchen scissors or tin snips
2 pairs of flatnose or chainnose pliers
Collage cabochon
1. Carefully cut out the desired collage image to fit the
glass dome.
2. To seal the image, apply a small amount of Mod Podge with
you finger, and let dry.
3. Coat the flat side of the dome with Diamond Glaze, and
press it over the image. Smooth out the back of the image, making sure there
are no bubbles, and let dry. Trim the edges.
4. With sharp kitchen scissors or tin snips, trim the patinated
copper sheet to fit the back of the glass dome. Apply a thin coat of E6000 or
other adhesive to the copper, press it onto the back of the dome, and let dry.
Bezel
1. On 2 yd. (1.8 cm) of Fireline, pick up four 11/0 seed
beads, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Tie the beads into a ring with a square knot.
Working in right-angle weave, make a strip long enough to fit
around the perimeter of the cabochon. For my bezel, the strip is 30 stitches long.
2. Add a second row of right-angle weave.
3. Wrap the strip around the cabochon, and join the ends: Pick
up an 11/0, sew through the corresponding 11/0 on the other end of the strip,
pick up an 11/0 and sew through the 11/0 your thread exited at the start of
this step and the next 11/0. Sew through the next end 11/0 in the previous row,
pick up an 11/0, and sew through the corresponding end 11/0. Retrace the thread
path to secure, and then sew through the beadwork to exit an edge 11/0 on the
back of the bezel.
4. Work a round of peyote stitch with 15/0 seed beads: Pick up a 15/0, and sew through the next 11/0 in the bezel. Repeat across the sides of the bezel. When you get to each corner, sew through two 11/0s in the bezel (figure 1), and then continue working in
peyote stitch as before. To get into position for the next round, step up by sewing through the first 15/0 added in this round.
5. Work a round of peyote stitch with 15/0s, but at each corner, pick
up three 15/0s, skip the next two 15/0s in the previous round, and sew through
the next 15/0 (figure 2). End and add thread as necessary. When you complete this round, sew
through the beadwork to exit an 11/0 on the front of the bezel.
6. Work a round of right-angle weave off of the front edge of the bezel using
15/0s. Keep a tight tension to secure the cabochon inside the bezel. End the
working thread and 6-in. (15 cm) tail.
Bail
1. Add 24 in. (61 cm) of Fireline in the beadwork at the
top of the cabochon. Working off the second-from-the-corner
right-angle weave unit in the first row of the bezel, use 11/0s to make a cubic right-angle weave rope
that is eight units long.
2. Bend the rope across the top of the bezel, and join it to
the second-from-the-corner right angle-weave unit on the other side of the
bezel. End the thread.
Assembly
1. Cut a piece of SilverSilk to the desired necklace length plus 2 in. (5 cm). Center the bail on the SilverSilk, and tie a lark's
head knot with the SilverSilk.
2. Insert one end of the SilverSilk into an end-cord connector,
and use flatnose pliers to gently close the connector over the end of the SilverSilk.
3. Open a jump ring, and attach the end-cord connector and
half of the clasp.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 on the other end of the necklace.