beading – Ornamento

Beading from Wolf Hall

By: ornamento.blog January 7, 2021January 6, 2021

Art, beads, Personal History, Right Angle WeaveArt, beading, Renaissance Jewelry, Wold Hall2 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of reading during the Pandemic. I’m currently working my way through Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, a book I heartily recommend. It takes place during the reign of Henry VIII and focuses on the life and career of Thomas Cromwell, one of his closest advisors. I’ve written before how I find distasteful (!) many of the aspects of the Elizabethan world. (Although I am also working on family genealogy and learning a little about what life was like for some of my ancestors who lived through it.) Let’s just say that religious fanaticism is nothing new and leave it at that.

I’ve gotten to the part in the book where Anne Boleyn becomes queen. The book concentrates more on the history and personalities and does not contain detailed descriptions of clothing and jewelry. Still, there are some and it got me to thinking and I pulled out some of my unfinished bead design projects. I was trying to design a necklace as a surprise afor a person (who I considered a part of my funky extended family) who loved Renaissance Fairs and was also into beading. But she died unexpectedly and I put the project on mothballs.

Maybe I’ll take it up again. Many of the pieces use cubic right angle weave, a stitch that was very hot at the time. I also love cross-weave beading (right angle weave is but one form of this) and was experimenting with that stitch as well. Here are some pictures. Rest easy Wendy and thanks for inspiring me.

Back to Beading

By: ornamento.blog December 13, 2018

Art, beading, DIY Bead on it Board, seed beadingArt, beading, Geometric Beadwork, JeanPower, KateMcKinnonLeave a Comment

I’ve spent more time sitting lately which gives me the excuse I’ve been looking for to crack open the Delicas and tackle geometric seed beading for the first time. A year of ignoring pain will give you a nasty case of tendonitis. And while I may never run another marathon, I never ran one before I donned the knee brace and that’s something.

My friend Ellen gave me a copy of Jean Power’s Geometric Beadwork, Volume 2. I had already salivated over Beading Yoda’s geometric beadwork interpretations and was ready to try some of my own. I bought the last copy of Kate McKinnon’s Contemporary Geometric Beadwork Vol.1 at Blue Santa Beads. I had already watched most of the videos from Kate McKinnon’s Contemporary Geometric Beadwork channel on YouTube, but reading the book helped make them crystal clear.

This small pagoda bracelet was fun to make. I like the idea of adding bead increases to a simple peyote stitch and watching the beads take on a sculptural shape.

The zigzag motif is a bit more challenging if only because of the sizing issue. How many beads to string to make a bracelet to fit your wrist?

McKinnon suggests that if you make something the wrong size, you can try tailoring it into a new design which is what I did here.

But Jean Power solved the sizing problem for me with the suggestions she gives in Volume 1 of her book which arrived at my door a few days ago. Here’s what I’m working on now:

I love McKinnon’s books AND Power’s books. You need all of them because if McKinnon does not answer a question, Power will and vice versa. And there is plenty of free information on YouTube and the Contemporary Geometric Beadwork Blog.

And I made myself two bead-on-it boards! I looked all over for instructions. There is a tutorial on YouTube that uses hot glue. I tried it and could not for the life of me make a board that did not look like a piece of, well you know what. Lumpy and sloppy. Who wants to bead on something like that? Then I found the video I link to below. I resisted watching it at first because it is more than two hours long. But it’s so long because the makers show the assembly of one of their boards from beginning to end-every nail driven and every staple stapled (including the ones they pull out and do over). But you can fast forward through all of that and learn how to make yourself a nice beading surface.

Say It with Beaded Flowers

By: ornamento.blog September 27, 2018September 26, 2018

Art, beading, Geometric Beadwork, Jeri Schatz, seed beadingArt, beading, Contemporary Geometric Beadwork, jeri schatzLeave a Comment

This week, more work from Beading Yoda. Lovely beaded flowers.

Colorful Herringbone

And bracelets inspired by Contemporary Geometric Beadwork.

I’ve started beading again after a long absence. I dug out my Delicas and treated myself to copies of Kate McKinnon’s Contemporary Geometric Beadwork, Vol. I and II. Then a friend gave me a copy of Jean Power’s Contemporary Geometric Beadwork Volume 2. I’ll have plenty to keep me busy. I’ll keep you posted.

New Work from the Beading Yoda

By: ornamento.blog April 26, 2018April 25, 2018

Art, beading, beads, Bracelets, Jewelry Studio, Studio TourArt, beading, jeri schatz, PhiladelphiaLeave a Comment

I dropped in on my friend and neighbor Jeri Schatz (AKA Beading Yoda) to show her the rings I have been making and to get some tips and constructive criticism. (Jeri studied goldsmithing at the Kulicke-Stark Academy in New York and served an apprenticeship there before she moved to Philadelphia and began beading.) After we were finished, I asked her t what she was working on, and she took down to beading central so I could see for myself.

BeadingTable

The Beading Table

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Beaded Beads

Bracelets

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Super Duos combined with seed beads

Multi-layered Geometric Bracelet

Hands

InProgress

New necklace design

LacyBracelet

A geometric bracelet that moves wonderfully when you wear it.

Sampling

Geometric, Herringbone, and Peyote

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More bracelets with Super Duo beads, triangles, bars and seed beads.

Huichol Beadwork

By: ornamento.blog January 28, 2016January 27, 2016

ArtArt, beading, Huichol beadwork, Puerta Vallarta, TravelLeave a Comment

Rolling Stones is a leather goods store in Puerto Vallarta For years, the owner has given space in the store to a family of the Huichol Tribe where they make and sell their beadwork. I was familiar with Huichol beaded objects where they embed seed beads in wax and in fact purchased a turtle figurine on my last trip to Puerto Vallarta. But I was not familiar with their other beadwork until I dropped into Rolling Stones with some friends. Here are some earrings I bought as gifts.

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If you are in Puerto Vallarta, stop by Rolling Stones leather for some fabulous leather bargains and to see the Huichol Beadwork. Rolling Stones is located at Paseo Diaz Ordaz 802, Puerto Vallarta 48300, Mexico.

Beaded Bezel Frenzy!!!!!

By: ornamento.blog July 16, 2015July 15, 2015

Art, beadingArt, beaded bezels, beading, fused glass2 Comments

You might or might not remember my previous posts on fusing glass cabochons using ugly beads and scraps. So what do you do with all those tasty glass baubles? One thing you can do it surround them with beaded bezels. And since every cabochon is different, every bezel has to be different right?

I used right angle weave stitch along with peyote, some netting and some herringbone.

I used Delicas and Japanese and Czech seed beads seed beads in sizes 0/15 to 0/6.

I had a lot of fun with the beaded drops.

I kept adding beads until I liked what I saw. I didn’t use any patterns.

I didn’t bead on a surface; all of the beaded bezels are open

This one is fit for a queen!

While I didn’t bead a bezel for every cabochon I had fused, I have an awful lot of these babies. They are now cozying up to one another on my beading table until I decide what do do with them. Which is got I got into this mess in the first place!

Bead Shopping in Portland

By: ornamento.blog June 4, 2015June 2, 2015

Art, beading, Portland Oregon, TravelBead Stores, beading, Beads, Dava Beads, Portland Oregon TravelLeave a Comment

Stores like Dava Beads in Portland Oregon are hard to find these days. It’s a full service, generously-stocked bead shop.

Sunny and inviting and scads of beads- something for every one and every budget. And classes and books and magazines and a friendly knowledgeable staff. What more could you want? Classes? They have those. A few good restaurants within walking distance? They have those too.

I found plenty of different sized needles there including size 13s

You can get Delicas and Charlottes and they have a respectable selection of 15/0 beads

You can buy in bulk. There are 11/0 Czech beads

And antique and vintage buttons.

I’m sure that the stock has changed since the last time I was there. All the better! Portland is a great city for walking, dining and bookstores! And Dava Beads.

Joyce Scott Exhibit: Maryland to Murano

By: ornamento.blog April 16, 2015April 13, 2015

Artbeading, craft in america, glass blowing, Joyce Scott, Murano, narrative, QuiltingLeave a Comment

I was fortunate to be in New York City at the same time an exhibit of Joyce Scott’s work was on display at the Museum of Art and Design.
Part retrospective and part new work, Maryland to Murano included Scott’s work from the 1990’s and newer work including some breathtaking glass pieces she created on the island of Murano with the help of the resident artisans.

Scott is a story teller and and she uses beads to convey her message the way a writer uses words or a dancer uses gestures.

Or the way a quilt maker uses fabric! Think about it. Scott’s Mother, Elizabeth Talford Scott, was a quilt maker whose fabric compositions were rich with narrative and personal and historical references. The cultural and familial influences definitely carried over from Mother to Daughter.

So why did Joyce Scott go to Murano? The exhibition catalog says that Scott did glass blowing at Pilchuck, Haystack Mountain School of Craft and Penland, and that her three dimensional bead work continued to increase in size. I suppose a stint in Murano was the next step. Scott has always stuck me as an artist looking to push in new directions. She seems fearless.

The work she produced in Murano is was not like anything I have seen before. Take a look at Buddha. The black and white of the face appears to be melted beads, The outer bead work is textural. The rest of the piece is blown glass. It is slightly larger than life sized and I could not take my eyes off of it.

Fortunately for us, we can see Scott talk about her work her influences and watch her in the process of creating similar pieces on this video clip from the PBS Series Craft in America

Here are some more pictures from the exhibition

My Bead Soup Arrived!!!

By: ornamento.blog March 20, 2014March 15, 2014

Art, Bead Soup Blog Hop, Design, inspiration, MaterialsArt, Bead Soup Blog Hop, beading, creativity, inspiration1 Comment

My partner is Marta Grabalowska who recently moved from Krakow to the US!
Her blogs are http://galeriakota.blogspot.com/ (in Polish) and http://wilkmademe.tumblr.com/ (English version). Marta’s work is different from mine. For one thing, she makes Soutache jewelry and I have never tried the technique. She sent me some pretty soutache cord and a lovely pair of soutach earrings along with lots of pretty beads. I’m looking forward to digging in; here are some pictures of what she sent me. The first one is the focal and clasp.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I sent Marta. I etched some copper for the focal and made the clasp too. I included some of my lamp worked beads and had a good time rooting around my stash for the rest of the beads. I can’t wait to see what my partner makes with them.

MyBeadsa

Black and White with a Hint of Red: Beading On The Diagonal

By: ornamento.blog August 29, 2013August 29, 2013

Art, beading, Hand Made, Jeri Schatz, Philadelphiabeading, beading classes, jeri schatz1 Comment

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Beading Yoda Jeri Schatz is at it again, this time with a quirky, funky bracelet design

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Black and white diagonal stripes with just a hint of red.

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Jeri finishes off the diagonal portion of the bracelet with herringbone worked in 15/0 seed beads.

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The snap closure is easy to fasten and virtually invisible.

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Jeri teaches beading locally at The Bead Garden and she also does custom orders. If you want to inquire about classes or custom work, leave a comment and I will pass it on to her.