Tutorial: Pen Wrap (Pilot G2 with Delicas)

Pen wraps are a new found love of mine!  I think they look really good and make lovely gifts.  Who doesn't need a nice pen?

Begin by creating a piece of peyote beadwork using Miyuki size 11 delicas.  It should be 44 columns across and 21 rows deep.  Leave one working thread and finish all other threads off.

Pilot G2 pens are great for this and widely used by beaders.  

The pens are refillable and because they unscrew to allow a refill to be put inside, it also allows for the pen wrap to be slid off if necessary.  

The pen wrap sits on the clear section of the barrel of the pen and must be slid under the clip.

Position the wrap so the two sides of the wrap that will be zipped together are on the opposite side of the pen to the clip.

The two sides of the pen wrap must now be zipped together to form a tube of beadwork on the pen.  The pink dot shows the bead that the working thread exits from, before beginning zipping it up.  Thread through the high bead on the other side of the join.

Take the thread back across the join and through the next high bead.

Keep going, zig zagging across the gap, pulling tight so that the beads mesh together, so no join is visible.

Weave the working thread away and finish it off in your normal way.  It can be tricky weaving through as there is not much give between beads once the pen wrap is tight to the pen, but it is possible to wiggle through.  You can angle beads a little to create gaps.

Finished Pen Wrap!

Inspiration: Skull and Crossbones

In the UK, the skull and crossbones is also known as the Jolly Roger and was used as a flag to show when a pirate ship was about to attack.  The ships would fly false flags as they pursued their prey and then hoist the jolly roger as they were about to attack.  It was an offense to even own a jolly roger flag, so only lawless pirates would dare.

It seems though that Jolly Roger may have originally been a generic term for pirate flags and may have originally been Joli Rouge and actually referred to the blood flag, a plain red flag used by French privateers.

Some sources say that quarter would be given when a flag with a black background was used, but no quarter when a red flag was flown.  Those that surrendered under a black flag would be spared and allowed to live.

While the skull and crossbones go back to the 1700s, the variety of designs of pirate flags was much wider.  Hourglasses symbolising death and cutlasses were common, along with the long bones and skulls we are used to.

Pirates are strongly associated with Cornwall, where I live.  Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, 'the Pirates of Penzance' means that in the public mind, Penzance is especially pirate like.  Penzance is a town situated along the coast of Mounts Bay, along with Mousehole (home of the infamous Mousehole Cat, star of a children's book); Newlyn (still a thriving fishing port) and Marazion (a beautiful ancient town connected to St Michael's Mount by a causeway at low tide).  We even have a rugby team called the Cornish Pirates.

There is a world record for the largest number of people dressed as pirates in one place and Penzance has tried to get the record twice now and come nail bitingly close both times.  I was there the second time with some family members.  It was great fun to go and dress up as pirates and see everyone's costumes.  Some of my pirate things have become permanent home decor.  I have a wolf's head sculpture which wears my tricorn hat and a jolly roger sits on the table with our TV on.  There is something so romantic and exciting about pirates, even if the truth was very different!

Pirate John 'Eyebrow' Thomas was believed to be a pirate who lived in Marazion and his grave is now a minor tourist attraction in it's own right, featured on tripadvisor.  After his death, Marazion church refused to bury him and so he is buried in the churchyard of the nearby village of Gulval instead.  Cornish Bird Blog explores the story further and it ends up being more of a mystery...  It's not clear if he was a pirate, or maybe a privateer.  Certainly his gravestone features the skull and crossbones.

Cornwall was generally well known for it's pirates and smugglers.  With 400 miles of coast riddled with rocky little coves, there were numerous spots to land illicit goods or treacherous rocks to lure unsuspecting ships on to.  It was such an issue that coastguards created a path along the entire coast so that they could move quickly to intercept illicit goings on.  This path has seen many uses since and is now the South West Coastal Path and draws many tourists to the area and gives access to the entirety of the Cornish coastline.

This is a link to my Pirate Pinterest Board!

Tutorial: Button Clasp (two hole button with holes smaller than 1.5mm)

 

Complete the bracelet so that it is the required length of the completed bracelet, minus about 5mm.  Weave any loose ends into the beadwork and finish as you normally would for your choice of thread.  Remove all loose threads.

I like to place a bead between each button hole and the beadwork.  These stalks mean that the button sits flatter when the loop is round it and the loop is in contact with the beads, not rubbing against the bare thread that secures the button to the beadwork.  

The beads have to be larger than the holes in the button.  In this case, the holes are too small for size 15s to fit through and either size 11's or 8's would be perfect.  Size 15's would not allow sufficient gap between the beadwork and the button.  I will refer to this bead as the between bead.

Take the button and place it over the beadwork and decide on a suitable placement.  It should not be right at the edge of the beadwork.  I like to position it so that some rows of beads are visible between the end of the button and the end of the beadwork.

Rotate the button a little.  While it is good to have the holes situated parallel to the end of the beadwork so the loop rests on them equally, this would mean that the button is attached to one row of the bracelet. I prefer to rotate the button so the holes are off vertical as shown in the diagram below. 

Refine the position of the button so that the holes are better situated over individual beads within the beadwork.  In this instance, I moved the button up slightly.

The holes are now situated over the peyote beads marked red and blue.  

Add in a new thread in your usual way and stitch to and then through the red bead.

Stitch up through the between bead and the hole of the button.

Then stitch through the other button hole, down through the second between bead, then through the blue bead.

Stitch away from the blue bead then back round to the other side of the blue bead and then through.  This anchors the button to the beadwork as a whole, rather than to just one bead.

Stitch up through the between bead and the button hole.

Stitch back down through the other button hole, then through the other between bead then through the red bead.

Stitch away from the red bead, then back towards the red bead.  This time though, you want to pass through the red bead from the other direction.

Take the thread back up through the between bead and the button hole.

You can take the thread through the button as many times as you want.  The beadwork can get quite tight so there is a limit to how many times you can take the thread through the red and blue beads.  I use 6lb fireline which is pretty tough so the button will be strongly attached with very few passes of the thread.

Bear in mind that in order to pull evenly on the red and blue beads, you want the thread to exit the bead and go through the between bead from both sides.  This will help the between bead sit over either the red or blue bead.

Also there are four beads adjacent to both the red and the blue bead that the thread passes from, vary the thread path so the button is anchored via each of theses beads.

On the last pass of the thread through the button, use some size 15 seed beads to cover the visible thread.  Bring the thread up through the between bead and then the button hole and then pick up the size 15 beads before bringing the thread through the other button hole and the other between bead.

Size 15 crystal beads work well for covering the button thread.  Matching the peyote beadwork is another option or you can match the button to make the 15s less visible.

The number of 15s to use depends on the gap between the two button holes.  You do not want to use too many as this will make the thread loose over the top. It's better to use one less than have the thread loose.

Once finished, thread through the beadwork and finish the thread in your normal way.

The clasp requires a loop to be complete and as there are different styles of loop and these can be used for a number of different clasps, they are covered in separate tutorials.  

These currently include:

Wide Simple Loop

Inspiration: Christmas Tartan

 I don't know why, but Christmas and tartan are connected in my head.  Not all tartans, obviously, some are just the wrong colours.... Maybe it's the thought of tartan blankets.  Nice warm woolly tartan things.

I am not the only one, if you search Christmas Tartan online, there will a wealth of results.  There is even a Christmas Tartan which has been registered and the copyright is held by Tartans 4 Africa.  The registration states that the green is for Frankincense, red for Myrrh, yellow for gold and kingship.

Tartans used for Christmas decorations and clothing are generally red and green with some black.  The one I put together for this bracelet and brooch is red and green with black, but it also has white and gold.  To me, red and green reminds me of Holly.

White is very Christmasy.  It's the old myth of a white Christmas.  I know plenty of places have white Christmas every year, but where I live, it's extremely unlikely!  Even so, Christmas images always have snow.

Gold and red are often paired together in Christmas colour schemes, they just go so well and I really love the contrast of it in this tartan.

I think another reason tartans of these colours remind me of Christmas is Shortbread.  Every Christmas, my Gran would come and stay for a few nights, even though she only lived a few minutes away.  There were certain treats that appeared every Christmas with her.  Newberry Fruits by Meltis were sugar covered fruit jellies with a little sweet liquid in the middle.  Chocolate covered brazil nuts and Shortbread....  The shortbread always came in a red tartan tin.

If you want to look at my Christmas Tartan pinterest board, you can!

Tutorial: Simple Wide Loop

Loops are useful in forming a clasp and there are different styles.  When creating a clasp with a button, I often like to use a wide loop that attaches to the beadwork with roughly the same distance between the two anchor points as the diameter of the button.  This makes the clasp less fiddly to do up and undo.  

It is only suitable for use where it is intended that the bracelet is work tight to the wrist.  If the bracelet is not worn in this way, the wide loop will mean the clasp is likely to become undone unintentionally.

You can experiment with the colours of the loop to match your beadwork, or just choose one colour.

Firstly, identify the anchor columns of the beadwork, shown as blue and red. These columns should be the two outer columns of the beadwork that have their full width underneath the button.

This will enable you to identify the position of the red and blue beads shown below, which are the key points at which the loop is anchored.

Add a new thread in your usual way and stitch through to the red bead from the edge of the beadwork.

Add beads to the correct length for the loop.  This is likely to require a little experimentation.  I like to leave a small gap between the two ends of the beadwork of about 5mm.  These allow the ends of the beadwork to be pushed together when loosening the clasp so the loop can be removed from around the button.  Leave this gap when calculating the right number of beads to add and also account for the fact it will go under the bead.

Once you have the appropriate number of beads, you need to attach the other end of the loop.  Don't stitch through the blue bead however, stitch into the bead highlighted green.  The bead highlighted blue is not a high bead at the end of the beadwork, so the last bead of the loop, highlighted light blue will actually become a high bead on top of the blue bead.  Stitch round  so that you pass through the yellow bead.

Take the thread through the light blue bead in the opposite direction to before, so that the bead is pulled into the gap between the two high beads of the peyote bracelet.  Then stitch through all the beads of the loop.  Previous bead path is shown in grey now.

Stitch through the red bead in the opposite direction.  Then you can either stitch round and go through all the beads in the loop again, or you can stitch away then finish your thread.

This loop can be created as one half of several types of clasps.  I like to pair it with buttons and will be releasing a number of tutorials for attaching buttons to beadwork.

Inspiration: Neon Strip

 

This design reminds me of the Vegas Strip, not that I have ever been there, but it's so iconic.  All those bright lights in the dark of the desert, so bright, it can be seen from space.

Things have changed though and my view is out of date.  Lighting has changed....  The lights are LED now, not neon.  Most of the big hotels are big on sustainability, using solar arrays to power the lights.  Las Vegas is still the neon capital of the world though!

Las Vegas has it's very own Neon Museum.  The Neon Boneyard is part of the museum but can only be accessed via a guided tour.  It was setup to keep save the oldest neon signs of Vegas, to ensure icons were not lost.  Over 150 signs have been preserved though the exhibit still includes broken glass.  If you go at night, there is a show called Brilliant which uses projectors to show how some of the signs would have looked if they still worked.  The Museum also works to maintain some of the neon signs that remain on the strip.

Neon lights work by trapping gases, not just neon, in a glass tube.  High voltages are applied across the tube by attaching electrodes to each end.  This electricity makes the gas light up because the electricity causes the gas to ionize, because it becomes charged and releases electrons.  Neon gives an orange glow, while Hydrogen glows red, Helium yellow, Carbon Dioxide white and Mercury blue.

When a substance emits light it is known as fluorescent and this phenomenon was first exploited for magic tricks but fluorescent materials were developed for the military.  Fluorescent printing inks became available in the 1950's and caused a stir with some feeling them vulgar.  The 60s claimed these colours and psychedelia was born.  Although the first highlighter pen became available in the early 60s, it was not until 1971 that Stabilo Boss released it's first highlighter and in 2011, 60 million are still produced each year.

My Dad was a printer and stationer. Whenever we visited the factory, looking in his stationery cupboard was my favourite thing, to see what new delights he had that I absolutely needed.  I remember the yellow Stabilo Boss highlighters and the increasing number of colours.  Fluorescent materials are hugely important in Personal Protective Equipment and I have certainly had fluorescent work clothing.  Fitness clothing also draws on it to keep people safe as they exercise in the dark.  I adore that new reflective white that has become common.

I wish Miyuki did beads that were really fluorescent but this must be a really different thing to achieve in a tiny glass bead.  The neon and luminous colours are the closest we get and they really do add a bright pop!

Neon Strip is now available in my etsy shop and at GJ Beads.

If you want to look at my inspirations for this post, you can look at my pinterest board.

Tutorial: Toggle Clasp #3

Weave any loose ends into the beadwork and finish as you normally would for your choice of thread.  Do not remove the final working thread from the beadwork at this point, in case you need to adjust the bracelet length.

This toggle clasp uses little peyote stalks that then attach to the clasp.  There are different methods of fastening the peyote stalks, depending on whether the attachment ring on the toggle is perpendicular or in line with the clasp.  This tutorial shows both methods as the toggle and ring are connected to the peyote stalks in different ways.  One attachment ring was too small for size 11 beads and so size 15's were also used.  Use this variety of techniques to fit the toggle clasp you have.

It anchors to the beadwork from the two central beads on the end of the beadwork.  I like to finish the existing thread and begin a new thread for the clasp.  This means that if the clasp thread should wear through, the beadwork will remain intact.  Add a new thread and stitch through the last three rows of the beadwork

Begin by starting a new thread and attaching it to the beadwork in your normal way and exit the beadwork at the point indicated below.

Thread along the top of the beadwork, through the bead highlighted blue and then the bead highlighted yellow.  Pick up a new bead as shown by the bead marked green.

Stitch through the blue bead so the green bead sits on top of the yellow bead, then pick up a new bead, highlighted in red.

Stitch through the green bead so that the red bead sits next to the green bead securely, then pick up another bead, highlighted yellow. 

Stitch through the red bead so the yellow bead sits snuggly on top of the green bead, then pick up another bead, highlighted blue.

Keep growing the peyote stalk in the same way until it is slightly longer than the length of half the toggle.  For my clasp, the stalk consisted of eight beads on both the left and right sides of the stalk.  The last two beads are highlighted blue and yellow with the thread exiting the yellow bead as shown below.

The attachment loop of the toggle clasp was two small to fit a size 11 bead through and so one size 11 bead was replaced with two size 15 beads.  Its good to have the metal of the clasp sit on beads rather than bare thread as thread would wear through over time.  Pick up three size 11s then two size 15s and then thread through the attachment loop of the clasp.

Pick up another two size 11's then stitch through the bead highlighted blue to create a loop with the two size 15's situated in the attachment loop of the clasp.

Stitch through the bead highlighted yellow then all the beads of the loop again.  The new thread pathway is now shown in red.

Stitch back down through the peyote stalk as shown by the red pathway.

Stitch through the main beadwork and then finish off your thread.

Check the length of the bracelet on your wrist with the two clasp pieces joined and add or remove rows as required and finish off the working thread.  Add a new thread to attach the metal clasp ring, exiting the beadwork as shown below.

Stitch along the top of the beadwork going through the blue bead and then the yellow bead.  Pick up a new bead, highlighted in green.

Stitch through the blue bead, then pick up a new bead, highlighted in red.

Stitch through the bead shown in green so the red bead sits snuggly, then pick up a new bead as shown in yellow.

Stitch through the bead highlighted red then pick up a new bead, highlighted blue.

Stitch through the bead highlighted yellow.  The stalk for the ring section of the clasp does not need to be as long.

The size 11's fit through the attachment loop of the ring section of the clasp.  Pick up five beads and thread through the attachment loop of the ring.

Stitch back through the bead highlighted yellow, from the outside of the peyote stalk to inside, then through the bead highlighted blue.

Pick up two beads.  The most recent thread path is shown in red.

The middle bead of the first loop sits in the attachment loop of the ring, pass the thread through this bead.  Pick up two further beads.

Stitch through the blue bead again, from the outside of the stalk to the inside.

This is a top view of the bead cluster you have created.  The peyote stalk ends in the blue and yellow beads which you can see at the bottom of the stack in the diagram below.  Four mini stalks are created, with the thread passing from the outside of the blue and yellow beads of the peyote stalk.  Each mini stalk consists of two beads.  The four mini stalks are then joined at the top by a single bead which sits in the attachment loop of the ring of the clasp.  

Two loops are created from the top of the peyote stalk which share a bead in the clasp.  The loops go around the attachment loop, fastening it to the bracelet.

A tidied up side view shows one side of the fastening with two of the mini stalks shown, which make up half of each of the loops.

Weave the thread through the beadwork back to the bracelet.  You can stitch through all the beads in the peyote stalk and the loops / mini stalks around the attachment loop again if required.  Once completed, weave the thread away and finish.