Beadwork, Beadweaving, Beads and More!

Inspired! That is always how I feel after reading any issue of Beadwork magazine. Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing the Beadwork 2015 digital collection.

Wow! What an amazing year of fabulous projects, artists, and beading. Here are just a few highlights of what you will find in the collection.

First, let’s discuss the artists of the year – Penny Dixon, Barbara Falkowitz, Amy Haftkowycz, and Cindy Holsclaw – these ladies offered amazing beading tutorials for us, for sure!

Penny brings a natural color sense and clever construction techniques to her work, as you can see in her Regal Rope Necklace design in the Beadwork June/July 2015 issue. This necklace design is made using pillows of O beads which accent a spiral herringbone rope and add whimsy to the large beaded-bead focal.

Bead artists, Barbara and Amy are a team and put their strengths to work running their bead shop, Artful Beads Studio and Workshop. They also bring a unique combination of beadweaving techniques and metal findings together in their designs, like you can see in their Duo Drop Earrings design from the Beadwork June/July 2015 issue. This earring design is made with seed beads, SuperDuos, crystals, metal filigree, findings, and wire.

Cindy is forever bringing forward new ways to use shaped beads, and is crafty in how she develops ways to join these fun beads into wearable and colorful designs. You can see this in her Flowerpots Bracelet where she used 4x2mm peanut beads, Japanese 2-hole half-squares, and Rizos.

While perusing these issues, I was reminded of techniques I want to explore and expand my skills on. There is bead crochet, prismatic right-angle weave, and the hubble stitch.

Last summer I bought an assortment of metal size 6/0 seed beads, thread, and crochet hooks. I haven’t strung a bead yet but Beadwork April/May 2015 and Barb Switzer to the rescue with a great tutorial on beading crochet ropes. If you’re already a bead-crochet pro, be sure to check out the Diamondback Bangle design by Katie Wall, also in the Beadwork April/May 2015 issue.

Prismatic right-angle weave (PRAW) is calling! Debuting in the Beadwork August/September 2015 issue, PRAW hits the scene with a great beadweaving tutorial by Cindy Holsclaw. Cindy helps explain and illustrate how we can create dimensional beadwork beyond the cube!

Who doesn’t love the hubble stitch, developed by Melanie de Miguel? With her new book Hubble Stitch coming out soon, be sure to brush up on this stitch so you are ready for more hubbling! Her “stitch pro” hubble tutorial can be found in Beadwork October/November 2015 issue.

I always enjoy seeing the beautiful beaded designs made using the “Name That Bracelet Challenge” bead kit. Here are 2 reader participant beauties from the Beadwork February/March 2015 issue. The design on the left is by Teresa London and the design on the right by Sheryl Stephens.

The bead kit for this particular issue was provided by Lisa Kan Designs, www.lisakan.com. Be sure to check out this challenge in each current issue and submit your names at Beading Daily for a chance to win the featured bead kit from that issue.

These highlights are just a sampling of the inspiration you will also find in the wonderful Beadwork collection – download yours and be inspired, today! Then – Happy Beading,