Beadwork April/May 2020: Shaped Beads Galore

Recently, I had the opportunity to walk a local park in the Tucson area. Knowing that my exercise would be recorded by my watch and highlighted on a map I could access later, I wondered what that map might look like. As I walked, I drew the virtual picture. Somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that the path would look something like backstitch, if in fact you could really see the direction I was walking.

My mind moved onto wondering what it would look like if we combined all of our exercise routes and beaded the pathways with colors that represent us and our location—I bet it would be a beautiful design.

Bead & Jewelry Community

I love the community-oriented nature of our bead weaving and jewelry making tribe. Not only are we connected through our desire to create and our love for the materials we work with, we are joined on a deeper level that transcends space and time. I’m reminded of it often, whether I’m communicating in person or through social media. It’s just so necessary to support each other through the good times and the bad. I’m honored to be part of this tribe and our bead and jewelry community.

Changes at Beadwork

As we introduce the April/May 2020 Beadwork issue, I’m thrilled to announce that Katie Hacker has joined our team as Editor! Katie brings with her a passion for creating, a love for the arts, and an ability to see trends through the thickest forest. She possesses the talent to bring forth ideas and translate them into beautiful jewelry designs, she can see the jewelry and bead weaving field with clarity, and she can place content where it will best serve the community. Plus, she’s a really nice person who I truly appreciate calling a friend.

Katie was extremely instrumental as the managing editor for Beadwork magazine this past year and I know as editor she will bring a fresh perspective to the magazine pages. I’ll continue to provide direction as the Content Director of Beads, Jewelry, and Yarn. We welcome your comments, thoughts, and ideas. Please join me in welcoming Katie as editor!

To follow are a few highlights from the April/May Beadwork issue.

Shaped Beads & More

Shaped beads captivate our imaginations in fresh, creative ways. We’ve packed this issue with beaded jewelry designs using beads shaped as leaves, diamonds, bars, and more. Bead-hole placement, dimensionality, and beautiful new finishes all contribute to the possibility of creating intriguing patterns. Many designers generously share alternate colorways so you can create the perfect beaded jewelry to suit your style.

This year, we’re bringing you a Shaped Beads Guide update (page 15) that spotlights five of our favorite new shaped beads. In Bead Buzz (page 88), we learn how shaped beads go from concept to creation. A tremendous amount of innovation goes into manufacturing these tiny marvels! But if shaped beads aren’t your speed, you’ll find Patchwork Earrings & Necklace (page 10) and Oyster Bubbles (page 41) to help you use seed beads and crystals from your stash.

Spotlight on Melinda Barta

Our Bead Artist this issue is former Beadwork editor, author, and bead- weaving designer Melinda Barta (page 16). In addition to giving us a glimpse into her creative life, Melinda shares a quick and easy Diamond Mosaic bracelet (page 22) using shaped beads that fit together perfectly. One of Melinda’s tips is to gather all the materials you need for a design, and then work on it while traveling. Any of the projects in this issue would make great travel projects.

It was fun catching up with Melinda for this article – I used to pitch projects to her when she was the editor of Beadwork and she has been my guest on Beads, Baubles & Jewels. And, we’re still Interweave’s “Hip To” sisters over a decade after she wrote Hip to Stitch and I wrote Hip to Bead. Over the years, Melinda has created many, many bead weaving patterns, and all of them result in beautifully crafted, heirloom-quality beadwork. It’s inspiring to see what’s brought her to this point in her career and exciting to see what she’ll do next.

Knots & Braids

If you’re looking for projects you can make in an evening, Fast & Fabulous features seven stylish Knots & Braids designs using macramé, flat braiding, kumihimo and other quick techniques. Empress Josephine (page 67) stands out as a stylish, streamlined twist on a traditional knotting technique, and we’re easing into beaded kumihimo with Hibiscus Rustica (page 64). You’ll find projects from some very talented designers: Deb Floros, Michelle Sepanski, Anne Perry, Terry Ricioli, Debbie Blair, and Michelle Owens.

In Fast & Fabulous, you can count on projects that are simple enough to make in one sitting. Each project typically features a technique or two in addition to simple stringing. In this collection, we go beyond the basics to include techniques that might make you stretch. For example, it can be challenging to do kumihimo braids with sari silk and other fibers. But, if you hang in there, the results are worth it. Macramé is another example of knotting that requires some patience to get started. Hang in there! Beautiful jewelry is your reward.

Stay Tuned for More Beadwork

We’re also looking forward to sharing next month’s issue with you! Many of the projects are primarily seed beads. And, although the materials are basic, these designs definitely bring the drama. So stay tuned for geometric beadwork and more in June/July 2020.