I am announcing the four free beading projects that I will be bringing you for National Beading Week 2017. If you have already been following this blog, then you will have seen my announcement. However, if you missed it, you can read it again here.
If you’re reading after National Beading Week 2017 has finished, then make sure you join my mailing list. That way, you will be the first to hear about any future free Beadalongs that I do.
The Offer…
Just to quickly re-cap… I will be hosting a beadalong in which you can learn any or all of these projects. So, I am breaking them down into bite-sized chunks. This will give you a little bit of beading to do each day throughout the week.
What you need to do
- Choose your project
- Get your materials – if you want a kit, please let me know!
- Make sure you are following this blog between now and the end of July, so you get all the information you need
- Join me on 29th July for the first set of steps in each tutorial
The Projects
I promised you a mixture of beginner and more advanced projects. Plus a combination of bead-weaving and French beading. So, here they all are…
Project One: Beginner’s Bracelet
This may look like a challenge (or maybe not!), but it’s actually very
simple. I hope it is also something pretty and stylish. It uses basic beads. So, you won’t need to invest in horribly expensive materials. You can make a bracelet, or a necklace.
Who is this for?
I designed this with complete beginners in mind. So, if you have never seen a bead before, this is for you. Or, if you have just started discovering beads, you can do this.
Of course, if you’re experienced and would like to make this, there is nothing to stop you!
What will you learn?
I am going to teach you a really basic beaded rope, called a Spiral Staircase. So, you will learn the basic structure. I will then show you how to add embellishment. Finally, I’ll show you how to add a clasp.
So, this gives you the skills to go on and make your own jewellery. You are going to discover that it’s very easy to adapt this design. So, you can put your own stamp on it. This is a fairly inexpensive project, which means it’s a great choice for selling at craft fairs.
So, as free beading projects go, I hope you will agree, this is quite a bargain!
Materials
If you would like to make this project, you should purchase the following materials…
- 10g size 8 seed beads in main colour (A)
- 10g size 8 seed beads in contrast colour (B)
- Pack of 4mm pearls – you can use one colour or two colours (C)
- Your choice of beading thread
- Toggle clasp or magnetic clasp
Project Two: Hexagon flower
This is another bead-weaving project.
It uses Peyote stitch and I have designed it for beaders who already have some experience. You can turn this flower into a brooch or a pendant. In fact, you can even bead the rope above and use that to suspend your flower. So, you will end up with a complete necklace. I’ll be revealing my version at the end of National Beading Week.
Who is this for?
This project if for anyone who already enjoys beading. You don’t need to be a Peyote stitch master, but it will certainly help if you have done this technique before.
What will you learn?
You will learn how to perfect circular Peyote and also even count Peyote
Materials
You can choose whether to use delicas or seed beads for this. I have made three versions to test out all the materials. In my experience, the size 11 delicas work best. If you struggle to see the beads, then you can use size 10 delicas. The size 11 seed beads work, but they make it harder to see the thread path. So, only use these if you are already very confident with circular Peyote.
- 1g size 11 delicas in centre colour (A)
- 3g size 11 delicas in petal colour (B)
- 2g size 11 delicas in highlight colour (C)
- 3g size 11 delicas in leaf colour (D)
- Your choice of beading thread
If you choose to use size 10 delicas, then you will need three times the number of grams in each colour (ie 3g centre, 9g petal, 6g highlight, 9g leaf).
If you are using size 11 seed beads, then you need to double the quantity (ie 2g centre, 6g petal, 4g highlight and 6g leaf).
Project 3: Strawberry flower
This is a beginner level French beading project. So, if you have ever thought about giving this craft a try, then my
third and fourth free beading projects are a great place to start. I will be taking you through step-by-step to make this flower. Although it is based on a strawberry flower, you can re-colour it if you wish. So, a little bouquet or vase of these would look lovely.
This flower will introduce you to a couple of basic techniques. This sets you up for trying other flowers. So, even if you go no further, you will have learned the skills to make some pretty little flowers.
Who is this for?
This project is for anyone who fancies trying French beading. You don’t need to have any previous experience. So, even if you’ve never touched a bead in your life before, you can do this!
What will you learn?
I will be teaching you two simple French beading techniques. These alone will give you enough skills to make several types of flowers and leaves. So, this is a great way to discover whether French beading appeals to you or not.
Materials
For French beading, I always recommend trying to match your wire to your beads. However, this little flower uses two colours of beads. So, if this is just an experiment for you, perhaps you won’t want to invest in that much wire. In this case, just get a reel of the 0.315mm gold wire. It will tone ok with the other beads and will save you having to invest too much.
- 1g size 11 seed beads in yellow
- 3g size 11 seed beads in white
- 6mm round bead in yellow
- 60cm gold wire – 0.315mm
- reel of white wire – 0.5mm
- floral stem tape and embroidery thread for binding the stems
Project Four: French Beaded Strawberry
As it is summer, I decided to celebrate by taking you through part of my strawberry pot plant pattern. So, I
am going to show you how to make a strawberry. This uses more advanced techniques. So, I thoroughly recommend that you are already comfortable with French beading before giving this a try.
Maybe you want to get used to the techniques with the flower first, then come on to try the strawberry.
Who is this for?
I designed this for people who already love French beading. So, if you enjoy the craft, this is your chance to make something new…for free!
What will you learn?
I will show you how to use a technique that I call the ‘beehive basic’. Plus, you will be using some loop techniques. So, this is a chance to perfect your skills, or learn something new.
Materials
I strongly recommend that you keep to the wire colours and gauges that I have set out…
- 15g size 11 seed beads in red (the quantity is to make the bead spinner work – if you are happy threading by hand, then the minimum you need is 5g)
- 15g size 11 seed beads in green (as for the red beads, adjust the quantity to 3g if you thread by hand)
- reel of 0.5mm (24ga) wire in red
- reel of 0.5mm (24ga) wire in green
- floral stem tape and embroidery thread for binding the stems
Preparing for the Free Beading Projects
So, now you have a choice to make… Once you have decided which project(s) you are going to do, you can get the materials.
In my next blog, I will talk about the tools you will need and give you some helpful advice for preparing for these free beading projects. So, make sure you don’t miss out and keep following the National Beading Week blog.
I would also like you to do one more thing for me. If you know someone who would enjoy this beadalong, then please make sure they see this. So, you can share it on your social media pages, or email this direct to a friend.
It’s not every day that someone offers you expert guidance through four free beading projects. So, make sure you don’t miss out and don’t let your beading buddies miss out either!
Save the date in your diary and join me for the first set of instructions when National Beading Week starts on 29th July 2017!
Would you like a kit?
I have also put together kits for each project. If you would like one, you can find them all here.
beautiful. i am looking forward to it every day and planning already.