Creative Crafters magazine and a Bangle, and more!

Thankfully, it is the Fall again. I could live in the Fall the entire year - not too cold, not too warm, a mix of beautiful weather and lovely rain, warm during the day, fresh during the night, an occasional foggy morning, splendid colors in nature and marvelous light... and good food - it's a season of abundance. 

Panoramic view - perhaps open it in a new window,
to increase it and better appreciate it.

 

The photo above is a view of my place end September 2025. Hubby and I went for a walk, and there is a bench allowing people to enjoy this gorgeous view of the mountains and the lake (you can see our shadow left in the image). Soon the green leaves will all be yellow or red, with more beautiful walks to look forward to.

and more delicious food 😋 

First stew of the season - I made a mustard 
sauce after removing the veggies. 

 

It's been a while since I wrote something here. The intense socializing during IBW is so overwhelming (in a good way), that some sort of social "estivation" seems to happen (for those who wonder, that's similar to hibernating, but in the Summer :) The increasing warmth in the summer here is a real antidote to hyperactivity too. Walks and bike tours are reduced to the minimum (nearly none at all...) and doctor and physio appointments are avoided as much as possible. This year was particularly frustrating, because passed the heatwave, the weather was just fabulous and I was very envious of whomever could go to the lake and swim and sunbathe... sigh. 

Mel made a fun screenshot of me
doing my IBW talk.  It's been an absolute
delight to see so many Ubuntu Dishes pop up in
my newsfeed after that!

 

I didn't see the time go by though. It's incredible to see that we are October already. Thinking about it, I realized that each year the first half is fully booked, with one or two projects for the Beadworkers Guild Challenge; a lot to prepare for International Beading Week, and more commitments like workshops, writing instructions for projects for the Guild's Journal and, this year, 6 projects for the online magazine Creative Crafters. This explains why I design nearly nothing new. 

I had a lot of fun beading Nancy Kooijers Jenner's lovely gumdrop bird and gave it the colors of my little bird Charly, a Zebra finch. It went to my giftee in the IBW gift exchange, so I made a second, slightly different one. I had a good spot for this cutie: the oak tree that I made during a Beading Festival Zoom get together.

 

In fact, I didn't really have an "estivation" and was rather busy: I started beading my next BWG challenge project (which I might not finish in time, but will try), and wrote instructions for the "Rings" Meet Mingle and Make Zoom meeting. I will publish this pattern real soon in my shop. This "Colimabangle" was made a long time ago, but I didn't pattern it back then. It is a bangle/bracelet made with Tubular Diamond Weave Variation #8. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband and I also worked hard to give our apartment a bit of a makeover, and did a lot of things like painting, carpeting, changes in furniture, etc. We still aren't completely done, but I'm a rather happy camper.

My beading "studio" is still the size of a 'handkerchief', and it will be upgraded some day, but it works well enough for my workshops. I now have a comfy recliner for beading in the living room - but light has to be improved. It's a relief to have that big Kallax cabinet for all my beads. Things were starting to take over the living room. Now it's nearly all in one place, but at least everything has a place. I kept all my boxes and trays and vials and tubes, etc... it's all in there, and many more other things. Happy dance!  

 

My little studio

 

This all being said, I thought that I should show you my designs published in the Creative Crafters magazine this year. It's an e-publication created for beaders by beader and editor Cheryl Bryan. She is the talented designer behind "Hookin' to the beat" designs. You can still get access to these magazines if you go to Cheryl's shop, where the magazine is sold in separate issues. The price is lower than a single pattern! A real bargain, for there are loads of lovely designs in it. 

My contributions were all Diamond Weave designs, offering a condensed experience of what you can learn from the Diamond Weave Book, plus an extra: tubular Diamond Weave.

In January the project was a pair of very simple earrings made with the Basic stitch, to explain the ABC of Diamond Weave.

January - basic DW earrings

March - Giverny bracelet

 

In March, I introduced the Giverny bracelet, made with variation #3 of the stitch (with buttonholes), in the colors of the beautiful waterlily pond of Monet's garden. It is a full hexagon stitch that shows the beader how extension beads and bridge beads (both horizontal) transform the square units - the structural beads - into hexagonal units. This project was included in the Diamond Weave book. The next projects, in particular the one in September, are built on the knowledge acquired with this variation.

 

May: Diamond Weave variation #7

 

In May, I explained how the incredibly versatile variation #7 - a nice octagonal stitch to use with seed beads as well as other beads - can result in plenty of different looks depending on the beads used. Detailed explanations were given along with examples.

July: Inkpots - Var. 9

Bonus: Gate to Paradise

 

In July, the project "Inkpots" made with variation #9, introduced the beaders to the particular role of thread cover beads, namely how they stabilize the beadwork, and how seed beads can shine in Diamond Weave. I added the "Gate to Paradise" as a bonus pattern, a design that somewhat introduced the next project, that is the use of thread cover beads and how to draw patterns with the beads in DW variations with seed beads.

For the September issue, I patterned one of my favorite designs, the Celestial cuff, to which I added planet Uranus (the original one included a sun, the moon and stars). I really like to draw simple motifs with stitches like this.

 

Celestial Cuff

 

For the upcoming November issue, the last of this series, these cute "Linda" earrings will explain how to do tubular Diamond Weave:

 

November: Linda earrings, here in fruit colors

Linda earrings in blue & gold

It all starts with this super small cube:

All together, these projects encompass a major part of the knowledge you'll learn from the Diamond Weave book, but not everything. In the book, there is more, much more, but the tubular project is 'new'. I mean, I made the Linda earrings quite some time ago but didn't tutify them. Back then, I called them "beautiful", which is the meaning of the name Linda, Linda sounds much nicer, and I have a very lovely friend on FB called Linda, hence the name change.

This reminded me of a medley of tubular Diamond Weave stitches that I made into a simple lariat rope some time ago - each segment is a different variation, to remind me how they look: 

 

           

I wonder if there are folks out there who are interested in Diamond Weave ropes. I hope so, because it's a fun stitch, and not as difficult as one would think.

I miraculously found time to make a special pendant for myself with a cabochon that I purchased a long time ago from Designers Cabochons (a UK-based lapidary wizard). It has a hole in its center which allowed me to attach beads, and I love the look. The back is leather, the bail is a Petal (from my Petal to Pod method) and the necklace is made of 4 pearl strands. I love to use pearl strands to add pendants. I hope that you like my "Mended Heart":

 

If you are still here reading this, thank you! I initially didn't think that I had so many things to tell! Lol! 

Thank you for for taking a bit of your time, for being a friend, and for your continuous support.  

Happy Beading,

 

Cath 

The Doris medallion

 Last year, I got a sweet message from a woman named Doris. She said that after reading my blog post about my BWG challenge entry of 2020, the Fantasy Chess Play, where I mention that I love the Neuschwanstein castle in Bayern, she wanted to send me something related, but needed my address for this.

 

So I gave her my address and then the wait to see what this could be started. I fantasized about it. Maybe it was a water-filled ball with snowflakes inside? No idea. After a while, I wondered if it had been lost, but fortunately not. For some reason the envelope got returned to Doris, so she could send it again.

When I opened the letter, I found a beautiful hand-crafted Christmas card with a little "frame" with a brand new 2-Euro coin inside. One side of the coin was struck with the image of the Neuschwanstein castle.

 

Doris bought it several years ago and had been the only one to touch it, until she sent it to me. 

I feel very honored, Doris, that you offered me this little treasure. The coin is really beautiful and I love it. 

Of course I had to make something beautiful with it, and here is what it became: a lovely medallion made with a Cellini Peyote ribbon, with a special rope with lots of little variations made with hexagonal Diamond Weave. 

 I used precious metal seed beads (gold and platinum- plated) and 3mm faceted gemstones in a yummy camellia rose-red and am very pleased with the result.

At the back, the Cellini bezel shows well.

 

A leather cord can be used too.

The rope is 3-unit based  and the bail is made with a 5-unit start. 

I love to see the coin from this angle, where the details in the metalwork show so well, how the castle is not flat but really 3D (with relief).

 

I hope that you like it too.

 

 Cath

 

Black and White Princess Check

I haven't written on my blog since July... I think that it's because I had to remain silent about too many things - beading for Preciosa Ornella, for the Muserie workshop and this project, which all took an awful lot lot of time.

It is hard to keep secret so many things you love. For this project, I also would have loved to vent while making it, because many things went wrong. But first the reveal - I'll explain more about the making of this piece below. 

I am really happy and proud to present to you my "Princess Check" pouch, that you will find in the Beadworkers Guild Journal this month. 

 

Princess Check pouch and bracelet, earrings with houndstooth motif and
beaded bead with random motif and tassel

 

I made the bracelet and earrings with Miyuki seed beads, the pouch with Toho seed beads, and I would warmly recommend Matubo seed beads, for the more consistent the beads, the better.

It's been a long time since I made something with the Diamond Weave, here the Waffle Weave technique -  variation 7a on page 129 in the Diamond Weave book. I had the obsession of making a Prince of Wales-inspired beaded fabric ever since I designed the "Hello Sweetie" bracelet for it (page 131), but my heart and hands were not able. 

Also, if the houndstooth pattern is rather easy, the full Princess Check pattern is more difficult, because it changes nearly all the time.

Princess Check pouch with matching bracelet

When the delightful "micro crystals" hit the market, and the theme of the Journal being "Black and White", I knew that I had to make it. Photos do not show how beautifully these tiny faceted crystals sparkle. I knew right on that it would be the perfect bead for the "overcheck" in this beaded fabric. It was difficult to not make a colored overcheck (it is really calling for it). I hope that you will make one with beautiful emerald or ruby crystals. 

I started by drawing the diagrams. I had to start these over several times according to the evolution of the proect. I started beading on the 7th of August, right after the International Beading Week events. I love to BOTB (bead on the balcony) in the Summer.

 

But things did not work the way I expected. I had to rethink the  entire making of the beaded fabric, to have a beautiful drape.

I made a short video to show how very supple, soft, and delightful to touch this beaded fabric can be, and how the small crystals shine.

 

 

 

My friends know that I make 15 mistakes in 14 rows of beadwork with motifs. Fortunately it is super easy to unbead DW. I made a short video to show that too. It really makes a difference for me. I have a degree in frog stitch, hahaha.

 

 

I wish that I had made purses with fabric before trying this with beads, but alas. I often learn things the hard way. This pouch was initially meant to become a purse, but the purse frame that I had bought not only needed many more side panels to open properly, it also was not available anymore when I searched for it again. 

 

Purse with metallic frame

 

So I had to find another option and together with the lovely editor of the Journal, Rowena Henderson, a pouch was decided. Any pouch can be used. You don't have to make it exactly the same size - the project allows to add more columns and of course more rows to the fabric. Less is possible too, of course. What is certain is that if I made a handmade silk pouch for the inside, it is because I had finished the beadwork already. I highly recommend simply adding your beadwork to a readymade pouch. You can cover anything with a fabric like this, even home decor.

 

HRH Edward VII

This project is dedicated to the British monarch who my muse - Eddie -  is named after: Edward VII. He was a real trendsetter, and he adopted the existing Glen Check for leisure wear, altering it with an overcheck. It is named "Prince of Wales" after him and not his grandson, as is believed by many. The latter, however, contributed to making it an immensely popular weave and ever since, princes and other remarkable people sport it with elegance, always.

 

The beaded bead with tassel are a free project by Preciosa Ornela. I love how it conferes a luxurious look to the whole. It is also fun to make.

I hope to be back soon with news about my Muserie designs.

Unitl then, happy beading to all!

Cath

I am romantic

When Preciosa asked me if I would like to make something with their beads I accepted immediately because they would send me beads in their newest finish, ivory, and if there is one color I love, it is ivory. Unsurprisingly, they asked their team of designers to focus on wedding, änd I happily dove into the box of beads to make as many things as I could (I was very busy with another thing and the deadline was quite short). I used a variety of stitches:

Diamond Weave - based on my design "Isatis"

Saint-Petersburg stitch.
This one really looks like a feather

Based on my design "Isatis"

MRAW - based on "Sera alla Scala"

Bridal Sera alla scala on a bust
This is a favorite design, with its
heart shaped rope.

I made this beadwoven haircomb with little petals and assorted hair pin.

The 2-hole cabochon beads which came in 3 sizes are fantastic. There are so many design possibilities. I have always wanted to create a fronthead piece for a bride, and with the super thin wire from beadalon and little haircombs, I made this dainty front jewellery using crimp beads to hold the beads in place. I found it really challenging to get the symmetry right. 

Because they sent all sorts of shaped beads and pastel pearl lined seed beads, I decided to give bead mosaic a try. It was quite a learning curve, but I had lots of fun! The shaped beads really lend themselves well for mosaics. I made little pendants and earrings. You may think that using glue is easy or fast, but it is really not. I placed the beads one by one in most cases.

with beaded fan attached to the clutch

I hope to do more bead mosaic in the future, but my favorite technique remains off-loom bead weaving and I made something I adore:

The new pastel pearl lined seed beads are absolutely delightful, but it is hard to capture their delightfulness in photos and their texture is marvelous. Really round seed beads feel magical in woven "fabric". The celestial light blue seed beads made me think of a perfect summer sky in Switzerland. It inspired me to create my own Eros & Psyche clasp using a Claspgarten clasp and transparent glass cabochon. I think that in this piece the beautiful pearlescence of the seed beads show well.

The stitch for the bracelet is hexagonal Diamond Weave (var. 3) with thread cover beads. The motifs in the bracelet are clouds. I added pearls and larger seed beads to better show the clouds. You will find a (free) graph for the clouds here.

Seeing my work skillfully photographed by Preciosa's photographer is always a moment of true delight. Discovering in their album what my fellow bead designers made is a treat you may like to enjoy too. Nevertheless, the clasp that I made myself is more beautiful in real life and the bracelet is one of my forever favorites. 

The clasp shows a miniature detail of the oil painting "Amour et Psyché" by William Adolphe Bouguereau in 1890. The painting features Greek mythological figures Eros and Psyché, sharing an embrace and kiss. I love this painting.

Thank you for reading me. If you too like beadwoven bracelets like the one above, you can purchase the e-book Diamond Weave in my shop.