In recent years traditional soutache or russian braid has undergone a complete transformation. Where once it was used to conceal seams or decorate uniforms, now it is more commonly found in ornate jewellery designs. It is combined with beads and cabochons and stitched to backing fabric to create swirling, multi-layered creations of amazing complexity. When I was offered some …
Cabochons and kumihimo may not be the most obvious partners, but it is possible to find a wide range of ways of working them together. The challenge with a cabochon is that it does not have a drill hole, so a secure method of capturing the stone needs to be used. In the past I have demonstrated ways of …
I am just about to set off for my next appearance on Jewellery Maker TV. It is today, Tuesday 30th June, at 1pm UK time. It is a 4 hour live show and I will have two demonstration slots of one hour. The theme of the show today is kumihimo with cabochons and I will be showing how kumihimo can …
I had a most enjoyable day yesterday at Stitchncraft bead shop in Dorset instructing at a kumihimo workshop. It was an intermediate design and all the lovely ladies worked so hard. I was really delighted by the way they mastered a complex braid and learnt how to add beads. Seeing my design take shape with all their fabulous bead choices …
I am often asked what weighted bobbins are used for. Today I have been working on a sample braid for a workshop and as I needed to use the bobbins it seemed a good opportunity to write a blog about how I use them. A good kumihimo disk should be able to grip the cords sufficiently to maintain an even …
It is time for a look at another inspirational designer and this time I don’t have to go far from home. I have made many wonderful friends through the internet, but have only met very few of them in person. Janine Learner only lives about 20 miles from me so she is one of those who I have been lucky …
The July issues of the UK jewellery magazines are full of kumihimo jewellery designs in tutorials, editorials, letters and advertisements. Beads & Beyond is particularly rich in references to kumihimo and images of designs. I was really pleased to have my lariat and bracelet tutorial in this issue, as well as seeing Louise Frances’s advertisement with two images of magatama …
Kew Gardens in West London is one of my favourite places in the whole world. I may have totally lost count of the times I have been there, but each visit is different. The changing seasons and the skill of the botanists and gardeners mean that there is always something new to delight the senses. Sometimes it is more a …
I am finally getting round to putting into action my long-promised plan of showing some of the work I admire from different designers. I hope that by showing a wide selection of different styles I will be able to both inspire and show how wonderfully varied jewellery made with kumihimo can be. The choice of designers will be totally random …
On 1st June I will be reviewing and standardising the prices of all of my current tutorials, which means that some of them will be going up in price. However, in spite of the price increase I believe that my tutorials represent tremendous value for money and even after the modest rise customers will get considerably more content and more …
