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 …
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 …
I have just finished putting the instructions for the first kit I demonstrated yesterday JM onto this site. This kit was all about fine cords, so it was a great opportunity for me to explore the potential of finer cords in kumihimo. The most obvious advantage of the S-Lon Tex 135 is that it will fit through most gemstones and …
There is often a considerable amount of confusion about which cords or threads are suitable for beaded kumihimo, which is a shame because using the correct cord is one of the keys to maintaining the necessary tension to keep the beads in place. S-Lon and C-Lon beading cord are identical products and are perfect for most applications. However, both of …
I am a little bit behind schedule this week because of all the excitement about the DVD last week and my preparations for my second workshop at the weekend, but finally here are the mini instructions for designs shown on the Jewellery Maker show last week. I have no hand in deciding what is in the kits, beyond giving a …
Amethyst is one of the best known and best loved of all gemstones, so I was so pleased to be given a long strand of sizeable amethyst chips to work with. Added to that were some lovely pearls and some blue quartz and silver seed beeds. It was a wonderful combination and the jewellery certainly seemed to go down well …
I spend so much of my time making jewellery that I sometimes struggle to remember how I made individual pieces and I certainly couldn’t say how many pieces of jewellery I have made this year. I like every single thing I finish. If I start something and I am not completely happy with it I will either abandon it or …
This is a glimpse of an ingenius button hole fastening which requires only beads and cords and if all goes well I will be demonstrating the method on Jewellery Maker on Tuesday 6th May between 1 and 2 pm GMT (8 and 9 am EST). This will be my television debut, so watch out for trembling hands and quivering …
I am always on the look out for interesting cones and focals for use with Kumihimo and when I came across these amazing bells and cones made by the very talented lampwork artist, Kat Newman, I knew I had struck gold! Kat and I have been working together to take Kumihimo jewellery in a new direction and here are the …
When I designed the Luscious Lentils bracelet I wanted to make a bit of a statement with something bold and chunky. However, the instructions are just as effective when smaller beads or beads of different shapes are used. The pattern is very versatile and in this example I have used size 8 beads and 10mm daggers for a completely different …
