I was really delighted to find my latest design for Beads & Beyond magazine splashed across the front cover. 2013 was a good year for seeing kumihimo in print and as this is the January 2014 issue I hope it is a good omen for next year! I believe that kumihimo can only continue to grow if the flow of …
Thank you very much for the great reaction to my latest tutorial, Treasure Nets. It means a lot to me to know that people like what I am doing and it encourages me to work hard and experiment to get the next design together! For this design I felt I needed to return to explore Round Braid because the two …
These ultra sparkly beads work particularly well in the Sitting Pretty bracelet. The beads perch up on the modified ladder braid to catch the light and maximise the sparkle. The beads themselves are not cheap, but this design uses very few. With less than 12 beads you can make a real statement. The beads can be fragile, so a design …
This is a version of my Luscious Lentils bracelet. Instead of using lentil beads I have used these gorgeous blue dagger beads. The beads in the middle are size 6, which are great for creating a chunky bracelet.
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 …
I have been working on something a little bit different and I am nearly ready to ‘unveil’ it! This is just a teaser because the interesting part is at either end of the braid, out of shot! I have been working in collaboration with a wonderful lampwork artist and I have pulled together some new designs based on her work. …
There is more than just one spider climbing up this water spout! I couldn’t resist these little fellows and they work so well in the Sitting Pretty bracelet. I interspersed them with lilac crackle beads and used one of the beads to finish off the cone. The pattern is very versatile and the sides of the braid can be lengthened …
Here is another way of using the Feathers Tutorial. Contrasting bracelets look great worn together and can work well when the same beads are used for both bracelets and the cord is contrasted, as in this example. Alternatively, you can keep the cord the same and use contrasting beads. The clasps I have used are probably better suited to necklaces …
The Feathers tutorial can be adapted to make these bracelets. An extra row of magatama beads is added in the centre of the braid on one side only. The advantage of this is that you can get the full magatama look, but use far fewer beads. In addition the bracelet sits beautifully on the wrist because the inside of the …
There are few things more satisfying than finding just what you need in a forgotten corner of your crafting stash. I was sent an amazing array of magatama beads by the lovely Jamie North and couldn’t wait to get started on them. I wanted to make something to go with a particular top so I picked out some delicious beads …
