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 …
It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since I had my screen test at Jewellery Maker. What a year it has been! Working with such a wide range of gemstones has often pushed me right out of my comfort zone and forced me to develop new techniques. It has been a two-way process. I would …
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 …
It has been a very busy week or so for me because on Thursday my new DVD was launched on Jewellery Maker. It has been titled Micro Kumihimo to differentiate it from other kumihimo DVDs and it concentrates on making more delicate and intricate jewellery using kumihimo braiding techniques. The materials are finer cords and smaller gemstones, with a few …
I have just finished the instructions for the second kit demonstrated on Jewellery Maker on Wednesday. There is no doubt that working with bright and summery materials lifts the spirits! It is great fun to be able to inject a bit of fun into your jewellery and one of the best ways is by using brightly coloured cord. S-Lon cord …
I have just about recovered from another great show at Jewellery Maker. The team are always so warm and welcoming and I really enjoyed working with Presenter Ali Defoy for the first time. I had two very different kits to work with. One was full of seed beads, so it really played to my strengths. The other was very bright …
Kumihimo is the perfect partner to so many other jewellery making mediums. Many of the viewers of Jewellery Maker are extremely accomplished wireworkers, so I wanted to show how these skills can work brilliantly with kumihimo. With a bit of wire, some gemstones and a set of pliers a fabulous focal can be made, which can also be the starting …
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 …
This was one of the designs I demonstrated on my most recent appearance on Jewellery Maker. It may look intricate, but it is really easy to make and I have just posted the instructions on the site. If you are watching Wolf Hall on BBC 2 you may well feel that this has a bit of a Tudor feel …
The instructions for the second kit shown on Jewellery Maker last week are now available. Click here to find them. Showing the designs all together like this shows just how versatile metal seed beads are. The large hole size allows multiple passes through the bead with a needle and thread, opening up all sorts of different design ideas. Using the …
