From time to time I am lucky enough to be sent some new beads to play with and to see how they might work for kumihimo. A short while ago a big box of beads arrived from Beadsmith and they have been keeping me pretty busy since then. Some of the designs I came up with were posted a few …
The sad news was announced today that Beads & Beyond magazine will no longer be published after the December issue. This publication gave me my first opportunity in 2010, so it has always been special to me. The editors were always enthusiastic and encouraging and allowed the designers all the freedom they needed, with support when required. As a reader …
It is time to look at the work of another kumihimo artist. When I decided to feature different people in my blog my intention was to add variety and interest to my writing. For me it has turned into far more than that and is proving to be a fascinating insight into the lives and inspiration of the people I …
Tomorrow I will be making my way to the Midlands to the new home for Jewellery Maker. The studio, workshop space and admininstrative offices are all moving to a beautiful country house set in lovely grounds and will start broadcasting from the new location from tomorrow. I will have the honour of doing the first Designer Inspiration show from the …
One of the most enjoyable aspects of jewellery making for me is being able to play with different types of bead and finding ways of using them in kumihimo. Luckily for me, there is a seemingly endless flow of new beads onto the market. Sometimes it takes a while for them to reach the shops and sometimes it takes a …
I love to use all sorts of different materials in my jewellery designs and each one brings its own special qualities to the piece. Glass seed beads come in a wonderful range of sizes, shapes and colours, they are not expensive and the good quality ones are very regualar. Gemstones have such character and individuality and really add value jewellery. …
It is always thrilling to see your own work in print and one of my most treasured collections is the stack of magazines which include my work. In most cases the work would be in the form of a tutorial, but there are other types of submission. The Designer Challenge in Beads & Beyond is one of my favourites, for …
I was given some lovely gemstones and lots of metal seed beads to work with for the Designer Inspiriation show at Jewellery Maker yesterday. I am the sort of person who gets most of their inspiration from the materials themselves, so receiving a weighty strand of Labradorite with some truly amazing optical effects was all I needed to get my …
I am really enjoying being able to feature different designers in this blog. My aim is to show a wide range of talents and styles in order to demonstrate just how versatile kumihimo can be. The designer I have chosen for today is someone who is famous for a very different medium, so the kumihimo plays a supporting role, rather …
It should be easy for a jewellery designer to have the perfect piece of jewellery for every occasion, but it often doesn’t work out like that! Choosing jewellery to wear for my television appearances can be particularly tricky. The Guest Designers are requested to wear jewellery made from the kits, but I am not sure I want the cameras to …
