Malachite is one of my favourite gemstones. I love the swirly, sixties vibe it conveys and the stunning range of green tones in every piece. In this Chips’n’Mags bracelet I have tried to give the random chips a sense of order by introducing Long Magatama beads, all threaded in the same direction. A splash of silver here and there along …
One of the great aspects about jewellery making is the constant development of new bead shapes and sizes. Experimentation with new products is the greatest fun. However, most new glass beads are developed for the bead weaving and bead embroidery market, so they are not all suitable for kumihimo. The size of the hole is of particular importance in kumihimo. …
This was my entry into the Mardi Gras Kumihimo challenge. I used these super shiny 6mm beads in purple and gold and added some Rizos and size 8 seed beads for contrast in scale. Members of the group can vote for their 3 favourites and my entry was voted into third place. Thank you very much for all the votes. …
I hope everyone is having a very happy Valentine’s Day. This is a more traditional style of Valentine necklace than the one I posted yesterday. Half Round Braid is just perfect for getting lovely red hearts into a braid. I have based the design of this piece on the Ribbon Pendant. There are two differences. First of all I finished …
This was my entry into a recent Valentine’s challenge. I always try to take the wordchallenge literally and really aim to come up with something different. Perhaps I tried too hard with this one! It wasn’t at all popular! Some people commented that although they liked it they found the fish on a hook a bit too much. Oh well, …
It is time to set up a new page on this website for all the publications my work has found its way into! These are the three front covers from 2013 which featured my designs, but my work has been appearing in print since 2009 and I would quite like to get it all together in one place. That’s my …
To make this bracelet I used 0.2mm copper wire with a red coating. I used two strands together and found that the beads could be threaded on very easily and the braid worked up beautifully. Once the braid was complete I was able to tighten it by twisting it. This needs to be done with care because wire will stiffen …
When I start to work with a new bead shape I like to be able to try it out in all sorts of designs. I particularly like to see how I can use it in existing designs to breathe new life into them. Here I have used Rizos in my Delightful Drops bracelet. I subsituted the drops for Rizos and …
Rizo beads are a relatively new bead shape, designed for the bead weavers and embroiderers. However, it is a great shape for use in kumihimo and the colours and special finishes are amazing. I decided to try using them in my Sitting Pretty design. With a couple of modifications it has worked out really well and produced a lively, spiky …
I seem to be very busy with several different projects, which need to stay secret for the time being! I really wanted to find something to post, so I hunted through my old files and found this little darling. I made it for a challenge in 2011 for the now defunct Australian Beading Forum. It was for a challenge titled …
