The New Year is always full of good resolutions, but that enthusiasm does not always last! For kumihimo enthusiasts who have resolved to learn something new the best way to ensure that this happens is to book up for a workshop in 2018. During this week I will write about the workshops I currently have planned for 2018. This will …
The Squiggle tutorial was originally written for use on the regular round kumihimo disk, but I have now rewritten it for the Prumihimo disk. Rewriting a tutorial is a good opportunity to revise the information and for this tutorial I have added some guidance on sizing. I am often asked to give precise quantities of beads or cord lengths for …
Yesterday my Kumhimo Christmas Decoration workshop was hosted by Spoilt Rotten Beads and a very enthusiastic group of ladies worked hard to produce these beautiful ornaments. Didn’t they do well! I had prepared two projects for the workshop, a wreath and a candy cane. I decided to start with the wreath because it was the longer project and involved a …
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 …
Kew Gardens in West London is one of my favourite places in the whole world. I may have totally lost count of the times I have been there, but each visit is different. The changing seasons and the skill of the botanists and gardeners mean that there is always something new to delight the senses. Sometimes it is more a …
If I could only work with one type of bead for the rest of my braiding career it would have to be the Long Magatama! Although they were developed for the bead weaving community, it seems as if they could have been designed specifically for beaded kumihimo. They are a quirky sort of shape with their angular teardrop profile and …
Squiggle is my latest tutorial and I suppose it is a bit like me, in that it doesn’t take itself too seriously! Jewellery should be fun and make you smile when you catch sight of it in the mirror. This design is both fun to make and fun to wear. It makes use of an alternative braid structure, which seems …
At long last I am able to bring this new tutorial to my shop. It was first published in the October issue of Beads & Beyond and the agreement I have with the magazine is that I will not sell the tutorial myself for 3 months. That period is now up, so here is the rewritten, renamed tutorial now called …
So here it is! This is my newest tutorial and I hope people will enjoy it. The unusual point about this bracelet is that a detailed threading chart is used to counteract the spiral effect of Round Braid. This means that different beads can be used on the inside of the bracelet to the ones used on the outside …
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 …
