After a very nice hardworking day indeed, it’s time to say hello to Dustin, back from the trenches.

I almost envy him, seeing the last three months of beadwork for the first time!

As you may know, Jean Power is a Beadwork Designer of the year this year, and they shot some nice video while she was down for the last book visit. Have a look.

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Also, on my worktable today are my Red Queen Crown, Gabriella van Diepen’s gorgeous blue Sampler Rope, and my Blad The Impaler cuff, each looking for a bit of finish, armature, or a bit more beadweaving.

We’re working on our Resources section right now, and one of the advantages of this being an artisan-produced work is that we are free to break all of the Sacred Rules of publishing. We can name names, talk about brands, tell you why we love one thing or loathe another. And we can share information about where we’ve found our favorite things.

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I have a couple of beady tools and setups I can’t live without (a really sharp flush cutter for cutting thread, a stiff tray with a velvet pad, and a triangle scoop for picking up beads…) and I’ve picked up a few more from my co-authors and collaborators.

Jean got me hooked on a mainstay of the mighty Great Lakes Beadworking Guild- an adorable and very silly little Japanese rubber biscuit eraser and sharp pushpin- this helps gently break out extra beads or beads in the wrong place that went in too far back to unbead. She also carries a bangle sizer wherever she goes. Dustin got me hooked on small stretch beer cozies to keep my cones of Nymo in check.

I’m excitedly watching the mailbox waiting for a new travel tray that I have high hopes for, a nifty-looking (and “feather-light”, they say,  a huge selling point for me) tin from Shibui & Daughters. I’ll be sure to let you know what I think of it.

Do you have favorite things you just can’t relax without? What are they, and why?

As part of the instructions in the book we’ll be using diagrams, text, examples, tips and tricks, advice and even new projects to teach you techniques and ideas. This will make it easier for those new to geometric beading, or even just seed beads, to dive in and get started.

This bangle is an example of that- it will be used to show you the basic of taking your beadwork 3-dimensional and also will have beaded beads to match showing how just adding and removing steps or rows can completely alter a finished piece.

As I began this project, as I often do, I allowed the colours, pattern and size to develop as I went, comfortable with having to remove some rows later but knowing that the result I wanted would develop. But there are certain things I do try to do when I start a new project (choose my thread colour wisely for example)… and quite a few I know I should do (gather all essential materials) but rarely seem able to.

It really got me thinking, what words of advice would you give anyone starting a new beading project, or any project, or any life event, monumental day, insignificant event, new recipe, new relationship, new pair of shoes etc? The list is endless.

Fill in the blanks and your pearl of wisdom could make it into the book!

Always ………………….. before you ……………………

What words of advice that fit this has anyone ever given you and you’ve never forgotten? Post them here, or contact me- we’d love to hear them

I started a black and white Horned Cuff for a demo piece for the book, and it wasn’t until I’d put in about three days of work that I saw that my math was hopelessly wrong. I tend to work on a strictly improv basis, not making a plan, or laying in a graphic design (my structure is my design) and it doesn’t always work.

One of the biggest challenges with wings, horns, and points is that although technically the adds are bead increases, any point will act as a dart, tailoring the fabric of the beadwork in, making closed forms smaller. Some of our first Horned and Winged cuffs became so small that we cannot squeeze them on; they are crowns for our cats, or could be modelled by elegant children.

If you plan on adding a lot of geometric form, or topography, you have to start about twice as large as you want to finish. My twelve-inch bellyband, which hung off of my wrist almost comically, morphed into a neat square with about a half inch of extra room as soon as I put corner points on it. Further increases and ornaments will, I suspect, render the finished piece something that just wiggles onto my hand.

Above, twelve inches of bellyband; a glass spine in Modified RAW, quick and simple and with immaculate form. No twisty, timeconsuming peyote rope for me.

You can see the open row of the RAW in between the second and the bottom white row below. See how with just two rows of four corner increases, my piece has found form, structure, and some very pointy corners? Amazing.

It also barely falls off of my hand now, as opposed to hanging loosely three inches below it prior to the addition of the corners. Five corners would have made it even smaller.

New beadwork is streaming in on an almost daily basis, as all of our talented collaborators are sending in their pieces.

Lia Melia interpreted Jean Power’s Pentagons in size 15 Delicas… astounding!

One thing that’s important to us to show in the book is just how there are infinite possibilities for all of the projects, techniques and ideas. We know that whenever we begin a new triangle bangle for example our minds begin buzzing with at least 10 different variations. Those variations may be to do with size, scale, pattern or just using different colours, but each one can then cause us to think of more variations and they make us think of… I hope you get the idea.

Our aim with this book is to not only give you the basic instructions you need to create your own piece, but also the skills and knowledge to develop your own ideas and designs to suit your taste, colour loves and even simply your wrist size.

Soon you’ll be the one thinking of all of those endless variations….To get you started here is Jean’s latest geometric bangle.

Caldera Bangle by Jean Power

Caldera Bangle by Jean Power

Caldera Bangle by Jean Power

…it may seem all quiet and serene on the surface, with not much going on, but I can assure you that just like the most graceful of swans our little feet are paddling away and much progress is happening under the water.

Whilst Kate has been beading away and documenting her progress on her blog, Jean headed off to Egypt to teach geometric beading and has been working on some new triangle bangles. And of course she is dreaming geometric beading, as she always does.

Then of course there is all the behind the scenes production work that goes into a full book and that is creeping forward with writing, diagramming, planning and fruitful book meetings held on Skype with any cats attending an added bonus.

Beadwork and photo by Jean Power

Beadwork and photo by Kate McKinnon

Geometric beadwork in the desert

One thing I have loved about seeing all the beadwork being produced for the book is the wide range of possibilities. If you thought geometric work was big and bold you were right, partly.

It can also be so many other things
I have seen strong colours and subtle colourways
Architectural, scultptural pieces of jewellery next to those which curve for the body
Dramatic and eye-catching work compared with those pieces which are ideal for every day
I’ve also got to see big and getting bigger versus delicate and petite
Whatever your personal taste in beadwork and jewellery, I think you will find it within our pages. Throughout this project it has been important to us to show just how easily subtle decisions and changes can really alter the work and make each piece unique- something which suits your taste, whatever that may be. Wanting to get this across has led to many hours of drawing and discussing diagrams, deciding on a book outline so the work and techniques will flow and even talks about what colours we should bead variations, samples and examples in.

Our aim is that every technique, project, idea and nuance we’ll show you will be positively tingling with ways to adapt, personalise and create just to your taste.

I personally adore big and bold, but recognise that that’s definitely not for everyone and it has been educational and inspiring to see others take our instructions and work up pieces which are perfect for them. To fit their wrists, their personal preferences and their jewellery requirements.

I deeply love strong colour, and lots of colour. So to see projects being beaded up in monochromatic schemes, which I would struggle with choosing, has been a delight.

I hope when you get your copy of the book, and turn the pages, you’ll be able to see how the pieces relate to each other and just how you can easily bead your own version of each one to suit your own taste.

Gail Crosman Moore is interpreting our shapes, and I can hardly find the words to describe how excellent they are.

Look! This is one of the pieces that will be featured in our Gallery. Stunning!