Arrow head pendant

I have always wanted to find an arrow head. I always tend to keep my eyes trained to the ground whenever I'm walking in the woods, looking for wildflowers, cool rocks, and natural plunder as part of my nature. So, I have to confess to having been a bit envious of those who have found arrowheads right in the same places where I have walked hundreds of times.

Saturday, I was finally rewarded with this beautiful example of a quartz arrowhead, in very pristine shape. It's unusual to find quartz arrow heads, just because they were harder to make. Quartz is very brittle and shatters easily - usually in straight, square pieces, due to it's crystalline nature. However, Native Americans in this part of Virginia did use quartz at times, just because it was so plentiful. and it is very hard (6.5 - 7.5 on the MOH scale).

In truthfulness, I had my eyes trained for ferns. I was looking for ferns from my in laws creek to dig up and transplant to my flower bed back home. As I leaned over to check out some fiddle heads, a flash of a gleaming white triangle caught my eye. I stopped, scooped, and to my wonder, held this beauty pictured.

Anyone who knows me by now, knows I would have to do something "beady" with it. Since I didn't want to do anything to the arrowhead to damage it, I chose wire work. Wire work allowed me to create a simple cage that shows off the simplicity of this pendant. The wire work also allows a way to create a pendant, without gluing or drilling the arrowhead.

The web site below gives some information about the Native Americans of Pittslyvania County VA. I found this arrowhead in Halifax County, not far from the Bannister River and the Pittslyvania County line.

http://www.victorianvilla.com/sims-mitchell/local/native/index.htm

I'd also like to add that Bill Hathaway, who is referenced at this web site was a huge influence on me in the 1990's, when I took a class with him and Dr. Fisher at Averett. The class, "Local Flora" was an advanced identification course on the native and introduced plants in Pittslyvania County and nearby areas. Mr. Hathaway was a self taught man, who had a love of learning and enthusiasm. Pretty much everything I know about wild flowers, I learned from him. I know that my photography, bead work patterns, and art in general has been heavily influenced by his infectious love of learning and nature.

I find myself thinking about about how long ago this arrow was last fired (300 years ago?), what was it fired at (deer?), and what sort of person made it or carried it? Did the hunter fire and miss, losing this arrow in the woods, and go home hungry that night? Things to ponder and wonder about as I wear this small piece of history.

A gift for a friend is finished

I just finished this week, a necklace bracelet set. This is very easy to duplicate. I used 4mm ab crystals, rondells of black stone, 4mm and 6mm red fossil beads, (3) 8mm red fossil beads, and (2) 8mm crystals. The clasp is a grape leaf toggle from Blue Moon.

Beaded face pin

I know! I know! I haven't been posting as much the last couple of weeks. Real life and all that. I have been working really hard to set up a studio, downstairs, in my basement. So far I have had two space heaters give out. The hubby says we will do some work on the house to make it warmer down there.

To make a bit more sense about it - the work shop was an extra garage, attached to the basement. The garage door leaks air rather badly, and so it's very drafty. It tends to be about the same temperature as the outside. This time of year that runs around the 20s-30s. BRRRR!

It's still exciting!! I set up three sets of shelves and started unpacking/moving all of my beads to the work shop. It had reached a point in my bedroom where all of the craftiness was piling up and preventing me from crafting. I could barely see my beads past the bags of fleece and the kids beads and felt. (My girls all keep their crafty stuff with my stuff.)

To celebrate getting most every thing set up over the last couple of weeks (I'm still organizing some of my beads to be able to find them) I sat down yesterday and made a beaded face. My main goal with this project was to recycle something I would normally throw away.

I choose a plastic bowl that a freezer entree came in. I cut out a circle about the same size of a quarter. I then used a 1/16th inch hole punch to make lots of holes. This became my foundation.

Originally I had planned to just cover it in beads for a fringy pin. However, as I worked, it just looked so much like a "hairdo," that I had to make this little felted face. I Still haven't gotten my tetnus shot, so I was probably risking death, but I tried to go slowly and be careful. I also promise everyone (especially my DH who is an emergency doc.) that I will get a booster for tetnus before do any more felting.

The only thing it needs at this point is a bit of felt for the back and a pin back. I plan on doing that in a few minutes.

It worked up very quickly and was just cute as could be. It's incentive to get that booster shot soon! Hope you all enjoy, and I wll try to post more. I will admit that during the end of the semester teaching, testing, and holidays to boot - that I am a bit bonkers and busy.

I also have a post to show more of Ronit's work that will go up either tonight or in the morning.

Lots of hugs and happy holidays!!! Hope they are all beadiful! Ginger

"Blue Christmas" Necklace Tutorial

Blue Christmas

Ingredients:

(5) 8 mm faceted crystals (10) 4 mm bi-cone crystals 1 strand 6 mm blue satin finish druks 1 strand 4mm blue satin finish druks 1 gram, size 15 seed beads Silver Clasp of choice Fire Line

Optional:

2 thread guards or French wire to cover thread attached to clasp

Directions:

Before starting, make sure you have your scissors, needles, and bead mat ready, and have assembled your ingredients.

Thread the end of the Fire Line onto your needle WITHOUT cutting it loose from the spool. Pull between a yard and four feet of thread from the spool to work upon.

To begin:

Bead (5) silver seed beads,

Main Sequence:

[(1) 6mm druk, (1) silver seed bead, (1) 4 mm druk, (1) silver seed bead.]

For this section, you will repeat this sequence for a total of 9 repeats.

Focal Sequence:

[Add (1) 6mm druk, and (1) silver seed bead, (1) 4 mm bi-cone crystal, (1) silver seed bead, (1) 4 mm druk, (1) silver seed bead, (1) 8 mm crystal, (1) silver seed bead, (1) 4 mm druk, (1) silver seed bead, (1) 4mm bi-cone, (1) silver seed bead]

You will repeat the main sequence 6 times, then the focal sequence 1 time.

This pattern of 6 and 1 will be repeated three more times, for a total of four section repeats.

Now you will repeat the main sequence 9 times. (Note: the tenth druk will be part of the next step).

Add (1) 6mm druk, (5) silver seed beads.

[Optional step – at this point, thread the French wire or thread guard to go through the clasp.]

This example shows a thread guard being used with a toggle clasp.

Photo: Ginger Ausband,/p>

Thread on clasp.

[Optional step 2 – pass thread back through the French wire or thread guard.]

Pass your thread back through the last 5 silver seed beads. Pause and tie a half hitch between the last seed bead and the 6 mm druk, then pass thread through the druk. Make sure the knot is snug and doesn’t show, by exerting a gentle tug on your working thread, to bury the half hitch into the druk.

Continue to pull the thread thru all of the beads, until you are about three or four inches from the beginning of your project. You should also be near the end of your thread at this point (about 10 or so inches left).

Now it is the time you will cut the thread from your spool. When cutting the thread, make sure you have enough Fire Line to equal 2 ½ times the length of your project. It is okay, if you have a little more – it is better to be safe, but don’t try to cut it a bit short to “save” thread.

Remove your needle from the remainder of thread you have been working with. Do not cut it – you will need to secure it in another step.

The thread that you have just removed from the spool will now become your new working thread. Thread your needle with it.

[Optional step 3 - If using optional French wire or thread guard, put it on your newly threaded end of fire line.]

Thread on your clasp.

[Optional step 4 – Go back through the French wire or thread guard.]

Go back through the five seed beads. Continue to go back through all of the beads. Be careful – it is very easy to accidentally skip the tiny seed beads!

When you reach the spot where your other end of Fire Line is hanging out, tie it with a surgeons knot or square knot. Continue to work the rest of your current working fire line into the beaded project, until you use most of it up.

Under best possible conditions you will be able to pass your working Fire Line through to the end, and part way back towards the middle. Be sure to stop when you still have enough Fire Line left to secure your thread.

Resist the temptation to work right up until there is only one or two inches left – that will not give you enough to work with. I try to always stop when I have 6-7 inches of Fire Line left.

Use the needle to make a half hitch knot between beads and work the end through one or two more beads Make another half hitch and go through another couple of beads. Be sure to gently tug the knots to not show. Trim snugly.

Go back to the dangling piece of Fire Line from the original working thread and do the same thing with half hitches to secure it as well.

Note: A lot of folks would prefer to use a tiny dab of hypo cement on their knots. I think that would be great. I just tend to make a mess whenever I get near any type of glue! So to keep from gluing myself to half the house, I usually rely on just the knots. I have not had much trouble with them coming loose, but it is good to be sure, if you can.

Finished a small amulet bag last night

Last night I worked up this amulet bag. I say "Whipped up" - It was more like messed up the first time I strung the necklace part -- It was getting late and I was all the way to the last crimp, when I saw one green bead that had been missed near the crimp, on the other side! Augh!

I got up and walked away. Then returned this morning to redo the neclace part this morning. That's what I get for staying up to try and finish a project. : )

earrings

I am not an earring wearer - I don't even have holes for them. That means I forget most of the time that most of the world does wear earrings.

So, I gave myself the challenge to come up with an earring design, and came up with four. I have to confess: once I got started, it was fun!

Please enjoy, and if anyone makes these up, I'd love to see some pics. With all of the Bead quilt patterns - I couldn't help but still be in the heart motif mode.

note: I only show every other row of fringe - it makes it easier to see on the pattern that way. Or you can do just the fringe shown - up to you!

Camo Bracelet, a follow up...

Here's the desert camo flag bracelet beaded by Cindy K.!

In an earlier post I mentioned a request from a beader (Cindy K.), for a camo flag pattern and posted the bracelet design I came up with. I just heard from Cindy, who has finished the bracelet for a friend who is being sent T.D.Y. She sent me a great pic of the finished piece and I want to share it with everyone. I also have to brag on her - This is her third piece of peyote work EVER! I'm tickled with the great job she did.

I also wanted to point out she did a good job of compensating for extra legnth to go around the person's wrist, by extending the fastenings on both sides of the piece. This kept it balanced looking. I may have to go back and have the pattern be a bit longer, but she came up with a good solution for this one. I appreciate all the work she did and sharing the final pic with me (and everyone!).

I admit it - I'm a neopet fan!

Here's where I have to admit that I am pretty addicted to playing spelling games on Neopets. I'm too honest to blame it on my kids, and anyone who sees this and has a passing notion of neopets, will recognize slorgs. I don't why the little sluggy things are so cute, but they are! I finally gave in and worked up two versions of this bracelet pattern. You can can have your slorgs up, down, coming and going!

Even if you aren't a neopets fan, these guys are pretty cute. They also remind me of the slugs in the movie "Flushed Away" who go "EEEEEE!"

bell flower

Here's a bell flower based on a pic I took at the National Botonical Gardens. It would make a nice amulet bag.

Children's Classes, part 3

Two of the Summer classes offered will be Traditional Friendship Bracelets and Macrame.

Shown above is the "Candy Stripe" friendship bracelet.

The example above, orange turquoise and yellow is a friendship anklet, done in the pattern known as Chinese Staircase or spiral.

This bracelet, in progress, is a series of alternated square knots. It is a pretty traditional macrame pattern. By using several colours, the knotting pattern is more visable.

This sample is a series of repeating half knots, which creates a tightly coiled spiral of knots. It is good for bracelets as well as chokers.

In the class, we will be using wooden beads in adition to hemp, embroidery floss, and yarns.

For a full listing of classes you can go to http://www.bedfordartacademy.org/

Bright petals bracelet

Happy Spring!! This pattern is based on a picture of white daisies I took by the driveway. I photo shopped the pic some before loading it to the pattern software. Then I used different portions of the picture to create the images of the bracelet. I like using a portin of the pic rather than the whole -- It lets me have more detail in the portion I use, and It focuses on a specific detail in the pic. I think it adds more graphic interest.

If I had used the whole photo as is, It wouldn't have had quite the visual punch that this version has and a lot would have been lost due to size, as well.

Once

I got the images onto the bracelet I cleaned things up a lot by hand. I made the back ground solid and a dep black, to help make the bright colours pop. I chose two of my fav bright colours and used the fill function to paint in the look I wanted. (Two-toned).

One of the important things here to think about is that the photo is just a begining when you are designing. You need to think about which parts of it you can use. you also need to think about which parts are good but can be tweaked by hand to be better.

I will go dig thru my old photos and find the original I used to create this and post it for comparision.

Ronit's work: update

I just recieved an update from Ronit yesterday. She finished the bracelet I designed to match her necklace and sent me a couple of pics. I thought I would share her work - especially since it co-ordinates with the neclace I posted earlier. I love the pearls used on the edging !

The pattern was bit more difficult, because the main features of Oreo were much smaller. I also had to go back in and recolour quite a bit -- The pattern maker wanted to make a lot of little speckles all over it.

To get this, I did a quick assimilate, erased all the back ground and recoloured it in tourquise. I then erased portions of the main image one section at a time and coloured them back in -- I tried to squint a bit and get the main features of fur colour and pattern.

The most important was the face and I find if I save the work I have done up til then, It lets me try a couple of different variations, make mistakes, and not have to worry about losing the rest of the work I have done so far, while I look for "just the right look."

Here's the graph I ended up with:

Jewelry wall display

Here's a quick and easy way to display your jewelry at home (you would want something a little heavier and less crowded for selling display.)

you need a foam core poster board,

fabric big enough to cover the front, plus two - three inches extra on each side.

painters tape (It lets you remove the fabric and re use it, when you are tired of it for the display)

thumbtacks

jewelry

Place the fabric flat on a smooth surface (I used the floor). Put foam core poster on top of it. Use the painters tape to tape the extra fabric to the back. Take your time and make sure it is smooth in the front.

Now use three or four thumb tacks to hang the covered board on the wall. Put jewelry up using the thumbtacks as well. use the jump ring or ring toggle to hang by. If the fastener is magnetic - just put the tack in and then let the magnet attach to it.

I mostly forget what I do and don't have in my jewelry box if I can't see it and this is a good way to keep things in sight, without getting all tangled up.

If you want something a bit thicker, go to the home improvement store and get strofoam insulation board - it's great stuff and works well for this also. If you want - you can also order the pins that are shaped like a "U" that are made for pinning jewelry to a display board.

What I like most about this way of storing jewelry - it's like having a constantly changing piece of art on the wall.