This love inspired necklace uses our red and white glass bead kit
beautifully.  

By following our simple step-by-step instructions, you can create this
simple, yet stunning necklace with red heart focal point this Valentine’s day.

What you will need:

• Flat Nose Pliers – 999 695
• Red Bead Kit – 61GL MK28
• Beading Needles – 967 010A

Step 1

 Take your thread and do a double overhand knot to secure in place on the toggle.

Step 2

Put your thread through the beading needle and begin threading the beads onto the cord.

Step 3

I have chosen a pattern of one red to five white.

Step 4

Once you get near to the length you want measure it around your neck to check you get the right length.

Project : Top Tip

Securing something at the end of your thread, as we have done with the toggle here, will stop your beads from falling off!

Step 5

Thread the glass heart bead over the beaded chain you have made.

Step 6

Finish by doing another double overhand knot.

Step 7

Now you have the finished item!

Project : Top Tip

You don’t need to stick to the patterning I have chosen with one red to five white. You can adapt this to your personal favourite!

Beading and sewing 192Os-inspired cap-sleeves onto a high-street top for added sparkle.

By Jeanne Spaziani- as featured in making magazine.

1. Print out the sleeve pattern (p82) and cut a test sleeve from a scrap of fabric similar to what you will be using for your sleeves. Pin it to the armhole and decide if you want to change the over-the-shoulder length or to move where the sleeve finishes at the front or back armholes. Adjust the pattern piece as needed bearing in mind that there is already 1cm of seam allowance included on all edges of the pattern.

2. Cut out a pair of sleeves from your fabric. If your fabric gives more in one direction than the other, cut so the stretchier grain runs over your shoulder and down the top of your arm and the less stretchier grain is the long edge that will be sewn to the armhole. Hem the scalloped edges which will be beaded with a small hand-rolled hem (this gives better support for holding the weight of the beads than simply leaving a raw edge, even on fabrics that don’t fray).

3. All beadwork for this project should be done with your needle threaded double for strength. Waxing your thread before sewing will help it pull smoothly and be less inclined to tangle. First I sewed a row of beads along the hem, back stitching each one on individually to make a strong base for the next step of adding fringe. Spread some beads out on your felt or velveteen lined tray and use your needle to pick the beads up, rather than your fingers. You will be able to pick up a few at a time like this when you get to the fringing step and in general it speeds things up.

4. After the entire hem had beads sewn on I started my fringe working from the centre of the sleeve hem out to either side thus making sure that my fringing started off dead centre. Thread your needle, wax the thread and make a knot in the end. Slide it from behind the rolled hem to hide the knot and do a tiny backstitch to make sure the knot won’t pull out of your fabric. Slide the needle through a hem bead and begin picking up beads with the needle in your chosen pattern and sliding them onto the thread. When you reach the bottom of the fringe strand pick up one last small bead to act as an anchor, pass through it only once and then slide your needle and thread back up through all the other beads of the strand finally coming out through the top bead again. If your piece of fringe is long you may have to gently coax the beads into their proper place just below the hem beads. Keep an eye on your thread tension – too loose and you will have bare thread showing when the fringe hangs – too tight and the strands of fringe will buckle and not hang nicely.

5. Slide your needle through another bead or three of the hem row (depending on the amount of spacing you want between each strand of fringe) and thread up beads for a second strand. Keep making strands like this until you have about 15cm of thread left (less than this and you could find yourself mid-strand without enough thread to finish it). Make a couple of tiny backstitches behind the rolled hem to make it secure and knot the thread off. I generally make two knots to be on the safe side. Re-thread your needle and keep on making strands of fringe. I generally got four or five fringe strands done with each needle threading.

6. To in-fill the body of the sleeve I made hanging strands about 7cm long radiating from a central cluster. To do this I started from behind the cluster, threaded through the desired beads, anchored the end where I wanted it and slid the needle and thread back through those beads to where I started and knotted off before starting another long strand. They hang nicely like this as well as covering more ground. Every so often pick up your sleeve to see how the beads hang to check you are happy with the effect. Remember to be sure your threads are very securely backstitched and knotted at both the beginning and ends of each section. A few single scattered beads on the sleeves and a section of beading across the front neckline pulled it all together. Time and patience will dictate how far you want to carry on – beading is a bit addictive!

7. When the sleeves are complete, lap the 1cm seam allowance under the inside side of the armhole, pin and stitch in place with tiny hand stitches. I stitched mine twice –along the raw edge of the seam allowance and again just behind the armhole binding.

8. Sewing in bra strap holders (you can buy ribbon ones at most haberdashery shops) on the inside shoulder seam of your top will help keep the beaded sleeves from dragging the shoulders of your top down as the beading adds more weight than you might think.

Steampunk- the best way to describe it is one foot in the age of steam, the other in present day!

The computer or laptop you’re currently using- it’s plastic and likely to be a bit bland and mass produced.

Imagine if the Victorian artisans had made your computer! It would be elaborately decorated with brass, polished wood, copper, glass, etching and engraving- decoration for the sake of decoration.

Steampunk is……. What if the future had happened sooner?

The best thing about Steampunk in jewellery making is that all the conventional rules are completely thrown out the window. Materials that you wouldn’t normally put together, colours that you wouldn’t normally marry, the emphasis and use of coils and mechanical parts and items do not even need to be symmetrical to be easy on the eye.

Aquiring the materials is very easy and recycling is greatly encouraged- use old jewellery, break down broken watches and even bottle caps!

So, with a little imagination, anything is possible with Steampunk.

Steampunk themed Charm Bracelet

This project was designed by Sian Lyndsay Williamson. Sian is a currently self-taught and runs her website from home, based in Staffordshire. Since moving from her St. Andrews hometown 5 years ago, Sian took up jewellery crafting after struggling to find employment, and has never looked back. Sian hopes to gain her qualifications when her two young sons are in full time education.

Here’s how to make a very quick and easy Steampunk themed Charm Bracelet:

You will need:

Antique Black Jumprings

Gold Plated curb chain

3 Feature Charms- e.g. Swooping Swallow, Owl, Hearts and Keys, Dragonfly, Moon Maiden

Toggle and Clasp

Gold Plated Head Pins

Pink Glass Bead Mix

 Daisy Spacers

Tiny hearts and butterfly spacers

Filigree connectors

Quartz chipstones 

Reclaimed cogs

Chain nose pliers

Round nose pliers

Flush cutters

 Step 1

Start with 35 links of curb chain and attach the clasp and toggle to each end.

Step 2

Slide a tiny butterfly spacer and approximately 4 large quartz chipstones onto a headpin. Make a lopp in the pin, feed onto a link of the chain and wrap the wire around twice. Snip the excess and tuck the wire in.

Using a jumpring, attach a feature pendant to the next but one link along. Mount a glass bead through a headpin between two daisy spacers and attach to the chain using the same method as above.

Step 3

Slide a tiny heart spacer on a headpin and attach this to a cog part. Connect the filigree connector using a jumpring.

Step 4

Connect the filagree to the curb chain, using a jumpring.

Step 5

Fill out the rest of the curb chain, spacing out evenly.

Variant- Why not try with different chipstones? Here I’ve used Carnelian and added detail to the cogs with Swarovski Crystals.

You might want to make the feature pendants yourself from art clay silver, copper clay, bronze clay or even wood clay for a more unique touch.

After searching the globe for the most attractive ranges of beads, we are now extremely pleased to reveal the launch of our BRAND NEW expanded range!

One of the most exciting things about making your own jewellery is choosing the perfect beads for your design so we have a fantastic range of over 2,500 bead designs to choose from.

Our range includes Glass, Seed, Semi-Precious, Wood, Acrylic and many more which will inspire you to create a myriad of different designs!

We are all aware of the cost of precious metals and therefore incorporating beads into your designs or creating completely beaded jewellery is a highly affordable and exciting alternative. With a beautiful array of colours and finishes to choose from, you can find your creativity through colour and inspiration.

Our New Beading Range also boasts big brands such as Miyuki, Preciosa and Swarovski. Also hot on trend this year are shamballa bracelets and now we stock both the shamballa cord and shamballa crystal beads so you can creat your very own fashion piece!

There has never been a more exciting time to work with beads as this art  form is constantly evolving, mixing traditional techniques with new, exciting methods and uses too. With so many different and unique ways to use our vast array of beads, we have a comprehensive beading book range to help all contemporary bead workers.

Not only do we stock over 2,500 different beads we also stock a great range of the beading tools and stringing products to match- as well as the perfect storage to keep your beads!

All are products can be found in our brand new Bead book for everything you’ll ever bead! You can claim your FREE COPY today by clicking here!

PLUS why not join our Bead Mail Club to find out what we’re up to including hot news, exclusive offers and freepost events?

Our weekly communications will keep you up to date with what’s happening here at Cookson Beads. You will be the first to hear about our new products, offers and inspirational projects!

Click here to sign up!

It’s never been so easy to make same-sized, perfectly shaped beads using your FIMO Bead Roller! All you need to do to get consistent, uniform FIMO beads is to slide the base and top of the bead roller back and forth. The measuring ring helps you to measure out the quantity required for one bead.

For making 3 different bead shapes:

This is how it’s done: 

1. Using the measuring ring, measure out the exact amount of FIMO required.

2. Push the FIMO out of the ring using, e.g., the end of a pencil.

3. Shape a small ball out of the measured-out amount and place it in the desired channel. Slide the base and top back and forth along the guiding rails.

4. Carefully make a hole through the bead, e.g. using a needle.

ATTENTION: Make sure that the hole is the right size for your chain.

5. Harden the FIMO in an oven at 110°C for approx. 30 minutes. Your FIMO beads are now ready for stringing!

Tip: Lacquering the beads adds a nice touch.

Cleaning:

When using different FIMO colours in succession, clean the shape with a damp cloth, otherwise it is possible for traces of colour to be transferred onto the following colours. After cleaning, always dry with a tea towel. Cleaning using soapy water is recommended after use. Do not use any strong chemicals or abrasive materials. Protect needles against the damp. Dry the needle using a tea towel and clean them with fine sandpaper if necessary.

Cut-off length:

Measure out the necessary amount of FIMO. To do this, first of all make the FIMO into a roll with the respectively stated diameter. After this, cut this off in the recommended length.

This article is written by Joanne Varney who holds a BA (Hons) in Jewellery and Silversmithing and is part of the Cooksongold team.

As with every large product group, there is usually a percentage which remains unchanged from year to year and forms the main stay of the range. This is known as the core range. Findings and stones are no exception to this and you will find many items remain unchanged from catalogue to catalogue. They become classics that you come to rely on as a jewellery maker, and know you will go back to time and again.

However, it is always fun to try something new and a good way to do this is to tap into some of the jewellery trends of the moment. If you know what to buy, your new purchases will become less of a gamble with customers, many of whom will already be aware of what is ‘on trend’.

 You don’t have to become a diehard fashionista to achieve this, instead simply arm yourself with a few relatively basic pieces of information based around themes, forms and colour. There are many complex factors that dictate global trends from economic to environmental issues and to understand them fully is not necessary for our purposes.

 Instead concentrate on the more tangible pieces of information for example: The Guild of Jewellery Designers has a review of Trends Autumn/Winter 2011 available to view on their website (http://bit.ly/oqu1PH) . In it they describe five themes they are tipping and within those themes are indications of larger scale pieces, layering/stacking and a move away from precious metals due to costs.

This could be interpreted in a number of ways, here is just one:

• Pendants can be hung on leather cord, coloured silks or rubber. Offer a choice with each sale or better still, sell each item with a selection of options e.g. Silver chain, neutral leather cord and vibrant coloured silk. This will allow your customer to layer, but also partake in a degree of customisation which has been a massive trend for many years now. Many of the major chain stores offer sets or groups of jewellery for sale now which has been extremely successful as they represent great value for money.  Even as designer/jewellers we all need to be aware that now more than ever people want value for money.
• Scale can be tricky to overcome without incurring significant cost. One way to achieve this is to use ‘found’ or recycled objects collected from charity shops or flea markets. Another is to use crystals or beads to create bold statement pieces. Swarovski produce a fabulous range of stunning pendants and beads in a myriad of colours, many of which are quite large. They too are a great reference point for trend information as they produce what they call ‘Gem Visions’ trend predictions each year (http://bit.ly/qUrtHF). This is a great resource for colour information.  Published in June of this year ‘Gem Visions 2012’ amongst other things is highlighting neutral tones, black and white and earth tones of orange and red to be big next year.  Get your ranges ‘on trend’ by incorporating some Fire Opal, Topaz or Light Siam Beads or why not try one of the Designer Edition ‘Devoted to You’ Astral Pink Heart pendants which ticks a multitude of trend boxes!

As you can see, being trend aware within jewellery and components doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply taking some time to do some internet research can have extremely beneficial results. Your customers will be impressed if you can reference your jewellery to a particular trend of the moment and it also means that your range will be regularly refreshed which keeps things interesting.

Every good jeweller’s workshop needs a quality supply of findings… and with many sensational new lines, and up to 50% off our most popular findings, you won’t find more choice or better value than Cooksongold.com.

We’ve got lots of other new products to tempt you with; a fabulous selection of glass beads and stringing supplies, silver chain, silver beads and spacers, display materials and a series of price offers for workshop essentials. What’s more, spend over £100 and you will automatically be entered into our Win a Workshop competition!

Click here to view these new product online via the website.

Click here for your FREE copy