Beadwrangler Magazine Review
Announcement: Beadwork Magazine is changing to a six issue format starting in 2000. Each issue will include Beadwrangler’s beadwork samples and explore the History of Beadwork. Check Inside Beads for more information about the samples. November/December 2000 Yes, I saw the incorrect spelling of "Egyptian" on the front page. Maybe that issue will be a collector issue due to the error. Rosebud Light Covers by Dustin Wedekind are easy wire netted embellishment for lights and Sparkling Pear by Jean Campbell is an embellishment over a plastic shaped pear via pin sticking. Both projects are easy and result in ornaments you can use over and over again. Up Close has a Gila Monster by Nancy Aley that is three dimensional and worked in peyote stitch and Study in Blue III by Edward Frowine includes a spiral stitch necklace with lovely looped shaping. Caddis Heart by Maxine Peretz Prange is an easy project for three dimensional pin or pendant. The illustrations are very easy to follow for adding the embellishment. Honeycomb Lace by Chris Prussing is very easy necklaces using two needle right angle weave. Battling Boredom by Anne DuBois offers ways to vary the patterns for needle cases. She also includes illustrations for adding pieces to the top, middle and bottom of needle cases before beading commences. Akiko Ishida, Innovative Artist by Alice Scherer is a look at beautiful bead loom woven pieces including larger size evening bags and an interview with the artist that creates them. Fancy Tie by DJ Devine is an easy bead stringing project that can incorporate a donut. Lacy Bracelet by Peggy McCormick is a how to make chevron chains and create a variety of bracelets. Carol Wilcox Wells - She’s Done It Again by Kathie Schroeder is an article I heard about from many beaders and crocheters. Apparently some believe Carol is stating she created spiral bead crocheted ropes in this article. I have known Carol for years and am sure this is not what she meant at all. This hoopla is generated around Carol’s new book which will include some bead crocheted ropes. I believe statements about Carol working bead crochet ropes into her own is more about the bead color graduations, design elements added and beaded beads she created and combined than a statement of originating the spiral in a crocheted rope. We all know spiral ropes have been crocheted for ages and that Kate Coburn brought the spiral bead crochet rope to our attention in her recent Tube books. I am very pleased that bead crochet is finding prominence in beading books written by nationally known beaders like Carol; more beaders will be introduced to the versatility of bead crochet. Tiny Crown by Hazel Furst is a bead netting project on wire for a doll crown but could be adapted to other projects. Benedict Tisa, Beaded Flags of Faith and Fun by Claudia Chesneau is a look at his beaded flag art and the artists who make beaded flags in Haiti. Double Bezel Cabochon Earrings by Lynn Shansky are very easy beaded earrings using beaded bezels to build up around cabochons and joining one cabochon to another. Elegant Egyptian Collar by Julia Pretl wows you with a magnificent collar necklace on page 44. Collar making basics and tips are included for creating your own Egyptian collar. Samplers is my department and Beaded Netting is the subject. I made a vertical bead netted sample and one sample in the round. My friend and tester, Teresa Barrett (Tre’) liked the vertical netting so much, she worked the same netting across the ends of a silk scarf. Beaded Cards by Constance Spates is easy to make florals using wire and beads and then you learn how to place it on paper to make a card. Patchwork Collage Cuff by Jeannette Cook and Vicki Star is little pieces of beadwork put together to form jewelry and sculptures. This how to is an excerpt from their latest book, Beading With Peyote Stitch. Several illustrations are included for attaching the pieces together and adding embellishment on top the pieces. You can also use the samplers from my Beadwork Samplers department to build these type forms too. Part of the beauty of Jeanette and Vicki’s work is the color combinations and bead textures they create. Bead Something Royal by Dustin Wedekind is a fun article about our use of beads and the beaded pieces he created. Bead Boy Sidekicks has several lovely beadworks, my favorite being The Queen, with twisted fringe hair, a happy face and green beaded dress holding little florals. Spotlight, Bead Society of Greater Chicago shows you just how creative the members are. I could not help but gasp at the Crystal Palace evening bag by Diane Karzen and want to touch and feel that sensuous shaped bag. September/October 2000 Bead Buzz has projects that are very easy for beginners. Beadwork That Tells Stories by Angela Elling is a pleasurable view of Kate Boyan’s beadwork, much of it bead embroidery on bags and wearables. Her finished pieces are worked primarily with 18/0 and smaller beads. You will see the detail of her work in the color images on pages 17-19. Maple Leaf by Marji Brohammer offers square stitch leaves in Fall colors. All of Marji’s projects are always scrumptious. I just wish her illustrations were not such a strain to the eye since many of us advanced beaders go straight to the illustrations instead of written instructions to work a project.. I find it easier to look at the photograph of the actual piece as a guide than the illustration. Her written instructions do cover every aspect of the project. Speedy Beaded Bead by Eleanor Lux are some sweet little beaded beads using peyote stitch and covering wooden beads. Undulating Ndebele Necklace by Maxine Pertz Prange is a stunning necklace and easy to make. The biggest job will be finding all the various size beads you need for the shaping, so plan a bead hunt and trip to your local bead store, online shop or catalog. This design gave me many ideas for other type designs of thick and thin using bead sizes for shaping. Maxine you really came up with a prize when you designed this necklace, it is awesome, elegant and exotic. Bangle Bracelet or Necklace by Isabee Thiebaut Demski is a peyote project to make very attractive ropes. Gemstone chips and other beads are added for contrast and the patterns are easy to follow. A graph is provided with instructions for making the rope along with ideas for spiraling the shape. Lots of ideas here can be converted to bead crochet. The color rope examples show you how diverse a pattern can be just by bead color choices and a variation to the original pattern. Autumn Leaves, Tatted Necklace by Donna Carty has loops of tatted fiber with drop beads and larger floral beads included. A button hole stitch could also be used to create a likeness to the tatted stitch in this design. The Bead Tree Necklace by JoAnn Allard is an easy bead stringing project. The specialty or shaped beads are what really make the necklaces. Move Over Mama Eve by Barbara Grainger will show you how to make small doll and embellish her with Barbara techniques! Luscious leaf shapes make the hair on one of the dolls and her easy little moss type stitch covers the dolls. They are just yummy and easy to make. It just takes time to do all the bead fill in. Since the whole doll is beaded, you do not have to worry about the fabric being stitched with exact thread stitching and can get right to beading. If you use small beads like size 14/0 or smaller, you can make smaller dolls to embellish. Shannon Mayfield: Porcelain Artist by Marion Agnew will give you an eye goggle at face/head forms of cats, owls, tigers, people and other critters in porcelain. There is also a sidebar on how Shannon makes porcelain jewelry. Ojibwe Pendant, A Pulled Thread Loom Technique by Mary Thompson is a bead loom woven piece that works into a three dimensional chevron when the threads are pulled. Samplers, my department, is composed of two samples, square stitch worked in horizontal rows and a sample worked flat in the round. I recently put all the leftover "no go" samples to form a broach. Tantrum Pin by Patsy Silva and Joella Johnson shows you how to work a freeform peyote around a smunched lampwork bead to create a pin. First of course, you have to have access to beads that are made so you can work in and through the bead with beading. This article is about the beading process onto the bead, however, contact information about their classes and beads are included in the article. I had a brainstorm from this article for several design aspects that are not even similar to those in this article. This is what magazines and books do for you, stimulate your imagination and excite the brain cells. My BPS, Beadwrangler Power Surge is in full force now! Bash 2000 by Jean Campbell is a short paragraph about the event and lots of photos of beaders having fun. Bead Boy department has ideas for beading something that does not look beaded and Dustin has included examples by other beaders plus some of his own mosaics. July/August 2000 Up Close has some real winners; Wild Woman in Green by Wendy Seaward is a 3-D mask in peyote, Dragon Mat by Jeffrey Fishman is a loom woven piece with dragon motif and Garden of Earthly Delights by Jackie Hirsh is a classic bag. The purse strap has beaded florals the length of the piece and the bag has a gorgeous ensemble of florals. It is a beautiful artwork. Large Scale with Small Beads by Denise Perreault is viewing pleasure. Denise shows you her work and relates how she became a beader. Many of her pieces are tapestries in beads. She also has a side bar with tips for working large scale. Klew! Making A Business With Her Art by Bette Abdu interviews Karen Lewis who is also know as Klew. Her polymer beads and work with Silver Art Clay is well known. The beads combined with strung beads on page 20 are a joy to behold. Klew includes a small sample of her how to from her series of video on polymer clay. Dragonflies are very easy beading pins by Nancy Zellers using seed beads to build the body and wings and a larger bead for the head. Three drop peyote makes the project come together quickly. Blocks & Bars by David Farnsworth is easy beading to create little blocks of beading in different colors and form bracelets or necklaces. Boost Your Color Creativity by Mary Tafoya offers a variety of easy and more complex methods to learn about color. If you are interested in enhancing your beadwork with color and design, this article will help you. Stained Glass Screen Beading by Sandie Abel is a how to for beading and stitching on a fiberglass window screen. This could be an interesting project and the accompanying projects will inspire you to try it. Complete instructions are included Crochet Star Bag by Bonnie Brooks is a pretty little crocheted bag with both beads and fiber highlighting the finish. I did not find any listing of the length or size of the finished bag. There are two examples, one in a solid thread and bead color and a second with variegated thread and harmonious beads. This is an easy bead crochet project. Fanciful Fern Frond by Laurie Nelson is easy beading, as Laurie says, a variation on branch fringe and makes very appealing embellishment. Samplers, my department, is bead crochet samples and they are yummy. I fiberjest you not. They are very easy, one sample in the round and one in rows, both full of bead loops and easy to combine with other crochet or beading. Beadwork’s illustrations are super, I love them. The Original Bard by Don Pierce highlights Jeanne Boardman Bard and her beadwork. Her work is opulent and has a vintage quality. Developing An Artist’s Statement by Diane Fitzgerald is a series for professional development and includes tips to help you in your efforts. Picot Lace by Sandy Forrington has a grouping of loopy shapes in beads that can be made into necklaces or bracelets. Micro Macramé Watchbands by Brenda Whitehead shows you how to make a watchband using macramé techniques and incorporate beads. Special Beads by Marion Agnew will introduce you to Hubbell beads and their history. May/June 2000, Vol. 3, #3 I have to say, looking through the Calendar, the "Tree of Life" by Joan Dulla grabbed my attention and then "Bathing Beauty" by Ann Tevepaugh Mitchell made me laugh. Up Close surprised me when I viewed "She Becomes the Sea" by Sally Lewis, a beading buddy. The WebWizard took this photo when the piece was exhibited at the International Glass Art Society Conference in Tampa, Florida. I can tell you, it is an awesome piece and now Sally tells me she is going to put it on a revolving pedestal and put a light inside. The head is all glass under the beading. There is a great "Power Tie" by Jen Clark that is all bead embroidery and very fiery. "She Has Beads to Keep her Warm by Rebecca Starry is right angle weave with square stitch edging and fringing, lovely. Connie Lehman, Bead Diva by Dawn Hamilton highlights her beaded embroidery, quilting and three dimensional figures. I also enjoyed the photos on page 20 showing her solar studio and happy flourishing flowers. Feather Stitch Garland Scarf by Amy C. Clarke opens with a delicate scarf embellished with bead embroidery. Instructions and illustrations are provided so you can make your own heirloom piece. Clinging Vine Earrings by Barbara L. Grainger are precious easy leaves to make that hang from little bead vines that kind of zigzag. Barbara includes several color examples to show you leaves do not have to just be green. This is an easy project for beginners that can become classic earrings or jewelry to match your favorite outfit. In Pursuit of Beads by Peggy Wright is an interview with Diane Fitzgerald, beader, designer and color expert. Photo images of one of her "Gingko Leaf" ropes and other creations can be found from pages 27 through 29. Flat Peyote Banner Pin by Judi Wood is an easy peyote project to make a small flamingo motif piece. Pins for Beadweaving by Carol Straus accompanies this project showing you how to make a gorgeous handmade pin for the flamingo piece and combine them to create an attractive pin. Suspended Admiration, Beaded Fan Pulls by Denise Perrault is a how to peyote/gourd stitch project to make various fan pulls. Even if you don’t have any fans at home, you will find these a delight for the ends of lariats, necklaces and tassels.. I especially like the "Victorian Lady" fan pull on page 36, she is a doll! Samplers, Bead Embroidery, yes, this is my second sampler article and now we are doing some bead cross stitch and other bead embroidery stitches. I hope you are following along and making the samplers. The nice big illustrations on how to make the stitches are Jean Campbell’s expertise at work. The color photos of the samples are nice full size images so you can easily see how the beads are placed on the fabric. Listening to the Beads by Margie Deeb includes a full color image of one of her split loom woven necklaces along with illustrations of how she worked up the design. A Tantalizing Bead Looming Secret by Jeanne Leffingewell has a nifty way of preparing your beads for loom weaving that is very inventive. She explains the process and how it works. A must read for those interested in new ideas for loom weaving with beads, especially the bead stringing part. All Stuck Up by Jean Campbell is an easy how to make album covers with pizzazz. Her examples included an Elvis cover of beads and sequins. Jean includes an illustration to show how the face is broken down into groups of color for adding beads. The use of dark and light and color graduations in beads culminate in a very artistic finish. Make Bead Graphs & Handouts with PowerPoint by Mary J. Tafoya has lots of key words, fancy icons, examples and lots of information. See Glass Beads & Their Makers for the glass article. March/April 2000, Vol.3, #2 Dynamite cover, Marcus Amerman’s beadwork and the leading article by Rose Mary Diaz. The cover page has BEADWORK spelled out in beads at the top and a Native American figure filling the cover page. Several color photos of Amerman’s work runs throughout the interview on pages 20-23. Up Close has several three dimensional beadwork items that are creative, fun and whimsical. Beadwork on The Road highlights Lisa Lou’s traveling beadwork installations along with dates and places where the installation will be exhibited next. Caged Beads by Carol Wilcox Wells is a how to project to make cylinder type beads with lots of embellishment. Peyote and netting are the main stitches used and a graph and illustrations are included. Fishing For Compliments Necklace by Lynda Musante actually has a sweet little bag at the end of the line with lots of kinky fringe and includes more than one size bead. An "Egg-straordinay" Collection by Barbara S. Henthorn is a project to embellish Easter eggs, the eggs being marble eggs, not real chicken eggs. There are beaded patterns for leaves and flowers to embellish the eggs. The Beadwork of Margo Field by Mary J. Tafoya is an eye opener to a beading artist and her amazing work. Margo’s leaves, florals and vines are tantalizing and the flower sprays coming from beaded vines are riveting. There are several more beaded pieces by Mary and the "Hummer" on page 38 is a real treat. Victorian Basket Pin by Arlene Bake is a fiber basket plus beads and wire for a winning little pin. Instructions are included for making the beaded flowers. Beading Heart by Sylvia Becker is a peyote heart that is filled with cotton batting. A graph of the design is included. Fairy Cascade by Dona Anderson is a how to project to string beads and include a fairy or goddess glass designer bead. A little needle weaving and knotting is included for a very finished necklace. Samplers, Peyote Stitch, is the first samples in my on going project with Beadwork Magazine to preserve beadwork through samples. They are worked in both Czech and Delica beads. This is your chance to start the samplers at the very beginning and collect them all. We are making beadwork history here. Stringing Along, All That Glitters by Judith Durant is about her bead adventure in Las Vegas. Winter 2000, Vol. 3, #1 Of course I must say this is an excellent issue you just have to have since it has my work in it! Up Close has contemporary and antique beadwork, all absolutely exceptional. Bead embroidery, tubular peyote and fringing techniques were included in these pieces. The Victorian Collar got my crochet pal, Crochet Theresa, going and now she wants to learn beading so she can make a beaded collar and include some crochet. Beaded From the Heart, The Work of Nancy Terry Hooten by Mimi Holmes will delight your eyes with her creative beading. There are beaded quilts, memory pieces, landscapes and three dimensional figures in a spray of colors using various beading techniques. The build up beaded embroidery and contrasting textures make her work all the more exciting. The beaded chicken on page 22, in "Tuna Fish for Sunday Dinner," is an eye grabber. I never thought a chicken could be quite so enchanting. Heirloom Frames by Sandy Swirnoff is a how to spiff up your photo frames with innovative beadwork. Sandy also offers ideas for beading around photos, much like small embellished cabochons. Square-Stitched Twisty Strap by Marji Brohammer are some very attractive bracelets using square stitch techniques and shaping. There is an extensive list of instructions and illustrations on page 30-31 which seem to me to be very complicated compared to the actual project, however, I have been beading for many years and often know how an item is made just by looking at it. If you are a beginner in square stitch, you may want to do some easier projects first before tackling this one. Pearl Polyhedra by Sylvia Becker is a WOW bead! You just know Sylvia is a mathematician/scientist when you go to her website, full of information about polyhedrons and mathematical gegaw. This project put me into a madness, I had to figure out how to make the bead. The illustrations is for right-handed people and me being a lefty made it more difficult. The other problem is freshwater pearls have such small holes, if you don’t have strong wrists, you will never get the thread through enough times to make the bead taut. My pearl beads are semi-taut. I did not give up. I sat down with the illustration plus some of Maria Oldring’s illustrations from her website and finally the light bulb switched on. I figured it out and it is actually so very easy I could not believe it. I can make them without following any illustrations now and have made a few other shapes. I now about 50 beads in various sizes. If you try this project, use larger beads like gemstone or glass 6mm or 8mm, you can take the thread through many more times and make it tighter. I made one group with size 10mm, 8mm, 6mm and 4mm, all the same gemstone beads, so it is like a family of big to little beads. 4mm druk beads make wonderful polyhedrons that can be worked between beaded ropes. Even though it took me a while to figure it out, I am so happy Sylvia shared this project because it has given me about 100 more ideas for beads I can’t wait to try. Beadwrangler, Lydia Borin by Gwen Blakely-Kinsler, is an interview with me! Many of my super bead crocheted ropes and loom woven purses were included plus color photos of my Shimmy Shan Doll! What a treat to see my work in such a beautiful magazine. Gwen, Founder of the Crochet Guild of America and my crochet pal, authored this wonderful article about me. Beaded Goddess by Joann Hite and Diane Fitzgerald is a how to project to make your own beaded goddess figure. They are tiny figures that can be worn as jewelry. A template is included plus the instructions for the stitches used to embellish the dolls. Each one of these little figures are exquisite and worked in combinations like all greens - very watery; mauves and blues - antique; and gold, bronze and purples - exotic, all real treasures. Caduceus Chain by Diane Fitzgerald follows which shows how to make one of the necklace straps for the figures. Links by Maxine Peretz Prange are projects to make beaded links in various size beads. These links are flat peyote pieces and easy to make. If you use large beads, your links will grow quickly. This looks like a fun project. I was already making bead crocheted links and chains so making beaded links next works. It’s Just a Daisy Chain by David Farnsworth is a how to with variations on daisy chains, making them from simple to complex. Bead Torture by Sandi Graves is a very helpful article about beads, how to test them, what happens with exposure to light, chemicals and what to watch out for in particular beads. Several photos of beads before and after they changed from light fading them to testing with chemicals are provided. This is an article to keep in your scrapbook as a reference. Seed Bead Strip Tease by Kathie Schroeder is a sampler of peyote strips compared to loom woven strips with the same type patterns. This is another excellent reference article and a good way to see how patterns change from one type of beading to another. Page 69 has a break out of what will be happening at Beadwork’s Bash 2000 including classes and events. Mark your calendar, make plans and have a ball. |
