Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Beading Classes at Naturally Jennifer

The good folks down at Naturally Jennifer Beads and Gallery in San Luis Obispo, CA have graciously asked me back to teach some classes.  I have a wonderful and faithful group of students there, which means I have to bring new designs and materials whenever I go there to teach.  Since it's out of town, I always go for two weekend days in a row, and I thought it would be nice to make a two day course instead of entirely different stuff on Saturday and Sunday.  So I'm designing patterns around common themes so students will learn a specific design on Saturday, and how the technique applies to other designs on Sunday. Here are the SLO details.  I'll post photos later this week.

Saturday, March 27: Herringbone Toggle Clasp and Cable 10:30-4
Sunday March 28: Herringbone Advanced Class: Beaded Beads 10:30-4
Canceled: Saturday May 22: Honeycomb Star Weave 10:30-4
Canceled: Sunday May 23: Star Weaves Advanced Class 10:30-4
September 4, 5 TBA

For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, here's info on my upcoming workshops at Beaded Bliss.

Here's more info on the March 27/28 classes.
Herringbone is a classic bead weave that is very versatile.  Typically, herringbone is woven with an even number of columns of beads.  This Herringbone Toggle pattern shows how to weave just 3 columns to produce a neat and narrow cable of seed beads.  We show how to add larger beads into the weave, captured and outlined by the 3 columns.  By creating angles at the larger beads, we can close a piece of cable into a square to make the loop for a toggle clasp.  You can weave the toggle directly into a necklace, or add a flat strip of herringbone with just 2 columns to capture a jump ring, and finish the clasp.

The underlying herringbone pattern is very regular, and can be repeated to make triangles, squares, pentagons, and so forth, in any size.   You can also weave long lengths of the herringbone 3-cable into necklaces and bracelets.  The pattern gives detailed instructions for the straight cable with captured gems and  both parts of the toggle clasp.

In the Herringbone Advanced Class on beaded beads, you will see different variations of beaded beads and pendants that can be made with the herringbone 3-cable.  Explicit instructions will be provided for the Hour Glassy beaded bead, but students will be encouraged to try other designs for beaded beads, pendants and earrings shown in the pattern, with the instructor's help, of course.

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