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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Fortuneteller's Bracelet TUTORIAL

My friend Lori and I share a passion for Irish waxed linen cord. It's one of our favorite materials to work with. She invited me to design a special jewelry project and tutorial to post on her blog highlighting our beloved waxed linen cording. I'm thrilled to share the project with you here. I created a simple bracelet. The materials may be humble, but the design is one I would wear on a daily basis. Those are the kind of pieces I love to make the most. The everyday jewelry. I love the texture and look of the knotted multiple gemstone strands, the joyful colors of the waxed linen cord and the gorgeous, hand-crafted copper button by Barbara Bechtel of Second Surf Studio on Etsy. The techniques are easy. These simple, tried and true knotting techniques I use over and over in my jewelry. This basic bracelet project is a great example of how easy it is to incorporate Lori's color cord mixes featured in her Jewelry Accord Shop in a jewelry design!
 


Fortuneteller’s Bracelet
Erin Siegel

Sodalite is said to be the stone of “insight”. The bright, colorful threads of waxed linen cord remind me of a long, flowing gypsy skirt that a fortuneteller might wear.

Materials:
72 Sodalite 6mm rounds
1 copper 20mm artisan button by Second Surf Studio
4’feet EACH of 4ply Irish waxed linen cord in the following colors: Plum, Fuchsia, Red and Sage

Tools:
Scissors
Ruler

Finished size: 7 ½”

Instructions:
 
1: Hold the four pieces of linen cord together at their centers. Tightly twist the centers of the 4 cords together for 2”. Fold the cords in half and form an overhand knot, leaving a ¾” loop of twisted cord.
 
2: Separate two cords. Use 1 cord to string 1 Sodalite round. Use both cords to form an overhand knot after the bead. Repeat 17 times. Repeat entire step for remaining cords.
3: Use all 8 cords to form an overhand knot. Separate cords in half and form 3 square knots. 
 
4: Use 4 cords to string one buttonhole. Repeat for the other buttonhole. Form a square knot on top of the button. Trim cords to ¼”.
Resources:
Sodalite rounds: FireMountain Gems. Waxed linen cord: Jewelry Accord on Etsy. Copper button: Second SurfStudio on Etsy.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Day Glow Earrings TUTORIAL


Spring is in full swing now. I'm seeing lots of bright colors popping up outside as well as inside my favorite shops and clothing boutiques. My latest jewelry design for Ornamentea.com is an ode to warm, sunshine days ahead and a nod to the neon fashion trend! Click over to Ornamentea.com to see the full tutorial.


These sunny earring will brighten any day whether the sun is out or not. I love the look of the turquoise crystal chain adorned ear wires, the texture of the bright orange waxed linen cord and the cheery yellow ceramic beads by artist, Elaine Ray.


A special thanks to Debbie Blair, editor over at Jewelry Stringing magazine for featuring my earring tutorial for Ornamentea on the Beading Daily Blog! Check out her blog post to see Debbie's unique version of these earrings!

Ingredients

- 2 12mm Elaine Ray ceramic rounds
- 2 large kidney ear wires
- 2 3" headpins
- 3" of 2.5mm crystal chain
- 36" of Irish waxed linen cord

Tools

- Chain nose
- Round nose
- Cutters
- Scissors


1. Use 18" of waxed linen to tie an overhand knot onto 1 headpin, leaving a 3" tail as shown.
 
2. String 1 ceramic round onto both cord ends and the headpin as shown.

3. Using the long end of cord, wrap around the headpin and the short tail above the bead as shown. Tie the two ends of cord together with a square knot, trim and make a wrapped loop above the linen wraps as shown.




4. Hold a 1 ½" piece of crystal chain on top of 1 kidney ear wire. Place the middle of the remaining waxed linen cord under the first crystal in the chain and wrap the cord around the chain and the ear wire in a criss-cross fashion as shown. Tightly wrap until all the chain is securely attached to the ear wire. Tie the two ends of cord together with a square knot and trim close to the knot.

5. Attach the beaded dangle to the ear wire and repeat steps for the second earring.