February 2012

NEW! Find a new ornament project for sale every month online only.
The February 2012 ornament is quick-and-easy crystal icicles for your holiday decorating.

NEW! Find a new ornament project for sale every month online only.
The March 2012 ornament is a lovely ornament decked out in a gown of chevron chain.

Weave a regal collar with jewel-tone fire-polished beads and picots of metallic seed beads.

Stitch your way to a dazzling Tila bead cuff studded with seed beads and two-hole crystal settings. The base of this bracelet is constructed using modified square stitch, securing new rows of beads to previous rows of beads rather than stitch one bead to one bead as in traditional square stitch (Online Basics or Video).

We're sorry. This project is not available to purchase on the website. You'll find this, and other great projects, in Artistic Seed Bead Jewelry.

A string of owners gets the surprise of their lives as a stockpile of vintage beads and findings trades hands over the decades.

Combine stitches to create a feminine bracelet. Add crystals, branches, buds, flowers, and leaves to a peyote base (Online Basics or Videos) for a nature-inspired bracelet design. Clasp it with a button to complete the romantic look.

Nothing turns heads like the flash of Swarovski Elements, and these fashionable bangles sport a solid ring of those eye-catching crystals along its outer edge. The spoke-like structure provided by Miyuki Tila beads or Czech two-hole tile beads stitched in cubic right-angle weave (Online Basics or Videos) elevates the design, while the inner ring of pearls provides a comfortable base layer that makes this bracelet easy to wear.

Combine fiber-optic glass and gemstone beads with crystal briolettes to make a lovely crossweave necklace reminiscent of cherry blossoms. In crossweave technique, two needles cross through a bead (or beads) so the needle that was on the right side is now on the left side and vice versa.

Connect peyote-bezeled rivolis with arcs of ladder stitch, modified herringbone stitch (Online Basics or Videos), and picots for an out-of-this-world necklace.

Form fans of cube beads, triangle beads, and seed beads into an undulation bracelet built on beading wire strung through filigree findings.

Artist A. Kimberlin Blackburn makes beaded sculptures that capture the spirit of the harvest.

Use crossweave technique to create a two-sided beaded bead as colorful and intricate as an interstellar cloud. Attach curved-link spokes interspersed with bicones and oval crystals for a perfectly proportionate pendant. In crossweave technique, two needles cross through a bead (or beads) so the needle that was on the right side is now on the left and vise versa.

Read Bead&Button's Hand-Dandy Guide to seed bead shapes, Ask Anna answers a reader's question on edging techniques, there are book reviews by the Bead&Button staff, findings, and more!

Stitch up this "Geometric maze" by Lynne Soto using square stitch or loomwork. This pattern will be available to registered users free on January 1, 2012.  Check out other subscriber projects, free projects, and patterns.

Concentric rings of seed beads create a lightweight and modern pendant.

When we saw the clever components in Hattie Newman's Arabesque necklace (pictured), we wanted to share an array of design options possible with the main diamond shapes. Connect one simple stitch in several ways to create your own design elements.

Wrap crystal clusters with ribbons of seed beads and top them off with a crystal bow, creating a glittering accessory perfect for gifting.

Welcome to the first of a six-part series on mastering jewelry design, starting with four essential techniques for grabbing the gaze of your viewers.

Construct open-air beaded beads with bugles, pearls, and crystals, and then string them with bead caps, rondelles, and pearls for a classy vintage look.

Make a four-color Skinner blend, and then add detail with rubber stamps and ink for a refined bracelet.

Combine large- and small-link chain in mixed metals with wire-wrapped briolettes for an up-to-date delight.

Julia Gerlach talks about designing with Beau Barrett's hollow blown borosilicate bead in Spotlight Designs.