Beaded Jewellery class and an Easter giveaway

This week I did an all day beaded jewellery class at Hobbycraft.   Three lovely ladies attended, Eaman  (sorry if I have spelt that wrong if you are reading), Lilly and Lynn.

It was a 10am - 3pm with a short break for lunch, but the time just flies in, all of a sudden the time is up and the day is over.

We started with earrings, simple beaded ones, then ones with added dangles.   We then went on to make memory wire coil bracelets which looked great.

Following that was a simple beaded necklace with monofilament thread, then a tigertail multi-strand necklace with floating beads.

I love the fact that people are offered the same materials to work from, but the results are so very different, it's great!

I made some bits as samples too, and because it is Easter I am going to do a little giveaway.  You can either enter here on the blog comments, or on the Facebook post which is pinned to the top of my Facebook page.

All you have to do to enter is to say which two pieces you would prefer from the lot, on Easter Sunday (evening UK time) I will do a random draw & the winner whose name I pick out will win the two pieces they've described.

Will post anywhere in the world.
Good luck.

Beadweaving Bonanza

I am going to run a bonanza of a class at Hobbycraft, Carlisle, in May.

It's a totally new format for me so I will be interested to see how it goes.

Beadweaving is a technique with a needle and strong beading thread, no tools, needed except scissors, so it makes a really nice hobby as you can pop all the bits into a little Tupperware box and pop it in your bag!

The plan is to start at 10.00am and run through until 4.30pm breaking the day into one and a half hour segments, like this....

10.00am - 11.30am - Peyote Stitch.

Peyote Stitch is a nice flat stitch, ideal for making bases to be embellished....

Or if done with Japanese Delica beads a piece of beauty on it's own.

11.30am - 1.00pm - Right Angle Weave, aka RAW.

This stitch is lovely when used with crystals and slightly bigger beads than seed beads. It is ideal for bracelets and is really quite eye-catching.

1.30pm - 3.00pm - Spiral Staircase.

I think this is my favourite stitch, you can do so much with it simply by adding different beads, or putting them in in a different manner.

It makes a wonderful rope like texture which is perfect for necklaces and bracelets alike.

3.00pm - 4.30pm - Adding clasps.

Personally, after doing all that work on beadweaving pieces, I don't want to add a plated clasp that might tarnish or make your skin turn green.  I like to use buttons and beaded loops, or beaded toggle clasps.  So this section is all about making clasps to suit your work.

The way this workshop is different is that you can come to one, two or all of the sessions.  You can pop in and out, or bring a packed lunch and stay and play all day.

The price is £10.00 per session or all four sessions for £30.00.

The price includes all materials, and you take home what you make along with a little pack so you can finish off anything you have started at home.

If you fancy joining me you can now book a place on my website by clicking HERE.

Crochet & ring making day

Wednesday is such a busy day for me at the moment.   I have a crochet class in the morning (at Hobbycraft in Carlisle) then a jewellery making class in the afternoon.  With a quick hour lunch and resetting up break.

Last Wednesday, my lovely ladies Tracie and Lucy started making Mandalas.  This is a great way of learning new stitches and how to use old ones in different ways.

Didn't they do well?   It is the last week next week so I hope they can go away with confidence to start making beautiful things.

After a tub full of pasta & Quorn sausage it was right back to it with a beaded ring making class.

My samples, a bit of copper work and some silver curling.  I did do others but I managed to give them away to Hobbycraft staff as they passed by  :)

My student's hand full of blingy rings.   She will be spoilt for choice when deciding which one to wear each day.

♪♪♪   With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes 

She shall have music wherever she goes.  ♪♪♪ 

A busyful day, yesterday

I love the word 'busyful', it's not a proper word of course, although if we use it enough we might get it into the Oxford Dictionary at some point.  But to me it just means a day full of busyness, which is exactly what yesterday was.

My day started proper at 9.45am in Hobbycraft, Carlisle, as I set up for the crochet class.  These lovely ladies came along and learnt to crochet.  They went away as happy hookers  :)

In action shots, those hands were working so hard..

Granny squares, not only learnt, but joined too!  I am expecting big blankets by next week  :)

At 12.00pm I had myself a short lunch break and nipped to Food @ Broadway in Kingstown, Carlisle,  for a baguette. If you have not eaten there, do, the food is lovely and fresh.  Although lacking slightly on veggie options  (cheese or egg) they do some lovely sounding soups.

The afternoon had me doing a beaded jewellery class for one.  I don't mind doing classes for one though, as you get to have a nice chatter and make something yourself too.

We made charm bracelets.  The hardest part of making these is choosing the colour scheme I think.  I started with the black acrylic butterfly as a focal, and just built on that - it was going to be all black, but I am too much of a colour junky to stick to one shade.

And this is what my student made.  A glorious riot of colour don't you think.  A bracelet to go with everything  :)

If by chance you fancy joining in next week, either crochet or jewellery.  Check out my WORKSHOPS link for more details  :)

Classes At Hobbycraft - Display

I've just put together a new class list for Hobbycraft.  Not a lot of customers realise that we offer classes and workshops so we had to think of some way of promoting it.

Behind the checkout is a shelf, which usually gets filled up with bits of crafts that colleagues have done, but now it is a "Class Display Shelf"  and wo-betide of anyone should dump something on there!!

Marie was in one day last week doing a kid's summer school class and when she had a little lull I asked her very nicely if she would bash me out some foam frames.  Bless her cottons, she did too.

Each class now has it's own section on the shelf.  Fliers are printed off and sitting on the shelf beside the advert - all we need now is to get the spaces filled up with examples.

So, if you are close to Carlisle and you fancy learning something new, pop along, have a look at what is on offer and treat yourself to a class or two  :)

Coming this month:

• Mon 5th Aug (12.30-3.00pm) - Nim & Num /  Mug Painting - Drop in Session = £1.50
• Tue 6th Aug (12.30-3.00pm) - Nim & Num / Pencil Cases - Drop in Session = £1.50
• Tue 6th Aug (6.00-7.30pm) - SoozInTheShed / Bead & Banter / Tutored Beading Group = £5.00
• Wed 7th Aug (12.30-3.00pm) - Nim & Num / Jigsaws - Drop in Session - £1.50
• Thur 8th Aug (12.30-3.00pm) - Nim & Num / Hats - Drop in Session - £2.00
• Fri 9th Aug (12.30-3.00pm) - Nim & Num / T-Shirt Painting - Drop in Session - £5.00)
• Fri 9th Aug (3.00-7.30pm) - Monkey Tales / Make A Sock Monkey with Anne Scott - £17
• Sun 18th Aug (1.00-3.00pm) - Heevis Miniatures / Dolls House Miniatures Demo - FREE to watch
• Mon 19th Aug (6.00-7.30pm) - SoozInTheShed / Wool Craft Group / Tutored Knit & Crochet - £5.00
• Tue 20th Aug (2.00-4.00pm) - SoozInTheShed / Beginners Jewellery - £15 
• Wed 21st Aug (10.00-2.30pm) - Monkey Tales / Make A Sock Monkey with Anne Scott - £17
• Thu 22nd Aug (2.00-3.30pm) - SoozInTheShed / Learn to Crochet - Class 1 of 4 - £10
• Thu 22nd Aug (3.00-4.00pm) Lawrence Graham Photography / Mount Cutting Demo - FREE to watch
• Tue 27th Aug (3.00-4.30pm) SoozInTheShed / Learn to Beadweave - Peyote / £10
• Tue 27th Aug (5.30-7.30pm) SoozInTheShed / Lavender Hearts (Sewing) - £10
• Thu 29th Aug (2.00-3.30pm) - SoozInTheShed / Learn to Crochet - Class 2 of 4 - £10

'Bead & Banter' at Hobbycraft

Tuesday night was our "Bead & Banter" evening at Hobbycraft, Carlisle.

It is a tutored group, ran my myself, and it costs just £5.00 - you bring your own projects or buy something in store to do.

You can either come every month (first Tuesday in the month) or just as a one off, but it is advisable to book a place.

Marie came for the first time to make herself some jewellery for a wedding, she brought along the top from her outfit and matched it perfectly.

She was so pleased with her necklace that she managed to make herself a bracelet and some matching earrings too!

Elizabeth brought a spiral staircase beadweaving kit along and sat and had a good chin-wag while beading.

Jennifer 'played' with Shrink-Plastic and had a really good time colouring in her owls  :)  (why is colouring in so therapeutic?)

This lovely necklace was made up from glass beads and buttons, the project leaflet can be found in store and it looked great when it was finished.

And Irene finished off her jewellery set for a wedding she is going to, necklace, bracelet and earrings.

Fancy coming to the next one?  It's on Tuesday 2nd July, 6.00pm-3.70pm.  Maybe see you there.....

Tiara making at Hobbycraft

Tonight I held a Tiara making class at Hobbycraft in Carlisle.

Lovely ladies, all playing with pretty beads and wires, making tiaras - which they all had on their heads as they left the store!

Isnt it funny how the person next to you always has a better colour selection than you?  It's like 'pudding envy' when someone gets a pudding in a restaurant and you wish you had chosen that one.

If you would like to join a "Bead & Banter" group in Carlisle, we are going to get together in Hobbycraft on the first Tuesdays of every month, starting May 7th, at 6.00pm - 7.30pm.  the class will be tutored (by me) and cost £5.00 per person.  Feel free to come along or contact me for more details.

Beadweaving at Hobbycraft

On Monday I held a little beginners beadweaving class at Hobbycraft in Carlisle.

The stitch was Peyote stitch.

My demo piece was rainbow bright while the ladies chose a more demure black and white colourway.

It went well, and they did great.

Next month we will master the 'Spiral Staircase' stitch.