Bracelet Beaded Taught by Dinna V - 2/23/23

February 23, 2023--Yesterday I met with a group of serious beaded jewelry makers and am about to fall into a delightful rabbit hole.    Our host showed us her gorgeous necklaces and bracelets and found a simple bracelet design for me to copy.   She even gave me the supplies to work it up.  

The pattern is simple enough--one large bead, then add five seed beads, a small bead, then 5 seed beads.  That's basically it.  Of course, sewing it together requires a particular technique, but that's for the experts to teach.  

Now I really want to make more of everything, especially peyote beaded pieces.  

I know making beaded jewelry isn't needlepoint, but it does involve one half of the needlepoint requirement of “any counted or free stitchery worked by hand with a threaded needle on a readily counted ground” (I have a threaded needle in hand to make jewelry).   So, I'm good with it and will call it "needlework".

Thank you, Dinna V, for supplying me with the beautiful beads, thread and clasp to work up the bracelet pictured below.  

Holiday Ornament Gift Pink - 2/22/23

February 22, 2023--In between some of my needlepoint obligations (working on the ANG Master Needlepointer Certificate and putting together a class on stitching ribbon flowers on canvas), I took a break to stitch up one of Susan Portra's Holiday Ornaments--this one being the pink gift.  As with all the other Holiday Ornaments I've stitched, this will get finished into an ornament when the set is all done.   I love how pretty the RG Fyre Werks thread (darker shiny pink) looks--almost jewel-like. 

Ornament Holiday Gift Pink Completed

Ornament Holiday Gift Pink Completed Side View

Floor Stand Clamp Repaired Again - 2-3-23

February 3, 2023--Exactly eight years ago today, I blogged about the clamp to my K's Creations floor stand having to be repaired (see older post below).  Well, it had to be repaired again, but this time I like the new one so much better.  For one thing, the top "Tri-knob" is much easier on my hand when tightening or loosening the clamp than the metal "T-knob" I had.  Secondly, the top portion of the clamp is now made of wood which, in my opinion, seems to "give" just enough to seriously tighten, but not enough to strip the screw.  Lastly, I was given a whole new clamp with an improved bar that attaches to the arm of the floor stand.  Easier to attach and feels more secure.

The leather pieces you see are installed by me with glue dots to help hold my stretcher bars in place.  I stitch "in the well", so the tacks that I use to mount my canvas unto stretcher bars would cause the bars to slip around in the clamp.  This doesn't happen anymore because the tacks "sink" into the leather.

Now, if I need to get this repaired again in another eight years, I hope Brett Schulle of K's will still be able to help me.  He has been very responsive and helpful.

Floor Stand Clamp Repair 2/3/15

February 3, 2015--I really do love my floor stand from K's Creations but had a problem with the clamp.  Discovered I had totally stripped the clamp's screw and it would no longer hold stretcher bars in place.  You can see this in the first picture.  Frantically I contacted the fine folks at K's using the contact tab on their web site and Brett Schulle immediately responded, requesting I mail the clamp to him for repair, after which he would mail it back to me.  

Clamp with Stripped Screw

So off to the post office to mail the clamp, which by the way, was very easy to remove from the stand's long horizontal arm.    And in no time at all, I received the fully repaired clamp in the mail. Easily got it screwed back onto the arm and am in business again, happily stitching.

Newly Repaired Clamp

You may notice there is a piece of leather on the clamp's bottom plate.  I put this in place using "glue dots" and find it really helps to hold stretcher bars with less tightening of the screw.  This is because I stitch in the well, tacking the canvas unto the back of my stretcher bars.  All too often the tacks would slide and slip in the clamp, causing me to overtighten the screw.  Now those tacks settle into the soft leather with no slippage.   Easy solution and hope it may help someone who may have this problem.

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