Aurora Borealis bead embroidery

The Bible of Bead Embroidery Knowledge: The Traveller

I recommend starting here if you are new or want to deepen your existing knowledge. If you would like to bead any of the more complicated jewels in the future, you will need to be 100% comfortable with the basics. The more advanced tutorials don’t repeat all the hints and tips every time, so before you dig deeper, please, give yourself some time, and bead a traveller. The instructions are extremely detailed, everything is recorded on video, and you can watch them as many times as you need. There are also recorded Q&A sessions from the time when I was teaching The Traveller for the first time, that besides my insight, are also deemed with knowledge and experience shared by fellow, more experienced beaders.

After watching these videos and beading your first Traveller, you’ll be perfectly prepared to play with all the beads and components in this article!

There’s an inspiration coming with every Beadingschool Academy box. We often see bead embroidered jewelry submitted to the Mini Challenge, where our beaders show their skills in making a theme-related piece.

Zuzi took the challenge to look into the Aurora Borealis box for beads, creating a pendant/brooch based on ‘The Traveller’ video tutorials, in following steps.

1. Prepare your beads and foundation.
2. Glue and bezel the cabochon using peyote stitch on the Ultra Suede foundation.
3. Add rows of beads according to your personal taste.
4. Add a decorative element (if you wish).
5. Cut your beadwork and glue the backing.
6. Finish your beadwork with stitching the layers of ultra suede together.

Aurora Forrest brooch
– based on The Traveller

1. Prepare the foundation.
2. Glue the cabochon to the centre.
3. Bezel the cabochon using peyote stitch. Total of 3 Delica rows and 2 R15 rows.
4. Add beads – preferably 3 mm size for delicate effect – pearls, firepolished beads and Preciosa rhinestone cupchain
5. Decorative element is made of beam beads, 3 mm pearls and 4 mm Preciosa bicone beads
6. The edge is made of Miyuki Slender bugle beads and Miyuki seed beads 15/0.
7. Cut your beadwork, add the brooch pin and glue the backing.
8. Finish your beadwork with stitching the layers of ultra suede together.
9. Enjoy your jewel!

Aurora Land brooch/pendant

1. Prepare the foundation.
2. Sew the 14 mm Snowflake charm in antique gold color to the foundation.
3. Add row of 4 mm fire-polished beads all around the Snowflake charm.
4. Add the Preciosa rhinestone cupchain by sewing it into foundation.
5. Decorative element is made of leftover beads from the box: Preciosa chaton Montee, 3 mm pearls and 4 mm Preciosa bicone beads
6. One more row of Miyuki  Delica and seed beads 15/0 was added to extend the size of the motif.
7. Cut your beadwork, add the brooch pin and glue the backing.
8. Finish your beadwork with stitching the layers of ultra suede together, using 15/0 seed beads.
9. Use beads on the edge for adding the beads with simple stringing. Fireline and strong tension was used to decorate this motif.
10. You can make pair of earring too, as this motif is really small. Enjoy your jewel!

Camellia pendant

Erika used the big triangle cabochon for her Camellia pendant when beading from the Aurora Borealis Academy box. As you can see, the peyote bezel has only one row of R15 (15/0 seed beads) so it’s not too much beads in corners of the triangle.

MATERIAL LIST:

• 1x 25×28 mm Triangle cabochon
• 33-35x 3 mm round glass beads
• 10-15 cm 2.1 mm Preciosa cupchain
• 17-19x 6 mm Miyuki Slender Bugle beads
• 15/0 Miyuki seed beads
• Miyuki Delica 11/0
• findings, drops, connectors.

FROM YOUR STASH:

• Ultra Suede (foundation and backing for embroidery)
• optional but recommended: vlieseline – fused fleece (taylor’s foundation to use in belts to make the fabric sturdy, part of the Bead Embroidery Starter kit).