#ClubDesigns: Mexican Dream bracelet variations

Are you thinking about beading the Mexican Dream bracelet?

Check out the beautiful variations fellow beaders made and read about their experience!

#ClubDesigns is a series of articles on the Storytelling blog and a series of posts in the Storytelling Beading Club on Facebook.

Since the beginning of the first COVID-lockdown, we bead together every Friday, to make sure that #NoOneHasToBeadAlone.
We bead a different jewel every week – designed specifically for the workshop. Afterward, it’s really fun to see all the variations beaders come up with! Not only colors differ, but very often a pendant becomes a brooch, a motif that was originally an earring is modified into a bracelet or a ring. Moreover, sometimes it happens that not all the bead shapes are available to someone – and she needs to alter the original design to make it work.

The #ClubDesigns series is the collection of this beady wisdom.

You can read what works and what doesn’t, see best practices, and get advice.
Did you bead this design, too? Share your thoughts in a comment – we would love to read about how you were playing with it!

Click here for the beading tutorial!

MATERIAL LIST

True Mexican style by Katalin Dudas

Kata wrote:
“Beading this bracelet, I played with mixing the colors of the 11/0 (used turquoise and red), used 2 colors of FP as well. Besides that I made a 2-rows example, using the same 15/0s and FPs in the middle section to bead together the 2 sides.”

Brooch with rich texture beaded by Ludmila Turzova

Ludka said:
“I beaded the Mexican Dream as a brooch instead of a bracelet. In place of fire-polished bead I used real pearls. I will keep it as it is, and I already have another version nearly finished!”

To add extra texture, Ludka used pairs of Quarter Tila beads instead of Half Tilas. You can do that in any design that calls for a member of the Tila family. Two Half Tilas in place of a Tila, or even the combination of Quarter Tila + Half Tila + Quarter Tila would do.

Ludka attached the motif to our Maharaja filigree and attached an extra brooch base to the back side.

Mexican Dream bracelet in 2 colors by Ulla Edenmark

Ulla’s experience:
“The Mexican Dream with 4 mm fire-polished beads. It ALMOST works. It is a bit tight but I tried with 11/0 seed beads instead of 15/0 and that was too big for the gap. I think this will be ok when the thread stretches a bit.”

Ulla beaded a pretty 2-color combination: not only the Tila and the Half Tila beads match but the fire-polished beads, Gemduo beads and 11/0 round Miyukis are of the same color.

Sara Lilja’s romantic statement bracelet

Sara wrote:
“I used three 15/0 round seed beads instead of Delicas around the Half-Tilas, I think it looks better. The Delicas didn’t fit nice in my opinion. I used 4 mm fire-polished beads. Between the Firepolish on the edge (I used DiamonDuo instead of Gemduo) I put three 15/0, one Delica and one 15/0 in the other color.”

Sara combined metallic and warm colors in different shades, and the result is beautiful!

A romantic set of jewels by Marielle Breedeveld

Marielle said:
“I also used 4 mm fire-polished beads combined with a 11/0 Miyuki seed bead. Then I went on making picots on top/sides of the firepolished beads. On the earrings slightly different than on the bracelet. The picots can than be used as a delicate join between to rows.”

Marielle’s addition of seed beads and the drop made this deliberately ‘rough’ design into a romantic set of jewels.

A happy piece by Marion Hentrich

Marion created matching earrings for her bracelet and used a beautiful green-blue-turquoise color combination.
I love how playful it is with the tassels 🙂

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to this article with ideas, pictures, and her creativity!
I am looking forward to seeing even more variations of the Mexican Dream.
Erika