Birmingham - 20 to Make: Beaded Felt Jewellery

Helen Birmingham studied Fine Art at Kingston Polytechnic and later gained a PGCE in Secondary Art teaching. For a number of years she was Head of Art at a secondary school in Kent, later opening her own craft shop where she ran classes for both children and adults in various craft subjects. Helen now works from home in her own studio, producing works of art in a broad range of media. This is her first published work. First published in Great Britain 2008 Search Press Limited
Wellwood, North Farm Road,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR Text copyright Helen Birmingham 2008 Photographs by Roddy Paine Photographic Studio Photographs and design copyright Search Press Ltd 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this book, text, photographs or illustrations may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche, photocopier, internet or in any way known or as yet unknown, or stored in a retrieval system, without written permission obtained beforehand from Search Press.

Print ISBN: 978-1-84448-315-0 EPUB ISBN: 978-1-78126-005-0 Kindle ISBN: 978-1-78126-060-9 PDF ISBN: 978-1-78126-114-9 The Publishers and author can accept no responsibility for any consequences arising from the information, advice or instructions given in this publication. Readers are permitted to reproduce any of the items in this book for their personal use, or for the purposes of selling for charity, free of charge and without the prior permission of the Publishers. Any use of the items for commercial purposes is not permitted without the prior permission of the Publishers. Suppliers If you have difficulty in obtaining any of the materials and equipment mentioned in this book, then please visit the Search Press website for details of suppliers:
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Contents

Introduction In this book I will show you how you can use the humble felt square to create sophisticated and fashionable felt jewellery without the need for specialist materials or wet, soapy hands! All the designs are based around eight simple methods for binding and decorating felt beads, and these are shown on the pages. As you will see, the overall effect of these beads is stunning, yet the technique to make them could not be easier! I use bright colours and bold designs for maximum impact be inspired by them, and adapt them to suit your own personal taste or style.

Methods All the beads I have used are based around the principle of rolling a piece of felt tightly around a stick and binding it with thread to form a bead.

Methods All the beads I have used are based around the principle of rolling a piece of felt tightly around a stick and binding it with thread to form a bead.

I find that bamboo sticks are ideal as they are very smooth and uniform in size, but wooden skewers, cocktail sticks or even thin knitting needles work just as well. Avoid using drinking straws, because you may stitch through the straw when adding decoration and then be unable to remove the bead! Hold the roll in place while you bind and decorate the bead by either simply holding it, or adding a small amount of fabric glue. As with all handmade beads, slight irregularities in size and shape are welcomed and it is not vital that the felt pieces are cut to exact measurements, but I would recommend that all the felt pieces for one project are cut at the same time. Keep the finished beads on the stick until you are ready to use them without the stick they flatten easily and you can end up losing the hole!

Sweet Peanut Bracelet Materials: 6 x tan felt pieces, 2.5 x 6cm (1 x 2in) 6 x yellow wooden spacer beads Selection of gold/yellow seed beads Selection of gold/yellow bugle beads Tan embroidery thread Beading thread Round elastic Tools: Scissors Beading needle Needle Instructions: Bind the felt pieces into six beads using embroidery thread and attach seed beads and bugle beads, following . Thread felt beads and spacer beads alternately on to the elastic. Tie a knot securely in the elastic, keeping the elastic taut but not fully stretched.

Cut off the ends of the elastic close to the knot. Gently pull the elastic through one of the felt beads, so that the knot sits invisibly within the bead. Turkish Delight Use passionate pinks and purples to create a bracelet hot enough to sizzle on a night full of Eastern Promise.

Strawberry Bonbons