COVID-19 isn’t stopping us from bringing you the best instructors from around the world! Thanks to Zoom and technology, we are proud to bring Betty Stephan and Jean Power to BeadFX in 2021. Both are award winning and accomplished bead artists and instructors.

Betty’s bead embroidery classes are focused on learning but at the same time are relaxed and a lot of fun! Her years of beading and teaching experience and the detailed, illustrated instructions provide the guidance needed to finish her beautiful class projects.

Jean’s spectacular geometric beadwork explores shape and structure. Her designs are easily personalized to reflect your own style.

Betty’s and Jean’s classes will be virtually broadcast using Zoom and will be done live. That means you’ll be able to ask questions, see live demos of techniques and join in the conversations with the instructors and your fellow students. Best of all, you can attend from anywhere in Canada, the United States and the world!

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Here’s what is coming up:

Mariposa Bead Embroidered Cuff
Instructor: Betty Stephan
Friday, March 19
10:00am – 4:00pm EST

This layered bead embroidered cuff is sewn on lace shapes to form both the butterfly and the leaves – giving a wonderful dimensional effect. A woven component forms the center of the butterfly while the bead embroidery adds to the intricacy of the piece. Level: All levels. Note: The class fee includes one kit, colour choices are available.

Class fee: $205. CAD
Early Bird Special until January 29, 2021: $195. CAD Click here to register for Betty’s Mariposa Bead Embroidered Cuff class!

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Trilogy Necklace
Instructor: Betty Stephan
Saturday, March 20
10:00am – 4:00pm EST

Join Betty to create this pretty necklace that features a combination of bead weaving and bead embroidery. With a triangle shaped crystal at it’s center, it had a unique and quick bezel. Two of the colorways use a crystal with fabric attached to the back, which gives it an unusual and attractive coloring. Level: All levels. Note: The class fee includes one kit, colour choices are available.

Class fee: $205. CAD
Early Bird Special until January 29, 2021: $195. CAD Click here to register for Betty’s Trilogy class!

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Love Song Cuff Bracelet
Instructor: Betty Stephan
Sunday, March 21
10:00am – 4:00pm EST

The centerpiece of this cuff is cording that winds it’s way around a large pear shaped Swarovski crystal. It then wanders through the whole bracelet giving the piece nice flow and texture. There will be enough materials in the kit so you can personalize your cuff, or follow the instructions to make one just like the sample. A beautiful edging using Soutache adds the finishing touch. Don’t worry – this class is not difficult! Level: All levels. Note: The class fee includes one kit, colour choices are available.

Class fee: $230. CAD
Early Bird Special until January 29, 2021: $220. CAD Click here to register for Betty’s Love Song Cuff Bracelet class!

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Mostra Box and Pendant
Instructor: Jean Power
Saturday, April 17
10:00am – 2:00pm EST

This stunning design combines a geometric pendant and beaded rope with their own optional storage & display vessel. The pendant & vessel combine some of Jean’s unique beading techniques to create spectacular and variable beadwork and each component can be beaded by itself without any obligation to do the rest. Level: Intermediate. You must be very comfortable with peyote stitch and following instructions. Class fee does not include supplies; materials required for the class is listed on the class page.

Class fee: $95. CAD Click here to register for Jean’s Mostra Box and Pendant class!

Brand new this week are delightful wire form sets that will ring in your holiday spirit! Today and for the next two weeks, I’ll bring you a project using one of the wire forms. The wire of the forms is made from brass and has been work hardened so that it keeps it’s shape. The wire is approximately 21 gauge so beads can slide onto the wire through an opening in the form. You can then close the form using various methods.

Today, let’s see what we can do with the heart form! We’re going to use some Swarovski rivolis to give it dazzle and some coiled magenta wire to the form some colour. Interspersed in the coiled wire, we’ll add some donuts – the sparkly kind!

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Using a Coiling Gizmo, create a coil of magenta wire with the ‘next to thinnest’ mandrel. If you don’t have a Coiling Gizmo, you can also wrap the wire around very small diameter knitting needles. Not too tight though, otherwise you’ll have difficulty getting the wire off the mandrel or the knitting needles.

Don’t worry about long lengths; you’ll be cutting them into short lengths with a pair of side shears or flush cutters. You’ll need several inches of coiling.

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Cut a 1″/2mm length of coiled wire and slip it onto the heart wire form. Slide it so it is centred at the bottom of the heart, as shown.

You will need a few 1/2″ pieces.

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Take two of the 5mm donuts and slip one onto each of the open ends of the heart. Slide them down to rest against each side of the coil.

If you find it tight to slide the donuts around the opening circle, unwind the circle a little bit.

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Add additional lengths of coiling and donuts. You can use the design as shown, or create a new one!

Add a longer coil to cover the end portion on one side. Trim any excess heart form wire using either memory wire cutters or by bending it back and forth and the point you want to trim using two pairs of pliers. I’ve trimmed them so the ends are flush to the circle.

Warning: the wire forms are hardened just like memory wire. Do not cut the form wire using regular cutters – you will damage the blades.

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Now, let’s get the findings ready to attach the heart. The rivoli findings we are using are links with loops on two sides. Using cutters, trim both loops off the findings. Note that the findings have holes in them. We are going to use those holes to ‘sew’ the finding to the heart.

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Cut an 8″ length of the same wire as the coils and secure one end inside the finding by wrapping the wire between two holes as shown, leaving a bit of a tail inside the finding and the working wire outside the finding.

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‘Sew’ the finding to the heart form ono the open circle. Go in and out of the finding’s holes and around the form slipping the wire between the coils. Don’t wrap the wire over the edge of the findings; the rivolis won’t fit in the findings. When you’ve finished, secure the wire back into the finding and trim the wire.

This is very fiddly so just have some patience. One of the difficulties was the rest of the wire and materials moving around. I helped to keep stuff in place by using a bead stopper on the other arm of the heart.

Add coiling and sew the second finding to the other side of the heart, first removing the two loops of the finding. If desired, you can use the wire to join both sides of the heart together.

You can adjust the coiling so that it sits centered at the bottom of the heart (like I needed too).

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Now we’ll add the crystals to the findings. Put the project on a hard surface with some cushioning (such as a drawer liner or towel). Place a rivoli into the finding, colour side up. With a bezel pusher or wooden chopstick (or similar), press down the four prongs of the bezel, capturing the rivoli.

Do this on both sides.

That’s it! Change it up by changing the colours and the multiples of donuts or beads.

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Components:
Heart wire form from the Holiday Wire Form Set
28ga wire (I used Parawire, Magenta)
Two 12mm rivolis, Light Rose
Two 12mm Turtleback Links – Bright Silver
24 5mm Donuts, Candy Pink AB