GIVE AWAY & HOW WE GOT STARTED

Hibiscus brooch 

I am not the best blogger, It's like dieting, I have good intentions, but then life takes over ! So, just to see if anybody is actually out there, I am having a give away. ( Not a subscriber? become a new  subscriber and your name goes in the "hat" twice.)

To be eligible, either ask a question pertaining to the video, or tell me what you would like to read about in the future. For example: More about African life, more about the artisans, more tutorials, more about our products ? etc.

At the end of January 2013 I will draw the winner.

The link below is a video about how I got to Africa and how Work Of Our Hands got started.

Merry Christmas to all ! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSyDiiMcIbw#

EASY BEADED EDGE TUTORIAL

I don't know the name of this stitch but I call it zipper stitch, because it looks like zipper teeth. It is especially good for edging fabrics.

 You can use any size bead, but here I used triangle beads. Knot your thread and come up through 1 bead. Go around again to anchor the first bead ending with thread coming out the top.

From now on you will add 2 beads per stitch. With 2 beads on your needle come from behind , go thru your fabric, and up through the last bead added. Space your stitch a little less than one bead's width apart.

The first bead of each stitch will kind of pop up, and lie between the upright beads.

You can leave the stitch as is, or it's easy to use as a base for more beads.   In the purple and green example I added a couple of green beads between every horizontal bead. In the red example I used size 6 beads.

Here I kept going, and added 5 size 11 beads, after adding a peach size 8 bead between each horizontal triangle bead. As long a you add an uneven number of beads, you can build outward in net stitch .

I have embellished everything from clothing to beading mats with this stich. It works up quickly, especially in the larger beads.

ENJOY !

How we make our ceramic beads

Please check my guest post at Beads of Clay

http://beads-of-clay.blogspot.com/2011/07/making-beads-in-africa-work-of-our.html

Also for you that love to play in clay. How to make Terra Sigilatta.http://beads-of-clay.blogspot.com/2011/06/terra-sigilatta.html

Bead "camp" Workshop

My friend who works with orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia, asked me to teach some young ladies in her program. So we had a week of bead camp over the summer holiday break . Here is what they made. Good work girls !