Mother’s Celebration Bracelet
Instructor: Warren Feld
Green-Olivine-Fuchsia-Lilac Palette
Advanced Beginner/Intermediate Level
BW1-SOM-03-Ndebele
Express the joy in your life with this South African ritual-style piece! Utilize several variations of the Ndebele Stitch, including flat, 3 types of spiral tubes, rapid and slow increasing and decreasing.
This set of instructions is organized as a series of
Jewelry Design Choices:
SUPPLIES LIST, p. 3
I. Planning Your Project, p. 4
IA.Conceptualizing Your Piece, p. 6
IB. Measurements, p. 7
IC. Selecting Materials, p. 9
ID. Sketching a Pattern or Graph, p. 9
IE. Identifying Potential Areas of Weakness within Your Piece, p. 11
IF. Visualizing Your Process, p. 11
IG. Organizing Your Work Space, p. 15
II. Beginning Your Project, p. 16
IIA. Basic Steps, p. 16
1. Review our Graph Pattern above, p. 18
2. Build your 2-Row Ladder, p. 18
3. Create an Ndebele Fan, p. 18
4. Begin the flat Ndebele section with decorative edging, p. 19
5. Begin a Gradual Increase in Row 8, p. 21
6. Row 9 continues this Gradual Increase, p. 21
7. Row 10 finishes this Gradual Increase, p. 22
8. Beginning with Row 11, p. 22
9. Create a flat strip, a basic plain tube, a basic spiral tube and a soft spiral tube, and, finally, a 2nd flat strip, p. 23
10. Reconnecting all the flat and round tubes, p. 31
11. Beginning our 7-Color-Band Flat Ndebele with Row 105, p. 32
12. Continuing with our 7-Color-Band Flat Ndebele, Rows 106 -116, p. 32
13.Creating the Row which defines the bottom of our button hole, Row 117, p. 32
14. Creating our Button Hole (Negative Space), Rows 118-129, p. 33
15. Close the Button Hole (Negative Space) by beginning Rapid Decrease, p. 33
16. Row 133, p. 37
17. Add Ndebele Fan (or Arch) to end, p. 37
18. Add Button, p. 37
IIB.Dealing with Contingencies, p. 38
IIC. Finishing Touches, p. 40
III. Summary of Learning Objectives You Have Met
After Accomplishing This Project, p. 40
IV. Next Steps, p. 42
IVA. Suggested Readings, p.42
- History of Ndebele
- Ndebele bead weaving basics
- Managing Thread Tension
- Reading a Pattern/Creating a simple figural representation
- Flat and Tubular and Spiral and Fanning Ndebele variations
- Increasing and Decreasing with Ndebele
- Adding a simple edging effect
- Adding a button clasp, and creating a negative space as part of the clasp assembly
- Discussion of when Ndebele works well
Prerequisites:
- Orientation To Beads & Jewelry Findings
TimeFrame:
This bracelet takes about 15 hours to complete / These Instructions are written from what is called The Design Perspective.
They first guide you through the kinds of choices to be made, when designing this particular piece. This gives you a sense of how the artist thought through the development of the project. This provides you with a better understanding and some insights about what kinds of things you would need to consider, when designing a similar piece, or adding personal touches to this project.
Then step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions for completing this project are presented.
Finally, the skills learned by doing this project are summarized.
This Ndebele bracelet is a symbolic representation of joy in a woman's life. The selection of colors for the 3 central tubular components represents things which the woman celebrates in her life, about her life, and around her life. These may be colors associated with children, grandchildren or friends. They may be favorite colors, or colors of favorite flowers or other objects. They may be colors associated with important emotions, rituals or times. They may be colors associated with events or places experienced when traveling.
While the "design" of the bracelet is from the woman's perspective, the "wearing" of the bracelet is unisex. A man would be equally as comfortable wearing this bracelet, as would a woman.
Supplies To Make a 7 3/4" Bracelet:
(In the instructions are steps to shorten or lengthen the bracelet)
Kit and Supplies available for purchase from:
Land of Odds ( )
LearnToBead.net ( )
[Additional beads included with kit to make up to an 8 1/2" bracelet.]
GENERIC ITEM DESCRIPTION / THIS PROJECT
Palette #2. Green/Olive/Fuchsia/Lilac / YOUR PROJECT VARIATIONS
For the Bracelet:
You will need:
Up to 7 coordinating colors (A thru G) of 11/0 seed beads (Japanese are easier to use, but Czech will work fine)
COLOR A: 11/0 seed bead
(3 grams or 324 beads) / COLOR A: TOHO 11/0-2113, silver lined milky pomegranate (3 grams)
(in kit, 4 grams)
COLOR B: 11/0 seed bead
(3 grams or 324 beads) / COLOR B: TOHO 11/0-1209, marbled opaque avocado/pink (3 grams)
(in kit, 4 grams)
COLOR C: 11/0 seed bead
(6 grams or 630 beads) / COLOR C: TOHO 11/0-1204, marbled opaque light blue/amethyst (6 grams)
(in kit, 8 grams)
COLOR D: 11/0 seed bead
(6 grams or 630 beads) / COLOR D: Miyuki 11/0-2005, matte metallic copper iris (6 grams)
(in kit, 8 grams)
COLOR E: 11/0 seed bead
(6 grams or 630 beads) / COLOR E: Miyuki 11/0-2033, matte opaque olive green (6 grams)
(in kit, 8 grams)
COLOR F: 11/0 seed bead
(3 grams or 324 beads) / COLOR F: Miyuki 11/0-2066, matte metallic dark green iris (3 grams)
(in kit, 4 grams)
COLOR G: 11/0 seed bead
(3 grams or 324 beads) / COLOR G: Miyuki 11/0-308, sapphire gold luster (3 grams)
(in kit, 4 grams)
COLOR H: 15/0 seed bead
(1 gram or 255 beads) / COLOR H: Metal Seed Beads, size 15/0-copper
(1 gram)
(in kit, 2 grams)
COLOR I: 8/0 seed bead
(.5 grams or 20 beads) / COLOR I: Miyuki 8/0-251, light topaz AB (.5 grams)
(in kit, 1 gram)
COLOR J: 11/0 Delica Bead
(cylinder bead)
(.2 grams or 20 beads) / COLOR J: Miyuki Delica 11/0-461, galvanized copper (.2 grams)
(in kit, 1 gram)
COLOR K: 10/0 Delica Bead (cylinder bead)
(.3 grams or 20 beads) / COLOR K: Miyuki Delica 10/0-010, black (.3 grams)
(in kit, 1 gram)
Additional Supplies
1 button (3/4" diameter (size 8) or 1/2" diameter (size 6) would work fine) / (in kit, 1 button)
FireLine cable thread in size D, either smoke grey or white, whichever would show the least with your color palette of beads / FireLine, Size D (.008”), Smoke Grey
(in kit, 1 50-yd spool)
Size #10 and Size #12 English beading needles (good to have a few of each on hand) / (in kit,
4ea Size #10
4ea Size #12)
Bees Wax or Microcrystalline Wax (optional)
Scissors, Ruler, Work surface
Bic lighter or thread zapper
Bead to use as "stop bead", or a bead stopper or clamp
/ (not included in kit)
MOTHER'S CELEBRATION BRACELET
I. PLANNING YOUR PROJECT
Thinking about the types of choices made for this project
The Ndebele Stitch, (also known as the Herringbone Stitch or Basketweave Stitch), originates from South Africa from the Ndebele people. This stitch is known by the herringbone or zig-zag pattern the beads make when stitched together.
This stitch is very versatile. There are many variations on the stitch, which can result in different patterns and textures, as well as looser or tighter tension. The Ndebele stitch is easy to incorporate with other beadweaving stitches, such as peyote, right angle or brick, off the Ndebele weave.
The stitch is very soft and fluid. It results in a very beautiful texturing and patterning. A lot of thread shows in this stitch, and, in this case, is a charming part of the whole effect.
The beads sit in regular columns in angled pairs, forming a "V" (thus, herringbone,) shape.
Ndebele usually begins by creating a row or two of ladder-stitched beads. The stitch will work with any shape or size bead. Evenly sized beads will result in evenly sized beadwork. Round beads (as opposed to more squarer shapes) show less gaps between each pair of diagonally-stacked beads. With round beads, the piece feels a little more flexible.
Ndebele is easily worked flat or tubular.
In our Mother's Celebration Bracelet, we get an opportunity to learn several variations on Ndebele. These include 3 different ways to make tube shape, including a basic tube, a basic spiral tube, and a soft spiral tube. We learn to increase the number of beads in the width of our piece using a gradual increase strategy. We also learn to decrease the number of beads in the width of our piece using a rapid decrease strategy. We learn to make a fan or arc by varying the sizes of our beads within our rows. We learn to create a "negative space" in order to provide a "button hole" for our clasp. We also learn to make a simple decorative edging effect on the sides of our bracelet.
IA. Conceptualizing Your Piece
Ask yourself these questions:
Purpose?
Is this to be for a Woman (6 ½ - 7 ½”) or man (7 ½ - 8 ½”)?
What is the Context/Setting the bracelet might be worn in?
Sizing?
Size of wrist? How loosely should it fit -- very loose, somewhat loose, tight?
Given who is wearing the piece, what width should the bracelet be? 1/2", 3/4", 1", more?
Design and Color Issues?
Do I want to use an odd number or an even number of beads across this width?
Do I want to vary the width along the length of the bracelet?
Do I want to work flat or tubular?
How stiff or flexible do I want the piece to be?
Do I want to use the same bead throughout, or do I want to create a pattern?
How much surface embellishment or edge treatment do I want to do? how elaborate do I want to get?
What colors do I want to use? Metal colors? Glass bead colors?
Materials?
What types and materials of beads do I want to use? glass, gemstone, metal, mix?
What size(s) and shape(s) of beads do I want to use?
What kinds of stringing materials do I want to use, and do I want to wax the cord?
What will the clasp assembly look like, and where and how will I attach the clasp?
Wearability?
How easily will the woven beads, once the project is finished, conform to and feel
comfortable on the wrist?
This bracelet may be worn by a woman or a man. The design is more informal than formal, but equally contemporary and traditional. The design is easily adaptable to create different bracelet lengths, although any one bracelet will be a fixed (and not adjustable) length.
The width of the bracelet varies along the length. The bracelet begins with a reverse arc or fan at 1" (25mm), and quickly narrows to 3/4" (18mm). Then the bracelet gradually widens to 1 1/2" (38mm) along most of its length. At the other end of the bracelet, this size-pattern reverses, back down to 3/4", then quickly flaring out to 1".
Ndebele works best when beads are patterned in pairs, so an even number of beads across the row is used.
Since the basic stitch is relatively simple to do, I thought that it would be fun to try some variations on the stitch within the bracelet. Besides creating an arc (or fan) by varying the sizes of the beads within adjacent rows, this bracelet includes both flat and tubular sections. The bracelet includes three tubes within its center frame. Each tube utilizes a different strategy for creating a spiral tube effect.
Traditional Ndebele beadwork can also be very flat and 2-dimensional. In contemporary jewelry design, adding a sense of 3-dimensionality, as well as movement, are important design elements. Here the somewhat free-flowing flat strips and tubes, as well as the raised button, help contemporize the piece.
I wanted the bracelet to be very fluid and flexible, and not stiff. So, the basic stitch here would be a called a 1-drop. We add 2 beads, go down 1 bead, and up 1 bead. If I had wanted to make the piece stiffer or tighter, I could do a 2-drop or even a 3-drop stitch, where I added 2 beads, went down 2 (or 3) beads and up 2 (or 3) beads.
In this piece, I use Japanese seed beads and delica (cylinder) beads in a few different sizes. Japanese seed beads are more regular in size and shape than Czech seed beads, so are easier to use. This is a beginning project, and I thought the Japanese beads would be better to use here. However, had I used Czech seed beads, the irregularities in the beads would have made the bracelet look more ethnic-looking, and give it even more of a hand-made look.
The seed bead and delica beads used are all glass, except for the 15/0's, which are metal seed beads.
This bracelet is strung on a cable thread called FireLine (size D). I prefer using FireLine with the Ndebele stitch, rather than other beading threads like Nymo or C-Lon. Ndebele is a very loose stitch. It is often difficult to control your thread tension -- that is, keeping your beads tightly together and aligned correctly. Otherwise, they tend to slip. FireLine keeps the beads much more tightly aligned on the thread while you work the stitch. You do not have to wax the FireLine.
When I was conceptualizing the piece, I immediately pictured it with a button clasp. As I was experimenting with putting the bracelet together, I decided to create a button clasp with a negative space (open space) for a button hole within the bracelet. This felt right -- better than adding a loop on the end of the bracelet.
I wanted to add a simple edging to give the piece a sense of "framing" or border-boundary. The variations in the Ndebele stitch -- flat vs tubular, increasing and decreasing, arc/fanning on the side edges, negative and positive spaces -- all add to the sense of dimensionality, movement and flow of the piece. I thought any more elaborate or extensive embellishment would detract from the piece as a whole.
The Mother's Celebration Bracelet is a natural study in the use of colors. The selected colors have personal meaning. And they must hold up artistically. In the colors selected for this bracelet, I decided to give a nod to the Ndebele in South Africa, and use ritual colors important to them and which are used to welcome the baby into childhood, the child into adolescents, the adolescent into young adulthood, the young adult into middle age, the middle aged into maturity, and the mature into the fully mature.
This bracelet is meant to be worn loosely around the wrist.
IB. Measurements
Ask yourself these questions:
Are there visually-apparent structural properties that I can define as "rows" and as "columns"?
What length and width bracelet do I want to end up with? How many Ndebele paired-bead columns did I want to create?
At what point along the bracelet do I begin to increase and then decrease?
Do I need any definable center points?
Do I want the piece to be flat, relatively flat, slightly curved, domed, or tubular?
Will there be any variation in the actual sizes of the beads, from bead to bead?
How wide and long do I want my center tubes to be?
How do I want to space out the beads in my edge treatment?
What size button should I use as part of my clasp assembly?
Where should I position my button?
How wide and long do I want my negative spaces (open spaces) to be? What should be the appropriate size and shape of the button hole? At what point along the length should I locate the button and the button hole?
The basic Ndebele stitch allows you to easily visualize it as a series of rows and columns. Each column is paired and consists of two paired-beads, which will sit tilted towards each other, and creating a small gap between them. A row consists of one or more of the paired-bead columns. We work this stitch row by row.
For this project, I wanted to make a bracelet approximately 7 3/4" (194mm) long, and then identify a simply way of adding or subtracting rows to modify the length. With 11/0 seed beads, there are approximately 7 rows to the 1/2". Thus, to reduce the length by 1/2", you would delete 7 rows from the pattern.
I decided that the bracelet would look more tailored and designed if I tapered the two ends and increased the width of the bracelet in the middle.
I wanted to have 7 bands of color along the length of the bracelet. However, if I started and ended with 7 bands, the bracelet would have been wider than I had wanted at either end. So I began (and ended) with 5 bands of color, and increased (then decreased) along the length to add (then subtract) 2 bands of color.
The bracelet is very symmetrical. I created a center negative space (open space) that is approximately 4" (100mm) long by 1/2" (13mm) wide. Within this space, I build 4 four-bead-around tubes, extending approximately 4". The fluid nature of the stitch allows these 3 tubes plus the two flat horizontal bands of Ndebele to flare out in the center.
In deciding where to begin and end this negative space, I considered the following. First, when designing a bracelet, you want the bracelet to look good, no matter where it positions itself on the person's wrist, or at what angle the viewer notices it. So, the part of the bracelet with the negative space and flowing flat and tubular bands must look as good as the part of the bracelet without it. The worst thing is if the bracelet looks incomplete from any angle. My rule of thumb here is that the bracelet should look good and complete when viewing it at the center when worn, and when viewing it at the closure when worn. I thus wanted to allow about 2" (50mm) from either end before beginning (and ending) this negative space. That is, roughly 4" of positive space and 4" of negative space.
One characteristic of contemporary (as opposed to Traditional) design, is that the piece has a sense of dimensionality. Most bead weaving stitches, including Ndebele, can be terribly flat looking. To add dimensionality, I created "tubes", allowed the tubes to flow freely, created a staccato edging along the horizontal sides, created the arc (fan) with a progression of increasingly-larger beads.
By varying the sizes of the beads, you vary how the Ndebele stitch asserts itself. At either end, we create an arc (or fan) shape by varying the sizes. For one of the spiral tubes, we vary the beads sizes to create a subtle spiraling effect.
I did not want the edging to compete with the central focus of the bracelet -- that is the bands of color. So I added a small 15/0 seed bead between every 2nd bead.
I used a 3/4" button (size 8). A 1/2" (size 6) button would have worked OK, as well. To design the size of the button hole you want, you want the hole to slip over the button snugly, not tight. I decided to make the shape of the button hole triangular, rather than rectangular. Often, with rectangular button holes, the button can slip back through the opening, releasing the bracelet. The squared end of the triangular shape allows the button to slip more easily through the hole, and the triangular end seats the button more securely.