| Monthly Newsletter - Issue 97 September 2018 |
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Hello Braiders,
My how time flies. I can't believe summer has come to an end, school has started and soon we will be welco
ming Fall.
Time slips by whether you are
living it up
or
just living
. This month
we are
living it up
with a little bit of vacation time. Details below.
I have been enjoying my communications with so many you. I love getting photos of your beautiful work. This month I am featuring 2 Kumihimo Artists of the Month, Judy Squires of Green Valley, Arizona and Linda Henderson of Napa, California. It is inspiring to see each person's unique take on incorporating different braiding techniques into their creations.
We can learn so much from each other. My kits are intended to expose braiders to new techniques and ways of doing things. I think of each technique as a tool you can put in your toolbox. It is up to you how you choose to use these tools. You can mix and match and play and have fun. If you wonder what two fibers will look like braided together, give it a try! If you want to "drop" more than one bead at a time into your beaded braid, try it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you'll have fun learning and discovering. Play!
Also, many of you ask if I sell the items in my kits separately. Yes, almost everything is available and sold separately. I think I have just about everything you could possibly want. And if you don't see it, just ask. Most of you know that I answer your emails pretty quickly! Following are your options on the homepage of
www.whatabraid.com. Look what you have at your finger tips - click on any link below!
Disks, Bobbins, Tools, Braiding Fibers, Seed beads, Teardrops, Pip Beads, Magatama Beads, Baubles, Findings and End Caps, Porcelain Pendants & Slider Beads, Necklace Kits, Bracelet Kits, Holiday Kits, Kumihimo Tips, Gallery, Gift Cards and Downloadable Patterns.
And last but not least, a w
arm welcome to all of What a Braid's new subscribers and customers. I appreciate all of you so much!
Thanks.
Happy Braiding,
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What a Braid is On VACATION!!!!!
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Whoopee! After changing our plans too many times to count, we finally decided to stick with our original plan and
we headed to Oregon & Washington.
With our Itasca Navion packed to the gills and loaded down with mountain bikes and motorcycles we finally rolled out of the driveway a couple days later than anticipated but better late than never! We plan to roll back into the driveway somewhere around the 12th.
We'll be home for a short stint and then we are headed to Vermont for a Memorial Service for my husband's parents. It will be a special time with family. We will be gone September 21 - 26.
Feel free to place orders while I am away. As you know, I will pack your orders, day &
night, as soon as I get back. Orders are filled in the order in which they were received. As always, THANK YOU for your patience while I am away. 
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Free Shipping EXTENDED until the end of September!
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My way of saying THANKS TO YOU for your patience while I am away.....Free Shipping has been extended until the end of September on all orders over $25. This applies to US orders only. Hint, Hint! This is a good time to order supplies for holiday projects!! And teachers... this is a good time for you to order as well.
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September Kit of the Month - Cluster Bead Necklace Kit
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This is an oldie but goodie with some revisions! I have used two colors of Petite Satin Cord and two colors of beads for the clusters and I have created 8 new colorways just for you.
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Cluster Bead Necklace Kit |
The pattern is written for a finished necklace of 20" and can be shortened to any length depending where you attach the end caps. I like it at about 17". If you want it longer than 20" just order extra packages of satin and beads.
You will need:
Kumihimo Disk (I use the Beadsmith Mini; 10mm or Thick)
8 Small Bobbins
Scissors,Tape Measure, Sewing Needle & Thread or Fray Block (my preference) to finish ends, Glue to attach end caps. (I like WeldBond).
You should know: 8-strand Kongoh Gumi or Round Braid (Left up, right down or Right down, left up), how to drop beads (see Kumihimo Tip #14 for a quick lesson).
Kit Includes:
- 10 yards of Petite Satin Cord (2 colors)
- 6/0 Miyuki / Toho Seed Beads (2 colors)
- 1 6mm All-in-One Magnetic End Cap
- Instructions
- Cost: $17
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Holiday Kits!
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Holiday Edge Bead Necklace and
Holiday Cluster Bead Necklace |
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I know it seems early but alot of you have been asking about Holiday Kits.
Here are some
of your new choices at What a Braid! I have created a Red, White and Green Spiral Edge Bead Necklace Kit and a Red, White and Green Cluster Bead Spot Necklace Kit. You can take these same two kits and re-color them for other holidays!
Click here for all
Holiday Kumihimo Kits!
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Kumihimo Artist of the Month - Judy Squires
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Kumihimo Artist of the Month: Judy Squires
From: Green Valley, Arizona
I was so delighted when Judy sent me this photo of one of her latest creations. I think the way she used the tassel bead as a focal is fabulo
us. Wish I would have thought of it. She did an excellent job of creating the overall des
ign and embellishing with the porcelain pony beads! Judy used the 8mm Stainless Steel Magnetic Clasp and the 8-strand braid with 8/o seed beads snugs into it perfectly!
Awesome
job Judy.
I usually ask the Kumihimo Artists of the Month to tell me something about themselves and here is what Judy has to say:
"I became interested in Kumihimo about 6 years ago. A co-worker would bring beautiful jewelry to work that she had made and I was intrigued. I started taking classes at a local bead store and became hooked. It is addicting.
I did take a couple of years hiatus and when I retired from nursing 2 years ago I picked it back up and have not stopped. I continue to take some classes, do a lot of research online and look forward to Karen's monthly newsletter.
I have started branching out and sometimes try my own designs. At times I feel like I spend more time ripping things out than making jewelry but it is all a learning process. I have taught a few friends Kumihimo and enjoy seeing their work. We always learn from each other. I enjoy wearing my jewelry and hearing people's feedback".
Thank you Judy!
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These are the
Tassel Beads that are still available - $3
(quantities are limited)
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Kumihimo Artist of the Month - Linda Henderson
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Kumihimo Artist of the Month: Linda Henderson
From: Napa, California
I met Linda in Fort Bragg when she participated in the class I taught at the Hen House Studio. I got an email from her one day with the photo of this necklace showing me how she used some of the things I taught in class. I am so thrilled. Thank you Linda.
Her 16-strand braid is a diamond pattern. In the center of each diamond is a dot and she enhanced the dot with a bead. What a nice touch!
Even more though, take a closer looks. Each braided rope (two on each side) are 16-strand braids. Next, look at how she attached the braid to the pendant. She used the split braid technique that was also a part of the class. The 16-strand braid splits and becomes an 8 strand braid where it attaches, with a Lark's Head knot, to the pendant. Very nice work.
Here's what Linda has to say:
"
I started beading a few years ago when I retired from my job as a public school district administrator in Napa, California. I took some basic classes in wirework and Kumihimo from a local bead shop called the Beaded Nomad. Most of my kumihimo work has incorporated beads and right now I only use a disk. Attending your workshop in Fort Bragg has given me a greater appreciation of the unembellished rope structure. I consider myself a novice, but as I learn more about Kumihimo, my goal is to learn to use the marudai."
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More Kumihimo Rayon Ribbon, Gimp & Filament
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Wow! I had piles and piles of this beautiful fiber and you devoured it. Every time I get an order from one of you for these exquisite fibers, I honestly get excited and happy that you are experimenting with something new. The latest shipment should arrive mid-September. Remember, this is all hand dyed and there may be variations from dye lot to dye lot. When you order more than one skein, I try to give you matching skeins. If you know when you order that you want more than one skein, order it all at the same time. Just a thought. Stay tuned. It's coming around the mountain!
I am also trying some new silks. If I like them, I will add them to your choices. Stay tuned.
Click here to see all of What a Braid's beautiful braiding fibers.
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Kumihimo DESIGN Resources
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Whether you are designing fiber braids or beaded braids
there are two Kumihimo Design Resources that you must know about it.
I have talked about both of these before but because there are
so many new subscribers to my newsletter,
I wanted to make mention of these resources again!
For
FIBER BRAIDS in a wide variety of braid structures try:
www.craftdesignonline.com You can choose a braid structure, the number of elements , your own colors and you can create your own pattern. Your disk "set-up" will be generated for you in seconds. This is free! What a gift.
For
BEADED BRAIDS, you MUST get the app called Kumihimo Bead Designer (Android and Apple). This app costs $19.99 and it is the best money you will ever spend if you like to design beaded braids. You simply select the number of elements, your own color palette, put the colors where you want them and the app generates your bead loading sequences. It's very simple and absolutely a "must have" for designing beaded braids. There is no more math, no more figuring, it's all right there. Nothing short of pure Genius! I have an iphone and I have the app on my phone. You will love it.
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Pinterest, Facebook & Instagram
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What a Braid has gone Social
and this is where I introduce some of the mid-month "special" kits.
So make sure you:
Follow me on Pinterest!
Like me on Facebook!
And you can also Follow Me on Instagram!
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What a Braid Monthly Newsletters
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Reminder....
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Copyrighted patterns are not to be copied, shared electronically, given to friends or members of the guild or used for teaching purposes
without express consent of the author. What a Knit or What a Braid patterns are for your personal use. Feel free to sell your creations but remember to give proper credit to the Designer. If you decide you want to write a tutorial,
it is not appropriate to "borrow" parts of a copyrighted pattern. Thank you.
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Please share this newsletter with your Kumihimo friends!
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