new pattern: Any Bead Bracelet

Any Bead Bracelet, $4.00 at AroundTheBeadingTable.com and Bead-Patterns.com.

 

I call this bracelet the "Any Bead Bracelet" because you can use any 4mm beads (round beads, druks, glass pearls or gemstones, bicone crystals or fire-polished beads) and any two-hole beads (Twins, SuperDuos, Czechmates, Czechmate Bricks or Tila beads) to create many different bracelets from just one pattern design. And when you have exhausted all possible combinations, substitute 3mm beads or size 6/0 seed beads for the 4mm beads for even more variations.

New pattern: Czechmates Bands

Czechmates Bands, $5.50 at AroundTheBeadingTable.com and Bead-Patterns.com.

Czechmates are two-holed tile beads, much like Miyuki Tila beads and about the same size, but they are thicker, with rounded edges and corners, which makes it difficult to hide thread paths between them in designs where the Czechmates sit side by side. These bands came out of a desire to remedy this problem. The weave is a relatively simple one and once you get the hang of it, the variations are endless. This pattern has directions for four bands and it is fully illustrated with detailed step-by-step instructions.