DIY Network

Beaded Gypsy Cabochon Brooch From "Jewelry Making" episode DJMK-110

To make the cabochon for your brooch, "cheat" just a little: use a doll's face, scarab or other textured small item to make your mold.

Robin Beam shares her technique for creating a lovely mask cabochon -- complete with beaded adornment.

Materials:

Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) by Ranger Industries
Melt Art To Dye For Colorants by Ranger Industries
Item to be Molded (cameo, button, statue, doll face, etc.)
UltraSuede or Suede material
Glue (E6000 or Barge Cement-be sure to follow directions for use of these glues)
Size 11o, 14o seed beads
C-lon/Nymo or other nylon beading thread
Beeswax
Drop Beads
Charms
Beading Needles
Pin Backs
Melting Pot by Ranger Industries
Melt Art Kool Toolz by Ranger Industries
Melt Art Mold N' Pour by Ranger Industries

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure F

1. Melt desired color of UTEE in the Melting Pot. Option: colorize Pearl, White or Clear UTEE with To Dye For Colorants, using the Spatula from Kool Toolz to stir in color.

2. Follow manufacturer's directions for making a custom mold with Mold N' Pour. In this case, Beam uses the face of a Christmas angel to make the mold (figure A). It is important to measure out each color of putty before mixing them together. Also have the item to be molded ready, because there is only about 1/2 a minute to mix the two colors together before the Mold N' Pour will begin to harden. Pour melted UTEE into custom mold (figure B). Tip:If any excess UTEE pours over the mold, it can be trimmed with scissors when the mold cools.

3. Once UTEE has cooled, remove from mold (figure C).

4. Paint and embellish cabochon. Adhere pin-back or embellish with seed beads.

5. Glue Cabochon to piece of Ultrasuede (figure D); let dry, then trim around the cabochon, leaving no more than 1/8" border of Ultrasuede.

6. Wax Nymo and thread needle. Insert needle from topside of edge of Ultrasuede; pull through, leaving an approximate 3-inch tail. String on an 11 bead and insert needle from the bottom of Ultrasuede through the same hole. Move bead so it sits on top of the edge of the cabochon, and insert needle through the bead from left to right (if you are left handed, it will be opposite). The bead will now be sitting on top of the Ultrasuede edge.

7. Finish the rest of the first row of beads as follows. Insert needle with a bead already on the needle next to the first bead from the bottom of the Ultrasuede to the top. Pull thread so bead sits next to first bead, then again insert needle from the left to right side of the new bead. They will all begin to sit next to one another. This base row will actually become rows 1 and 2 of the peyote bead row.

8. Once to the end of the base row, place a bead on the needle, then skip the next bead (which will have been the first bead you put on the Ultrasuede) and insert the needle through the next bead.

9. Continue skipping every other bead, placing bead through the alternate bead in the row. When you get to the end, you will find out if you can continue to just peyote bead around the cabochon or if you need to "step up". If you have to step up, there will be two beads in the next row. You need to go through both of them, which will now set you up ready to bead your third row. By the time you finish the 3rd or 4th row, you will want to start "cupping" or closing up around the cabochon (figure E). To do this, you will need to "decrease"; you are literally making the next row of beads less than the previous row, which will make your following rows of beads smaller, and therefore, tighten the form you are beading around.

10. Count the number of "up" beads. Divide that number evenly or as close to even as you can (for example, if there are 24 "up" beads, divide by 6S) Thus, following the example, peyote stitch 5 beads; instead of adding a 6th bead, you will thread through the next "down" and "up" bead. This will create a space of one less bead.

11. When you get to the next row of the decrease, you will bead normally, placing one bead in each section of "down" beads. By the third row of the decrease, you will see that there are 4 less beads in the row, and it will have tightened up around your cabochon.

12. Add on one or two extra rows of regular peyote after the 3 row increase or as you feel is needed without covering over the top of the cabochon.

13. Move the thread to the side of the beaded base and add beaded embellishments (figure F), such as fringe, picots, ruffles, etc. When completed, adhere pin-back or bail.

GUESTS :

Robin Beam
Director of Sales and Education
Ranger Industries
Web site: www.rangerink.com