Russian Chain Stitch Bracelet
Instructor: Warren Feld


Intermediate Level
--Bead Weaving Sequence
--Lesson: Turn traditional Petersburg Chain Bracelet into a Rope; Chain Stitch
--Bracelet
BW1-14-PCROPE

Kit with Instructions on CD or CD Instructions Only

Simple elegance!   Stitch the Petersburg Chain and Simple Russian Chain techniques to encase a cascading array of sparkling Austrian crystal beads within this rope bracelet.

NOTE: Regular retail and wholesale store discounts do not apply to kits. 

View Warren as Guest Artist on JTV.com Jewelry Television's show "Jewel School"
as he discusses this specially adapted projects for Jewelry Television.

Petersburg Chain Rope Bracelet

The RUSSIAN CHAIN STITCH BRACELET KIT
Instructions to make a 6 1/2 - 7" bracelet
Supplies to make up to an 8 1/2" bracelet

PLEASE NOTE: Sometimes, because of erratic supplies of beads and other materials, we will need to substitute something of similar color and quality.

Palette #1: Mint Julep

 Colors may appear differently on different monitors.

Palette #2: Aqua Mist

Colors may appear differently on different monitors.

FORMAT OPTONS

(1) KIT with Instructions on CD

(2) CD Instructions Only

(3) Digital Download Instructions

About the Kit...

I was at a point in time where I had to develop a new Petersburg Chain project for our classes.    The Traditional project, I felt, had been done to death, and while very appealing, it was no longer anything special.     The project had to be relatively simple, yet elegant and sophisticated, and truthfully, had to be more appealing than the traditional project design.     So, I used a more prominent bead to connect the two strips, then turned this project into a rope by connecting the sides together.   

I am very focused on redefining bead weaving stitches in architectural terms.   At the core, this means determining what about the stitch is supportive of “shape”, and what about the stitch is supportive of “movement, drape and flow.”   It became clear that every pair of Petersburg Chain Stitch rows is connected with what functions as a “box joint”.    Based on this understanding, I developed a simple Chain Stitch, also relying on the architectural properties of a “box joint”.    I used this simple Chain Stitch to connect the two sides of the bracelet into a rope.

In this RUSSIAN CHAIN STITCH BRACELET Project...

What You Will Learn:
- How to do the Petersburg Chain Stitch and a Simple Russian Chain Stitch
- Understanding how a chain stitch architecturally can be seen as a series of connected “joints”, each “joint” structurally serving to maintain shape and allow movement
- How to create and attach a simple button clasp assembly

TimeFrame:
This bracelet takes about 6 hours to complete

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUPPLIES LIST, p. 4

1. I.              Planning Your Project, p.6

Intro – Types of Choices To Be Made In This Project, p.6

ABOUT PETERSBURG CHAIN, p.7

MANAGING SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND OTHER ARCHITECTURAL ISSUES, p. 7

THE CHAIN STITCH, p. 8

IA. Conceptualizing Your Piece, p.9

IB. Measurement, p. 11

IC. Selecting Materials, p. 13
ID. Sketching a pattern or graph, p. 13
IE. Identifying Potential Areas of Weakness, p. 14

IF. Identifying How To Attach The Clasp, p.14
IG. Visualizing Your Process, p.15
IH. Organizing Your Work Space, p. 16

1. II.            Beginning Your Project, p. 17

IIA. Basic Steps, p.17

IIA-1.  CREATE THE STRIPS, p. 18
IIA-2.  CONNECT THE STRIPS, p. 23
IIA-3.  TURN INTO A ROPE, p. 30
IIA-4.  ATTACH THE CLASP ASSEMBLY, p.34

1. IIB.  Dealing with Contingencies, p.41

IIC. Finishing Touches, p.42

1. III.           Summary of Learning Objectives You Have Met After Accomplishing This Project, p.43

1. IV.          Next Steps, p. 48

IVA. Suggested Readings, p. 48

LEARNING OBJECTIVES