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PURCHASE KITS AND INSTRUCTIONS:

Kit with Instructions on CD or CD Instructions Only
Instructions Digital Download

DESCRIPTION:

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.

View Warren as Guest Artist on JTV.com Jewelry Television's show "Jewel School"
as he discusses his specially adapted Celebration Bracelet project for Jewelry Television.

Mother's Celebration Bracelet

This Ndebele bracelet is a symbolic representation of joy in a woman's life. The selection of colors for the 3 central tubular components represent 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.

The Ndebele Stitch, (also known as the Herringbone Stitch orBasketweave 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 otherbeadweaving 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.

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, helpcontemporarize the piece.

In our Ndebele 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.

This bracelet is meant to be worn loosely around the wrist.

SKILL LEVEL REQUIRED:

Advanced Beginner/Intermediate

PREREQUISITES:

ORIENTATION TO BEADS AND JEWELRY FINDINGS
(All students are required to begin our curriculum with this ORIENTATION CLASS.    The Orientation Class is offered once a month.)

BEAD WEAVING BASICS (or equivalent)

GOAL:

LearnToBead Goals:
- 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, both rapid and slow
- 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

PROJECT/TASKS:

Learn flat ndebele, 3 techniques for tubular twist ndebele, increasing and decreasing with ndebele, fanning out with ndebele, attaching button clasp.

SKILLS LEARNED:

SUPPLIES REQUIRED:

COLOR A: 11/0 seed bead (3 grams)
COLOR B: 11/0 seed bead (3 grams)
COLOR C: 11/0 seed bead (6 grams)
COLOR D: 11/0 seed bead (6 grams)
COLOR E: 11/0 seed bead (6 grams)
COLOR F: 11/0 seed bead (3 grams)
COLOR G: 11/0 seed bead (3 grams)
COLOR H: 15/0 seed bead (1 gram)
COLOR I: 8/0 seed bead (.5 grams)
COLOR J: DB 11/0 (.2 grams)
COLOR K: DB 10/0 (.3 grams)

1 button (1/2" - 3/4" diameter)

FireLine, Size D (.008") 6# test