Hand Felted Jewelry and Beads: 25 Artful Designs

Felt-bead jewelry is fashionable! It's showing up on runways, specialty stores, and galleries around the globe. Hand Felted Jewelry and Beads offers a contemporary and artistic approach to this popular craft-and then takes it a step beyond through beaded embellishment.

No other hand felting book is as comprehensive, as Hand Felted Jewelry and Beads includes both needle-felting and wet-feltmaking techniques covering flat, flat with a resist, 3-dimensional, use of armatures and mediums, color, inclusions, shape, and texture.

And, these techniques are taught step-by-step in a friendly and accessible manner through the creation of beautiful objects of personal adornment. You'll learn how to make the felted equivalent of lampworked beads, turquoise focal beads, mokume gane look-alikes, and so much more.

Try your hand at the Carved and Beaded Bangle, the unforgettable Flower Lariat, Compositions in Felt and Glass (strung necklaces and bracelets), or the imaginative Felted Bead Diva's Necklace.

The first-time felter will be guided into this creative and fulfilling fiber art while the seasoned feltmaker will find inspiration, new tips and tricks to add to their repertoire; everyone will relish the gallery of inspirational pieces. Let your imagination soar and get felting!

Reviews: " Start off on your felting journey by creating beads which can then be turned into handmade jewelry."-Get Creative

"Yarn isn't just for knitting, and this book proves it. Tackle the technique of felting by making these small, elegant wearable pieces."-Arizona Republic

"Easy to read and lavishly illustrated (it) shows all you need to know on getting started."- Art Times

"Yarn isn't just for knitting, and this book proves it. Tackle the technique of felting by making these small, elegant wearable pieces."-Asheville Citizen-Times

"Once you've experienced the fun of working with felting, you'll want this book!"-Bead Society of New Jersey

"The combination of seed beads, lampwork beads, and felted art is imaginative, creating unique jewelry that plays with the unexpected."-Bead Unique

"Yarn isn't just for knitting, and this book proves it. Tackle the technique of felting by making these small, elegant wearable pieces."-Indianapolis Star

"Some of these projects would also make great embellishments on a handspun, handmade garment or bag. Directions and drawings are easy to follow."-Spindlicity.com

"Crystal-clear photography and info-packed chapters... this book has it all."-Vogue Knitting

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Essential Feltmaker's Studio (The Tools)- It is easy to create a feltmaking studio for every project in this book. Assemble these few ordinary items-your feltmaking tools-in a basket or box. Your feltmaker's studio is that container plus a tray table or countertop.

Chapter 2: The Ingredients

Chapter 3: Beading on Felt- Beading and felting are similar in many ways: intense and engaging processes, composed of tiny units, wide ranges of color, impact that is both visual and tactile, and prized through history as talismanic and magical.

Chapter 4: Getting Started

• Mokume Gane Beads- Mokume gane (translates "wood- eye metal") refers to a wood- grain look achieved in metal by Japanese metallurgists of the Samurai era.
• dZi Bead- The sacred Tibetan dZi bead is generally a plump, tubular brown agate distinguished by creamy colored bands and eyes. Believed to drop to earth by God, and to possess magical powers that affect the health and prosperity of the wearer, the beads have been imitated over four thousand years.
• Lampworked Felt Bead- Duplicate in felt a multidotted round lampworked bead.
• Gemstone Felt Bead- Capture the color and texture of gemstone beads in wool.
• Felted Beaded Flower and Variations- The range and nuance of the color and shape of felt flowers is inexhaustible. Create flowers that spring from your imagination or capture the likeness of the real thing in wool.
• Calla Lily Necklace and Variation- This exotic plant is known for its yellow spike, spadix, cloaked within a white spathe.
• Crown and Varations- This design was conceived as a crown. However, realizing that crowns are not for the faint of heart, I succumb to the prevailing wisdom that the item is more acceptable as a decorative hatband for a knitted or felted hat.
• Carved Beaded Bangle and Varation- Carve a multilayered, dense rope a couple of inches larger than the wrist size to reveal the colorful layers within. Knot the tapered ends, then embellish with beads.
• Wired Felt Bracelet and Variation- This bangle, held around the wrist by a wire armature, starts with a beaded felt bead and ends with a lampworked one.
• Felted Bead Diva's Lariat and Variation- This necklace features an actual lampworked bead that is then mimicked by a felt bead.
• Rose Bolo- One of the most treasured blossoms is the rose. Felt one from your deepest imaginations.
• Wrapped, Rolled, and Ruffled Beads Necklace- This wool rope consists of layers and layers of dense, solid felt that is tapered and cut and an angle to reveal the layers within.
• Compositions in Felt and Glass Beads- Alternate glass and felt beads for a wonderful handcrafted necklace.
• Gemstone and Felt Bead Necklace- This necklace consists of alternating finger- shaped felt beads and stones in a range of colors from raspberry, brown, gold, rosewood, olive, maroon, and ecru.
• Scepter and Variation- Enjoy this emblem of authority that captures a glass bead that seems to peer out from within.
• Felted Glass Pendant- A felted shell lavishly covers borosilicate glass of swirling colors.
• Fall Foliage Garland- This crownlike headdress of beaded felt leaves is perfect for the autumn bride.
• Beaded Felt Ropes and Variation- This project is a versatile and exciting union of wool and glass.
• Felted Feathers- Wear these feathers on a heat, with bits of tulle and ribbon, or in place of felt beads in necklaces.
• Winged and Felted Glass Beads- Felt your favorite glass beads and give them wings to fly!
• Spiral Earrings- Felt at its most delicate, these lightweight lovelies could easily blow away if they weren't tethered to an earlobe.
• Bracelet of Swirled Felt Beads- These wonderful beads are created by layers of wool that are rolled up, felted, and then sliced.
• Beaded Felt Pod- This primal and organic shape is enticing when it's rendered in felt.
• Silk Scarf with Felt Medallions- This recipe focuses on felting areas of wool onto background fabric.
• Felted Silk Jabot