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May - Jun - Jul - Aug 2010 |
Featured Ring - T14 Project Idea: Lucky 7 Möbius Ring Color Palettes |
Summer Classes and Bead&Button Classes Newest Supplies |
If you subscribe to our newsletter, you'll continue to receive those smaller email blasts, and you may notice they'll increase in frequency. (We won't flood your inbox...the increase we're talking about is something like 1 email every 2-5 weeks.) If you want to hear from us more, you can subscribe to our blog to receive 1-2 updates per week. If that's still not enough to sate you, then follow us on Twitter for multiple updates a day.
Over the next few months we'll continue to update the design and functionality of our website, and begin integrating the information so that it's easier to find what you need. All in all, we're pleased with the direction we're moving in, and we'd love to hear any suggestions you might have. Feel free to send an email to orders@bluebuddhaboutique.com with your feedback and ideas.
Since the last newsletter was published, we increased our staff by about a third! We are pleased to have Aimee, Nadja and Erik all working hard to get your orders out the door. You can read about them on our About page.
Finally, a word about my book, since so many of you are asking. :-) Yes, we are still on schedule for a December release. If you'd like to be notified as soon as we start accepting pre-orders, please add your email address to our book mailing list and you'll be the first to know!
Have a fabulous summer!
—Rebeca
Featured Ring - T14 base metal
| This month's featured ring is T14 base metal. For more information about the various base metals—aluminum, copper, jewelry brass, bronze, stainless steel, anodized aluminum—please refer to How do I select a material? in the FAQ. | |
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T14 base metal
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| Check out some of the weaves you can make with T14: | |
| Weave Name | Rings Per Inch | Snazzy photo | Where to Find Instructions |
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3-in-3-chain |
9 |
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Technically this is a 6-in-3, but most folks call it 3-in-3. No instructions currently available; it's quite easy, though, so you can likely figure it out on your own if you know other chainmaille weaves. |
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Shaggy Loops |
8 |
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Shaggy Loops instructions available as free PDF |
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Wiggle (Möbius) |
6 |
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Wiggle instructions available as free PDF |
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Double Spiral |
10 |
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Double Spiral instructions available as free PDF |
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Mesh (European 4-in-1) |
11 for a 5-4 row cuff |
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Mesh & Rosettes |
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Möbiused Rosettes |
13 |
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Chain Mail Jewelry Book |
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Box |
16 |
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Box/Byzantine (currently in sale section) |
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3 row Japanese 12-in-2 (with I16) |
T14 - 14 I16 - 28 |
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Japanese lace |
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Dodecahedron (Japanese Ball) |
96 rings total plus "stuffing" rings |
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Dodecahedron |
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3 row European 6-in-1 (Mesh variant) |
14 |
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European 6-1 / Mesh Ring (currently in sale section) |
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Half Persian 4-in-1 |
9 |
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Half Persian 3-1 and Half Persian 4-1 (currently in sale section) |
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Half Persian 3-in-1 |
8 |
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Half Persian 3-1 and Half Persian 4-1 (currently in sale section) |
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Oval (Persian Dragonscale) |
20 |
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Weaving Silver - DVD Vol II |
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Captive Inverted Round |
12 |
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The Roundmaille tutorial (currently in sale section) will get you started, but you'll also want to refer to Jacob's DNA Ladder The version at left uses captive rings every other unit, so if you're an experienced mailler, it should be fairly easy for you to add the captive rings as you go. |
Thanks to interns Carrie & Angelique for weaving these samples.
Project Idea - Lucky 7 Möbius Ring
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Here's a quick & gratifying project. For strength I recommend using steel or bronze rings (the Wubbers pliers work great with these rings), but if you are unable to use steel or bronze rings because they are so difficult to manipulate, you can use other metals. Just be prepared to touchup your closures often. Prerequisite: Experience working with hard-to-close rings (steel is tough!) |
Ring Sizes: • 7 rings, size T18 BRNZ (18g 3/8" / 9.5 mm) for large bronze rings • 2 rings, size I18 BRNZ (18g 13/64" / 5.2 mm) for medium bronze rings • 12 - 20 rings, size C20 SSTL (20g 7/64" / 2.8 mm) for tiny steel rings • 5-10 rings, misc 18ga SSTL sizes for small steel rings (for band). Recommended: between size F18 (18g 5/32" / 4.0 mm) and I18 (18g 13/64" / 5.2 mm). See TIP at end of instructions. |
 1. Scoop a large bronze ring with a medium bronze and close. Close the large bronze ring, too. |
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 4. Continue adding large rings, being sure to go through the medium bronze and all previous large bronze rings, until all 7 large rings have been added. |
 5. Weave a new medium bronze through all 7 large bronze rings and close. |
 6. Now create the band. With an 18ga steel ring, scoop up 2 tiny steel rings. Weave through the bronze ring from step 5, and close the steel ring. Close the tiny steel rings, too. |
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 7. With a new 18ga steel ring, scoop up 2 new tiny steel rings and weave through the previous tiny rings from step 6. Close all the steel rings. |
 8. Repeat step 7 until your band can just about reach all the way around your finger. |
 9. Add one final steel ring through the previous 2 tiny rings, but instead of scooping up 2 new steel rings, weave the steel ring through the first bronze ring from step 1. Be sure not to twist the band as you do so. |
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TIP: You might need to replace one or more of the 18ga rings you used for the band with a slightly smaller or larger ring.
Play around until you've got the perfect fit.
Color Palettes
These are some of our favorite color combinations. A few combos are from color palettes in prior newsletters, some are inspired by colors in our wardrobe, and some by the elements. Enjoy!
We also encourage you to print out the color swatches on our various colored ring pages, and cut out each individually colored rectangle. Then, when you're ready to buy rings, you can play around with your swatches to see which combinations you like. Sure, it's not foolproof since everyone's computer prints slightly differently, but it will give you a great idea of whether or not some of your combinations will work.
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Upcoming Classes
We've updated the class calendar for June, with July and August to follow in two weeks. A few highlights:
 at Bead&Button |
 at Bead&Button |
 at Bead&Button |
 at Ayla's |
 at Briolette |
Contact the specific store or gallery for a schedule or to register for a class.
Newest Supplies and Coming Attractions
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In the months following Bead&Button, we'll continue to roll out a few new products. We're most excited about our premium, high-quality anodized aluminum scales. These scales are anodized in the U.S.A. They have full-color coverage and the same lovely sheen as our new anodized aluminum rings. These scales are perfect for adding a touch of sophistication to earrings, bracelets and necklaces, and you can even create pieces, such as the two shown here, that primarily use scales. |
Recent additions to the Supplies section:
 Squares with Flair Kit Available in base metal or sterling. |
 Illuminated Tunnel Kit Available in base metal or sterling. |
 Anodized Aluminum jump rings We're further along in our transition to the new, shiny rings. Woo! |
Feel free to contact Rebeca as always with questions or comments.
local: 773.478.3767 toll free: 866.602.RING (7464) rebeca@bluebuddhaboutique.com
Happy Weaving!
All content written by Rebeca Mojica, Blue Buddha Boutique artist & owner.
