Stitch an heirloom box for your beaded treasures! This intricate beaded box features different colors of crystals on each of its six sides, all thoroughly embellished with two-hole beads and framed with Tilas and Japanese seed beads. The ornate lid echos the embellishment and joins all the different colors of crystals together. Measuring over two inches tall by three inches wide, this box is perfect for your most special of treasures.
Stitch this box as-is, or convert the sides into a fancy bracelet and the lid into a matching pendant. The frames and crystal components are stitched separately, so you can play around with incorporating them into other types of jewelry as well.
This project is suitable for beaders with enthusiasm for combining different types of stitches into one project. We’ll use modified right-angle weave (MRAW), netting, circular peyote, and brick stitch to bring the whole box together.
Cindy Holsclaw
Cindy Holsclaw dabbled in crafts for longer than she can remember, but she’s always been most fond of geometric structures. After many years of exploring these mathematical forms in modular origami, in 2006 she learned that these structures could also be made with beads. From then on, she was hooked! In 2009 Cindy started writing patterns for her own beading designs, and in 2012 she dove into designing and teaching beadwork full-time.
With a background in academia and a doctorate in biochemistry, Cindy takes an analytical approach to her design style; she likes exploring different bead shapes and variations on the established beading techniques, and she’s constantly thinking of new ways to put beads together. Biochemistry and mathematics continue to inspire her and often show up in her finished work. As an educator, Cindy challenges her students to learn something new in every class, while giving them the tools they need through her very detailed beading patterns.
In 2015 Cindy was named Designer of the Year by Beadwork Magazine, and a series of her beading videos were published by Interweave in the same year. Cindy taught at the Bead & Button show for eight years, and currently teaches at national and international venues. Cindy makes her home in San Diego, California, with her husband and daughter.
