A Dream of Fair Women

All has been quiet on the blog-front lately, but I have been beading like a madwoman behind the scenes.  My latest couple of projects have been secret squirrel business, so I haven't been able to show them...until now!


The latest challenge on the Beading Forum was to create a bracelet to swap with a randomly assigned partner...and the theme was 'Inspired by Art'.


I ached and agonised over which artwork to draw my inspiration from, but in the end I settled on 'A Dream of Fair Women' by Emma Florence Harrison.  The Art Nouveau movement has always been a favourite of mine and an endless source of inspiration.


The vibrancy of the red poppies really stood out to me, so I decided to make them the focus of my 'Poppy Bracelet':

To offset the flatness of the herringbone bracelet band, I created three dimensional poppies and leaves.  The flower stalks move too!

My swap partner is the lovely and very talented Lyn of Beads on the Run.  I hope she likes her bracelet, it's a little more subtle than my usual bold style but I tried to make something I thought she would wear.  Not everyone has such outrageous taste as I do ;-) hehe  


I can't wait to see what Lyn has created for me.  Her work is always beautiful and perfectly crafted.  I will post pictures when her bracelet arrives.  And in the meantime, you can find me hiding in the bushes stalking my postman...


Thanks for looking and be well!

The Garland of Galatea

She is finally complete! My entry into the Beading Forum's monochromatic 'Rockpool' challenge was a labour of love over many weeks. I'm sad that she is finished, she was such a delight to create :-)

Using tones of teal and turquoise, I set about recreating rockpool creatures in tubular herringbone and peyote stitches, circular peyote stitch, and simple fringing. Each creature is three-dimensional and was created as I stitched, none of my designs were pre-planned. Experimenting and playing brings about unexpected and delightful results!

The finished necklace looked like it would be at home adorning the neck of a sea nymph. Galatea was a sea nymph in Greek mythology and one of the Nereides, 50 nymph-goddesses of the sea. And so "The Garland of Galatea" was born...

Detail photos of various urchins and anemones:

Detail of the toggle clasp, a miniature urchin!

Detail of some of the starfish:

As each creature is dimensional and individually fabricated, I took my time ensuring that the reverse side was as attractive as the front! Here is a photo of the reverse side of the necklace, and detail photos of the reverse sides of some of the urchins and starfish:

If you managed to make it through all of the photos without your computer self-destructing, I applaude you! And I welcome your comments :-)

Now that she is finally complete and I'm 39 weeks pregnant, I guess I should start thinking about giving birth... LOL

Back to Beadweaving

Ever feel like you need a change? Or feel the need to get back to basics?

It seems that the bead embroidery bug bit me in a big way last year, and it's all I've been doing since. So I figured it was time to stash away my felt for a while and get back to where it all began...beadweaving.

Bead embroidery has always felt a bit like cheating to me...when you're finished stitching, you sew through to the back of the foundation, tie a knot, and you're done. No-one sees the mess because it's hidden away, conveniently covered up at the back. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that about bead embroidery! It has limitless applications, and I think I have barely only scratched the surface of what is possible.

Beadweaving, on the other hand, requires a little more thought and skill...knots must be ever so carefully hidden away inbetween beads. And then there's the challenge of weaving the beads together so precisely that no thread shows whatsoever. Ahhh, nothing like the sweet smell of perfection. My work station usually reeks (and sounds) of frustration, but one must have something to strive for, no? ;-)

So this week I've been playing, and dabbling, and learning. Oh, the fun of it all!

I decided to teach myself flat circular peyote stitch. My samples in pretty pastel hues are posted above. I haven't decided what to do with them yet. Perhaps they will end up strung between cascades of brass chain...or woven together en masse for an ever-so-girly piece.

I have also been dabbling in RAW (right angle weave), a stitch which I haven't used a great deal before. So far, I am very happy with the results of said dabbling :-) I can see this becoming a monstrously large and laborious creation. Funny how that seems to happen with everything I make. I think 'easy' and 'simple' were erased from my vocabulary as a child.

What I should be doing right now, is planning and starting on a piece for one of two current challenges on the Beading Forum...a 'Dutch-inspired' piece using dutch spiral, and a piece inspired by the movie 'Tron'. Whether I find the time (or the inspiration) to make a piece for either of these challenges is anyone's guess. I've never tried dutch spiral before (but what a great excuse to learn) and, not being a Sci-Fi fan in the slightest, I've never seen the movie 'Tron'. I've been told to think 'computers', 'futuristic', 'circuit boards', and 'Jeff Bridges in fluoroescent lycra'. Hmmmm...scary.

Right now, I'm just having too much fun playing :o) And I'm amazed by how much one learns just from playing. Ok, well that's my excuse for procrastinating, and I'm sticking to it.