The 6th Photo

My good friend, Nicole, invited me to participate in a fun little game called 'The 6th Photo'.

I have to show the 6th photo that I ever posted here on my blog, and critique it...what would I do differently, how could I improve it, etc, etc.

*gulp*

Here goes:

Eek, it's my first EVER attempt at bead embroidery!  Little did I know, that this piece was the catalyst for an enduring love affair with the technique.  I created this piece, 'Phoenician Scarab', for a 'Phoenician' challenge on the Beading Forum.


What would I do differently if I had my time again with this piece?  I would use better quality seed beads!  I have rarely worn this necklace, but the cheap silver-lined gold seed beads are looking rather ugly now.  The silver lining is turning black!  Lesson learnt, and now I only use the best quality Czech and Japanese seed beads ;-)  Aside from the cheap seed beads, I'm still rather happy with the design.  It's bright and bold...just my style!


Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Nicole!  Feel free to play along and critique your own sixth blog photo...make sure you leave a comment so I can come and take a look!


Thanks for looking, and be well!

Phoenician Scarab

Another Beading Forum challenge, another chance to learn a new technique.

This time it was bead embroidery.

I had some ceramic scarab beetles which I'd bought as a teenager...they seemed appropriate for the theme, so I dug them out and used them as the basis for my necklace. I knew I'd been keeping them for a reason *light bulb moment* I sewed one onto a piece of stiff felt and away I went.

Again, I had no real plan of attack when I started stitching...it's another piece which evolved of it's own accord. Can it be called 'designing' when you make something up as you go along? That's a loaded question...will file it away for a rainy day.

I fell head-over-heels for bead embroidery because of this piece. And it is still one of my favourite techniques. It almost feels like cheating though because it seems so easy compared to some off-loom techniques. Cheating or not, it is grrrrreat.

Here's my Phoenician Scarab:



And a close-up shot of the main pendant:



And a photo of the back of the pendant: