Locked Away is finally up for bids on eBay! I'm so proud of this necklace. I hadn't looked at it for a while, until I had to get it out to measure when I wrote the description for the auction. Holding it in my hands reminded me of all the hours I spent beading it, all of the little changes I made along the way. I was so into working on this piece that I even worked on it in bed a few times, something that I rarely do because of paranoia about dropped needles (I've heard some horror stories). I could barely put it down. There's something so addictive about bead embroidery.
I'm actually pretty excited about this week's BFAC auctions in general. There's a lot of stunning items up for bids, so you should really check them out. Beautiful jewelry, a doll, a vessel, and a suncatcher! Don't hesitate to bid -- remember that all proceeds, minus our small operating costs, will go to the NCCRA! Help us make this our biggest donation yet.
Last night, at around 11:45pm, I finished Moonlit Seductress, my entry for the Etsy BeadWeavers' March Challenge, "Temptation." Given that it had to be completed and listed by the 5th (you know, yesterday), I was really, really cutting it close. I had planned to finish it on Wednesday, but Wednesday ended up being a bad day and I didn't bead at all. In a way, that was for the best, because the ideas that I woke up with yesterday are better than the ones I'd been toying with all week. I didn't come up with the cab edging or the idea to stitch beads onto the edge of a ribbon until I was finishing the embroidery around the cab yesterday afternoon. I wish that the pictures were better, but let's face it, this is what happens when you finish a project 15 minutes before it has to be listed on Etsy.
In other bead and jewelry related news, the 2009 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure auctions are under way! All photography and auction descriptions by yours truly. All beadwork by around 70 incredibly talented artists. It's a couple weeks yet until my Locked Away necklace goes up for bids, but by all means, you should visit the rest of the auctions and see if there's anything else you'd like to bid on. Remember, all proceeds (minus our small operating expenses) get donated to the National Colorectal Cancer Research Association. Bid early, bid often!
Here's a close-up of my turtle pendant. I'm really happy with the positive response so far. I didn't think he was that awesome, but sometimes we're our own worse critics.
I really want to do more embroidery pieces. I ordered some ultra suede earlier this week so I can back them. I have a few cabs to work with, too. I just want to buy a whole bunch more! I've got a few sellers favorited on Etsy, and I can't wait to go on a little shopping spree someday.
For tonight, I have a weird steampunk necklace idea to work on. It's been floating around in my head for a while, and I decided it was finally time to use it. I even have the perfect name for it... It's called "Safety Gear" and when you see it, you'll know why!
I finished the Turtle Talisman and he is on Etsy! Just click on the link to see more pictures. I'm pretty happy with how he turned out, especially since I almost never do animal-themed jewelry. The greens are all very nice, the bead soup was fun to work with, and it's good to do fringe that isn't branchy every now and then.
Now, of course, I just have to figure out what to make next! I'm thinking of maybe bezeling around another rivoli, or possibly just doing some stringing for the next couple of days. I don't want to start a major project until I find out what the next Etsy BeadWeavers and Art Bead Scene challenges are. Besides, I have a lot of non-beady stuff that I'm supposed to be doing right now, too!
I thought I'd post a little in-progress picture of my turtle project. As you can see, I liked those green satin beads from Mr. Skully-Man so much that I used them here, too. I thought it was a nice break from the size 15s I was using, adds a little more visual interest. Then I spent a while doing a brick stitch edge to hold the base and backing together, which gave me a headache and sore fingers. Next, I shall experiment with fringe! I'm still trying to decide exactly what to do for the actual necklace, too.
Last night's gaming went fairly well. Everyone seemed to enjoy playing at our place, and the dogs definitely liked having us home all night, along with extra people to shower them with affection. We did have a small problem as people were arriving. Maggie had managed to step on a nasty goat-head thorn, and didn't want to hold still to let me get it out -- she was more interested in limping around the yard to greet all of our guests. Our friend Casey was quick to help me hold her down while Chris searched for good thorn-removing tools, and as soon as I pulled it out, she was back to her usual happy self. I just need to figure out what plant is throwing those thorns and get it out of my yard! I hate those things.
By the way, I am part of this fun "Buy and Replace" Treasury on Etsy. I bought a pretty Japanese paper and glass pendant, and in return, got my earrings featured to replace it. Check out the items on display! The ring at the bottom is made by one of my Facebook pals, and she's the one who told me about the treasury.
Today I finally figured out what I'm doing for the Esty BeadWeaver's challenge, and it involves a cute little turtle bead. To match the colors in his shell, I decided to use three shades of green. Then I got a wild hare and I... mixed them all together!!!
Ok, so a lot of beaders make bead soup. But I really don't, because I like my work to be all neat and orderly. But the focal bead is variegated and I wanted to carry that theme into the beadwork. Besides, it's good to force myself out of my comfort zone. Not that it's too far out, since it's green bead soup.
Anyway, I'm going to go back to stitching this green soup onto the green felt around the green turtle. So much for less green jewelry...
Since this is a project with steampunk elements and inspiration, I felt that it was only appropriate that I do a little mad scientist title. Yes, that's right. Locked Away is complete! I spent pretty much all day today completing the clasp and attaching everything, and I am one happy beader. Although it changed quite a bit from my initial vision, I think the final necklace is even better than what I first planned.
One obvious change is that I did away with the rivolis. They didn't fit as well with the new design, and besides, I know that a few other participants are using them in the exact same color I was going to (it really matches the red beads well), and I like to stand out.
Another big change is that I was originally going to do a spiral rope for the neck chain. I changed that plan for three reasons. One is that I always do spiral ropes. Another is that I decided I wanted to let the pendant shine, so I wanted a visually simple chain. And the third is that I thought that this particular chain, with its resemblance to actual chain, fit the steampunk aesthetic more.
Now let's talk about the clasp:
(ooh, look! I used macro focus for this image!)
I knew that I wanted to do an adjustable clasp for this piece. I frequently make my necklaces too short, so I was determined to make this one long and adjustable. The easiest way to do an adjustable clasp is to have a hook or lobster type clasp and an extender chain, but I think that a beadwoven clasp looks best on the end of an otherwise entirely woven and embroidered necklace. Besides, I'd never done a beaded toggle, and I like to do new things for my LL-BFAC projects! I decided that I'd do three rings, because it's easier to have multiple rings than bars, and three is a good number.
As I mentioned before, pretty much all of my books and magazines are already packed away, so I had to figure out my own toggle design. I decided to use the same technique as a bezel for the rings. It's simple, attractive, and allows for the pleasant contrast in color between the 11s and 15s. For the bar, I was going to just do a brickstitched stack of more 11s, but then I was looking at the bugles, and I thought "Hey, they're shaped like bars anyway." Two bugles, flanked by seed beads, turned out to be the perfect size to go with the 30 bead ring I'd already made.
But the idea I'm really pleased with was the one to connect the rings with seed bead figure-8 links. This allows the rings to pivot, so the excess rings can dangle like charms, instead of just kind of being there and in your way. Plus, if the eventual owner decides that they only want to wear it on the shortest setting, they can easily snip off the extra rings if they want. And perhaps best of all, it echoes the design of the chain.
Now, I'd like to give some much deserved credit to some people who helped me out with this! To Melanie of Earthenwood Studios, for providing the keyhole cab and the earring accents. To Deb of Bead Indulgences, for giving me the drusy cab, even though neither of us knew what I'd use it for at the time (and also for constantly encouraging me!). To Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini for writing the excellent book The Art of Bead Embroidery, which helped me immensely. And to Barbara L Grainger, for designing the right-angle-weave chain I used here.
I've been one busy beader. Here it is, Locked Away, almost finished! Actually, it would have been done a lot sooner, but I kept having to readjust the fringe to make it work. I had planned to make a lot more fringes, but the crystals were so large that they kept crowding into each other and banging into the key. I think that the sparser fringe works much better here, as it allows each bead to have its own personal space, and it doesn't overwhelm the pendant.
After finishing the fringe, I also decided to make a pair of cute earrings to match it.
You know what, though? I'm pretty sure this key was a lot more copper-colored when I started. It must be oxidizing or losing its plating or doing something else that metal likes to do. What I do like is that the key is just the right size that it looks like it could actually fit into the keyhole on the cab.
Over all, I am thrilled with how this is turning out, and I'm excited to start on the neck strap, either tonight or tomorrow!
As I worked to fill in the background around the wing here, I was struck with an different inspiration for these colors. They remind me of Incan and Mayan jewelry, with the turquoise set in gold. The wing shape that I was stitching put me in mind of Quetzalcoatl.
Anyway, I kind of had to stitch in weird ways to fill in the empty space, but I think it turned out well, I've decided to be OK with tiny bits of black showing, because otherwise I'd drive myself crazy. I realized that what I could have done was started at the middle and worked out to the edge, but if I'd done that, I never would have made these wings.
I probably won't post any in-progress pictures for a bit, as they'll just be a repeat of what I've done on this side. I do hope to bead a little more quickly now that I know that I'm doing and won't be undoing so many stitched or pondering design ideas. Ok, I will be pondering, but only in a thinking-ahead sort of way. I have to consider the necklace and the fringe and the edging, and the possibility of earrings.
Last time, it was a heart. Now it's a one-winged angel with a keyhole for a head. As I was stitching the teal beads down, I noticed that the shape looked like a feathered wing, so I decided to go with it. Now I wish I could add another bead type -- I'd do black, probably matte black even, to really make the wings pop. I don't know how it will look to do the red or the amber. If I'd used Ultrasuede or even normal suede for the base, I'd just leave the area around the wings blank... But I don't think that the felt is attractive enough to be left "naked."
If I was more experienced with this sort of technique, and I hadn't already stitched down the center line of hexes and 8s there, I'd actually cut away the felt around the wings, making it a shaped pendant. Maybe for a future project! As it is, I've come to realize that this is going to be huge by the time I add the fringe, so I'm thinking of cutting the top off closer to the keyhole cab. Maybe I'll go ahead and cut around the top curve of the wing, and maybe attach the necklace there at the "shoulder." I think it might look pretty cool. Hmmm... brainstorming!
The angel with the keyhole head idea makes me think of MirrorMask. I can't remember if anyone in there had a keyhole mask. Gee shucks, I guess I might just have to watch the movie again to see. I know that some people are disturbed by masks, but I personally find them beautiful. Right now I'm enamored of the work of Merimask. I never wear the leather Green (wo)Man mask that I have (it doesn't quite fit my face and gives me a headache), but I'm still tempted to buy one of her masks. Maybe it would fit me better!
A little more beading done. As you can see, I continued the line down, and abandoned the idea of some bugles. I tried it, but they didn't line up well with the cab. Instead, there's a row of alternating size 8s and hexes leading up to the cab, with just enough space for another row of beads to go there. I started filling it in with more of the turquoise-lined amber, which I think is going to be the main color, because I like it the best.
If I do the same thing on the other side, and I probably will, because I love symmetry, then it's going to look kind of like a heart. I may or may not play up on that. I haven't decided what I want to do with the top yet.
Speaking of BFAC, have you checked out this week's auctions yet? Because you really have to see Jen's dragon! I'm currently high bidder, but you're welcome to try to outbid me. Really, it's okay. I like the competition! It's good for BFAC. Or you can bid on another item, if you can't stand the idea of depriving me of a seriously awesome dragon.
This is the first two evenings of beadwork. I decided to start by bordering both cabs, before I did anything else, and once the two cabs had met in the middle, I branched out a bit. That little green-lined amber line is going to follow the edge of the pendant for a bit, though I think it might run into a strip of bronze bugles along the way...
I really love doing bead embroidery. It's fun to design the piece as I go along. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but nothing is definitely until it's stitched down... and even then, I can undo it if I don't like it.
Unfortunately, I can't really take Locked Away to gaming with me today. The huge palette of beads I'm working with isn't very portable. I could technique just take one or two bead types and focus on those, but then what if I decided I needed something else? I'll have to content myself with an easier, more portable project... and just be ready to get back to Locked Away tomorrow!
Here's an in-progress image of my cuff bracelet, which I'm calling Dragonesque. I did a little more work on it last night, but not much. I ended up spending most of the night hanging out with Chris and Alex. Tonight I don't have any plans, though, so I should have lots of time to bead!
The central cab is a dichro piece that I've had for a very long time. The vintage sequins came from a bead store in NY. The vintage nailhead, well, I buy those all over the place. I can't remember if I got them from a bead store, a gem show, or eBay. The two colors of size 15s came from my collection. The 11s, peridot, and felt all came from a cuff-themed bead swap that I participated in.
Last night, I added some opaque dark green size 15 hex beads. I felt that I needed something dark and non-iridescent to balance out the sparkle. However, I'm determined that I will only use green beads on this bracelet, instead of retreating to the safety of black as a neutral. The 15s are pretty cool because I bought them at the only powwow I've ever been to, which was in NY. There was a vendor there with lots of cool beads... 15 hexes, 3cuts, Charlottes... lots of sparkly beads that are great for embroidery.
By the way, be sure to check out my Etsy widget on the right-hand side of this blog. There's a new bracelet and two new pairs of earrings in there!
Locked Away is finally up for bids on eBay! I'm so proud of this necklace. I hadn't looked at it for a while, until I had to get it out to measure when I wrote the description for the auction. Holding it in my hands reminded me of all the hours I spent beading it, all of the little changes I made along the way. I was so into working on this piece that I even worked on it in bed a few times, something that I rarely do because of paranoia about dropped needles (I've heard some horror stories). I could barely put it down. There's something so addictive about bead embroidery.
