Another lost project rescued!!!

 
When I started the beaded bird project I had a vision of them being mounted on thin pieces of wood and assembled accordion style so they could all be seen at once.  Now I am rethinking this plan and will try to combine the beaded bird with another project.

 

 In 2010 I joined CQI round robin with a specific outcome in mind.... It was a wonderful group of stitchers and included: Cathy Labath - USA, Helina Pettinen - Finland, Jeanne Gagnaux - France,  Meg Shaffer - USA, and Ritva Peltola - Finland...  I had signed up for a seams-only round robin because I had planned to  incorporate them into a jacket made from this pattern.

At that time I bought a gorgeous olive-green brocade fabric at a thrift store for the jacket.  Eight years later the fabric is still hanging in my work room and the round robin blocks are waiting in a basket on a shelf.

When I put the beaded birds on the blocks on the brocade it was a match made it heaven

I really can't believe it!!

Near the end of August I posted about this series of beaded birds I started in 2009 and abandoned to a box under the bed... there were these four and two more partially finished and one  unfinished.




If I hadn't broken my arm they would have gone into eternity unfinished,  But since these small pieces were the only thing I could handle with my cast arm... I decided to try to  finish the unfinished two and assemble them..  and I did.... not as neatly beaded  as those  before but I finished.

I still had three weeks to go with the cast so I started on the unfinished robin piece....

I colored the cloth background so any little gaps in the beading are not so noticeable and there a lot of gappies.....





This is how far I have gotten working in small areas for very short periods of time..  Since I have still another week left before the cast comes off, I will be close enough to being done that I will keep going.

Well why not!!

During the winter when I was exploring making jewelry as an alternative to CQ, I painted these two MOP pendants.  I have worn them over and over this winter.. I enjoy making jewelry but there is a limit to how much I can wear and I have long passed it. 

But when my DIL was visiting this spring she asked if I would make some things for the gift shop at the lodge.... painted pendants...  Well why not!!!!

She wanted some suitable for Alaska and for a fishing lodge.  I couldn't quite imagine a halibut on a pendant but I could certainly do one of her eagles and some owls as well.  In addition to getting to paint on something larger than a button, it gave me a chance to play with all my beads and collection of costume jewelry.  I began disassembling a lot of old necklaces, bracelets, etc. and I came up with these.

I just couldn't resist some of my favorite bluebirds... For these I dipped into my  box of crystals and pearls..

I had wanted to finish in May but I am just today finally getting it all mailed to her.  It seemed at every step I needed another tool or supply but I think I have it all now if I want to do more... Of course a new venture needed a new name, business cards, display items, etc....,  etc. ,... all this in the works..  Wish me luck...

Low Vision Beading

Low Vision Beading aka "never having to see a hole...".  I use some techniques
to make the beading easier and I never have try to see a hole in which to put a needle...

First getting the beads onto the needle ... I put my beads into the shallow oblong dish and just "scoop" the needle parallel through the beads... It only takes 2-3 passes to have 5 or more beads on the needle...  Never have to look for a hole. Just keep scooping away..  You can see here that I've mixed several color together because I didn't have enough of any one color I liked.  You'd be amazed how fast this is...just remember to keep your needle parallel to the beads.  Just scoop, scoop, scoop..... There is an excellent You-tube video of this.

Next: Getting the beads on the fabric...

After I transferred my design I used the basting stitches as a guide to do the chain stitch where I want the gold beads to be.  As long as I feel the chain stitches I can use my left thumb nail  as a guide to where the beads are to go..  And as long as I feel  the needle go through the chain stitch I know I'm on the right track...

Some time in the future I'm going to write a post about how I'm learning to use my left thumb to work in unison  with the needle in my right hand.



First I did all the beads for the gold outline... Ordinarily I would have put 5 beads down, gone back through the last two, and added another 5 beads.  I modified this step to make it easier.  After putting the 5 beads down I just came up through the chain stitch a couple beads back and whip  a stitch over the beads to keep them in line with the chain stitch...nice and neat.. Then I add another 5 beads...and so on...   This eliminated the necessity to put the needle through holes at this point.  I use my left thumb all along the chain as a guide to where the needle comes up.

By bypassing that step my gold outline is really a little wonky and wiggly but I can correct that a bit as I fill in.  I'm willing to accept wonky and wiggly because as my vision has decreased so have my expectations   also decreased..

After I finished the gold outline it was easier to do the turquoise beads using the gold beads as a guide.

Now I'm filling in with the iridescent blue/green mix... I do not need a guide at all here..  It is all just totally random in this area...every which way and even overlapping.  By piling them in tight it helps to even out the outline somewhat.. This is possible because the gold beads are anchored to that initial chain stitch.

The turquoise beads are from a very cheap necklace and are very irregular in size and shape but I love their color.




I would consider myself lucky if I lived where I could see either a sunrise or sunset but I live on a high prairie with nothing to impede the view either east or west so I am doubly blessed.... tonight's sunset....a few minutes of pure joy... (no pigs for 2 days)

Back Again!

We took our first "together" vacation since 2006 and went to a duplicate bridge tournament on the Oregon coast.  You can't blame a low score on bad cards in this situation. Every person in this picture sitting in the same direction is playing exactly the same hand of cards (hence the term duplicate).  You just have to play it better. The group is divided into sections of various abilities (hence the L, N, etc.. This is just part of the main floor of the convention center and the second floor was full of tables as well. Over the 6 days almost 3000 tables were in play. DH is very competitive and loves this. I do it because I love him...

But one doesn't expect this kind of weather on the northern Oregon coast in October.  We shared a condo facing the beach with another couple and each morning I watched the sky turn from night to shades of pinks and finally blue.  I was able to stitch a couple hours each morning with this view.

I did manage to find a small bead store  and bought some delightful  tiny  topaz beads which will be perfect for the suffrage quilt which is moving along nicely.  I was hoping to have it ready to assemble by Christmas and I do believe I'm going to make it.

And of course a person having a rainbow door couldn't resist these outrageous gypsy earrings. They are huge and I plan to combine  and "redesign"  them   into a pendant for a necklace...

The dogs welcomed us home with much enthusiasm and by tomorrow things should be back into "getting ready for winter" mode...

Isn't this gorgeous?? & Show Results

   
I was away from the computer for several days and I was so delighted and surprised to receive this photo from a lady who bought one of  my buttons to create a pendant for her mother...  This is so gorgeous!!!! She does lovely artisan jewelry and does sell online  http://www.etsy.com/shop/acottagehearth
  She makes the most clever pendants with beads and old keys...

And it was so timely to receive this photo... The show I did was not exactly my crowd... it was a spring garden event but I did very well...  So well that I will try a couple more this summer... But since I make these buttons mostly for crazy quilters I was asked over and over how to make them into a pendant or a pin...  When I started to explain how to mount them so you could bead around them.... I could immediately see their eyes glaze over...

So I got online yesterday and ordered some bases similar to this one... A button could be glued in and converted to either a brooch or a pin.  I was able to buy by the lot.  I used a site call AliExpress which is probably the Chinese equivalent of Esty for small wholesalers.  I have used them once before and was satisfied.. If use choose China Air post the shipping is free...

So now it is catch up time for stitching and painting..  The most critical spring chores are about done in the garden which is so beautiful right now... Need to charge the tractor battery this morning so I can move posts and fencing and then tote my mother to the doctor and THEN I get to stitch and watch the hummingbirds feed.

Another idea for thrift store finds....

Since  I am on a roll with ideas.... here's a couple more.. This photo is some jewelry I bought when Susie and I were on a thrift store run.... First check the stretchy bracelets that are all the rage recently... Because the elastic runs through the underside of the beads, the holes are perfect for  attaching to anything..  The best find was the one in the center ($3) and every stone is different and antique looking and set in a bezel finding...  The small round one with the crackled finished is the perfect size to fit into the round crocheted medallion I am using on my BoHo bag.  I know I will use every one of them..

The little blue one with flowers is really sweet ($2)... nothing in mind for it at the moment but a great addition to my stash... The square one look like little butterflies and would make a great body for a dragonfly and round ones would make great bodies for glitzy spiders or dragonflies...

Finally the brass bracelet and necklace were $1 each and granted they are VERY brassy... But you can buy oxidizing agents at hobby shops  to give brass an antique look...  A friend's husband gave me a small bottle of acid that gives brass a blue/green verde patina.  There's a website that tells how to antique brass and even how to make your own solution....  I recommend you print it off because   "how-to" articles disappear from the net quite often and this is a good one.   It would be great to use on charms and brass jewelry finding...

REALLY fun bead assortments....

First I adore glass beads and second I have absolutely NO affiliation with this company except as a customer having discovered their bead assortments several years ago.... http://tinyurl.com/2ebltsg For a ridiculously low price you get a kilo of mixed beads. This is a large commercial baking tray that this kilo is on and I ordered

3 other kilos besides this one. The only catch is they are only available sporadically and if you miss them it might be 6 months before they are offered again... Obviously they are sweepings from a bead factory but in all colors, shapes, and sizes and even occasional lampwork beads...

I did so because I ordered 4 kilos several years ago and once separated I had trays of beads of every color of the rainbow. and enough to last for all I wanted to do and to share with friends... I was getting low and I missed them when they were available in the spring and had to wait until now.

I particularly like making jewelry with mismatched beads such as these necklaces.. so they are perfect for me but if you know of anyone working with youth groups and any craft group they would be a joyful activities for Christmas bazaars. They would make great needle fobs, key holders, and bookmarks.. In fact if I were still teaching kindergarten I would put them out for the children to sort, string, and learn their colors... They won't be available long but you can get on their list and they notify you when they will be offered ... They also sell other odd assortments of spacers and gemstones....but I love the glass.

A Garden for the Birds in Twelve Installments

First I wanted to do the birds and then tell the story and then finally figured how to attach the story to the birds. If you follow this story you'll learn how a 20 acre garden for the birds turned my life upside down…

The sign is about 18X24" and has a place of honor in our garden. You’ll find out how I started this garden in May 1980 in a Zone 4 arid region with next to no water and how having no water turned into a blessing.

How this garden which I simply started to attract birds for my husband led to :

-a collection of hundreds of old-fashioned roses
-a nursery specializing in plants for the birds.
-the sale 10s of thousands of plants using no plastic pots
-thousands of people visiting the garden learning to attract birds and conserve water
-eroded land turned into a forest
-being featured in a one book and in Better Homes and Gardens
-sending rootstock to David Austin’s breeding program
-speaking engagements around the world
-hugs from former customers who still bring me pictures of their gardens. …
-a wonderful wild garden full of birds and wildlife that started with this dead tree…..
　
　

I should have the installment one attached by the end of the week...
　

Two WIPs finished

I finished the last of the jewelry that I had pulled to do.. Try as I might I couldn't get a good shot of the one on the left. The thing that looks like a bar of soap is actually a spectacular piece of mother-of-pearl with a antique crackle finish.. All the other beads on it (besides the spacers) are MOP or freshwater pearls.... Anyway all the jewelry stuff is back in the cupboard until who knows when...because the next time Simone comes she wants to do CQ and we all know what happens when one starts to CQ.

I also hemmed up six dresses so that nasty chore that has been nagging at me for a year is done.. well mostly done. At least I don't have to show up to every event in a "little black dress."

Had a "moment of truth" on my BJP and have dropped everything else to do that.... I've been struggling with my shoulder and trying therapy which has been less than successful and this week I've had a patch with a battery and computerized chip. It continually emitted steroids into the joint at intervals... I felt like bionic woman... They will make a decision on surgery on the 4th of Feb.

Last year at this time we had ten feet of snow and this January is the fourth warmest on record.... My daffs are pushing their little noses out of the ground much too early and we even had a crossbill yesterday...

Day with special friend beading.......

She is much younger and our lives are very different but quite by accident our paths crossed and she has become a dearest friend. Simone is, by far, the most cheerful and positive person I know and brings great joy to my life.

We get together about every 6-8 weeks and bead for an entire day. She always comes to my house so I don't have to drive and in turn I make her a gourmet lunch.. Today we had Moroccan lamb and a green salad with a chocolate orange tart for dessert..

Usually I'm lucky to get one necklace and earrings finished but today I was able to whip out three. All are from mismatched beads, thrift store pieces disassembled, and vintage jewelry restyled. Some of the beads on the green necklace are beads my DIL brought back for me from South Africa.









The really good news is that once she finishes a quilt she is working on she wants to learn to crazy quilt.

March Bead Journal Project

This is the first time I've been in a group effort such as the BJP and ideally we're supposed to do one a month and I can't do that. I'm having the ideas NOW and want to do what's in my head... This is the red-breasted nuthatch and it can walk head first down on the side of a tree. Actually they look like they're going down head first but their feet are side stepping. I don't want the white muslin to show through behind the beads so I dye the foundation muslin in colors close to what beads will be used.

I have designs done for the goldfinch, robin and bluebird and will probably bead on all of them concurrently as the muse moves me. First I'll do all the birds....it's like eating dessert first as the birds are the most fun.

Second Bead Journal Project

This bird is in the final stages and they're all 15s...the back and the rest of the wheat. Because the quail are a year-round bird, I chose to add the wild roses of spring and the wheat of the fall. I had planned to use some brown crystal for the wheat berries but they're not going to work will have to rethink that.

I'm already thinking ahead to the next bird which will be a red-breasted nuthatch. There will be considerable bark and pine needles on that one so should be able to try some new things. Stopped at the bead store after physical therapy on Monday and left with a very small bag...$50...

I had said I would limit this BJP to year-round birds but woke up at 3am and realized that was silly because as soon as the robins and bluebirds arrived I'd want to do them also.... So I got up at 3am and make some notes and sketches or I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

size: 3 1/2 x 5 inches

Beaded fan on felt

This  morning I started to bead a fan on felt..  This fan will be part of the framing of the silkie. When I try to make an arch with bugle beads I have a problem keeping them from going off kelter for me.  To help with this problem I make guide lines  and then I start in the center and work out...   I'm really getting into the fan groove now...  The base  of the fan is a vintage earring and isn't it just perfect???   And how can one go wrong with peacock colors?

I have a few neat odd beads in my stash ...  Not enough for a large fan so will make a few mini fans with them at the top of the hoop.  They might be fun to tuck into a flower bed, etc... 

Celestial Fan on wire

It's just the look I wanted...  elegant and transparent.. but wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.. Would I do it again? Yes, if that's the look I wanted... but am I going to do it often ...NO!

My tips if you try this...

• You'll find out immediately you need to fold edges back or tape them so your threads don't snag.
• Use cotton thread instead of nylon beading thread as it is easier to handle
• It's really only works well if you lay beads across in  rows and then only about 3 at a time.
• I then couched AND then ran another stablelizing thread through the row in addtion...
• The wire does stretch and morph in shape but I got used to that...
• Stop and knot threads often...
• See previous blog for information on wire.

I wanted a fan of stars in the night sky and I think it works... It doesn't show as well in photo but you can actually see the "sky" through the crystals...

Good day to experiment..

I have been down with a terrible chest cold (complements of my DH) for 2 days and am finally going to live. Thought it would be a good day to get blocks ready to mail Monday and do a little experiment...

Several weeks back Susan made a jeweled crown by beading on mesh.... I thought this was a super idea and went in search of mesh. She used WireForm but the closest I could find is the Acti-wire mesh at Michaels. It is very fine and pliable. You can go to her blog and read her entry http://tinyurl.com/ye9harc and see more photos near the bottom of the page...These are Susan's crowns on the left - one on fabric and one on mesh. I was amazed at how much more elegant the one on mesh was...I want to do a jeweled fan with crystals for the sky in my challenge block... but I can see other applications for using the mesh with stumpwork... I'm hoping she'll forgive me for using her photo...Her blog is wonderful and full of fabulous photos...

January BJP done!!!

I was already signed up for BJP when I was able to take the wonderful class on bead embroidery in November from Robin Atkins... I came home so excited that I plunged ahead with my project. So I will be doing two pieces in January and will have one extra for a month that I run out of time. I chose 3 1/2 by 5 inches and it didn't take all that long with #11 beads. But Robin has me totally hooked on #15 beads and that takes a whole lot longer...

Since I've spent most of my adult life involved with wild birds and their habitat, it seemed to be the most appropriate theme for me...

Breckenridge Memories

The CQI retreat was held at Breckenridge, CO this summer and one day we made a trip to a marvelous bead store... I'm sure all of us made September a very happy month for the proprietor. I brought home these beads made of wood and bone along with the ceramic pendant made by a local CO artist. My beading friend came to spend the day today and I finally got it strung and will wear it during the holidays...

Magpie has begun!

Luckily I could bead and play scrabble at the same time... Officially the BJP does not start until January but I am anxious to use some of what I learned at Robin's class... I'm experimenting with different stitches for feathering but they do not show up all that well with black on black. I started using "fan" stiches on the back and am going to use layered "stack" stitches on the wings. When I finished the tail I will do a little tut.

We have played three games of scrabble and Vivian is ahead by one game....

Moon, Stars, Planets all in Line!!!!

Don't you love it when that happens?? Over the weekend I had been checking for nests as the trees lost their leaves and anxious to see if the magpies had built a nest that would last the winter... Then I signed up for the Bead Journal Project and then the very next thing I received the FeederWatch info (next post) and signed up for that and it was like a sign that my BJP should be birds at my beloved feeders.....and the first one will be a magpie. (see sketch) with a jeweled treasures....

What birds though as there about 70 over the year...my favorites?? No, I decided my first twelve for the project will be from my mostly year-round birds... which include magpies, quail, house finches, robins, goldfinches, flickers, mourning doves, chickadees, nuthatches, downys, grosbeaks, various sparrows, turkeys, juncos etc. If I do it a second year I will do my migratory birds and hawks..

I've sketched my design on heavy muslin as I wanted to paint the fabric with alcohol dyes.. My first choice was beading on felt and if the muslin doesn't work I'll revert to felt... Carol wrote to tell me it does not start until January so I am not behind at all and my friend Ati in Norway is signing up also!!!! Hooray....