It seems to be a while since I posted a blog entry. There's been too much going on with work! Also, I have been reluctant to post any of the pieces I have made for the Johnston Collection exhibition, as I want them to be 'unveiled' there. I am very happy with the way things are going though! I have been able to try out a few new tricks and see how they look.

This piece is one I made about four years ago. I bought the two cabs at the Bead and Button Show from Earthenwood studio [http://www.earthenwoodstudio.com/]. I also bought all of the seed beads at the Show - they were all colours that were unobtainable in Australia at the time, so I was very keen to use them. The cabochon is edged with a double 'ruffle' of picots which include magatamas - my own invention and I still think it looks great. Magatamas are under-rated in my view, they should be used more.

The main thing I initially learnt from making this piece was the variations that can be achieved with herringbone stitch. I used alternating magatamas and size 11o seed beads - a trick I picked up from Laura McCabe [http://www.justletmebead.com/] at the Show. The technique gives you a fantastically textured rope. Also the edging - you can achieve lots of different effects depending on the beads you use.

I subsequently learnt a lot about coated beads and why you shouldn't use them with a bailed pendant! The finish has actually been rubbed off many of the beads in the rope around where the bail generally sits - the friction between the two sets of beads has done this. Some of the beads in the bail have lost their coating too. I was still fairly new to specialty coatings at that stage, and really had no idea that this would happen. If I had a do-over, I would still use the same beads, but I would fix the bail in position, or design the necklace without a bail, so that there was no risk of rubbing. In fact the last few projects I have done, I have done exactly that.

A friend loaned me some rub-on gold embellishing paint, which I tried out, and it has covered the beads which lost their coating, so they aren't so obvious. It will be interesting to see how long the paint lasts. I expect that in the end, I will have to pull the rope apart and re-do it, which is a pain, but I have always liked the necklace so I'd like to salvage it if I can.

So there's the lesson from this piece - don't use beads with fragile coatings in locations where they will suffer a lot of rubbing. The manufacturers aren't joking when they say that the coatings will come off!

The Gryphon necklace

This is my latest completed project. I call it the gryphon necklace after the image on the antique metal button which I have used as the central focal piece.

This started off as a kit I purchased from Laura McCabe a couple of years ago, when she came out to teach in Australia. I really liked the chain, but wasn't keen on the focal, which was a set of dangles. So the kit sat in a drawer for ages, while I did other things.

Anyway, a while ago, I was going through my beading drawers, looking at all my bits and pieces to see if inspiration would strike, and it did! It occurred to me that the chain would look really good with the antique button, and all I needed to do was design a pendant that would match with the chain. I made the necklace first, as I needed to know how many beads I would have to use on the pendant. My challenge was to use as many parts of the kit as possible, including the various pearls and bits and pieces that Laura had included to use in the dangles. I decided that I could add to the kit contents, but only with left-over beads from other LM kits. That made the challenge both harder and easier ... harder in that it really limited my choices, but easier in that a couple of the projects I had done from LM kits were in roughly similar colour-ways, so I had quite a few beads that toned with the ones from this kit. It was also hard in that the colours were not ones that I would normally use together. I really wouldn't have thought dark purple, mustard gold and raspberry would work together!

So, the only original part of this project is the pendant, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. It was very difficult getting the bead embroidery to be even on both sides, because I was working from the outside in. There's no doubt it's easier to start in the middle and work outwards.

It's worth noting that I was very careful to not alter or damage the antique button. I built up behind it with stiffened felt to protect the shank and prevent it from sticking out at the back. While it makes the pendant a bit thick in the middle, it means that the value of the button should not be affected. I think you should be careful when using antique pieces in your work, and only alter them if it's absolutely necessary, or if they have no intrinsic value.

I still haven't gotten any further with my big steampunk piece. I wish some inspiration would strike with that project, because I would really like to finish it. I should aim to get it done in time to exhibit in the Bead Expo I suppose. The last week or so I have gone mad for the bracelet by Cynthia Rutledge that was featured in BeadWork magazine a couple of months ago. I have already completed two versions of it, and have no doubt I'll do a few more. It's actually an easy project to do while watching telly - with most of my beading I need to sit at the table and really concentrate. I'll post some pictures when I've finished another one.

My first UFO, finished!

I have finally finished one of my UFOs.  This started out as a bracelet kit called "Daisy Chain" that I purchased from Laura McCabe when she was out here in Australia.
I don't generally wear bracelets, so I decided to adapt the kit and make a necklace.  I added another flower made with a larger rivoli, delicas and bicones.  I had enough of the other beads in the kit to convert the bracelet to a necklace.

I'm very happy with the way this one turned out. It's an interesting combination of teal and gold which I would never have put together myself. I like the flower forms too - they are fiddly to make, but they make interesting components for beading. The closure is a button and loop closure.  I made the button out of a bezelled rivoli.  It has a ring of bicone crystals around the edge - it will be interesting to see if they get caught in my hair.

I'm tossing up what to do next! I'll have to look through all of my containers of projects and see which one catches the eye.