Monday, February 28, 2011

February Journal Cuff Complete!

Well, I'm happy to say I kicked it up a notch and am now right on schedule.  February was completed on time... yesss!  ;)   Please check out my latest in my beaded cuff collection.  This month's theme is "confidence." 

Thanks~
Lisa

February Cuff
http://lisafullerdsgns.blogspot.com/
http://www.lisafullerdesigns.com

Sunday, February 27, 2011

January project *finally* complete!

I have finally finished my first bead journal piece for the year. I was away on a trip for the first three weeks of January, so I had a (very) late start, and while I actually finished the piece a week ago, I didn't get the blog post up until tonight.

My January Penguins piece was inspired by my trip, and the trip may end up being my theme for the year - we'll see!

HELP!!!!

I was on track to finish February's piece but ran into "technical" difficulties. I want to add a shank button to my piece. I do not want to anchor it with beads like you would a cabochon because the edge of the button has some wonderful detail. I also have some hesitation in putting a hole in the fabric to let the shank rest under the piece. I have thought about removing the shank but then how would I attach it to the fabric? Is there a glue that would hold the button to the fabric?

Any info would be appreciated.
Dawn

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

February Freeform

I can hardly believe I'm still on track! Having the attention span of a gnat makes committing to an endeavor such as the Bead Journal Project quite a challenge for me.

My February freeform peyote cuff was finished a couple of weeks ago, but I've just gotten around to updating my blog.

Check it out! :-)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

An update for February

Sort of a mix of an update on my BJP piece, my trip to Tucson and what I've been working on lately.
I'm aiming to finish on time, but you can't bead with your fingers crossed.
LINK
Cheers!

March Finished!

My Spirit Doll for March, the month of St. Patrick's Day, is now posted. You can see "Irish Chain Girl" at the top of my blog Pinelands Patches, Beadscapes and Spirit Dolls. I hope you like her! - Barbara

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Question

I found an intriguing blog the header had beaded black paisleys in it and now I can't find it again.
can anyone help me out?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

January Piece Posted!

I'm a few weeks behind but wanted to get this posted to share my January piece.  I'm working on February now so am excited to share more in the months to come. 

Here's my January piece:

Here's my blog entry about my piece:


January Cuff - Spirit   (Thanks for looking!)

Lisa

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Break Announcement

I have to announce a beading and blogging break. I will move. Hope to be back sometime in May.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Sweeeeeet - I Finished February Early!

Hi everybody!

This year I'm using the "X" shape to explore intersections in my life. This month it's all about my relationship with my husband... how our paths intersect. You can see it here. I'd love to hear your impressions if you have a minute to leave a comment.

Happy Valentine's day!!!

Robin A.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Encrusted Bead Edging

Several lovely people have left questions on my blog asking me how I did the edging on my January piece, which is photographed there.


I call the technique encrusted bead edging, and I sort of made it up.  I am a self-taught bead embroiderer and I muddled my way through books, magazines and experimentation.  I am under no illusion whatsoever that I invented this technique, just that I worked it out for myself and use it all the time.  If anyone knows who did invent it, I would love to know that so that I can (a) acknowledge them publicly) and (b) thank them!!!  I came up with it when I got frustrated with trying out instructions for a 'proper' picot edging.


In case anyone else is interested I have posted instructions on how I do it.  I will try to take photographs or something later because it is easier to show than to explain.  And it is VERY easy, perfect for the slapdash beader like me!


leave a little gap between the edge of the Stiff Stuff (or whatever beading foundation I am using) and the main beading, then when I;m finished the beading I stick it down to the ultrasuede or whatever cut to the same size.  (Actually I stick it down and trim around when it's dry). 

Then I pick up about five or six seed beads at a time (depending on the size of the gap and the size of the beads) and loop it over the back, coming back up through the front.  It;s like doing a loosish overcasting stitch.  Sometimes you have to experiment with the exact numbers of beads, and if you don't leave a perfectly even gap, which I don't, some loops will take more beads than others.  I usually use a mixture of the beads I have used in the work, to pull all the colours/textures together, but there is no reason not to do it all in just one colour, or whatever really.
It's a fairly random procedure that produces a finish I rather like.

I carry your heart

Well folks Februaries BJP is done, you can see it here.
I'm a little disappointed with it, it's pretty but not what I wanted.
I wanted stunning and it's kind of plain.
maybe next month.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Bead Journal Project - January

I am rather pleased with myself. I;ve tried to do the BJP twice before - the first time I lasted four or five months, the second time I gave up almost immediately. But this time I am no longer studying so I think this will be the perfect year for it!

I am however hoping to return to full-time work soon (job-hunting is busily underway) so I decided to work on a small scale to ensure that I didn't get bogged down. I've chosen to do densely beaded ACT size pieces. After some idle thinking I decided I wanted to base them all around faces, as I have a box full of assorted face cabachons that I have collected from various online sellers that were just crying out to get out of that box! And once I had started, the thought came to me of Face and Found Objects.

January uses a face from a collection of grotesques that I bought when I was doing my final exhibition pieces for my Diploma of Studio Stitch Textiles.  I used some to create a piece inspired by The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, in which the design was based to some extent on the sets for the movie, which were rather distinctively Art Deco.  I decided to use one of these grotesque faces for my January piece, and beaded around it in similar colours and shapes to those I used for that exhibition piece.

The Found Object part of it came to me while I had already started, and I must admit that the button I used was, quite literally, the first 'found object' that I 'found' after making the decision - it was lying around on the table I keep the television on.  I decided that I would not make a big thing out of the found objects for my pieces - I will choose the face carefully but the found object has to come serendipitously.  The button in this one looks like it has come off a man's shirt but has no specific meaning to me.  It could have fallen off one of George's shirts, or just been one of the many and varied stash buttons that I organised recently.

I did the front on a piece of Lacy's Stiff Stuff slightly coloured with watercolour pencils in shades to match the beads, just in case anything showed through, and backed it with a piece of complementary Ultrasuede. I finished the edges with a crusted beading edge.  I have tried quite a lot of beaded edges but I always come back to this one, which is both the easiest and, in my opinion, the most opulent.  Plus it has the great virtue of being so flexible that you can cover up unevenness in the original embroidery and no-one is any the wiser!

Pictures here if you are interested:

January 2011

I finally finished (I think) January's BJP piece. You can see it on my blog. I'm working with printed fabrics this year and trying to let my fun side show. Good luck and happy beading to everyone in 2011!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

My February Project is Done

If you would like to see pics of what I have done, please visit my blog here.  Comments and feedback are appreciated...would love to know what you think.  Thanks!  :)

Friday, February 4, 2011

January's piece

I'm Robin (aka Beadmomma) from Charlotte, NC.  I have finished my first piece and you can see it here on my blogspot.  I am enjoying looking at everyone else's and I do admire the time it takes to have finished more than one!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

February Finished!

My Spirit Doll for February is now on my blog. You can see "Crazy Quilt Girl" here Pinelands Patches, Beadscapes and Spirit Dolls. Thanks in advance for visiting!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pack your bags - we're off to California!

My state quarter for February came up as California - it was a tough trip for me.  At first I thought my piece was only going to remind me of what an awful experience it was, but thankfully I was able to eek out the little bit of beauty I found while there.

February 2011 BJP - California

Tuesday, February 1, 2011