The Longest Night of the Year Sparkles!
I finished my December BJP while we were visiting the World Center of Football for Christmas. The 6 3/4-year-old football player was interested in the different shapes of the beads. The now five-year-old football player again had a suggestion for the name: Waves. (For more of his suggestions see post above.)
But I think I'll stick with the wordier The Longest Night of the Year Sparkles! The title may be a little misleading as it was snowing, raining, or about to snow or rain nearly all of December. I think we had one day of sun.
Technical Details:
Again I used Lacy's Stiff Stuff as a foundation. To get a blue-toned dark color, I painted it with blue, black and purple Dye-na-Flow.
The beads are the usual mishmash of 11/0s, Delicas, 8/0s, and 15/0s. There are some hexes, large and small cubes, large triangles, a donut, and some nameless shapes. I found some long bugles to use as well. The colors are all variations of navy blue. Some lean toward the purple and some lean toward the green. Many are AB or iris. There are a few muted gold beads, too. Quite a few of the beads were from packages of mixed beads. They were the darkest ones in the groups. It's more fun than a reasonable person would think to sort through those packages.
Most of the page was done with the backstitch. I continue to find this the most comfortable stitch for me. I attached the donut in a way new for me. Look for it just left of the middle of the piece. I used four strings of 15/0s from the center of the donut to the outside.
The page is 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches.
I used navy blue Nymo thread.
What I Was Thinking:
I enjoy December. To me, it means getting together with the extended family for Christmas. We're a pretty laid-back, whatever happens happens crowd, and no one seems to get stressed out by trying to maintain a particular tradition. When the days are short and the nights are long, we see the sparkles.
Issues that Came Up:
- The 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches size is probably just right.
- Although I often think of all the other stuff I would like to add to the little pieces, I'm glad I don't feel pressured by the BJP. I have several (lots?) of other projects in progress.
- I was surprised by the variation within this limited color palatte.
- I'd like to do a similar dark piece, starting either from purple or from green. Maybe a doll...
5 comments:
I can see where your Four and 11/12th year old grandson gets his precision! I like and appreciate the categories of information you've given us and I LOVE this piece... the concept and the way it turned out... so rich, textured and sparkley. When I read your grandson's suggested name, I thought of how the ocean looks in moonlight and could see why he associates your piece with waves.
Happy new year back atcha!
Robin A.
It is just beautiful, all of them are. I have always liked pieces that are fully beaded. Your work is exquisite. And it sounds like you have some pretty cool grandsons!
Your work is so lovely. I just sat and examined it. I love how you are using solor tones. Is there a reason for picking a particular color? Is it a seasonal thing? I also like that you can pack so much in to a small piece. Julie C
oooo I love all your pieces, Marty! and I love the names your grandson gave them! lol! you do pack a whole lot of beading into a small place, maybe I should have tried that myself... Can't wait to see what color you do next! I love how you describe your pieces too...
Beautifully rendered.
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