It's Not What I Expected: Life Lessons From Improvisational Bead Embroidery

January. It's not at all what I anticipated. Of course, I didn't get off to a good start. I had quite a few other projects going on so I delayed. And then, I didn't know what to do. More delays. I started a couple of new projects. Even more delays. But it nagged at me, peeking out of the bead boxes, following me from room to room, waylaying me in the bead shop.

What to do for the January BJP? With the start of a new year, there is an internal push for something momentous. A fresh start. A different approach. An entirely new challenge. A beading resolution. A beading revolution!

But none of my ideas seemed worthwhile. I finally decided to see what I could do with an even more limited palette than I had used before. In addition, it would be a dull pallete. Nothing dramatic or flashy. A sort of, “What can you do with not much?” It was a challenge that matched my state of mind. So these are the beads I picked.

The first step was to paint my Stiff Stuff. After carefully (if not accurately) analyzing the color of my selected beads, I decided that purple, with just a little red and a fair amount of white and black, would give the desired color. Down I went into the dark and cold laboratory. Purple, a little red, white, black, more white, more purple, and then the Stiff Stuff. The next day I looked at it. Whoa! Fuschia! Not what I anticipated!

Should I get another piece and paint it? More delays while cheapness, er, frugality,er, careful use of resources argued with the vision in my head. I decided to go with the Stiff Stuff I had painted. Then it was back to the bead box for a new selection of beads. They were not what I anticipated using.

I beaded a few rows and I was surprised. Again, not what I anticipated. Rip some out, and back to the bead box. No, those other beads wouldn't work either.

Now in the greater scheme of things, improvisational bead embroidery is lesser. The stakes are small. It doesn't bring world peace, reverse global warming, or cure disease. It doesn't even vacuum or wash the kitchen floor.

But I believe it can teach us life lessons. By its nature, there is uncertainty in improvisation. Learning to respond to to uncertainty and the unexpected with adaptation, modification, active problem solving, and even enjoyment can help us develop resilience. And, goodness knows, we all need resilience.

My January piece has become a reflection on responses to the unanticipated and the importance of resilience. This, I believe, is a worthy theme for the beginning of a new year. The more difficult part will be applying this reflection to larger and more important unanticipated issues.

Technical Details:

As described above, the foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with Dye-Na-Flow.

As usual, most of the beads are 11/0s, with some 15/0s, 8/0s, and 6/0s. There are hex beads, triangles, two sizes of bugles, and some fringe beads.

The backstitch remains my basic stitch.

This page is 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches.

This time, I used taupe C-Lon thread.

What I Was Thinking:

In addition to what I wrote above, I was thinking a lot about Pam T and her amazingly resilient response to a difficult situation. I admire her greatly.

Issues that Came Up:

• How did I get so many dull colored beads (that I didn't use in this page)?
• I am quite satisfied with the size.
• I like Nymo thread better than C-Lon.

If you are interested in reading about resilience, I recommend The Power of Resilience by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein. I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Brooks at the Midwest Brain and Learning Institute a few years ago. It was a great experience!