What I Have Been Doing When I Have Not Been Blogging, Part 2

I embellished another Hope Stone. This is my June BJP. Hope Stones are given to Survivors at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Survivors are encouraged to keep them as long as they need the extra hope and then to pass them on to another cancer survivor who needs some extra Hope. You can see some of the other Hope Stones I've embellished here.

Like the other Hope Stones, this is mounted on Lacy's Stiff Stuff and backed with UltraSuede. I used a peyote stitch bezel, not my usual method. Instead of lots of fringe, I made starburst sort of things around the outer edges. I'm sure there's a name for them. There are Swarovski crystals on the tips.

My May BJP was also a Hope Stone. I neglected to photograph it. It was given as a door prize to a Survivor at the 2013 Holland-Zeeland Relay for Life.

This is the fourth year I have served on the Planning Committee for our Relay. It's an important project for me because the American Cancer Society is the largest funder of cancer research other than the US government. I want my children, my grandsons, my nieces and nephews, and my great-nieces (and everyone elses!) to have a future without cancer.

I studied more German. Important question:

Wie viel kostet das?

Celebrating The New Year--January BJP

I felt like celebrating the new year so I chose some bright, sparkly beads. The piece started with a Miyuki Bead Soup mix called Metallic Gold Iris. There are about nine different kinds of beads in this mix. I added some other beads for texture, finish and color variety. In person, it looks somewhat more gold than the photo.

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with a mixture of yellow, brown and red Dye-na-Flow. Look at the edges. It turned out kind of orange after it dried, Not what I was expecting.

In addition to the bead soup mix, this piece contains 15/0s, 11/0s, 8/0s, Delicas, triangles, bugles and two larger round beads. Including the bead soup, there are at least 27 kinds of beads in this piece.

I used the backstitch and the stop stitch.

The piece is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

I used gold Nymo thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I really enjoyed working on this piece. I liked the way the subtle differences in color and size made the pattern. I even liked the way the orange background looked against the beads. Because I enjoyed beading this so much, it really was a celebration journal. I was determined to finish this by January 31, and I did. Hurray for me!

Issues That Came Up:

Electronic disaster: Did you hear that loud crashing noise? It was the hard drive. Fortunately, a kindly younger relative had given Dr. Mathematics her old computer, which was significantly newer than mine. That one, too, had a crashed hard drive. But not to worry. While our Christmas chef and I went off to the butcher, Dr. Mathematics went to the computer store and bought a new hard drive. And then Dr. Mathematics went about playing with his new computer. When my computer crashed, I became the operator of the "new" computer. We were able to call in Dr. Electronico (amazingly similar to Dr. Mathematics but wears a different superhero costume) to recover all the important bits and pieces from the busted computer. This is a Linux/Ubuntu computer instead of Windows, and there's been a bit of a learning curve.

Electronic distraction: I have a new iPod Touch. I love that little device, but I spend way, way too much time playing with it instead of beading. Or reading. Or vacuuming. Honest to goodness, how can I spend so much time surfing around sewing sites and blogs? In my defense, there are many, many interesting and educational sewing sites. And don't get me started on Pattern Review. My goal for February is to go to it only once a day.

Searching For The Light--December BJP

It's not what I intended to make.  2013 is the fourth year I've used these very dark blue iris beads for my BJP.  I enjoy working with them, and the dark sparkly beads are a celebration of the end of the year.

I started this on December 13.  And then December 14 happened.  As the unbelievable horror became apparent, my page changed.  Like many others during this time, I was searching for the light.

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with a mixture of black and azure blue Dye-na-Flow.

This piece contains 15/0s, 11/0s, 8/0s, hexes, triangles, cubes, drop beads, bugles and three Czech flowers.

I used the backstitch and the stop stitch.

The piece is 2.5 inches by 3.25 inches.

I used navy blue Nymo thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I spent a lot of time thinking about the tragic events of December 14.  I spent a lot of time thinking about what we as a society owe our children.  And by the end of the month I was glad to have found my own personal light as our family gathered for Christmas.  I know that others are still searching.

Issues That Came Up:

The issues did not have to do with beading.  This page was truly a journal of two weeks in December.

Abundance Reconsidered--November BJP

By November, I was craving blue.  After all the blue last year, I thought I would not do a blue page this year.  But by November, I realized that I couldn't let a year go by with no blue.  I love blue!  I love beading in blue!  I loved making this piece!

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with dilute azure blue Dye-na-Flow.

This piece uses a variety of larger beads, in addition to 15/0s, 11/0s, Delicas and bugles.

I used the backstitch and the stop stitch. 

The piece is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

I used blue Nymo thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I was so glad to be working with blue again.  It was like taking a deep breath and saying, "Ahhhh."  November, the month of Thanksgiving Day, is a good time to consider the abundance we have and to recommit ourselves to helping those who do not.  So that's what I thought about.

Issues That Came Up: 

Originally I planned to use only a few of the larger beads.  But once I got started, I had too much fun.  The puzzle of fitting the all the differently shaped beads together was a satisfying challenge.  Very enjoyable, and the variety of large beads depicts abundance well.

Embracing The Pink--October BJP

I've written before about my mixed feelings about the pink month of October.  You can see my other October pieces here and here.  This year I decided to embrace the pink.


Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted a mixture of red and white Dye-na-Flow..

There is a large heart, several large round beads, bugles and sequins.  There are also 6/0s, 8/0s, 11/0s and 15/0sTwo kinds of larger beads, 6/0s, 8/0s, 11/0s, and 15/0s.

The backstitch and the stop stitch were used in this piece.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

I used size A pink Nymo  thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I decided it was time to come to terms with the relentless pinkness of October.  I decided to push my self through it.  And I did.  Pink is not my favorite color, under the best of circumstances.  But I did enjoy working on this piece.

Issues That Came Up:

As I worked, I wondered if all these different shades of pink would work together.  I think they did!

The Year Begins In September--September BJP

Why is it that the year starts in September, even for those of us who don't have anything directly to do with school?  Is it old habits?  Is it many years as a student and as an educator?  After a hot, dry summer, September seemed to be time for a fresh start with new energy.  Although the leaves began to show color, everyone was energized.


Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with green Dye-na-Flow.

For this piece I used some stone (maybe they're stone) chips that had been looking at me for quite a while.  There are also 6/0s, 11/0s, 15/0s, Delicas, triangles, tiny cubes, and hexes.

The backstitch, the stop stitch, and couching were used in this piece.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

I used size A olive C-lon  thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I'm a monochromaticist (I made up that word), but it's interesting to work with more than one color every once in a while.  The salmon-pink and green of the stone chips and of the metallic iris olive-pink size 6/0s was a satisfying combination.  Maybe I should re-think my career as a monochromaticist.

Issues That Came Up:

This piece was difficult to photograph.  It really is dark olive, with the salmon-pink highlights of the stone chips.  I tried to do some color adjustment on the computer, but the colors may look different on your monitor than they do on mine.

It's Not All Black And White--July BJP

It's not all black and white.  It's mostly gray.  And that's what this bead journal is about.


Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with a mixture of black and white Dye-na-Flow..

Many of the larger beads came from some kind of  combination package of beads.  I have no idea where I got it.  The two rows above the larger beads and some of the vertical columns came from a bargain tube.  They look more gray in person than they do in the photo.  There are 11/0s, 15/0s, 6/0s,11/0 Delicas, 8/0 Delicas, triangles, short bugles, hexes, and nibblets..

Only the backstitch was used in this piece.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

I used size B gray Nymo  thread.

What I Was Thinking:

At a meeting, a friend expressed a very strong opinion.  My thought was that the issue was not all black and white, but many colors of gray.  I didn't say anything.  I wondered if I should have.

Issues That Came Up:

I find gray a very interesting color to bead with.  It's soothing, and I can concentrate on the shapes.  This piece was particularly interesting as I tried to combine the larger gray beads and the bargain beads.

Taking Up Time And Space--June BJP

June was a busy month.  Lots of events and activities.  Sometimes it seemed as if I was just waiting until the one--just taking up time and space.  And that's what the beading looks like to me.  Not much design--just taking up time and space.

 Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with a mixture of red, white and black Dye-na-flow.

There are lots of Delicas in this piece, many from this shopping trip.  There are some 23 mm twisted bugles, some shorter bugles, cubes, triangles, hexes, 11/0s, and 15/0s.

Only the backstitch was used in this piece.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

I used size B rose Nymo thread.

What I Was Thinking:

Not that much.  Why, exactly, do I have so many amethyst beads?  And why do I keep using them?  They always seem to look better in the tubes and little baggies than they do in my beading.  Maybe I should use them when I have more time to concentrate on the design.

Issues That Came Up:

Because June was so busy, I had a hard time focusing on the beading on consecutive days.  I think the design suffered.  But the beading does tell the story...

So you know how they always say that the sharp ends on the bugle beads can cut through the thread?  Yoiks, it just happened!  Back to the repair shop!

Many Suns--May BJP

For me, the Bead Journal Project really is a journal.  But what exactly is a journal?  What is the purpose of a journal?  What is the function of a journal?  How does writing (beading) a journal affect the writer (beader)?

A few weeks ago I attended an artists' event at the church where some of my beaded dolls are exhibited.  I shared two years of my bead journals with those who came by my table.  I explained that each piece represented something happening in my life during that time or something that I wanted to think about more deeply. 

But sometimes, the beads just take over.  And that's what happened this month.  At the end of April, I decided that I wanted to do a yellow page for May.  I have no idea why.  I was just in a yellow mood.*   So here is my yellow page.

 Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with yellow Memories Mist spray.

There are 21 different kinds of beads in this piece.  Two kinds of larger beads, 6/0s, 8/0s, 11/0s, 15/0s, bugles, and cubes.

Only the backstitch was used in this piece.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

I used size A yellow C-lon  thread.

What I Was Thinking:

When the beads take over, I'm not doing much thinking.  The beads are in charge.  But behind the scenes, I wondered about journaling.  What is the relationship between the writing (beading) and thinking?  How does what one writes (beads) influence what one thinks?   Should the purpose of a journal be to get whatever is in one's mind down on paper (in beads)?  To understand one's feelings?  Or can writing (beading) a journal be a way to change the writer's (beader's) mindset, mood, opinion?  And how are all these things combined?

What do you think?

I had no idea what the name of this piece would be until it was finished.  It looks to me like many suns.  I like that image.  I think the beads wanted many suns.

Issues That Came Up:

I mentioned in the description of my April piece that I've been using size 11 John James Sharps as my standard needle.  I do find this needle harder to thread, especially with the C-lon thread.  That's easy the first time I put a piece of C-lon through the needle.  But if the needle comes unthreaded a couple of times, it gets harder and harder to get that thread through the tiny hole.  It's as if the thread starts to unwind.  GRRR!  I had to resort to a needle with a larger hole a couple of times so I could tie off the thread.  Maybe I should use Thread Heaven when I use C-lon thread.


*Yellow mood:  Think sunshine, not chicken-hearted.

Always Growing And Changing--April BJP

Another month when what I thought I was going to bead changed during the process...

March seemed to be an extremely busy, somewhat stressful month. Ok, I admit I volunteered for all the time-sensitive obligations. All were fun and/or worthwhile, but I did not have enough time to think carefully or ponder deeply. I decided that my April BJP would be something soothing and calm. Maybe even bland. Well, maybe not bland.

Knowing that being near nature can improve one's physical and mental health, I decided that a green piece with some glass leaf beads would be just the thing for a calm, soothing page. What I neglected to take into account was that my green beads and leaves would begin to grow and change on their own.

And I finished it April 30!

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with a dilute mixture of yellow and green Dye-na-Flow.

There are several large pressed glass leaves, a few large cylindrical beads, 6/0s, 8/0s, 11/0s, 15/0s, Delicas, and triangles.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

The stitches used are the backstitch and the stop stitch.

The thread is both Nymo B and C-lon A in gray.

What I Was Thinking:

Very early on in the beading, it became clear that what I had envisioned was not going to happen. This piece grew and changed. I wanted to be soothed, but instead I was challenged by something growing. This is a journal piece so did this mean that I no longer needed to be soothed? That I was ready to be challenged?

Issues That Came Up:

While I was working on it, I did not find this piece lovely--and that bothered me. If I'd had more time, I might have ripped everything out and started all over. Not until I had stitched the very last beads did I decide that this page worked.

Most recently I've been using John James size 11 sharp needles instead of my usual size 10 short beading needles. The size 11 sharps are stiffer than the size 10 short beading needles. They seem to work better with the Lacy's Stiff Stuff and other firm foundations than the bendier beading needles. But the sharps have a much smaller hole and are harder to thread, especially with the C-lon thread.

Robin commented that my March BJP shouted unity. Maybe what I meant is that I wanted to make a piece that looked unified. I describe myself as a monochromaticist. (I invented that word. It means that I work in one color at a time.) I feel I have to go beyond the color of the beads to make the piece look unified and complete. It holds together. Everything belongs. There are no extraneous elements. Do I achieve this? Maybe sometimes.

My May piece is finished, too. I'll post it in a day or two.

My Sister Has Taken Up Quilting--March BJP

My sister has taken up quilting. So she called me with some questions. We talked about how to use a rotary cutter without cutting off your finger. That was lesson number one. We talked about seam allowances, color choices, starching the fabric, and which blocks are more difficult for beginners. And we talked about ripping out. If that wasn't lesson number two, it should have been.

We had several conversations about color schemes. Her color choices are bolder than mine. She has always liked red. In fact, one of my earliest memories is making Christmas cookies with my mother and my sister. The cookies were decorated with red and green sugar. I can remember my sister insisting that the red cookies were hers and our mother saying that the green cookies were mine. Green then became my favorite color because red was her favorite color.

My sister and I don't live near each other. She lives where there are hurricanes and I live where there's lake effect snow. We don't see each other often, and we very seldom talk on the phone.

But during her first adventures in quilting this winter, we had lots of telephone conversations. One day, she called me three times. I loved it! Now it's my turn to make some calls.

March is her birthday month so I decided to honor her with my March BJP. I chose red for her because I have such a strong memory of her red Christmas cookies.

Technical Details:
The Foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with red Dye-na-Flow.

There is a red heart, 6/0s, 8/0s, 11/0s, 15/0s, hexes, twists, triangles, cubes, bugles, and Delicas.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

The stitches used were the backstitch, the picot stitch, and the stop stitch. There are also ruffles and branched fringe.

I used C-lon size A thread in red.

What I Was Thinking:

I was thinking about my sister and remembering our times growing up. And I was also thinking about our mother. They were all good thoughts. I also thought about my favorite color. Beginning with the Christmas cookie baking, my favorite color was green. Of course it was. There could be no doubt. But sometime after the age of, er, middle, I was able to change my mind. My favorite color is blue. If only there had been blue sugar for cookies in the 1940s, I would have known all along.

Issues That Came Up:

Once I started putting the ruffles and branched fringe in, I found myself thinking more and more about how to work toward balance and unity in this piece. I'm not sure I succeeded, but it was an interesting exercise in how much to improvise and how much to plan. There's a minimal amount of planning in this piece.

If you want to see the birthday card I made for my sister, look at the post below.

A Tribute To The Women Who Didn't Believe In Deference

She Who Shall Not Be Named sent me this link:
http://soomopublishing.com/suffrage/

I thought those of you who commented on my February BJP might be interested.

She explained to me that the man in the video with the letter from his mother is Harry Burn, who cast the deciding vote for ratification in Tennessee, which was the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment, at which point it became law of the land. The red rose he's wearing is for the anti-suffrage movement, but in the end he decided to do what his mother told him to.

Let's hear it for the moms!

Entirely Inoffensive--February BJP

Every once in a while, I wonder what's up with the West Michigan Character Council. The designated quality for February was Deference: Limiting my freedom so I do not offend the tastes of those around me. What exactly, I wondered, did that mean?

Now, I'm an older person who grew up when one job of the Safety Patrol was to remind boys to take off their hats when they entered the elementary school building. We wore dresses to school. Years later, we still wore dresses to teach. I don't use "rude" language, shout out during public meetings, push to be first on the airplane, or wear clothing that exposes my midriff. I don't play loud music at night, eat while I'm on the phone, talk on a cell phone in stores and restaurants, or text during meetings. I try to be polite, respectful and considerate in public and private interactions. I do not intentionally offend the tastes of others.

But "limiting my freedom?" That phrase bothered me. It brought me back to the Women's Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. I would not want to go back to the days when women's freedom and equality in employment, pay, education, health care and other areas were limited because they offended the tastes and traditions of others. Maybe it's the current political climate that made me feel this way.

Is this what the West Michigan Character Council meant by deference and limiting my freedom? Maybe not, but that was my first reaction.

So for February, I decided that my Bead Journal Page would be Entirely Inoffensive.


Technical Details:

The Foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with brown Dye-na-Flow.

There are some larger round beads, 6/0s, 8/0s, 11/0s, 15/0s, hexes, peanut beads, triangles, bugles, and Delicas.

The size is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

The stitches used were the backstitch and the lazy stitch.

I used C-lon size A thread in brown.


What I Was Thinking:

Absolutely nothing offensive, I assure you.


Issues That Came Up:

I had a lot of other deadlines in February so this month's BJP got pushed aside more than once. You can see the two other beading projects I did in February in the posts below.

Sometimes I pull my thread too tight, shrinking up the foundation. That makes the beads squish together and jump off the flat surface. That happened this month. Maybe I was secretly thinking some offensive thoughts and that made me tense. Or maybe I was pushing to hurry and get done.

I still like Nymo thread better than C-lon. When I put the page aside for a few days to do something else, the loose thread hanging from the piece seemed to unwind. Then it caught on the rough places on my hands. Maybe next time I'll try Thread Heaven on the C-lon.

I'm really glad I chose a slightly smaller size this year.


And now, it's on to March. Nearly two weeks left in the month so there's hope for finishing!

Folly? Or Not? BJP January 2012

It's a new year. A fresh start. A new beginning. White beads symbolize this new start to a new year.

But is it folly to think that we can begin again with each new year?

Technical Details:
The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff.

This piece includes 15/0s, 11/0s, 10/0s, 8/0s, and 6/0s, hexes, cubes and bugles. More than 25 different kinds of beads were used.

Stitches used are the backstitch, the stop stitch, couching, and some fringe.

The piece is 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

White Nymo thread in size D was used.

What I Was Thinking:
To what degree can we start fresh at the beginning of each year? Does This is the first day of the rest of my life make any sense at all?

If we could start anew each January 1, would we really want to?

If we decide we can't start fresh, are we admitting defeat?

Or can we pick and choose what we carry over from the previous year?

Is it folly to think that we have any choice in this at all?

I've thought about this issue before. You can see my January 2010 page here. I don't think I've changed my mind in the past two years.

Issues That Came Up:
I used the beading thread I picked up at the dumpster diving place for ten cents a bobbin. It's labeled Belding Corticelli and for all practical purposes, it's Nymo. My research showed that Belding Corticelli makes Nymo. My guess is that the production has improved since this particular thread was made. I found that lubricating the thread with Thread Heaven helped limit the fraying.

My 2012 BJP pieces are 2.25 inches by 3 inches. For the past two years, my pieces were 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. I wanted to make my 2012 pieced a little smaller so I would have more time to work on other beading projects. It doesn't sound like much of a difference, but the earlier pieces are 8.75 square inches and this year's pieces are 6.75 square inches. That's significant.

I started this piece by making the three quarter-circle corner sections. Then I made part of the frame, followed by the "branch of flowers." That's where I got stuck. I liked it, but I needed to fill in the background. This had happened before, and I did not enjoy trying to fill in the background. You can see that project here. So I ripped out the branch of flowers, completed the background, and put the branch of flowers back on.

It was really difficult to get a good picture of this white piece. It looks better in person. I'd show you, but it seems to be hiding at the present moment. It will reappear in it's own good time so it's probably not necessary to do any radical cleaning.

And with the spare time from the smaller piece I've made a very good start on the little white doll.

Starting on January BJP

I've been working on my January 2012 Bead Journal Project. After a bit of embroidery, I felt the need to edit, to revise, to modify. So I did.

This is before:



This is after:



Yep. I ripped some beading out. See those tiny dark spots in the photo above? They are the holes in the Lacy's Stiff Stuff where the needle and thread went through. The thread is gone, but the beads the thread was holding on are in a very small plastic bag. I'll put them back on starting tomorrow, and I'll use the before picture to put them in approximately the same places.

But what happened in the meantime? What happened after I ripped the beads out? You'll have to come back in a few days to see the final result.

Experiment In Not So Dark--BJP December 2011

In December 2008 and December 2010, my Bead Journal pages were made with shiny, dark iris beads. You can see December 2008's The Longest Night of the Year Sparkles here and December 2010's The Garden at Midnight here.

Since I enjoyed working with these dark, sparkly beads so much and since they were blue, I had earlier decided to use the same beads in my December 2011 page. But when I began to dig through the bag of dark beads, the matte finished beads spoke to me. They wanted to be used. So I decided to experiment with a combination of matte and shiny beads. This page is the result of that experiment.

Technical Details:
The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with a dilute mixture of Azure Blue and Black Dye-na-Flow.

I used 6/0s, 8/0s, 11/0s, 15/0s, Delicas, Toho Treasures, hexes, 3 mm bugles, 9 mm twisted bugles, 3 mm cubes and 4 mm cubes.

I used the stop stitch, the lazy stitch, the backstitch, and couching.

The piece is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

I used Nymo size B navy thread.

What I Was Thinking:

When I started on the page with the matte beads, I was not thrilled. They looked dull. Then when I added some shiny beads, the real challenge began. How would I give the piece unity? I'm not sure I succeeded, but this experiment was an experience in determination dominating artistic judgement. I was going to finish this, if not on time, at least close to on time. I finished it January 2.

Issues That Came Up:

The matte beads looked lovely and sophisticated spread out on the tray. But when I stitched them to the foundation, I wasn't so sure. I had painted the foundation with the intention of using the dark shiny beads. The background color created a visual dissonance with the colors of the matte beads. That was distracting. Folding the edge of the background back helped, but I couldn't stitch that way. Now I know why I paint the background to match the colors of my beads.

The colors of the beads and the background changed depending on the lighting. The piece-in-progress looked much better in natural daylight than it did with the overhead lights or with my not-Ott full spectrum lamp. I was surprised at how much difference the lighting made.

I did not go back to look at my earlier dark, shiny pieces until I'd finished. Compared to the other two, this page seems flat. I know which of the three pieces I like best. Which one do you like?

Not So Dark Experiment #2:

Before I put the beads away, I decided to make a small piece using only the matte iris beads. It's pictured below. It's 1 7/8 inches square and stitched on a dull blue quilting cotton backed by lightweight sew-in interfacing. I like this look very much.

Image In The Carnival Mirror! November BJP

What would my October 2011 BJP look like if the colors were reversed? It would seem as if I were looking in a carnival mirror. I thought the October page was "Almost Over the Edge" with more than one color and all that fringe. But that was before I had finished this month's page.

I started with the same Blueberry Pie Mix of drop beads, added some transparent aqua drop beads and some transparent matte long magatamas to make a much more irregular fringe. All the sparkly beads on this page added even more texture. Putting the two pages together, this one seemed to be a somewhat distorted version of October's page--like you'd see in a carnival mirror.

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with azure blue Dye-na-Flow.

In addition to the drop beads and the long magatamas, there are 15/0s, 11/0s, 10/0s, 8/0s, cubes, bugles, and twisted 10/0s.

I used the backstitch and a fringe stitch.

The piece is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

I used blue Nymo thread.

What I Was Thinking:

This page started to be an examination of what October's page would look like in another color--with the dominant and secondary colors reversed. But the addition of the long magatamas to the fringe added another element of texture. It was interesting to see this page come together. Next to it the October page looks tight and controlled.

Issues That Came Up:

I started with the fringe on both these pages. Before I had added any other beads, the fringe looked floppy. I liked that look. The floppiness disappeared on the October page. The fringe on this page seems floppier. I put the long magatamas on longer stems than the drop beads so they'd move more. And that's what you'd see in the carnival mirror--things moving where you didn't expect.

Almost Over The Edge! October BJP

My October BJP started with a tube of Blueberry Pie Mix Drop or Fringe Beads. The ones in the link aren't drop beads, but the color mix is the same. I wanted to do a page based on the colors in the mix because I thought the combination was so pretty. If you look back at some of my other pages here and here, you can see that I have approached this combination before.

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with Azure Blue Dye-na-Flow.

Other than the Blueberry Pie mix, most of the beads are cobalt blue--what I frequently describe as royal blue edging toward navy. The lighter capri blue is used as an accent. There are 15/0s, 11/0s, 10/0s, 8/0s, Delicas, hexes, triangles, cubes, and some bugles.

I used the backstitch and a fringe stitch. All the drop beads are on fringe.

The piece is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

I used royal blue C-lon thread for most of the beading. There is also some medium blue Nymo.

What I Was Thinking:

While I was working on this page I was concentrating on the color combination. If you look at some of my other pieces, you will see that I am a monochromatatist. I invented that word. It means I like to work with only one color. To me, this page looks like more than one color. And the fringe with the drop beads! It was getting wild! It was almost over the edge!

Issues That Came Up:

I have been trying to use up this little bobbin of royal blue C-lon thread all year. I do prefer Nymo, but after all these months I don't mind C-lon so much. But there's only about a yard of the royal blue C-lon left now. Guess I won't be doing any royal blue pages for a while...

I do have difficulty getting a good photo of the cobalt blue.

Let It All Flow Over You! September BJP

Sometimes things happen. And you have to let them happen. To embrace the happening. And to let it all flow over you.

Easier said than done. For me, anyway.

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff painted with Azure Blue Dye-na-Flow.

There are three large (1 cm) square beads, some 4 mm cubes, some 8/0s, but the vast majority of the beads are smaller--Delicas, 11/0s, 15/0s, and some 1.5 mm cubes.

This piece is done entirely in the backstitch.

It is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

I used blue Nymo thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I was thinking about what life would be like if a person just accepted what happens. That is not my general nature. I'm an assertive, pro-active, take action, be in charge of myself kind of person. At least on the inside. I have a strong internal locus of control. But at times, we just have to let things happen because we can't control them. Out of my comfort zone... But it's good for me to think about that every now and then.

Issues That Came Up:

This page went very quickly. I finished it in mid-September. I started with the three large squares and then worked around them. Well, we all have to do that sometimes, don't we? There are so many tiny beads on this page that the trick for me was to try to balance the larger beads, especially when those silver-lined 4 mm cubes continued to call attention to themselves. The difference between the large beads and the tiny beads is much more obvious in person than it is in the photo.

I painted the foundation at night and wanted to work on it the next morning. To encourage it to dry quickly, I put the Lacy's Stiff Stuff up on a disposable plastic cup. And look what happened on the back! The area outside the cup dried first because there was more air circulation, while the area directly above the cup dried more slowly. Through capillary action, the dilute paint "wicked" to the drier areas of the Stuff, leaving this moon-like scene on the back of the page. Pretty cool, huh? This is the same way sun-printing works with paint on fabric. Equally cool!

Blue Explosion! August BJP

My challenge for the August BJP was to use a tube of mixed blue beads. I'm not sure what the name of the mix is, but it is a multi-mix, with various sizes and shapes of beads in a range of blues, with some tiny white pearls, some small silver bugles, some gold-lined clear hexes, and three green Delicas also in the mix. The blue beads ranged from size 6/0s and 4 mm cubes to size 15/0s. Most of the blues were royal blue edging toward navy, although they look lighter in the photo. The beads were transparent, shiny, opaque, matte, silver-lined, AB, and various combinations of those. I supplemented the mix with other blue beads in the same tones and finishes.

Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff stuff painted with Dye-na-Flow. It's a secret mixture of Azure Blue, Violet, and Black. A mixture so secret that not even I could reproduce it.

Most of the beads on the page came from the blue multi-mix. The tube was only half full so I supplemented with other blue beads. There are 15/0s, 11/0s, 8/0s, 6/0s, triangles, hexes, bugles, cubes and Delicas. There are very few beads from the mix left--fewer than 20 leftover beads.

I used the backstitch and the stop stitch.

The piece is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

I used royal blue C-lon thread, along with some tan Nymo for the pearls and gold-lined clear beads.

What I Was Thinking:

This was a fun piece to do. It was an interesting challenge to have someone else (the Bead Multi-Mixer) choose the beads for me. It just happened, with no planning. That's my favorite way to bead--to let the beads decide where they want to go. When it was finished, it just looked like an explosion.

Issues That Came Up:

I realized that I should have taken a photo of the bead mix before I started sewing. I've looked at the websites of a couple of bead vendors, and I can't find the exact mix I used. Who know where or when I got it?

I had a difficult time getting the colors in the photo match the colors in the piece. The colors are similar to those in my March 2011 page, and I couldn't get a good photo then either.

And then there's the lack of blogging... I finished this on September 1, and here it is December. The less said about that the better.