It's All About Control! Or Is It?

I thought it was going to be about the challenge, but it was all about control. Or was it?

I mentioned earlier that I am not an orange sort of person. But I decided that I was ready for the challenge of the orange beads. So I started beading.

The orange beads became obstinate. Obnoxious. Ornery. I was outraged!

Let me be clear: I did not expect obedience. I was looking for collaboration. A melding of our muses. The orange beads and I would create art together.

What I got were teenagers who knew no limits. And we all know where that will lead. To no good end.

So I took control.
There was a clear goal: Orange beaded art.
There were definite limits: Only rectangles.
There were guidelines: All lines would be straight.
There was collaboration: The beads and I would decide together how large the rectangles would be.
There were opportunities for developmentally appropriate choices: The beads could choose who they were next to.

And this is the result:



Technical Details:

The foundation is Lacy's Stiff Stuff sprayed with orange Memories Mist.

The beads are 15/0s, 11/0s, 8/0s, and 6/0s. There are three different colors of cubes and some Toho triangles. No bugles at all.

The entire piece is done in the backstitch.

This piece is 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches.

I used tan C-lon thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I really wanted to focus on meeting the challenge of the uncomfortable orange beads. But I couldn't let them go wild. The color orange has so much going on. To me, it's hyper. The only way I could appreciate the beauty of the beads was to limit the movement in the design. For most of the beading I thought it was about control. But then I realized it was about showing the colors, shapes and textures of the beads without distracting from them with an elaborate design.

Issues That Came Up:

Am I a control freak? (Please say no...)

I am surprised I like this page so much. Orange isn't all that bad.

I finished the bobbin of tan C-lon. I still like Nymo better, but I did get used to the C-lon.

I know lots of people use just basic colors of thread--black, white, tan--when they bead. But I do like the match the thread to the beads. I guess I've spent too much time sewing.

How in the world did I get so many different kinds of orange beads? Ok, I did buy some especially for this piece. But not all of them. I won't need any more orange beads for quite a while.

Meditation in the Color of Orange

I am not an orange kind of person. I am not outrageous. I am not vivacious. I am not exciting, stimulating, aggressive, dramatic, impulsive, challenging, or dynamic. I do not have a hot temper. I am not an orange kind of person.

I am a careful, thoughtful, reflective, calm, reasonable person. Mostly. Not an orange kind of person.

My experience with orange is limited. Once I had an orange shirt. It was an oxford cloth, button-down collar, long sleeved shirt. Think deranged Brooks Brothers. My mother bought it for me on sale. I wore it when I worked as a camp counselor while I was in college. That was 40+ years ago, in the pre-psychedelic days. It was the summer we were told the counselors couldn't wear t-shirts or other knit shirts because they were too revealing. (Revealing, huh? Anyone looked at a department store ad recently?) We couldn't wear sweatshirts or jeans, either. (Too sloppy.) I saved my orange shirt for special occasions. Occasions when I felt especially cranky, like when we'd had several days of rain in a row. Everyone was cranky then. I declared an "Orange Blouse Day," and I fought back. I have never owned any other orange clothing. Not even socks. Not even underwear.

I've been picking up orange beads now and then, thinking I should challenge myself and use them. I really should. And I will. I will use orange beads for my May BJP.

I spread out my orange beads and looked at them. Then I decided to use aqua.

"Chicken!" I shouted at myself. I got out the orange beads and looked them over again.

Then I did the only thing a reasonable person could do. I went online and ordered more orange beads for my May BJP.