January BJP

Well, I didn't get the necklaces posted to Etsy. I wore the blue one Sat, and the one circle keeps flipping over - seems I twisted the crocheted part when I put that half the clasp on, so it doesn't want to stay put. I'll need to take off the clasp and re-do it. I also want to check the green one for the same problem before I post it as well. I am half-way done with the matching bracelet for the blue one.

I did manage to finish my December BJP piece! I took pictures of the whole process, so pardon if it takes a while to load. I started off with the theme, and it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to do it. This area was hit with lots of creeks flooding and mud slides at the beginning of the month. I wanted to portray the mud slides, with rocks and trees being swept away, the water, and the snow that made things worse. This is the finished piece, with a side view to help show the texture.

I started by layering felt and tacking it down for height . The chosen colors for the month were a shimmery blue, translucent AB orange and some sequins. I started with the orange, adding stone chips and some larger beads. I used various lengths of stitches, inspired by Robin's latest book. Each picture shows another thread finished (yes, I use long pieces!). I added the sequins to show the water splashing up from the mudslide, using varying fringes. Next came rows of the blue, following the mudslide, which helped the fringe stand up more. I was worried it would be hard to work next to the fringe, but it wasn't that bad.

I used plastic pearls that I won't let myself use in jewelry (way too cheap!) but worked in this case since they won't get any wear. I put them in rows, and added green sequins on the one side. The green sequins are the footsteps my daughters and I took through our neighbor's pastures to make sure they were ok after their driveway flooded unexpectedly. Over 2 gates and a barbed wire fence - it was an adventure!