Inspirations

My mom has a book that gave me some great inspirations for beadwork. It's about flowers made by knitting or crocheting. The diagrams for the crocheted ones could really be useful to make them with beads - substitute 3 beads for a double crochet, 2 for a single, etc; or as a size guide for doing peyote or brick stitch. Sorry the picture's sideways! Some of the samples are very realistic, and done in beadwork would be stunning as a pair of earrings, or on a neckpiece. I would like to try some, and use them for dimension on some pieces. Another when-there's-time project, to file away for later!

In other news, my doll's got her skirt on, so she's about half done. The skirt was done with calico over artist paper and lined with chamois. I'm working on her torso now.

Computer Glitch

We're back from our adventure, and besides the usual getting back into a routine, I'm faced with a cranky computer and weeds that suddenly grew overnight taking over my gardens. The computer is slowly getting fixed, and the weeds are slowly getting beaten back, but that leaves little time for wading through the almost 300 pictures from the trip, and I've got a beading deadline that I WILL NOT MISS! So bear with me a little longer please. I'll post when I can, but it may be intermittent for a few more weeks!

Cool Quilts

Thursday I got to go to the La Conner Quilt Museum. This is not a "traditional" quilt place - the do have some, but the 2nd and 3rd floor has exhibits of art quilts - and these really qualify as art! I've linked their website to the title.

Karen Franzen's exhibit on the 3rd floor didn't allow pictures - her work is so unique! Layers of sheers, with different elements on different layers - it's a really neat concept that would adapt well to polymer clay. Unfortunately I don't have much time to play with that!

The pictures are from the 2nd floor (Sheila Groman)- there were crazy quilts, more traditional style quilts, and pictorial quilts. The hand quilting on these is fantastic! Her stitches are so tiny, I tried to take a picture with my thumb as comparison, but it didn't turn out well (trying to juggle too many things). It was great to have some unstructured time, and refresh my creative side.

Beady Goodies

There's a give-away at the Silver Parrot. Her idea is to purge her stash, and ship the purged stuff to someone! It's a great idea. Some of the comments would like to peruse the stuff, pull what they want, and add their purge stuff to it and pass it on - I think that is WONDERFUL! Imagine getting a box full of unknown treasures, keeping what really speaks to you, and adding stuff that doesn't call to you anymore for whatever reason, then sending it on knowing the next person will be thrilled to get it! Even if I don't win, I'm tempted to start a box of my own, and start "spreading the love". I've linked her website to the title, go check it out!

Busy in so many ways

So, this is a pic of some of the bracelets I've made. I haven't done much beading, I've been sewing instead - we have a trip to GA coming up, and I'm making dresses and clothes for the girls to wear (and shorts for me). And then there's the multiple meetings for my civic, scholastic and scout duties.

I have made some progress on my competition doll, take 2. I've made a bird image for the skirt, that has fringe on the tail and wings - it's to represent a phoenix, and looks so cool! I so wish I could show you! The base for a butterfly is made, but I'm having issues with it's embellishment. I want to have wings that rise above the base wing, but it's eluding me so far. I got the stiff felt to start a turtle and bear image as well (all for the doll).

I'm not sure if I'll have more or less time to bead once school is over - the girls are great at self-entertaining, and I won't have my classroom time commitments, but I have outings and craft days planned, and I'd like to be outside when the girls are, to keep an eye on them, and I don't have a good place to bead outside. I'll have to think of something. Anyone have suggestions? I have got to get busy, with the doll deadline and I'm so far behind on my BJP!

Idea Reboot

Sorry, no pictures. I've been finishing some crocheted bracelets for Christmas, I now have 2 I need to post to Etsy. I've made 9 so far! I finished all but 1, which needs a toggle, to clear some work space. I also have been working on my Cold Water Creek bowl, so I can take it to GA to give to my mom in June. I just need some crimp covers and it's done! That project has been sitting around way too long. I'm hoping to submit it to a magazine as a gallery project.

My competition doll has been turned on it's ear. I've decided my original idea will not be done in time since I am determined to make her with the precision she deserves. So, once I finish a few small things to clear more workspace, she'll be on the back burner for a bit. I've come up with another idea, and have the doll form stuffed - I'll stitch this one in the round, but the doll is in pieces to make it easier. I ruminated on it for a while, and then the idea came and I was off like a jack rabbit! And the story that I need to write has formed along with the doll, so writing it will be easy! I know, starting a new idea with just a few months to do it - this doll is as tall as the leg on the first, so there's a lot less area to cover, and the form is an easier one to bead. I want to get some curved needles to make it a little easier, and I already have the beads I need. This is another doll that wants to be done, so I think I can give her a short gestation. I'm excited to make her, can't wait to dive in! I made a prototype doll, which taught me a few things. The prototype may end up beaded somewhere along the line too, she'll go in the unfinished project pile for now. I haven't had much time for bead embroidery lately, so I'm itching to get going. I need to make the most of my time before school lets out for summer!

Tulips, lack of beady progress

I haven't done much beading lately. Friday we went to Tulip Town with friends. If you're not from around here, the valley is a large tulip bulb growing place - they have a month-long festival. I was

trying something different - taking pictures of the tulips from the ground looking up. My BJP fabric for April has tulips on it, and my colors are red, purple and sky blue - I was thinking of doing something like my Under the Fairy Ring piece from last year. That's the first time I used felt to raise my embroidery off the background, something I totally love doing now. I obviously won't get April done in time, haven't even stitched a bead yet. The hummingbirds have come back in force this month, sounding like large bumble bees as they fly between our feeder and the neighbors'. The goldfinches are also here, and I have a few feathers gratis our cat. I'm not sure how much of that will make it into the piece!

I've been trying to clean up my act (literally)around the house the past couple days - I don't focus well on June Cleaver tasks. I am grateful that my DH has a job that enables me to not work outside the home, so I try to keep things tolerable for him. Left to myself, I would probably end up with a house that looked like my room as a kid - a pathway with sometimes minor hurdles from the door to the bed - and that's with tons of storage! Organization is a skill I'm still learning!

I've also been sewing lots lately to get summer clothes ready. There's 5 things ready to put together, and a stack of fabric still waiting to be cut. At least I know the girls like what I'm making, they're wearing them already! Jenna's wearing a dress that doesn't have buttons yet!

I'm still trying to crochet bracelets when I have time. I just need to put the clasp on 3 of them now - the latest one is oil-slick colors. I'm faltering on the doll again - the whole put-it-together part is slowing me down. I need to get some curved needles, maybe that will help my dilemma. Sigh. Maybe if I can keep up with the housework stuff, I'll have more time to sew and bead!