Strike a Light Bag

I was asked earlier this evening if I did beadwork on leather, yes I do... this is one of my earlier strike-a-light bags.

11/0 beads on brain tan, this was my first attempt and the flap is too small but stubborn is as stubborn does and while I could unstitch the bag and add a larger flap/back I've refused to do so thus far... but did learn my lesson for future bags!

WIP - Crow on Yellow

I have a quarter of the edging to finish and then it's time to contemplate the niche in which this panel shall live. 

Crow on Yellow 052813

Just one small section left to bead and the main body is done!

 

The back is more interesting than the front, lol.

I was Beading Away

finishing the crows tail and now working on it's underbelly...

 

One view of the tail feathers in matte, iridescent, and shiney black pony beads.

 

 

Another view of the tail.

 

And... then I realized I forgot to finish the wing!  Other than this minor mishap it's coming along and beautifully.

 

WIP - Crow on Yellow 050913

Still beading away, I've finished a little less than a quarter of the background area.

There are some black irridescent beads on the crows wing but it's hard to capture this quality.

Another view of the irridescent black beads.

Felt Continued

Now with some stitching, I have no specific plans for this piece other than for it to be bright and cheerful.

Studio Table, Etc.

It's been living on the front porch for the better part of three years so I thought I'd give it a bath before bringing it into the house.  In cleaning the table loose paint started coming off of the top, so I got a scraper to help remove the lose paint and smooth things out.  As you can see the paint came off of the entire table top and with very little effort.

John using a teardrop scraper to clean paint off of the table trim.

We will repaint the table tomorrow, after a wee bit of sanding.  Can't wait as this table is very sturdy I always loved using my 6500 on this table as it didn't vibrate when running the machine at full tilt, like my current sewing table does.

More thread and beads, half the bead collection is now in the new studio space.  I also took time to seperate the threads, mostly, by colorways.

John put keyhole slots on the back of my Gutermann display rack this morning while I was sleeping in, using his router.

To Thine Own Self Be True

And I haven't been.  Last year I was approached by a big publishing house to write a book about natural dyeing.  They laid out what they wanted and as much as I try I just cannot produce a book for their formula. 

Don't get me wrong their formula is most excellent, it's just not me and when it comes to dyeing fabric, fibers, and yarns I put a ton of me into the work.  I guess that's the epiphany when writing a book about dyeing with natural dyes I'm writing about me and if you were to ask me what IS wrong with my first three books is they exclude me! 

The end result was I quit producing, I floundered, I quit producing cloth, finished works, and I quite writing about what I was doing.  Why I felt shame and guilt about this is beyond me, it was after all their formula and they didn't want to know about me they wanted me to fit into their forumla.

So with that in mind the books, the DVD's, etc. will soon change and you will be seeing less mind numbing instruction and a whole lot more of "me".  It's the effort of shutting out the other voices that tell you who you are and what you should be, that is the hard part.  I've come to the conclusion that those who insist, no demand, on telling you who you are and what you should be really don't care two whits about who/what you are or will be.

Coming soon, "the real me", get ready world because here I come!

WIP - Crow

Natural Dyed Cotton Fabric -Madder Root and Cutch on Natural Muslin.  Mordant - Alum Tannin Alum.
Timtex Core.  Machine Stitched, Hand Beaded, Glass and Natural Mineral Beads, Bone Pipes.
Still needs hand stitching, I will work on that tomorrow.
8x6 inches.

Vintage Green Beads

Eye Glasses Strap

I started with a cartoon of what I hoped the beaded strap would look like and then started going through my collection of vintage beads, not bad for a first attempt!

Bead Storage

A drawer filled with little boxes filled with 11/0 and 12/0 beads

Size is about 3.5 x 2.5 x 1.0 inches

Sizes in metric.

I picked these little storage tubs up at a local gun shop, they run about 57 cents a piece. I like these alot because the lid is hinged to the container reducing the risk of my misplacing it.

Red Crow Embellishments

Embellishments from another piece I made in 1996, I scavanged them for this piece but won't attach them to the bottom until I'm done with the beading and stitching on the main piece.  I'm thinking of adding raw ocher to the piece tomorrow, specifically inside the crow woman section. 

Pin Cushions

I'm on a pin cushion jag again, I've been making some for my aunt for christmas!!! This one is in progress still. I need to work on my closing stitching I think I will reopen the stuffing side and restitch it shut. Afterwards I'll put some beads along the sides and a button in the middle. I decided to go with a simple tuxedo look with this particular piece. The fabric was a gift from my A. Sondra - I believe it's upholstry fabric.

Bead Soup

I'm destashing my studio, whilest getting my next project together and decided that it was time for the large collection of beads to find a new home. These are from mixes I had made for various projects a long time ago and don't feel like sorting them into "solids" again.