peyote

Here’s the result of the beaded bone bezel beads below; this is sort of a folk art rendition of a Laura McCabe design. Take irregular bone beads (18mm across), bezel and join them as instructed, and you get a 30mm beaded bead. This is too big for me to wear, so it’ll be a desk decoration. It could be a fan pull, but I don’t want to risk anyone actually pulling on it. There’s more than a little tension on this, mostly because of the irregularity of the shape.

Four of six beaded bone button beads done….

I looked at a copy of American Style magazine today, and listed on the cover is “Craft Collaborators Jack and Linda Fifield.” I thought the names looked familiar, turned to the article — and yes, they should be familiar, I have her name on my links page of my website. They are both woodturners, and she is a beader in addition, adding beadwork to turned vessels. The description in the article of her beadwork was written by someone who doesn’t bead, “She threads tiny Czech glass beads onto nylon filaments that cross, making a net to encase a form.” It’s peyote, beautifully done.

A current project that she’s working on is a vessel Jack turned, 4 FEET tall, “the whopper.” Linda has been working on it a year, and is one-third done.

The entire article is online! Not all the pictures are, but a picture of my favorite vessel included tops the article. Also check out their website.

A month or so ago (or more?), Sylvia gave me a bead crochet necklace, and I started working on a necklace for her in return. I love the necklace she made for me — it’s matte transparent s/l red, black, and supra white in an interesting geometric pattern. Sylvia likes turquoise, among other colors, so I sent her pictures of bead combinations, pictures of 3 samples, and we decided on the combination below.

For a clasp, I used a magnetic clasp. I somehow have gotten this far without using one — it was amusing; it stuck to the needle, it stuck to the scissors…

The necklace has a lovely feel to it. I have yet to make one of this stitch for myself; they’ve been gifts. Maybe next time? I sent her these pictures, she likes it, so it’s on its way.

I still have my loom sitting here. I am thinking I may need to redo the footers, the spacing is too narrow for the width of the individual beads (2 rows of beads on the loom). I just don’t want to face redoing it. I think I need to loom one row of beads to get the spacing right (to take out later), then the footer, and then the pieces.

I have a bead book checked out from the library that is due in a few days, and I cannot renew it as it has a waiting list. I want to try one project out of that, with modifications, of course.

I have more beads I want to cover with right angle weave.

I want to make a couple more rings, like my blue ring. I have a jasper cab and a dichroic cab waiting here with their accompanying beads.

I have a Jo Woods kit to complete sometime in the not-so-distant future too.

First, I have to pick up the detritus that is on my work table from the ring, this bracelet, and other color ideas. Then, I will probably start the one out of the library book. Start something new rather than finish something unfinished, how typical is that?

Okay, I tried another version. The beads at the corners are pearl white ab charlottes, instead of size 11 Japanese seeds. I think I like this version where the corners aren’t as distinctive.

I have a yellow cast to this on the charlottes — yes, they are pearl white. When I tried to fix it in Photoshop, let’s just say I made it worse….