Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Dandelion Bangle


Dandelion Field by miki3d

We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and as artists, we are often confronted with this fact when offering up our work for critique. Sometimes a design that we are really proud of gets shot down, and other times something that we aren’t sure of is applauded by our judges and peers. Often when our work is criticized in an official setting, we find that it is actually loved in the real world. A great example of this can be found in Margie Deeb’s discussion of blue and orange fashions on Color for Bead Artists. A contestant on Project Runway was scolded for pairing orange with blue, but many fans likely disagree with the judges.

The Inspiration:

Another great example of differing views of beauty is the poor misunderstood dandelion. It is considered a weed, most likely because of it’s resilience and rapid reproduction. Anyone wanting to maintain a pristine lawn frowns upon the little flowers. On the other hand, anyone who grew up picking and playing with dandelions finds them beautiful. Who can resists that crisp green and vibrant yellow?

I am not a fan of manicured lawns - I believe that irrigating and mowing grass for the sake of vanity is a horrible waste of resources. So naturally, I have no quarrel with dandelions, and I look forward to seeing their sunny faces every spring. After seeing the wonderful dandelion inspired brooch project in Lisa Crone’s A Bead in Time, I wanted to do a little ‘weeding’ of my own. Now that warm weather and flowers are on the way, my craving for yellow is impossible to ignore.

Dandelion Bead Palette

The Beads:

Dandelions are pretty simple things, so I kept my bead selections simple as well. For the green stem and leaves, I chose 11/0 seed beads in a frosted transparent green, and emerald AB hex cuts for a hint of texture. All that was needed was a bit of yellow, and I found it in opaque 8/0 Miyuki seed beads.

Dandelion Bangle









The Beadwork:

Since I was looking for a simple design, I decided to have another go at a hollow right angle weave bangle, this time using only one bead size for the outer face. I am really happy with the way that it turned out. The bangle is soft and slinky, and the hex cuts add a subtle sparkle along the edge. I can’t wait to make another! I must thank Lisa for helping me out with this inspiration. If you’re not familiar with her blog, A Bead a Day, I highly recommend stopping by to see what’s new.

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading


3 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I love dandelions too, and your bracelet is wonderfully evocative of the sweet little flower. I really must get on learning some seed bead techniques - thanks for providing me w/ some extra inspiration toward that! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very fresh looking! Do you use doubled thread? The only time I tried a tubular raw bangle I had floppiness issues, but yours looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks ladies! I use single 6lb Fireline, and it has always worked well for me. The RAW beadwork is certainly softer than close stitches like peyote, but not floppy.

    To get the tension just right, I find it helps to snug the thread every time the needle is moved: after beads are added, as the needle is placed for the next stitch, and after the following stitch as well.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Inspiration Topics

accessories amulet Ancient Worlds Modern Beads animals April's Army art ArtFire astrology astronomy autumn awards awareness bangle beach Bead Inspired Bead Shops bead soup bead spotlight bead stash Bead Trays beaded beads beading theory beads belt bezel birthstones black blog spotlight blue boho bone book spotlight bracelet Bracelet A Week branch fringe brick stitch brown bugles buttons cabochon ceramic chain maille challenge charity chevron chain christmas collar Collections color Color Ideas color triads conservation craft shows crafts crochet crystals cuff Culled Beads current events Current Faves daggers Daily Sets daisy chain Delicas Destash drops Dutch spiral earrings Egypt Egyptian Gods embellishing embroidery environment etsy exotic fair trade fantasy fashion Favorite Beads Favorite Techniques feminine fibers film findings fire polish fixtures Flashback Test flickr inspiration flowers food found object free form fringe Geek Jewels geekery gemstones geography giveaway glass gold gray Greece green herringbone hex cuts history holiday home decor insects inspiration tip inspired beader Inspired by... Inspiring Links ivory Jewelry Stash knitting ladder stitch lampwork lariat leaf fringe leather lights literature loomwork macrame magatamas Master Class Medallions metal free metalwork Mini Collar a Week mixed media mixture Mood Board MOP multi-color multi-strand music natural beads nature necklace Necklace a Day Nepal chain netting New Beads ocean ombre orange paint paper patterns pearls pendant peyote photography Picasso finish pink Pinspiration PMC polymer clay poster sketch purple quick inspiration rainbow RAW red resin ring Ring a Day rivoli Rome Russian spiral scarf science seed beads shell silver soutache spiral rope spring square stitch St. Petersburg steampunk stringing stripes summer tagua TBT The Elements thread Tilas Time Capsule tools trade beads triangle weave tribal tropical turquoise tutorial two-hole beads Ugly vintage Wear it Twice weather white winter WIP wire wishlist wood World Beaders yellow
Blog Home * About * Beading Tutorials * Advertise

Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com