A Ring a Day - Three

Sometimes when I start a circular brick stitch project, I get this crazy urge to just go wild with freeform beadwork. I’ve always admired the bravery of beaders like Beverly Ash Gilbert, who can create stunning freeform designs with what seems like ease. It’s sort of a scary task - beading without patterns or boundaries - like backpacking in Europe without a map.

A handful of stitches and techniques are really suitable for freeform. I like netting, because it still has a basic structure, even if you change up the bead quantities with every stitch. It’s the close stitches like peyote that are so much more intimidating.

It occurred to me that making a ring a day would provide the perfect opportunity to experiment. If I made something really awful, I would most certainly have time to start again from the beginning. So, I picked out some seed beads and a few matching accents and tried not to think about the rules.

Ring #3 - Wood Elf

What I ended up with is a very pretty, somewhat quirky ring! Although I eventually chickened out and went to basic peyote stitch for the ring band, the focal section has a lot of personality. I even changed my choice of fringe at the last minute, and went with a scalloped edge instead of picots. I like the effect, especially when combined with the other elements. Now I just have to resist the urge to do it exactly the same a second time!

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