Fall Back Collar

Have you ever sat down to make something, with just a vague idea of how it would turn out, only to get something completely unexpected? Last week I pulled a handful of Czech glass leaves out of the destash pile, and decided to make a little collar with them. There were just enough beads to make a nice fringe of green and topaz. All I had to do was choose a background color and get beading.

I decided to go with yellow, plus hints of extra green and orange to tie everything together. Both of the leaf beads that I had on hand feature a vitrail finish on one side, so I was careful to stitch them all in the same direction, and give the finished piece a reversible option. It wasn’t until I really got going that I realized how very autumn the piece looked. In fact, it’s so autumn that it’s almost Thanksgiving-y.

I worried for awhile that the necklace might end up being a little obnoxious - like a piece from a Pocahontas costume. It’s not just the colors and the leaves, but the pattern of the chevron chain that suggests something kitschy. Still, I kept at it, and the closer I got to completing the necklace, the more I liked it. It’s not as Egyptian as some of the other pieces I’ve made recently, but it’s sophisticated enough not to be mistaken for a kid’s November craft project.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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