Work in Progress: Messy, Messy RAW

This week I got started on my new abstract/ugly necklace design, using nothing but culled seed beads. I’ve always got an old tealight cup on my bead tray to collect beads that are a little wonky, and after so many years of beading, I’ve collected a lot of them. They’re the perfect material for an ugly necklace, and my plan is to stitch a great big swatch of them with right angle weave. This will be the base for my piece, which will probably include some embellishments of assorted bead leftovers and some Unfinished Objects.

I’ve still got a tray of lime green 8/os waiting to be put away after shooting some photos for an upcoming tutorial. I’ve got 3 different projects lined up for you in the coming weeks. The one I’ve just completed is so much fun – I think you’re going to really love it. Keep watching for that one!

What are you making right now?

Mortira

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Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading

Culled Bead Collection Update

Back in January I snapped a photo of my collection of culled and wonky seed beads, in the hopes that it would take on some kind of transformation later. I knew of course that it would get bigger, but I wondered if the ratio of jet black to colorful beads would change much over time.

It’s a little hard to tell just from a photo, but the amount of beads has increased by at least 50%. The color hasn’t really changed all that much. I wonder if it isn’t just my preference for jet black, but the quality of that particular color? I didn’t use jet black in my seed bead brand comparison, so it’s hard to tell.

Then

Right now all of the projects that I have lined up require either a bunch of planning, or I’ll be taking step-by-step photos. This means I can only work on them when I’m at home during the day, but I need something to bead in the middle of the night. So I think it’s time to finally get started on using this big bag of wonky beads.

Now

I recently checked in with the Ugly Necklace Contest, and there aren’t any rules posted for a 2016 contest. I hope this doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be one! I still find making an ugly design really therapeutic, so I’m going ahead with my idea. It’ll give me something meditative to work on, and I’ll get a chance to use up some of the colored bead threads I’ve had in my stash for forever, since I’m sort of hoarding the last of my Fireline right now.

I’m not going to give too many details about my theme for the new piece, but I will say that it was inspired by a mean critique, and it will almost certainly include some UfOs. I’ll be sure to share some in progress photos!

How do you store and use your culled beads?

Mortira

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Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading

Operation Inspiration: Phase Three

I’m heading into the final stage of my plan for boosting creativity in my workspace. The new ugly necklace is complete, and it turned out pretty fabulous, with a fun combination of herringbone strips and circular brick stitch medallions. I used a coconut flower button for the clasp, which not only added the finishing touch, but also allowed me to finally get one into a project after having such high hopes for them.

Apart from refreshing my workspace and using up old leftovers, one of my favorite ways to find instant inspiration is to buy new beads. I haven’t placed a bead order since last year, so it was definitely time to get some fresh materials in my studio. I’ve got a good sized bead order on the way right now, and there are some pretty exciting things in it. I’m trying out a few new seed bead colors, some new accent beads, and of course I stocked up on Fireline so I’ll be ready to make whatever comes to mind.

Now that the ugly necklace is finished, I’m getting back to favorite projects. I’ll be finishing the fringe necklace with black and gold stripes that I started ages ago - and then, who knows?

Do you have a favorite bead or material to purchase when you need a pick-me-up?

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Operation Inspiration: Phase Two

For the past week or so I’ve been picking away at getting back into beading with one of my favorite recharge methods, and I didn’t even have to clean up first!

Once it occurred to me that putting a stopper on the herringbone collar project I was (not) working on would help get me inspired again, I realized that it would be the perfect place to start a new ugly necklace. I took out my box of UfO’s and selected a few choice scraps of beadwork, then opened a few packets of beads that I had been planning to put away last week. I’m going to stitch all of these elements together any which way and use the free-for-all as a way to find my creative groove again.

I had been planning to make another Unfinished Object purge necklace at some point this year, and now is as good a time as any. Beading without any rules - not just freeform but totally without attention to style or form - is so liberating and has never failed to give me a cleansed feeling in the creative sense. It’s also giving me an opportunity to try out some unusual beads that have had me stumped for months.

The center drilled coconut daggers have been on my mind a lot lately, but I just couldn’t come up with a good design to use them in. By adding them to this completely crazy necklace, I can use them in ways that I wouldn’t dare to otherwise, and get a feel for what they can and can’t do. I’m also incorporating some assorted leftovers and some really fun beadwork scraps from the past couple of years. I can’t wait to see how this piece turns out!

I’m hoping to have this ugly necklace complete in the next few days, so that I can be ready to work on normal projects again by the time Orange is the New Black hits Netflix. A great series always helps to keep me in my seat and beading away, since I can’t stand to watch movies or shows alone and not have something for my hands to do.

The final phase of Operation Inspiration all depends on my bead budget, but will probably be the most effective overall. Then things will really get rolling again!

How do you like to deal with stale or unfinished projects?

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The Ugly Stepsisters Necklace

Sometimes bad news can also be good news, if you look at it the right way. It’s always a bit amusing to ponder whether or not making it into the finals for the Ugly Necklace Contest would truly be a good thing. Perhaps it’s great to be incapable of making something truly hideous.

This year’s finalists were recently chosen, though they won’t be unveiled until later this fall. I had really hoped that my concoction would make it into the voting round this year, so I'm a little disappointed. It was definitely a thrill to learn that I made it into the first draft - a little farther than last time. I’ll need to go back to the drawing board and think of ways to layer on even more ugly for the next contest.

For the 2014 Ugly Necklace Contest, artists were asked to include two strands in their piece, along with at least 75% beads overall. This worked out really well for the design that I had started planning long before the new rules were announced. Keeping with my favorite practice of pouring a lot of my unfinished projects and leftover scraps into my Ugly Necklace entry, I decided to use a pair of beaded doll dresses that I had experimented with. I had a brief phase where I really wanted to make non-wearable beadwork, and I thought tiny clothes would be a fun place to start. The beadwork turned out great, but the dress designs definitely did not.

Since the dresses were so ugly to start with, I thought they’d make a great contribution to my entry. I also wanted to find a way to include as many of my leftover bead baggies as I could. After so many years of beading, I had a huge collection of them. What better way to use them up?

I thought Ugly Stepsisters would make a great name for my necklace, so I reinforced and decorated the bead bags with magazine cut-outs of eyes, lips, and shoes to give it a Cinderella theme. Bringing that particular section together was a lot of work, especially stitching through it, but it was totally worth it. To complete the strands, I incorporated some herringbone rope, leftover bead mixes, recycled sari silk, cotton cord, and some of my least favorite beads.

Voting for the world’s ugliest necklace begins in early November, through December 15th, 2014. Check out Land of Odds to see previous winners, or learn more about entering a piece in the next International Ugly Necklace Contest. I promise you'll have a blast!

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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The Procrastination Poem

The 2014 Ugly Necklace contest is coming to a close just a few short months away, and I can’t wait to see all of this year’s finalists. I had a great time challenging myself to make something even uglier than last time, and I added some elements this year that are way out of my comfort zone. It was a blast!

If you’re not familiar with the contest, you can check out some of the past entries at Land of Odds. Entering an ugly necklace design also involves writing a poem to go with it, adding a little extra challenge and fun to the process. Since I used UnFinishedObjects to create my 2012 entry, I wrote a poem about the rush to make new things and avoid all that extra stuff that comes with beading, like picking out stitches on failed experiments. I think a lot of beaders can relate!

Procrastination


Tick Tock

The end of another day comes
and there are still

ten ideas

ten projects

ten attempts to be made

Tick Tock

The clock says
It's time to clean up
put things away
and frog that mess you made

But the beads say
Start something new

Tick Tock

Tomorrow there will be time
to fix and fuss and undo

Today is for

that pattern

those beads

that necklace

Oh

And that new stitch

Tick Tock

Just run a string through that mess
and call it a day

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Another Ugly Necklace

Throughout this year’s beading challenge, I’ve been pondering the possibility of doing a bead collector’s necklace - a project made with a wide variety of beads and stitches. It seemed like a good idea to keep in mind if I ever got stuck with a lot of odds and ends. With only a few really good projects left on my destash list, and a whole lot of beads that I didn’t know what to do with, I decided to do just that. But with a twist!

I never got around to finishing the backwards quadruple St. Petersburg chain from a few months back, so I decided to use it as the base for another UFO collage. I collected up all of the singles and pairs, seed bead mixes, and assorted hopeless beads from the destash tray, and got to work constructing a new ugly necklace. This time I actually had to really stretch to get all of the elements I wanted in one piece. I was able to use up all of the remaining silver-lined crystal seed beads, and had to start adding some of my beach sand mix to keep things going.

I had just as much fun putting this piece together as I did the first one. I ignored the rules, made awful color choices, and just put beads and thread together whatever which way I wanted. It was a great way to relax and recharge - like unclogging a drain and dancing in the rain all at once. I included several leftover UnFinished Objects from the first ugly necklace, too, so my work space looks a little tidier than it did last week.

Have you tried any wild, crazy, or ill-advised beading projects lately?

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The Slightly Ugly Necklace

So far in my new destash challenge, I’ve shown you 9 projects using old and leftover beads. Since the beginning, I’ve been keeping a secret design - the ultimate in destash. This was the first piece that I designed, and the one that helped to inspire this year’s mission. It’s also the ugliest thing I’ve ever made.

For most of last year, I was keeping an eye on the calendar, waiting for the approach of the deadline for the Ugly Necklace Contest. I left the planning of my entry until the last minute, so that I would have the largest possible crop of UnFinished Objects to draw from. If I was going to do ugly, I wanted to do it right, and there’s nothing quite like a discarded bit of beadwork to make one’s lip curl.

When I finally sat down to create a hideous necklace, I had lots of UFOs to choose from, including two pieces of beaded rope, and a curiously constructed multi-strand component from a failed design. I assembled these elements together, using some mismatched Chinese lampwork beads for bumpers, and added a button clasp constructed from a discarded piece of circular brick stitch.

Next, I gathered up a random assortment of beading mishaps, samples, and scraps, and suspended them at random from the multi-strand section, using loops of leftover Czech and Chinese seed beads in odd colors and hideously uncoordinated custom mixtures. I also added some handmade paper beads and a few shell coins, and additional Chinese lampwork beads, including a few really wonky pieces in random colors. When I was finished, the necklace wasn’t quite as ugly as I knew it could be, so I chose a few smaller bits of beadwork, and stitched them to various places on the necklace.

I was very happy with the dreadfulness of what I had constructed, but it still wasn’t ugly enough. On one side, I attached a length of silk ribbon that I had left over from a Use the Muse kit, but it still needed more. In the same place, I tied on some ghastly pink and orange eyelash yarn, and made a few lazy macramé knots. Viola - a chunky, lopsided, ugly necklace.

It was a great feeling to bring all of these seemingly useless pieces together into one design. Unfortunately, it was not selected as a finalist in the Ugly Necklace Contest, but it was great fun to make! It's kind of liberating to ignore the rules, and do things because they'll be fun, even though they will be ugly. Each time a new scrap of beadwork was added, I tried to do something I wouldn't normally do, like adding extra beads to the loop, or even stringing large beads over them for no reason at all.

I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do with this mad concoction. Any ideas?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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