Work in Progress: Progress in Work

I am happy to say that I have found some new inspiration that will keep me going for a good long while. At the very least, I am excited to start making things again, and to share the ideas behind each project as I go. My very first project will return to a favorite place: I'm making a new necklace inspired by my favorite Egyptian goddess, Nephthys. As someone who has long been fascinated by the science of death, I found an instant connection with Nephthys when I first read about her. She embodies the realm where life, death, and rebirth meet in the Ancient Egyptian understanding of the universe. At times she was also considered to be the mother of Anubis, and helped in the creation of the first mummy.

I didn't want to risk making a copy of my last Nephthys design, so I decided to shy away from greens for this necklace. Instead I added Montana blue sapphire to my palette for a chunky herringbone rope. When it comes time to add some fringe, I may regret going with a twisted rope, but we'll see how things turn out. I'm finding a lot of comfort in making a tribute to "The Lady of the House", and even if it doesn't quite work out perfectly, it'll be worth it.

The peacock dagger collar turned out quite nicely. I was so excited to get started on Nephthys that I had to force myself to complete and add the button for this piece. Luckily, it only took one beading session, and I thought it was important to finish at least one project before starting this new adventure.

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What inspirations are empowering you at the moment?

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading

Work in Progress: Daggers and Spirals

Greetings, beaders! I hope that you've had a fantastic transition into fall. I am still struggling with finding the right work-life balance, and fitting creative time in where I can. Things seemed to be going smoothly for awhile: I had some projects lined up that I was really excited about and the first one turned out great. I was working on a new spiral rope lariat with lots of different daisy patterns, and I decided to go ahead and make a second one, thinking that since I was on a roll, I might as well keep going. This was a huge mistake. I got bored with the new rope pretty quickly, and then a string of graveyard shifts threw off my whole routine and I never got around to finishing it.

I picked up a new project a few weeks ago, and found myself something new to binge-watch while I worked on it. It took some time to decide what kind of project I could really fall into, when I remembered that I had some new peacock daggers to use. Not only is black with silver polka-dots an easy finish to work with, but the size and shape of the daggers are perfect for a wide-net collar. Rather than come up with a whole new project, I recreated my last successful dagger collar and had a pretty good time with the simple pattern. The colors are pretty similar to the previous design as well, although I had a little fun adding a hint of purplish cobalt iris.

I still haven't made or added a button to the new collar. A few late nights working on Hallowe'en costume elements derailed my beading plans yet again, but I'm determined to get back on the horse and hopefully have some nice winter projects to keep me occupied. I know that if I can get back into the zone with making again, more writing will follow as well. A little extra inspiration is all I need to come up with some new tutorial ideas for you!

What kinds of projects have you been working on?

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading

Work in Progress: Spiral Daisies

As promised I have moved on from herringbone fringe necklaces, but I wasn’t quite ready to give up on fringe yet. Not only is it really satisfying to make fringe, but I’ve been in the mood to use up not just my favorite accent beads, but some of the less-than-versatile Czech seed beads as well. One of my goals for this year was to be a little less picky about culling Czech beads, and fringe gives me the freedom to just go ahead and use seed beads that are just a little bit wonky.

I really wanted to try out some of the millefiori beads that I picked up at a thrift store about a year ago, so I started with a strand of black rounds with a daisy motif and worked up from there. A spiral rope lariat would allow me to incorporate a daisy pattern while also using up a hank of green seed beads that has been sitting in my stash since making the blue-green ombre project from Ancient Worlds Modern Beads. So far things are going really well, and I can’t wait to get started on the tassels.

The Egyptian stripe necklace from last week turned out really nice. I was worried about the pattern being a bit much, but once it was complete and the accents added on, things really came together. I tried something new for the fringe this time around, and matched the top of each loop to the beadwork base. I’m not sure if I love it completely, but it may come in handy for future projects without so many colors in play.

What are you making right now?

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading

Bees Heart Honey Necklace Tutorial

It’s the first day of September, which means that no matter how many more sunny days we may have to look forward to, it’s officially time to say goodbye to summer. With help from the Monochrome Bead Box from Blueberry Cove Beads, I decided to create a pretty necklace with a hint of summer colors, inspired by bees and honey.

This asymmetrical design is super easy to stitch, and you can create it with just about anything that you’ve got in your stash. You’ll need two focal beads of similar shape and size to get the effect – otherwise you can mix and match any seed beads and round beads that you’ve got on hand. I’m using a pair of faux lava rock hearts from the Monochrome Box in black and white; accents of yellow and topaz bring out the summery honey bee vibe. Have fun experimenting with different palettes of your own!

Materials:

About 4 yards of Fireline or your favorite beading thread
2 x 18-25 mm focal beads
2 8mm rose beads
11 6mm druks
22 5mm howlite beads
44 size 8 seed beads (yellow)
26 size 8 seed beads (black)
4 grams size 11 seed beads
Button clasp of your choice

Bees Heart Honey Necklace:

1. Attach a stop bead to a 2 yard (1.8 m) length of thread, leaving a 10 inch (25 cm) tail. String on one 11/o, one 8/o, one 5mm, one 8/o, and repeat. Add one 11/o, one 8/o, one 11/o and one druk. Slide all of the beads down to the stop bead.

2. Pick up 7 size 11/o seed beads, and pass back up through the druk again. Pull snug to form a loop of seed beads around the druk. Repeat to add a second loop.

3. String on one 11/o, and one 8/o, followed by the same pattern from step 1. Repeat until you have 4 looped druks.

4. String on one 11/o, one 8/o, one focal bead, one 8/o, one 11/o, and one rose bead. Add two loops of seven seed beads around the rose.

5. Repeat the pattern from steps 1-3 until you have added 3 druks. Add one 11/o, one 8/o, one 11/o and the second rose bead. Add seed bead loops to the rose.

6. String on one 11/o, one 8/o, and the second focal bead. Add one 8/o bead, then repeat the pattern again until you’ve added 4 more looped druks.

8. Pass back through the first 2 seed beads from the set of 10. Continue through the 8/o, 11/o, and druk and pull snug. Weave around the loops in the druk and retrace the thread path to secure the button. Weave any remaining thread into the beadwork, tying 2 half-hitch knots, and trim.

9. Remove the stop bead from the start of the necklace. Pick up enough seed beads to form a loop around your button. Pass back through the first seed bead again, and through the following beads to the nearest druk. Retrace the thread path to add strength to the loop, then weave in any remaining thread and trim.

Happy beading!

Mortira

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Work in Progress: Nefertiti Stripes

My adventures with stripes and fringe are still going strong, and projects are chugging along at a much better pace. I had thought that I would want to try a new project once the latest necklace was complete, but I was still really in the mood for fringe, and herringbone necklaces are just the most satisfying way to use it right now. For the new necklace, I had a craving to do something a little more Egyptian, so I put together a jeweled palette. I was a little worried at first that the pattern would end up being too busy. I think once the entire piece is complete and the fringe is added it will come together just fine.

The last necklace turned out great. I hadn’t given any thought to accent beads when I chose my palette, and it turns out that the only thing I had in my stash that would match with the opaque colors was African Christmas beads. This is perfectly fine by me! I had fun picking out just the right beads to use and putting on the final touches.

What are you making right now?

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading