Native Beading - Beaded Strawberry

Today I was lucky to attend An Introduction to Native Beading at the ROM. This full day event was tied to the Anishinaabeg: Art & Power exhibit. As a group we were able to view the exhibit with our instructor, Naomi Smith of Black Tulip Designs. She was able to give us more details about some of the amazing beaded pieces on display.

Here are some pictures I took during our visit.

Details of a bandolier bag

Love the maple leaf on this bandolier bag

Beaded woman's hood

Beautiful beaded baby moccasins

Beaded Octopus Bag

Details of tentacles on octopus bag

Detail of the octopus bag

After our visit to the exhibit we returned to the class to start our beaded strawberries. Naomi's kits included all the needed beads and fabric. She had sewn together the fabric pieces for the body of the strawberry. We had to fill it with emery sand and sawdust and sew it close.

Empty Body of the Strawberry

Filled and Sewn Strawberry Body

Then it was lunchtime, yum!!

After lunch we learn how to attached the velveteen cap and embellish with beads.

Halfway around the cap with beaded embellishment

Once the embellishment was completed we learned to secure thread for the hanging loop.

Hanging loop added

 Secured a new length of thread and started to add the seeds to the body of the strawberry.

Halfway done seeding my strawberry with seed beads

 The last step is adding the tassels. Our kit included three antique basket beads for the tassels.

My finished beaded strawberry

 Here are some pictures of all the strawberries created during the class.

Overhead view of our strawberries

Another view of our class of strawberries

Thanks once again to Naomi, her helpers and the ROM.

Kaleidocycles

I have been interested in making a kaleidocycle for a couple of years. I found them as a paperarts project. I printed, coloured and made a number of paper ones. But after a few weeks of they would come apart.

I knew that there had to be a way of doing it with beads. It was just triangles linked together. I tried to figure it out but was not able to get my brain around it.

The amazing beaders at Contemporary Geometric Beadwork figured it out. The instructions will be in the upcoming book CGB Pattern Book. I have pre-ordered a copy and was sent the Kaleidocycle instructions.

So I worked on making one using the colours suggested in the pattern. Basic black and white for the triangles, blue and red for the seams, yellow, green and silver for the hinges.

For my second one I decided to use the same triangle design and change the colours. So the triangles are white with one of 4 vibrant citrus colours. The seams are all white and the hinges are silver.

My most recent one again uses just one triangle design and changing colours. I went back to a favourite colour palette, the sea anemone palette, in The Beader's Color Palette by Margie Deeb. I used two of the colours on each side and the rotate thru as you flip the kaleidocycle. I did not want the seams or hinges to stand out so I used crystal AB beads.

Here are the three finished kaleidocycles. The collage show each of the four sides. The Citrus colours did not photograph very well.

I am very pleased with these. I like to sit and twist them as I watch tv. I am going to work on another variation with the sea anemone palette. I want to have all four colours on each side, just in different places in the pattern.

Pearls Blog Hop Reveal

I started working on the pieces for the challenge shortly after I got the beads in May.

I started with this necklace. 

Using two different shades of the lilac and faceted crystals from the kit I added some silver hearts. The closure is a magnetic heart with crystal embellishment. This piece can be worn with the closure at the front or back.

Next I played with doing some sort of a netted design with the grey rice pearls but was not happy with any of the ideas. So I decided to do a simple ladder stitch bracelet using purple velvet Swarovski crystals on the edges. This is long enough to be worn as a double wrap bracelet or a choker.

Here are the blogs of this hop:

Our hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue
Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool Jewelry
Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera
Gloria Allen, Gloria Allen Designs
Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation
Ann Schroeder, Bead Love
Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design

Pine Ridge Treasures' Pearls Blog Hop

It has been a very long time since I have posted here. I have been sharing my beadwork on Facebook. I also had not signed up for any beading challenges or blog hops.

But recently Lisa posted on Facebook that she was hosting a Pearl Blog Hop. I decided that maybe doing it would help motivate me to create and post projects here.

So I purchased the lilac pearl kit from Lisa back in May. Here is what I got from her in the mail.

Stop back on Saturday to see what I have created with these beads.

Here is a list of all the blog participating in this hop.

Our hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue
Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool Jewelry
Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera
Gloria Allen, Gloria Allen Designs
Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation
Ann Schroeder, Bead Love
Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design