Flashback Friday - Spiral Rope

Recently someone asked me if I had a favourite beadweaving stitch. Of course it was a hard question to answer as it would depend on what I had been doing recently.

Over the last 2 years peyote stitched box have been by current obession.

Here are some pieces for a time when spiral rope was the stitch I loved to do.

These are from another Bag of Beads challenge. The pastel colour combined with coral was fun to work with.

Assorted bracelets

I am sure that somewhere in my stash of beads there is an unfinished spiral rope lariat. Maybe I should dig it out this weekend and play with this fun stitch again.

Flashback Friday - Artist Trading Card

It is Fall Creativ Festival this weekend. Three years ago they had a contest where you sent in an Artist Trading Card. Here is the card that I created!

 

I used a seed bead mix to loom the base. I embellished the piece with pressed glass flowers and Swarovski butterflies. 

 I didn't win any prizes but this was a fun project to do.

I am going to be at the show this weekend, taking classes and helping Maria at her booth, #717. Stop by and say hello!

Twig Willow Twist

 

Here is the kit...

 

with these great beads....

to make this chocker with twigs and twisted bugles.

While helping  Maria to prepare for the weekend's Creativ Festival she decided that she needed a new sample of this design. This is one of the many designs that she will be teaching including three make 'n take earrings.

This is a great piece to learn netting and coral fringing. With metallic beads and bugles it fits right in current fashion trends.

Stop by booth #717 at the show to see all of Maria's available kits, patterns and books.

Flashback Friday - Swags

It was a number of years ago that I first did one of Maria's swag pieces. Maria's original design is a cascade of swags. I played with the swags and created longer swags that overlapped.

This was my first reversible swag necklace. Maria included a picture of is it as part of the colour photos in her Assorted Beadwork Lesson #2 book.

Here are the three colour variations that I took to New York in 2006. I was helping Maria with her presentation and classes with the New York Bead Society.

To see the many variations that Maria has with her swag design stop by her booth, #717, at next weekend's Creativ Festival  at the Metro Convention Centre.

Flashback Fridays

Earlier in the week I was looking it the drawer that I keep most of my finished pieces in. I was looking for one of my recent freeform rings. It had gotten buried under the many other pieces. I came across many great pieces that I made before I started blogging about my beadwork in July 2008. So I am going to start posting some of these pieces on Fridays.

This netted ornament is from the 2007 Toronto Bead Society Bag of Bead Challenge. We were given a selection of red, white and black beads along with the red and white cording and a stumper. I used the stumper to hang the ornament.

This year's challenge piece had many hanging things as well. Here are the components and the finished display piece. I look forward to see what beads we get this year and what we all make.

Watch for another Flashback piece next Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!!