Beading Babes January project

Beading Babes is the creation of Karyn from Releases by Rufydoof.  Each month, the group votes on a project and, at the end of the month, we all get to see each other's work  We had two projects this month, which helped keep me out of trouble.  :)

The first was Ravishing Rosettes by Smadar Grossman.  This was featured in the December 2011 issue of Bead and Button.

I love Smadar's designs.  If you want to see more of her work, check out her blog, Smadar's Treasure.  She also has an etsy shop (one that I am very familiar with) and an artfire shop.

This pattern was a bit different than what I'm used to doing.  First, it is mostly square stitch, which i don't do often.  Second, the rosettes attach together starting with one tiny bead.  This gave me a bit of frustration at the beginning.  I didn't really figure out the best way for me to stitch and reinforce the rosettes until I was on my 5th one or so.

I am glad that I persevered.  After I found the "groove," I was able to crank out a rosette every 20 minutes or so.  The growing string of rosettes is quite lovely.

That said, after I beaded half the rosettes, I decided to finish the necklace with some sari ribbon.  My reasons were twofold:

1. I wanted a more casual end product.  I thought an entire necklace of beaded  rosettes, while gorgeous, might be too formal for my taste.
2. I got tired of beading rosettes.  I looked at my half necklace and wondered if I really wanted to spend another 3-4 hours on it.  That's the painful truth (and hard for me to admit).     

I added a loop of square stitch to the rosettes at both ends of my chain and used two small oval links from Miss Fickle Media to connect the ribbon to the rosettes.  I am really pleased with the result.

I cannot wait to feast my eyes on the versions created by my fellow Beading Babes.  The fully beaded necklace looks like something a movie star would wear.

Our second project was Runway of Pearls by Barbara Falkowitz.  This was published in the December 2011 issue of Beadwork Magazine.

My first attempt used three rows and skipped the side pearls.  It looked like a big right angle weave box.  It was also stiff and not very comfortable.  I salvaged my beads and tried again.

Luckily, right angle weave works up quickly and I had the base of my new bracelet done in only a few episodes of White Collar.  On this attempt, I stuck to the instructions and the bracelet turned out beautifully. 

I used gray triangle beads for the base.  Blue seed beads on one side gives it a monochromatic look.  Pink seed beads on the other side provide more of a contrast.  The Tahitian Blue Swarovski pearls are a stunning finish.

I have to admit, with apologies to Barbara, I didn't think I would like this bracelet.  I thought the pearls would "stick out" too much.  I have never been so happy to be wrong.  The bracelet is just beautiful.  The design is wonderful and so versatile.  This will be one of my favorites.

Please hop over to Karyn's blog, Releases by Rufydoof, and see what the other participants did.  You can also find more information about Beading Babes on her blog.

Karyn, thank you again for putting this together.  These projects are always so much fun for me to do.