The Create Badge of Courage

Cabochon by Shelly Gillmann, beading by yours truly

Just finished up my taxes yesterday - woo hoo! Done for another year. The grand total came to 46 pages of forms and worksheets. Since that's now done, I headed back to my bead table to complete another, much more fun project, inspired by my Capturing Cabochons/Beaded Bezel class this Sunday.  I always like to have at least one completely fresh and new sample ready.  So here it is - the Create Badge of Courage.  All it needs is a pin back sewn to the beaded 'ribbon' above and it will be ready for service.

I shared the cabochon, made my friend and fellow artist Shelly Gillmann in an earlier blog post.  I ended up using only a subset of the beads selected for the project.  I like they way they echo the colors and even the textures in the cabachon itself.  One of the other ladies at my open studio brought the antique glass glitter, which Shelly made wonderful use of in this piece. 

Stages of work

Originally, I thought I'd turn the cab into either a pendant or a simple brooch.  By the time I finished the back, I knew I didn't want to cover any of it up with a pin back.  That would just disrupt the flow.  But I really liked the idea of it as a brooch. 

And with its stamped command/message/motto, it seemed almost too adamant for a pendant.  Then I had the idea of suspending it from a ribbon and turning it into a 'medal'.  Yes!

Originally I'd intended to use regular right angle weave for the ribbon, but as soon as I started filling the center, that fell by the wayside.  Regular raw increases would be much cleaner and symmetrical, as opposed to the slightly wonky ribbon I ended up with.  Since I stitched the ribbon on after, using entirely new thread, I can always cut it off and try again.  But I think I'll let it stand as is for now.  Creativity can be a little wonky.

Now all I need is a pin back and It will be done (that's why there's still a thread hanging - I thought of cutting it off for the picture, but then I'd just have to start a new one to finish the piece.)

What I've Been Working on

I haven't posted anything about my own work for a while, largely because I seem to be much better at starting than finishing things right now.  As I packed up my bead box for the day yesterday, I grabbed a snapshot and thought I'd share a few of the things that I'm working on right now.

I am always amazed at just how many projects can fit in one medium sized box.

Slowly shading towards magenta

The top row mostly holds the beads for my latest Lacework bracelet, which shades from Quinacridone Magenta to Pthalo Turquoise.  The bracelet itself is nearly half way along and is hiding under the beads.  It doesn't have a name yet, though the colors in their little baggies remind me of Mardi Gras. 

Extra thread wound on card to keep it from tangling

 I have supplies for two, maybe three projects in the next row.  There are my wedding fish, so named because they started life on the way to my cousin's wedding.  I'd selected the beads to make a bridal lacework bracelet, but somehow fish emerged again.  I still have enough beads left over for that bracelet, however.  And then I'd have a bracelet with matching fish! 

 I also have this awesome cabachon that my friend and fellow seed beader, Shelly Gillman made last summer during my open studio evenings, working with concrete and resin.  My captured cabochons class is coming up in just over a week, so I thought I'd make a new sample. 

The strand of beads on the side is my test strand - what I think I'll be using.  More than I'd normally use to simply capture a cabochon, so this may well turn out to be a complete necklace, not just a pendant.  We will see what happens as we stitch.

And that's just half of the box! But it seems I've run out of time for writing - Wormwood's shouting for his breakfast and it's time to get going. So there's a little look at what I have cooking. Soon I'll have more to share.

Spring Classes

Twined wire egg basket by Maryiln Moore

Signups for Fusion Beads' spring classes started Thursday. I stopped by Saturday to sign up for Marilyn Moore's Egg Basket: Oval Twined Wire Bowl, but got caught by their in-store sale. Most of their strands of shaped glass beads are 40-50% off through the end of the year, youza! I definitely failed my willpower roll and left the store with a lovely packet of beads, perfect for more lacework bracelets and accent beads in my freeform peyote. I did not sign up for the class - now I'll have to wait until after the holidays and hope there's still space. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Glacial Ice, lacework bracelet by Karen Williams

In the meantime, I do have three classes of my own on their spring schedule. I'll be teaching Freeform Peyote Ruffles again on Sunday, January 29th, where students can choose to make a pair of earrings or brooch, or start on a larger project such as a bracelet.  Then on Tuesday March 6th, it's my Lacework Bracelet working with random right angle weave. Both classes filled last fall, so we'll see how they do this time around.

Store bought cabochons from Fusion Beads

And I'm teaching a new Beaded Bezel workshop, where we'll capture a cabochon shaped object using a combination of regular and random right angle weave and peyote stitch. This is a variation on my Captured Cabochon, with the back worked in random right angle weave, which leaves lots of room for artistic interpretation. The back becomes a special surprise for the wearer, or you can make the cabochon completely reversible, so you end up with two entirely different looks from one pendant. Or you can incorporate the captured cabochon into a larger piece, as I did with my Red Crest and Hunting Fae necklaces.  Enough possibilities?

My original samples for this class all used my handmade cabochons, but they suggested that I also make some samples using cabochons that Fusion Beads carry, so there are now a wealth of samples for this class. The catalog only shows two, and then only the fronts, so here's a little more:

Two backs: Lillypilly pendant and stone cabochon

Original samples, both cabochons & stitching are mine

Cabochon backs, @ bottom right to be used in larger project

Victorian Listening Device (aka a Bug)

"Victorian Listening Device" by Tamera Mickelson

Here's a piece by one of my favorite artists;  Tamera Mickelson of T.M. Originals.

I got to see this at Sunday's Seedbeader meeting and I begged to take some pictures.  It's tiny; smaller than a quarter all told, the body somewhere between a penny and a nickel in size.  The 'guts' are old clock workings that she salvaged and encased in resin.  The bead work is done with size 11 Delicas. 

Side view, "Victorian Listening Device" by Tamera Mickelson

Three of her pieces are featured in the recently published book 1,000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art and she'll have a booth at SteamCon here in Seattle in October.  But you don't have to be a steampunk aficionado to enjoy her work.  You can see more of her work, including some additional captured cabochons, at her Artfire site, Javagoth. 

Grabbed one of her postcards! 

And here's the other side