Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Bead and Button show...

I wish I was going - I have yet to attend a bead show - any bead show. I do, however have a couple of brooches that will attend the show this year in June.

Lisa Peters sent me a couple of her beautiful Raku cabs to bead up for the show. Because of their size, these are NOT for the shy or timid!



I am always inspired by Lisa's work, I can't help it. I mean, really - have you looked at her stuff? As amazing as her photos are of her creations, the pieces are always so much more striking in person.

This first one is almost 3 inches all (not counting the fringe) and about 2 1/2 inches wide. I used Czech and Japanese seed beads in sizes 8/0 to 15/0. I also used some size 11/0 triangle beads, man I love those!



I did not want to make them too much bigger, so I limited the beaded rows around the outside edge to a minimum. For the fringe (and some real sparkle!) I added Swarovski cube and margarita beads in Jonquil. Then finished it off with a standard pin back and yellow Ultrasuede.




The red/black one is a little bit smaller - isn't that cab amazing??? I used the same size seed beads on this one as well as some small black vintage nailheads for the outer most row and Smoke colored 4mm Swarovski bicones around the outside edge.



On this one I added a pin back with a bail and red Ultrasuede. It is 3 inches around including the outside edge.

I took photos of the entire process as I worked on the first cab. I use a little E6000 glue to add the cab to purple stiffened felt. Once I complete the beading, I cut the felt close to the edge of the beading - leaving enough room to stitch the layers together.



I add some fray stop to the stitching on the back and while that is drying I cut a piece of poster board a bit smaller than the Pellon. Next I measure out and mark where the pin back will end up on the Ultrasuede. I cut little holes or slits in the Ultrasuede. Next I put the layers together, the cab is face down, a little glue on the back of that, then the poster board.



I work the pin back through the holes/slits in the Ultrasuede and add a little glue to the pin back as well as the poster board and sandwich it all together. I allow a bit of time for the glue to dry, then begin my edge stitch that holds it all together. Once that is complete, I count my edge beads to determine what kind of decoration I will add to the edges or if I will add fringe. Often times the bead count on the edges will dictate the stitches around the outside edges.

Wonderful books I refer to for bead embroidery and cabs:

Beading with Cabochons by Jamie Cloud Eakin

and

The Art of Bead Embroidery by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini

17 comments:

*~tabby~* crooked heart art said...

hi grace
wow wow wow!!!!!!!!
just stunning!!!
big bold and beautiful!!
those cab's are to die for and your beading.. delicious as always!!
shame you won't make the bead show
many thanks for sharing
enjoy your day
tammy :)

Lynn said...

I feel your pain with not attending the B&B Show. It's a dream of mine to attend. I wish they offered a contest to win a free trip to the show! Wouldn't that be great???

Love the cab pins - you are the master at that technique and I so appreciate your showing how you construct them. They are all so beautiful!

Timaree said...

I haven't been to a show either. Tried to talk my husband into driving down to Tucson but we have goats and too many dogs really for that and he doesn't like the idea of me going alone.

Your pins are wonderful. Yes that red cab is super and you made the most of it with your beading. I bet the other cab looks prettier in person.

Artisan Clay said...

WOW the Red piece is my favorite!!! I love the edge :-)
Both pieces look so wonderful and you and Lisa compliment eachother perfectly!


I know how you are feeling as well!!

I have some work going... Wish I could jump in the box, or maybe I could find Lisa's House and jump in the back of her car when no one's looking! We'll have to dream of the pretties if we can't see for ourselves. :-)

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

As usual, you have created amazing pieces. That red is super stunning.

I just don't know why they can't have a big bead show closer to where I live. I'd have to mortgage the house if they did!

abeadlady said...

Love both your new pieces. While the first is more subtle, it is equally beautiful. Her cabs are wonderful. I would love to work with them myself. Obviously, you and I have been reading the same books.

isabella said...

wuauuu!!!is very,very beautiful!!!!

Lisa Peters Russ said...

well, after a very long day of bead making I finally get a chance to look at this beautiful blog post about the amazing work you have done on the two cabs. Simply amazing! I am so thrilled with how these two beauties came out!

i love your work grace! little treasures! i think you matched the colors of the cabs beautifully - I am so anxious to see these in person. you are so talented and I am super honored that you & your sisters in beadweaving have created such amazing pieces with my cabs! I cannot wait until I see them all together! I know they will cause a stir in Milwaukee!

xoxoxoxox
thanks from the bottom of my heart!
lisa

Anonymous said...

These are gorgeous - the red is definitely my favorite! You do beautiful work, even the backs look perfect!

Pursuing Art... said...

Both the brooches are beautiful, Grace! Love her pieces and you do a great job with them. That is wonderful that she's taking some to the B&B show! Now that is one show I would love to go to one day! A week of pure heaven!!! ;-)

a2susan said...

You did a beautiful job embellishing the cabs and bringing them to life. I love the colors and designs you chose.

We'll have to see about getting you to a bead show. Does the Indiana bead guild (is there one) have a show? You could always come up to Detroit when the guild has their twice a year bead bonanza - they are great bead shows, in March and October.

Susan

Denise said...

Thanks for stopping by Grace. I finally had a chance to pop around other blogs and I love your cabs!! Oh to get back to beading, it will be nice to start dreaming beads instead of databases!
Cheers, Denise

girlgonethreadwild said...

WOW! Mouth wide open here... I could sit for hours and watch you work! What time should I come over? (smile)

Carol Dean Sharpe said...

I love what you've done for both of these cabs. You've captured the absolutely subtlety (sp?) of the hex piece beautifully with your bead bead choices, and the vivaciousness of the red piece with both the beads and the scalloped edges. I have loved that red cab since I first saw it on Lisa's flickr stream. You two work together well :D ... understatement of the year!

Padparadscha said...

Wow, I love these, especially the red one !

Lisa Peters Russ said...

FYI, I received these pieces in the mail a few days ago.. The photo's do not do them justice, the colors are so gorgeous and so much sparkle & depth!
just love them!

xo

GraceBeading said...

Thanks everyone! I'm thrilled to see a couple of new names here (more blogs/websites for me to visit!

Lynn - I really like your idea of a contest to win a trip.

I find Lisa's pieces especially inspiring, it's always such a treat to sit and work with her stuff, I never hesitate when I pick one up, the ideas just flow - it's heaven!

Leaves of Grass

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body - Walt Whitman