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The Good and the Not-So-Good
12 June 2014 10:37 pmI got all wound up from the amazing needlework goodness on my friendslist this week (goldwork! beetle wings!) so I went ahead and did some test motifs for the robe de style. Mixed results:
The Good: I love doing it! It's time-consuming, because they're all individual with no couching; but it's not solid beading, either. I love doing it. The motifs are interesting, and there's switching off in sizes fairly often, so it's not tedious.
The Not-So-Good: It was immediately clear that the 4mm pearls are too big in scale for the rest of my beads. So, more ordering!
The Good: 3mm pearls are only available in the cheaper but still nice Czech glass pearls. So I don't have to worry about where to use the more expensive ones, and how much of each size to order.
The Not-So-Good: Shipwreck Beads (great prices, $25 minimum) has a 30 day return policy, which I forgot - and I'm about 5 days past the time. So I'm stuck with a lot of 4mm pearls I can't use for this project and am unlikely to use for another.
[So, is anyone in the market for nice white 4mm pearls? :D I have 600 Preciosa Nacre Pearl - these are the nicest ones that aren't Swarovski, MOP, or real pearl. I paid $17.75 for them, but I'll accept $12. I also have 1200 Preciosa Ornela Czech glass pearls, also very pretty. They're in packages of 300; one package is open, the one I used for a swatch, but all the pearls are there. I paid $12.50, so I'll accept $8.50 for the 4 packages or $2.50/pkg.]
Anyway! I also tested two methods of marking:
The Not-So-Good: First method was using a clear, writeable, tear-away stabilizer a friend lent me. It was very easy to use. I could lay it right over the pattern and draw very precisely with a pen, and it stayed on the silk in the hoop very well. It was a little too hard to tear away for this project, though. Beading stitches are just looser than quilting or machine embroidery, and I'm concerned about pulling the beads off.
The Good: The other method, my original one, uses black tissue paper and silver Sharpie. I used a lightbox to transfer the pattern onto the black paper; that worked perfectly. It tore out easier than the stabilizer, and was actually a little more sturdy to sew through. I'll still have to use tweezer to pull out the small parts, but being black, any wisps left are invisible.
So I ordered a bunch more beads, and now it's late at night again. Grr. But now I can really make some beading patterns! Yay!
The Good: I love doing it! It's time-consuming, because they're all individual with no couching; but it's not solid beading, either. I love doing it. The motifs are interesting, and there's switching off in sizes fairly often, so it's not tedious.
The Not-So-Good: It was immediately clear that the 4mm pearls are too big in scale for the rest of my beads. So, more ordering!
The Good: 3mm pearls are only available in the cheaper but still nice Czech glass pearls. So I don't have to worry about where to use the more expensive ones, and how much of each size to order.
The Not-So-Good: Shipwreck Beads (great prices, $25 minimum) has a 30 day return policy, which I forgot - and I'm about 5 days past the time. So I'm stuck with a lot of 4mm pearls I can't use for this project and am unlikely to use for another.
[So, is anyone in the market for nice white 4mm pearls? :D I have 600 Preciosa Nacre Pearl - these are the nicest ones that aren't Swarovski, MOP, or real pearl. I paid $17.75 for them, but I'll accept $12. I also have 1200 Preciosa Ornela Czech glass pearls, also very pretty. They're in packages of 300; one package is open, the one I used for a swatch, but all the pearls are there. I paid $12.50, so I'll accept $8.50 for the 4 packages or $2.50/pkg.]
Anyway! I also tested two methods of marking:
The Not-So-Good: First method was using a clear, writeable, tear-away stabilizer a friend lent me. It was very easy to use. I could lay it right over the pattern and draw very precisely with a pen, and it stayed on the silk in the hoop very well. It was a little too hard to tear away for this project, though. Beading stitches are just looser than quilting or machine embroidery, and I'm concerned about pulling the beads off.
The Good: The other method, my original one, uses black tissue paper and silver Sharpie. I used a lightbox to transfer the pattern onto the black paper; that worked perfectly. It tore out easier than the stabilizer, and was actually a little more sturdy to sew through. I'll still have to use tweezer to pull out the small parts, but being black, any wisps left are invisible.
So I ordered a bunch more beads, and now it's late at night again. Grr. But now I can really make some beading patterns! Yay!
