Thursday, March 12, 2015

From Sample to Pendant

Hello, everyone!  I'm so happy to have you visit today.  I hope your day is going well.  I think we've finally turned the corner on this long winter.  Spring isn't far from us now!  I'm itching to get outside into the garden to start "spring cleaning"!  I do more spring cleaning outside than inside. 

Today I wanted to share a beadwork pendant I made the other day.  When I was planning my first geometric beadwork bracelet,  last spring I thought I would make a sample to see how it would go together.  I had decided to make one of Jean Power's Power Puff bangle.  Well, I really like the sample I made so I put it aside and started on the bracelet.  I didn't want to continue the sample and turn it into a bangle because in stitching it I decided to change the colors around and use them in a different order.  Well, it sat on my table and I kept thinking I should do something with it. I decided on turning it into a pendant but, as usual, I never got around to it until the other day.  Here is what it looks like finished.


 
 
 
The Power Puff bangle is a series of beaded triangles that are connected to each other with a short peyote tube. The whole thing is a tube so you can thread wire or cord through it.  I love stitching triangles for some reason and it becomes quite addictive for me to go from one triangle to the other.  This sample has the triangles getting larger by one row for each successive triangle.  You can also change the orientation of the triangles as you stitch.  That's my next trial!   I ended this sample with the start of the fourth triangle.  When I decided to turn it into a pendant I thought that would be the perfect place for a bead to end it off nicely.  I searched through my stash of torch-fired enameled beads because I thought I had one this color.  I also had some enameled head pins and one used the same green enamel.  As you'll see in another photo I had a spacer that was the same color also and I put that on top.  Here are some details.
 
 
I love enameling beads!

Here is the spacer.
 
 
 
I love the way the bead sits right in the partial triangle.  In the second photo you can see the graduated size of the triangles.  If I hadn't decided to change the color sequence I could have gone back to the original size and continued the graduated triangles.  There are several variations on this idea.  Also, you can tell I love this color green since I had so many pieces that worked with the beadwork!  To finish it off  I decided to use a purchased copper chain for a necklace.  I'm really happy with the result. 
 
 
The blog post about the finished bangle can be seen here.  I really love geometric beadwork and I haven't done any lately.  But, I have some ideas to work on so I think I'll be getting back to it! 
 
I just discovered that the blog Anything but a Card Challenge theme this month is Green with Envy, so I'm going to enter this pendant in that challenge.
 
Thank you for visiting with me today.  I hope you have a wonderful day and that you have some spring weather in your world! 



8 comments:

  1. First of all, those colors are fabulous! Rene is my second favorite color, after blue! So cool how you have made such a Dimensional piece of jewelry...even the headpin is glass! Beautiful job!

    Enjoying my coffee right now, staring at the sunshine. Hooray for Spring!!

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  2. Cool! I like how you adapted it to be a pendant, and how it kinda looks like a pile of pillows or something.

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  3. Oh my, oh my so very cool. Love the design, love the colors .....must try!

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  4. I simply LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! every time I see your triangles I keep thinking "oh! I want to try that" but this is just such a wonderful look with the enamel bead - great design!

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  5. Love this piece so much! That Spring color of new green pairs perfectly with the copper. And the bead and headpin flow well with the beadwork. I have not realized that when you made that bracelet all the triangles were connected. I cannot wait to see where else you go with these!

    Enjoy the warmth and feeling the dirt!

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  6. Simply wonderful Maryanne!! Your talent continues to astound me. I truly adore this pendant. The peyote work is beautiful and the colors are wonderful. Did you enamel that bead? Just, wow.

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  7. This is very cool. I love the design!!

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  8. Totally exquisite - and all the more impressive as I have absolutely no idea how you could have possibly made it!! I love the colours, very pretty and ready for spring.

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