Beaded Flower

Funny how when I start working with a particular medium, it tends to find its way into all sorts of other projects! I had my seed bead collection out last week when I was working on the multicultural butterfly. Somehow the seed bead box didn't get put away. Then when I was looking for ways to embelish some felt, there were the seed beads calling out to me. I listened. I'm experimenting with different ways of attaching the beads to the felt. This is a hybrid of threading and couching. I have the beads threaded onto a double length of sewing cotton. I then use another length of cotton with a fine sharp needle. That thread is firmly attached to the felt. Each bead is secured by threading the needle through the bead and then couching down the double sewing thread on which it is strung. That way each bead has three thicknesses of cotton holding it in place and there's an attachment point between each bead: nice and secure. Another thing I like about this technique is that I can place each bead quite precisely to form an outline. As you can see, it's detailed work and I need to take a break pretty often to stretch and relax my shoulders.

Now for a shed update: the plaster is in; stormwater and electrical work will be finalised today. Then it's just a case of waiting for the finishing touches on the plaster. I should be painting on the weekend, though I have Foster Carer training all day Saturday, so I'll see how I go. Next week will see me putting up shelving and moving furniture. Then it will be time to actually move in with all my materials and equipment. I can hardly believe it. And I can hardly wait!