Friday 2 May 2014

Things bead related and the Laurel prize tourney at Festival

Whilst a lot of my focus lately has been very cheese orientated by brain has not strayed too far from my bead work as well.

Bead Projects -

The banner has come out of hiatus and is currently on the table waiting for ordered beads. I am frustratingly trying to figure out a slightly new version of the border I want around it, but am being picky. Festival market day saw a proliferation of beads and a subsequent reduction in my account balance. Some are immediately earmarked for the banner, others for the shiny at the moment. I have also made some decisions on trim and bits and pieces for the central lozenge. Next step is to action them! Part of that is going to be constructing a frame to help work the lozenge, but soon my pretty!

The Laurel Prize prompted me to pull out some of my part done bead projects and have a look at them again. So for the first time in probably over a year I did two more rows on my peyote stitch solid construction piece which will be trim for a cloaklet. Then of course I broke the thread about an inch from the bottom whilst moving it around and was grateful it is only a tester piece! But it did prompt me a to start thinking about it again and planning the final/actual piece as well.

More than anything Laurel Prize (as my first time ever entering) started me thinking about my bead related ufo's and what I needed to do to finish some. It also reminded me of the breadth of styles I am playing with, Russian bead embroidery, German peyote solid construction, India tambour working, couching and just bead by bead laying down. Made me feel good that I have a strong basic to intermediate on all these styles, now I just need to apply myself and get into the more advanced!

Laurel Prize Tournament, Rowany Festival 2014 -

As I mentioned before this was my first ever entry so I didn't really know what to expect (Mistress says, Apprentice does!). My table was split into two parts, cheese and beads. I took some haloumi (freshly fried), semi-soft goats and fresh butter for tasting as well as way too much of the associated equipment! I also took my beaded banner, my peyote work and my examples of the Russian bead embroidery. I got talked to a lot on both topics and I wouldn't say any one over the other. Earned a little bowl of trinkets and shinys including a strand of pretty pretty pearls and actual period Venetian chevron trade bead (which is awesome!). Had a particularly good chat about cheese making equipment and need to now pass on some details/sizes to get some things commissioned :)

Nice. Positive. And I will know better what to take/expect next year!

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