Wednesday 20 February 2013

Face of Books

It has been a long time since my last post. I am on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TheBlindBeader and have been posting most of my stuff on there. Recently I have been beading and selling at local markets and even one of the local shops took a few items to sell. The Beading expo in Melbourne was fun and I learnt a lot in the three classes I did and I was proud that I did not go totally crazy at the seed bead stall I could have easily got many more tubes and have since ordered more tubes of a triangle bead in an amber lined blue that has an AB (rainbow) effect look to it. I bought the first tube as it was the first tri seed bead I had seen and wanted to experiment with it. I ended up starting a large 3D dragon doll out of them. I plan to do a lot more than just the maw, complete with teeth, tongue, gums, lips and nostrils but it has taken a back seat for the moment due to an order of sorts for some herringbone rope necklaces and bracelets I am making them for the lady in the shop up the street from me. I hope she likes the design and takes them to sell but even if she does not I will have some nice things to add to my market stall. I also published a children to young teenagers book of fantasy and have added this to my poetry book on the market stall too. I am the only one with copies of the poetry book entitled The Gateway for sale and the children's book The Amazing Prism can be found on amazon.com or on the Zeus Publications website. I plan to get my dragon finished by Christmas or sooner if I can. It is a challenge and I hope I can pull it off. Wish me Luck!
~The Blind Beader~

Thursday 15 September 2011

Beading Bits

Hi there been a while since my last post (not that any one reads this or if they do they don't comment to let me know...) I've been beading some necklaces and I did a class to make a bracelet which was fun and I got to use some tigertail my first time using that and it felt nice and flexable. Here are some of my beading creations.







Sunday 29 May 2011

Beading Blunders

Today I have been trying a few samples to get my head around Peyote and Herringbone stitches.

I am sure I messed up my first attempt at a Russian style leaf (and I know I was using the wrong beads that did not help things either) with it kind of bowing in the middle most likely due to a miss stitch or two as size 11 seed beads in that sparkly silver were running together in front of my eye. I'll give it another go with some other seed beads though. (an idea for a big project in the back of my mind is begging me to be able to do a leaf properly)

My tubular Herringbone was slightly better but again I am sure I missed a row or stitch or something and I only had a ladder of two beads per column with six columns I think it will be better with a bigger base. I tried to increase the stitch and again stuffed it up some how so it looks weird and wacky and rather wonky too. But I shall prevail it was only a test.

I don't really like the weird lemon green beads (again most of them don't fit on my needle) but looking at them next to the gold (lovely to work with as the first batch from this tube actually all fitted!) they look quite good and might even go nicely with the dark green seedies I have been using.

My first peyote stitch using bigger beads not sure of the size now I threw the packet away worked quite well even if I did totally mess up the 'zip it up' part where it became a round tube to act as a toggle clasp. If you don't look too closely at the inside of it, it might just pass. (too bad I am a perfectionist I'll just have to do another one yay for more practise!)

Ishtah The Blind Beader.

Saturday 28 May 2011

Working on a dragon

My mother is away for a bit and I thought it would be nice for her to find another addition to her dragon collection waiting for her. I know she has not found or been given a beaded dragon before.

He is not the best looking dragon being flat of body but I do love the little wings err... wing I have not made the second one yet that is tomorrow's beading bit for the day one thing at a time keeps boredom at bay and eyeball not as sore as if I were to try and make the whole thing in one sitting.

That and my back plays up being all hunched over my beads even with a large foam pillow to work on!

My brain has been working over time trying to design a way to make a larger more 3D dragon and I know there are patterns out there but I'd have to buy them and it is more fun putting my weird ideas to the test. I have thought up several things I could do to make the tail and body and I'd like to enlarge the wing pattern I have found thanks to;
(Chimera Dragonfang )
http://www.chimeradragonfang.deviantart.com/
But I still don't quite know how to put them all together that is the tricky bit when the beads all look the same and blur together you can't see or feel much of anything so you stab and hope you thread in roughly the right spot. Wish me luck! I'll post a picture of the little one when I finish him.

I have since done some sketches and still have very little idea on how to attach my peices but I am working on it...


The Present has hatched!

The Blind Beader.

P.S. thanks all for looking at my little blog (let me know what you think I am new to this too)

Thursday 26 May 2011

Beading Blind

It is a bigger challenge for me than most. (Beading)
If I am not miss-threading beads or thread, (thank you whom ever invented my needle threader!) I am threading through the wrong bead and have to keep pulling stuff apart just to get it right because I just can not see the beads I am working with and after a little while my fingers get desensitised and I can't even feel the difference in the beads to work out where the holes are. I think I have rediscovered my patience but this is a very frustrating hobby at times. But I have also rediscovered the feeling of satisfaction in completing a project that actually turned out well. After all the pain, blood and tears of various stabbings and restarts I can look at it and think “yeah Ishy that looks good. Not bad for a girl like me.’