Is it Even the Same Design Anymore?

I stitched a skull for All Souls Day and Dia de Muertos:

And here is the pattern I "followed":

Beware by Linda Medina, 2017 Just Cross Stitch Halloween

The first change came with the materials -- I didn't have pink fabric, so I chose teal, which meant tweaking the colors of the floss.  As I stitched the skull I added an extra row on the bottom for the jaw. Then I decided to emphasize the flowers at the top more, which eventually led to the lazy daisy and bullion stitches.  "Beware" no longer seemed like an appropriate caption, so I changed that. I liked the spiral, but that had to move.  I didn't forget about the little orange floral motif at the top, so those became Rhodes stitches in chartreuse.

I'm pleased with how it came out. Maybe if I ever get pink linen, I'll stitch the original (with no changes) for a companion piece.

Whimsical Herringbone Flower Earrings

The problem:

I loved these earrings, but the deep purple finish on the size 11 beads wore off.

The inspiration:

I pulled these socks on, and thought the color combination needed to make its way into my jewelry box.

The solution:

The pattern is "Whimsical Herringbone Flowers" by Bonnie O'Donnell-Painter, from the October 2006 issue of Bead & Button.

Tag!

Floresita "tagged" me, so I guess it's my turn.

What are you working on?

I've been on a beading kick lately, but I always have a few needlework projects going.  Like this:

It's a vintage crewel pattern by Blanche Virgien, to make a bag.  The daisies are supposed to be done in white and cream wool, but that bright yellow was screaming for bright flowers.

And there's this:

Beadboy3's Christmas stocking, which I'd better keep working on if I want it actually finished by Christmas Eve.

How does your work differ from others of its genre?

I'm not sure it does, except perhaps in its eclecticness -- I faithfully follow others' designs, or use them as a starting point, or create my own.  I work in bright colors, or neutrals, or dark and rich colors.  I use pretty much any kind of fiber and canvas, and I'll try almost any technique or stitch once.  The upside is that I never get bored; the downside is that I never become really good at any one skill.

Why do you create what you do?

Because I have to.  I love working with my hands and creating something beautiful, and if I go too long without picking up a needle, I get itchy and lost.  As my mom says, it's my therapy.

How does your creative process work?

In different ways.  Sometimes I can trace the exact thought processes that lead to a finished project, and sometimes my inspiration is amorphous and not readily obvious.  Sometimes I have a very clear idea of what I want to do, and sometimes the design evolves drastically as I work on it.

Now it's your turn!

I found Olisa at Cocoaeyes years ago, when she kindly made a felt alien ornament for me to give to my brother.  Lately she's been working on some incredible geometric projects mixing thread and watercolors.

Lisa at A Cuppa Tea with Me has all sorts of amazing embroidery -- floral girly stuff, pop culture treats, and some saucy designs.

Finally, Jo at Serendipitous Stitching finds the neatest cross stitch designs.

Recession Jewelry

I often get ideas for jewelry from different magazines. I'll see a piece I like and think "i can make that." Usually as I make the piece I end up using the image as inspiration rather than something to copy exactly; I'll change the colors or the length, I'll tweak the style or make it more suitable to my taste. Sometimes the piece I've made ends up almost identical*, other times one would be hard-pressed to recognize the original jewelry piece in what I have made.

Today while waiting in the drug store I flipped through a copy of In Style magazine and found a stack of leather bracelets with Swarovski crystals and immediately thought "I can make that!" As soon as I got home I headed up to the third floor and got to it. Rather than make several bracelets to get the stacked look (which would require several clasps on leather, not my favorite thing to do), I decided to use one long piece of leather thong. I cut a piece that I thought would fit around my wrist loosely five times (thanks to my mom, who taught me odd is better than even). The bracelets in the magazine had the crystals in metal settings in the leather. Not having a BeDazzler, instead I wrapped the crystals (swarovski, round, 6 mm) onto the leather with a long piece of thin brass wire, spacing the beads about an inch and a half apart. I finished it off with brass coils and clasp. The whole thing only took about a Simpsons episode and 2 innings of a Red Sox game. Best of all, it was free. I'm quite pleased with it.
*Lawyer time: this is Fair Use. I never take credit for others' designs, and I never copy another's design for commercial use.

So much for crafting . . .

Usually each week I get at least one or two chunks of time when I can go hide up on the third floor surrounded by all my craft crap and play for a while; it is a necessary thing to recharge my batteries and brighten my mood. So far this year I had actually made some progress on my stack of unfinished projects plus worked on some new ones, both practical and decorative.

Sometimes, though, I get weeks like this one. Between babysitter cancellations, appointments, errands, and unexpected delays, I'll go the entire week without picking up a single needle or bead. I hate that, it makes me grumpy. I hope next week is better.

In the meantime, since I have nothing new to show, I'll talk about my recent obsession with beaded flowers. A few weeks ago I pulled out my copy of The Beaded Garden to make some tiny little flowers for a pair of earrings I had been thinking about. The inspiration was a trip to the botanical gardens in Pittsburgh I took while visiting my mom. We walked into one room and I was immediately stunned by gardens overflowing with deep purple (almost black) pansies and dark magenta, orangey-red, and yellow tulips. (the Beadboys' reaction -- "Oh, wow!") I made a note of the colors to use in some future project, then eventually settled on earrings. I chose the tiny tulip, five-petaled rose (the official pansy pattern was too big), and daffodil (for variety) patterns and made these:

I couldn't stop there, though, so I also made these:
Then I thought I really needed to make more daffodils:
Whenever I make it back to the third floor I think I'll make some of these flowers into earrings and put them in the shop.