How is everyone progressing with their Project 3 pieces?
I have come to a sudden standstill with Runway of Pearls and am yet to start Ravishing Rosettes.
I've run into a few "issues" with Runway of Pearls.
Firstly this bracelet shrinks!
I had it sitting at a perfect length but by the time I had embellished the piece with the size 11/0 and 15/0 seed beads it had shrunk enough for the bracelet to be too small.
Add to this frustration the fact that by this stage I had already used up 388 of my 400 2mm beads I had bought so was in a bit of a panic as to how to lengthen the bracelet.
So.... I decided to use some 3mm Czech beads at each end stitching an extra row or two.
Problem solved!
So I thought...
I then realised that I needed more of the 2mm beads when "zipping" the bracelet closed.
So....I've had to order another 100 beads.
That's a total of 500 beads at a cost of $25.00 so far...without adding the cost of the other beads, thread and clasp!
Hmmmmm.....
I haven't started Ravishing Rosettes as I foolishly removed the 6mm pearls from my shopping cart in my Artbeads order.
My order arrived and I was wondering where on earth the pearls were and why they hadn't included them in my order to discover
I DIDN'T ORDER THEM!
Don't ask me why I removed them from my shopping cart (even I can't tell myself why) so I've had to order more...or should I say some!
Very frustrating to say the least!
In the mean time I've started a bead embroidered project inspired by one of my favourite artists,
Mary Engelbreit.
I discovered Mary's artwork way back in 1990 when I visited the US and my lovely friend, Traci, introduced me to her artwork.
This adorable tote is still on my wish list... but $99.00 to ship it to Australia...I don't think so!
I've loved and collected her art ever since!
~*~
So that's it for me for today.
Hopefully my pearls and 2mm Czech beads will arrive today or tomorrow and I can get started on completing a few of these projects!
I hope you are making better progress than me!
♥
13 comments:
Hi Karyn,
I am almost done with the Ravishing Rosettes. It took me about 5 trys to get it right, but once I fully understood the pattern it has been smooth going. I have not started the bracelet yet, I will start that in a day or so. Thanks for the tip on the shrinkage.
Therese
My vision for the Runway of Pearls didn't quite turn out. I'm back to the drawing board and will hopefully have something to show for my work tomorrow. I also started Ravishing Rosettes and, like Therese, it took me a few tries to understand the pattern. It's easy going, but I keep second guessing my colors.
I finished the Runway of Pearls bracelet but I am not liking the design very much!
I feel that since one of the little idiosyncracies of RAW is that it shrinks when you embellish it, this should have been mentioned in the instructions!
Maybe this was the editor's fault? Either way it was a glaring omission and I can see how people could easily get frustrated!
I added an inch to my base before embellishing it so it ended up being the right length...but I still don't like how fat and chunky it turned out and I wish I hadn't zipped it up!
If I were to do it again I would leave it as a flat cuff and I just switch up the order of embellishment so the rows of pearls frame the edges of the cuff and the seed beads embellish the center rows.
Of course that is a completely different design than the project, but I would like the end result much more!
But I am loving the Ravishing Rosettes much more than I thought I would! I am about half way done with it at this point and should finish tonight if I get a chance to work on it! It works up very quickly and is quite beautiful!
Oops, I forgot to mention that you can get 2mm Fire Polish rounds from Shipwreck Beads...600 pieces for $10.75. They only have Black and Crystal though.
Newsletter members get free shipping and Int'l Newsletter members get a discount on their orders in lieu of the free shipping.
Another source for 2mm Fire Polish beads is York Beads...they have a better color selection and wholesale prices, but they do have a $100 minimum order!
I love the 2mm Fire Polish beads and am always looking for better prices and color selection, so I though I would share!
I have to add to the comments about Runway of Pearls. I'm also having problems with it and I've already ripped it out. I decided not to use the size 11 triangles because I didn't think they'd be comfortable. So, I was going up to size 8 triangles and then upping th size of the other beads. It was working but I really don't like the pattern. I agree that the length issue should have been addressed. I haven't started the necklace because I wasn't intending to do that project. It's not something I would wear, but I may try it since I'm not happy with the bracelet. We'll see. I have gotten into more wireworking and I've been spending a lot of time finishing projects from two classes I took.
Karyn, I can't wait to see your bead embroidered project. Mary Engelbreit is one of my favorites too. I have lots of her things around the house!
My Runway of Pearls also shrunk...but..if you hold onto the end and slowly work your way to the other end by carefully pulling and rotating it you will get it back to the original size. I'm not sure if the way I'm explaining makes sense, but I can't think of another way to explain it.
Hope this helps.
Runway of Pearls - YUCK! I did use the the 11/0 triangles only because they were in my stash and they worked up very well. I did see that you and Christine did have issues with the length so I took it to 52 rows. As I tried the embellishment I tried using 4mm drops instead of 3mm pearls but what I have an issue with is that it is not as rigid as it looks in the picture and I am not pleased with the floppiness of it. I am still not sure if I will finish it or not.
Ravishing Rosettes. Well I did make a few tiny adjustments because of the beads I have on hand but it is working up wonderfully. Tension is important with this project.
This group has been so good for me to share these issues with. Thank you again!!!!
Glad to see I wasn't the only one with issues on the Runway project. I didn't have 11 triangles, tried it with cubes, didn't work, then tried it with size 5 triangles, which do work, but not to fold over. Whew! So, mine is totally different from the pattern.
I have about 8 rosettes done, and I'm thinking I'm going to make mine a bracelet, since I can't see me wearing this as a necklace.
Wow!!! This round of projects are definitely bringing out a LOT of thoughts/opinions/feedback!!! I started with Ravishing Rosettes and it wasn't coming easy to me - undid twice, started two more times, and it still wasn't coming easy, and I didn't care for my color selection, so then decided the heck with it (it's also my busiest month at work all year so time is not on my side...)...I have only started the base on Runway of Pearls...but the shrinkage tip is great!
Therese - I am about to start Ravishing Rosettes for the second time...hopefully it makes a bit more sense this time around!
Cindy - everyone is having a shrinkage issue with Runway of Pearls.Your tip makes perfect sense...so hopefully those that haven't started this project yet will keep that in mind. Shrinkage should always be mentioned in patterns ....it's a huge pain!
Maryanne - thanks for your comments on the not so popular Runway of Pearls!! I guess the beauty of this group is coming into problems like this with other people! It's kind of made me realise how badly some patterns can be written. Something as little as mentioning shrinkage can save beaders a lot of time!!
I love ME too... will definitely share my piece when it's done!
Amy - yes these two projects seemed to have caused a little bit of frustration for all of us! I am going to be giving Ravishing Rosettes another try today but so far I find the pattern and diagrams a little confusing. You shouldn't have any issues with Runway of Pearls now that you know about the shrinkage!!!
Shirley - I used the 2mm fire polished beads as I preferred the look of that bracelet compared to the one that was stitched with the triangles... and by the sounds of things that was a wise choice on my part! And at the rate I am going.... I think I will be making a bracelet for Ravishing Rosettes too rather than a necklace!
Kristen... I had to laugh when I read YUCK! I have noticed that my piece isn't going to be as rigid as it appears in the magazine too. Also it seems that most people have been disappointed with the way the triangles have worked with the piece so perhaps the 2mm fire polished beads should have been mentioned in the pattern as alternatives (I only found out what they had used as I emailed them). She did say however that she didn't mention them as they aren't readily available...Perhaps my tension with Ravishing Rosettes isn't tight enough...I will be starting this one again today so will pay more attention to my tension...
Tia Dalma - well done for finishing Runway of Pearls and sticking with it. I agree about zipping up uthe piece - I kind of like it as it is but then I guess it's just a strip of RAW...but still pretty! I love the design of Ravishing Rosettes but am just struggling with the pattern. I am sure once I get a few rosettes done it will make more sense...it's just getting to that point!! Thanks so much for sharing where to find the 2mm beads - this might be a better option for anyone that is keen to try Runway of Pearls with other beads. I have found they have worked nicely with the pattern but was very restricted to colours...black and clear!
Sorry for calling you Tia Dalma too... I wasn't sure of your real name!
Tanya - both of these patterns have been quite challenging for everyone it seems. I found Runway of Pearls very easy to stitch - it was just the shrinkage that was the issue for me... Ravishing Rosettes has me scratching my head so far! Not sure about my colours either...will get a better idea as to whether I like them once I've done a bit more... after unpicking what I've already done!!
Karyn,
As this is my first challenge with Beading Babes, I just wanted to say that this is a wonderful group!
I think it makes a big difference having so many people all working on the same projects and able to share our experiences with each other.
I think that it helps build everyone's skills by working on projects that we wouldn't necessarily choose and that might be out of someone's comfort or skill level...
And I might not have chosen to do Ravishing Rosettes and I would have missed out on this beautiful necklace!
I love reading the comments here and hopping around to read everyone's blog posts about the Beading Babes projects too!
Now I can't wait for the reveal...so thank you for creating this group and for welcoming me to join!
Oh, and my name is Vimala, but I don't mind being called Tia...I've been using that name online for years now!
Just reading through the comments and noticed everyone has a 'limp' Runway bracelet.. I used hex beads instead of triangles and mine is stiff as a board!! I don't know if that made the difference or if it's my 'Biceps of Steel' tension that I tend to put on every piece!
I DO want to finish the Rosettes! I actually like my color and think I would definitely wear it.. I just have to take a mental break from it.
And like Vimala said, I have enjoyed the blog hop to see everyone's progress and follow new blogs!!
I am SO SO SO happy & thankful for the day I just so happened to see Karyn & the Dreaded Dragon Bangle on Facebook :D :D :D
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