FGP#25 "Clubbing the Night Away" final touches

It is always tricky thinking out the presentation of a beadwork piece. I was not satisfied with the way that the 6 of clubs piece hung. The wire joins at the top where I placed loops for hanging created small hinges which moved just enough to allow the piece to bend and not hang straight. I searched for heavier wire but would have to had used brown. The 14 gauge wire that I used was the heaviest black I could find, I really did not want to add a brown border by whip stitching another round of wire with a different join site. I had no luck at craft and/or hardware stores finding something that would do the trick. However, it was time to get my teeth cleaned, and I asked my dentist about wire. He sent me to an orthodontist friend who gave me a piece of thin but very stiff orthodontic wire. It did the trick. All I needed was to support the top line that contained the loops and joins of the original wire. I whip stitched the orthodontic wire to the back of the piece between the first 2 rows of beads. It is barely visible and improves the hang immensely. Joanne

Here are the final shots and details of each couple. I am still waiting to here when and where the deck of cards may be purchased and when and where (in Pittsburgh, PA) the exhibit of all the card pieces will be. I will post here when I know. 

FGP#23 Dance Floor continued

I am continuing to work the dance floor in brick stitch outlines with right angle weave filler. The brick stitching is sometimes tapered. It helps to have multiple sizes of the same or similar bead. Working down to the deadline now. The photography for the deck of cards is commencing. I will post here where the cards may be ordered and when the exhibit of all the deck pieces will be when I get the information. Joanne

FGP#22 Dance Floor Brick Stitch

The collaged dance floor is used as a pattern for brick stitched lines in large gray on gray beads. Cylinder, triangle, rectangle and other beads are used to emphasize the lines and squares. Right angle weave fills in the center opf the squares as well as the background surrounding the squares and lines.

By this time all 4 corner nails have been removed so that the holes could be filled in with beads. Side nails are placed to maintain the size spread and they are repositioned as needed to make room for the stitching. Joanne

FGP#21 Right Angle Weave Background

Once the upper left corner is done, I began on the upper right, repeating the process--stitch the motif, then surround it and fix in place with right angle weave. I also wanted to repeat the pale bluish rectangle beads from the disco ball so that they did not appear in only one place. They made a cool tall drink.

FGP#18 Frame continued

Well, Back from a holiday break. We went to visit the granddaughter in Rochester, NY. I did take 2 days off before Christmas to sew a snow white dress.
But now back to the project: First, I photographed the figures on black and gray backgrounds to decide which I liked better. For all but the disco balls, I preferred the gray.

I stitched 2 rows of round #6 seed beads in black and very dark brown around the entire wire frame. I like the depth that close but not identical shades provide. I decided to up the weight of the thread to 10 lb fireline as the bead holes allowed it and I figured, the heavier the better.

After the 2 rows of round beads, I added a row of dark iridescent rectangular beads, followed by a row of bluish gray rectangular beads. I think that the rectangular beads will add rigidity to the frame and the gray will help shade the frame into the proposed gray background. As I bead around, I attach any figure that butts the frame.

I have decided to leave the upper left corner to last. This is where I planned the speakeasy door with the eye hole. I am debating leaving this feature out as I am concerned with getting the background too busy as well as adding a detail too small (the eye in the hole) to carry down to the reduced playing card size.

Another decision is what stitch in which to actually do the background. Brick stitch will be more stiff but add lines to the background. I like to surround my brick stitch figures in a background of right angle weave as there are no distracting line of beads in right angle weave. However, right angle weave is a softer stitch, it will not be as stiff a supporting structure. Right angle weave also takes longer to stitch than brick stitch. I have chosen to do the lines of the dance floor in brick stitch and the surrounding background in right angle weave. I think that the dance floor lines will add sufficient support especially if done with rectangle beads.

I am sampling some of the brick stitch lines representing the dance floor. I may or may not decide to keep these. I do like the blue and gray, but like the gold-brassy beads less. I am concerned they might draw attention too much away from the figures. I will wait and delay my decision till more is stitched.

I have decided to do the background in right angle weave. To prepare the brick stitching for right angle weave, I do a picot row. I add a bead, pick up the thread bridge between the 2 beads below and DO NOT go through the bead a second time. This allows the bead to set up with its hole perpendicular to the previous beads below in the brick stitch row. These picot beads will be incorporated into the 4 bead circles that are the basic unit of right angle weave. Joanne

FGP#17 Frame

When I first started to do brick stitch pictures, I worked from the figures out to the edge. I found it very difficult to end up with straight edges. Since this particular project has a required finished size, I am going to establish the outside edge first then work the background to tie the figures into the already set frame. Because of the size, I feel that this beadwork will require some support, so I am going to wire the outside edge. I chose 16 gauge black colored artistic wire.

First, I sawed a board a little bigger than the 12"x19" finished project size and drew with marker and ruler the 12"x19" rectangle on the board.

I drilled small holes just inside the corners as well as 2" in from the top edge and hammered finishing nails into these holes. I added nails for hanger loops at the top above the extra nails.

I looped the wire around the nail  2" in from the top corner and wound the wire around the bottom nails and the other top corner to the nail 2" in from that edge. The wire was cut and looped off. I threaded a second piece of wire through the two top wire loops, wrapped over the nails above the piece and refastened to itself. I am not an expert wire wrapper but did not want an asymmetrical fastening of the wire. This was my solution.

I then brick stitched size 6 beads around the wire by picking up a bead, putting the needle around the wire and going back through the bead.

A second row of beads is brick stitched to the first forming a framed edge of brick stitching to the supporting wire. Note that the board is temporary only, it exists to establish a definitive size and shape to the outline. The piece will be removed from the board when it is stable. Each project requires an individual presentation technique. When this project is done, I will try to remember to do a blog on presentation variations. Joanne

FGP#16 Second Disco Ball

The second, smaller disco ball has a different orientation showing the bottom of the ball. I choose to start with a circular bead ladder at this bottom circle. After a few rounds, the smaller ball is attached to the side of the first and larger one.

Rounds of brick stitch continue with smaller beads on the bottom and larger beads on the top.

When the bottom edge is neared, a bead ladder is thrown to outline this edge, then filled in. As before, bead ladders in new areas are done in small increments. It is much easier to control the shape of a short bead ladder than a long one.

When the bottom is done, the thread is attached at the top and beadwork progresses upwards. After the smaller ball is completed, rounds of brick stitch are finished around the larger ball adjusting its shape. Joanne

I think what I like most about doing pictures in brick stitch is that the designing decisions are not done with the original collage. Decisions need to be made and adjusted continually as the bead stitching progresses. I find that once all the decisions are over and done with as in working a charted design, I lose interest. Tweaking the design, changing it, making it work is the carrot that keeps me going. Joanne

FGP#15 First Disco Ball

The original collage was made with disco balls that were photos of pictures. I was never quite satisfied with them. I searched until I found a real disco ball that I could photograph and do so in several orientations. I am much happier with these new photos so have pasted them over the original disco balls.

To begin the beadwork, I chose a line in the photo to make as my first bead ladder. It happens to be in the lower middle of the ball. And remember, I do not do a bead ladder the length of the line, I do the bead ladder in 1"-2" stages, curving the line by increasing, decreasing, and bead size changes in the second and third rows. I decided to add bugles and rectangular beads to add to the mirrored tile effect of the disco ball. I am using 8 lb fireline as a thread. The largest beads will be in the center, belly, of the ball to attempt to add dimension.

As the beadwork progressed, I shaped the curving lines by tapering the edges with 2 and 3 drop brick stitch (that is adding 2 or 3 beads at a time in a single stitch).

When I came near the bottom, I stopped and restarted at the bottom and then worked up, attaching the two pieces.

I then went back to the original line and added beads on the other side working upwards and incorporating the arm of the female disco dancer.

When the top of the ball was completed, I did an extra row of brick stitch around the circumference of the ball to smooth out the edges. Note that this stitching requires a large selection of beads of varying colors, sizes, finishes and shapes. I tried to follow the value differences in the disco ball photo and use specialty beads to enhance the dimension and reflection of the ball. Fun! Joanne