Hard won simplicity

The 'final' proofs of Contemporary Geometric Beadwork Vol. 2 are going back and forth between Kate and the Edit team which I am part of. It is a sparkling beautiful body of work. People from everywhere around the world have contributed to take the beaded Triangle to the level of Spatial Hybrid Structures, and Kate applied Multiple View Geometry to her excellent Photography, and put words on what was impossible to express, or to name... Like a botanist, she had to find coherent family names for all the pieces to be able to describe and sort them in chapters. Rick Rack, Zig-Wing, All-Wing, Horned Bangle... It's an encyclopedia. I am wondering if she could imagine what was behind the door she opened the day she took upon her shoulders the orchestration of such a huge collaborative project, but she opened it and the enormous mountain of possibilities shook, and a lawina of beaded awesome tumbled down, each piece more beautiful than the other.

I am proud that some of my pieces are in the book, but even prouder to have contributed to some of the newborn delights with Jalisco Bangle, which happens to be an All-Wing, with serious spatial intentions. I wish that I could make more pieces with huge wings and peaks and pods, but my own patterns also request time and I need the extra income. I am also working on a book together with Gerlinde Lenz, about her fabulous Diamond Weave, and also want to make something for myself from time to time, without patterns or books in mind. My studio has never been such a mess.

Esmeralda's bag with
'Jalisco' opening

My time dedicated to Contemporary Geometric Beadwork is a gift, and my rewards are to be part of the fabulous (every day) and the thrill when seeing others come up with designs where I can see my modest influence (sometimes). It makes me feel warm inside, proud, but admirative too. It is amazing to see where the beaders take the techniques. It is incredible how one idea morphs into another.
The book also features wise and interesting quotes about all kinds of things, such as architecture and color. My second favorite, right after the one by Seneca which Kate gracefully accepted to put in one of the pages showcasing my 'Moonrise' cuff, is this one, by the British-Swiss modern-times philosopher Alain de Botton (listen to his talk, you'll love this guy):

Click to see larger image
of 10-pointed  pod

“For us to deem a work of architecture
elegant, it is not enough that it look simple:
we must feel that the simplicity it
displays has been hard won.”

Hard won simplicity. That's what Jalisco Bangle is. It was born from the Yukka flower: I increased the hole in the center of the flower, didn't add beads of different sizes and didn't close the tips. I stripped the design, simplified it. Doesn't that sound odd?

Samurai pod

What I call the Yukka flower was born from the Fork and the Fork was born from my wish to fold a triangle over a rubber cord so that I could wear it point-down. Not just any triangle. June Huber's Totally Twisted Triangle. Such a lovely design, we all wanted to make it here on this side of the pond. It wouldn't fold, so I thought: let's make a square. And a hexagon. And an octogon. Or only two points - that was the Pepper. I also made pods... tiny, multi-pointed pods... I still have no idea how to explain the Samurai pod design in a tutorial. If only I weren't photophobic, I would organize a retreat. Because anyone who has a good beading background can make it and a retreat is so much fun. It is so hard to explain spatial things - this is why Kate's and Karen's and Christina Vandervlist's work is so admirable.

Tiny Tulips - 3D flowers
with MRAW stems

I sometimes think that I should rewrite the Pepper, Fork and Yukka Flower tutorial so that the intermediate beader could try it too (I taught it to a beginner with success), but CGB opened my eyes on how things need to be brought to a student in writing; it takes an entire book and I am already busy enough. Since there is some 'reading between the lines' counting on the beader's profenciency, PFY will remain something for advanced beaders, or at least for the fearless ones. So far, only one person told me that it was not detailed enough and I helped her out, of course. I strive to make more precise explanations now, and my more recent patterns, like the Tiny Tulip pattern, are very detailed.
But still not for wussy pants.

“It is not because things are
difficult that we do not dare; it is
because we do not dare that
things are difficult.”
- Seneca -

Another example of 'Hard won simplicity': Some time ago, I found another use of the simple 6 wings (all increase): it wanted to become a chain. The elements can be placed in any order, like Lego.

Just because of the quote, I decided to bead it up, between two proofs, in two days.

This said, I would also like to shout out how proud I am that my very first entry in the Etsy BeadWeavers Team Challenge of the month of June has won the first place in the public poll! YAY!!! I am so grateful! Many thanks for your support! The Tristan & Iseult Scented Bottle necklace was designed to tell the story of the two unfortunate lovers and is for sale in my Etsy shop. It was made with Steampunk style in mind, an embellished MRAW band around the bottle, a Yukka flower with tiny Maypole stem and lots of love.

Tristan & Isolde Scented Bottle Necklace

Special Summer Sale

A quick update for you all following me here on my blog. I am so sorry for not being very active here. These days my writing skills are fully dedicated to the book Diamond Weave, a collaboration with Gerlinde Lenz I told you about last month. I am a slow writer and so blogging is a bit calm... I can't do this many at the same time.

Mosquito net

Of course I am beading a lot of things for this wonderful project and do enjoy the process in every way, but I regret not being able to show you my work right now. I also am trying to put together the pattern for the Tulip many of you asked for, and hope to have this done by the end of the month. Time goes by so fast. I wish that there were 48 hours per day. I have so many design ideas which I would love to make. I even bought glue and varnish for paper... maybe I will be able to make that little pendant "à la Diane Hyde" I'm dreaming of...

The weather has improved tremendously and I can finally bead, or work on the book on the balcony. I

call it BOTB-ing - Beading on the Balcony.  Hubby and I have eaten there last night and tonight and it felt great to be 'nearly outside' thanks to all the birds singing. With hubby, we went to buy mosquito nets for all he windows of our apartment because last year we had an invasion of hornets in the area, and a few of them tried to establish a camp in our bedroom... I also bought little flowers which have a lovely smell!

Potentilla and Heliotrope

Summer holidays are often the moment a beader can find a bit of time for a favorite project and so it seems to be the perfect moment to offer you a special discount on my patterns in my Etsy shop.

Check this out: if you buy one pattern, you may chose another pattern of the same or inferior value, for free. Simply let me know what you would like to receive and I will send it to you. This is valid until May 21, 9pm UTC (that is 21:00 in Geneva, Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona)

Happy Beading!

Spring fever

Little Thumb

It is Spring, I am busy as a bee. It seems to me that I'm most active during this season. It might come from the awakening of nature, the smell of the ground, the beautiful weather, the light. I might be light-intollerant, it doesn't mean that I like darkness. As long as I can remain in the shade of the building where I live, it is ok. I can't wait to bead on the balcony again.

Little Red Hood

This year Spring is much nicer than the past 2 - 3 years. My Hortensia is growing a bit too fast, but that's often the case on a balcony. My bamboo is a bit thirsty, because I was reluctant to water it, fearing that it would freeze, which generally happens in March. But this year it was nice nearly the entire month. It's not a big issue - it grows like grass... (which is normal, because it's the same family). April is nice too, the temperature is lovely. The heating doesn't even function here in the flat...

Hyper Eddie hasn't left and it's nice, because I am really having fun with beads. There are 3 new files with pictures on my computer, Fairy Figurines, Creepy Creatures and Jeannie.

'I dream of Jeannie' Barbie

As part of the Facebook Group Bead Dollie, I wanted to follow Diane Hyde's advice "Play around and just make something quick, little, and fun." So I made a Little Thumb - because I've always wanted to make little boots based on my Calla Lily flowers. The little figurine shows the moment when Tom puts the fairy boots on and they adapt to his size progressively. A little Red Hoot soon joined him. I have started a 3rd character of the 17th-Century writer Charles Perrault. This is really fun!

Tiny tulips - "Oranje Boven"

For an informal challenge to make clothes for Barbies within the framework of Contemporary Geometric beadwork, I made a bellydancer outfit for the doll Kate McKinnon sent too me. The bustier is the first thing I wanted to make with the pear cup shapes of Gerlinde's Monte Carlo bracelet. You may already have seen the Monte Carlo pattern I wrote in collaboration with her; well this little bracelet has opened a breach in my imagination.

Little Angler fish

I made little orange tulips for the very first King's Day in the Netherlands - until todayDutch National Holiday was Queen's day, but now there is a king...

I also made a tiny Angler fish based on the peyote structure and a 3rd "Creepy creature" is already in the make.

And all this while continuing writing tutorials for you. Today, I am really proud to announce that the 2 tutorials to make your very own "Souls" necklace and/or ring and earrings (or both patterns together) are now available in my Etsy Shop. This was a labour of love when I made it for the Battle of the Beadsmith back in 2013, but also writing the tutorial was not the easiest thing. It was nearly as hard to explain how to make it than to make it. I hope that you will be as happy with yours as I am with mine.

Souls

Last but not least, at Contemporary Geometric Beadwork the editorial work of the Edit team (which I'm part of) has started.
Did I say that I'm as busy as a bee somewhere?

Geometric Jewels Designs - First tutorial

The original Monte Carlo bracelet

Maybe you'll remember my blog post from November 2013, about Gerlinde Lenz's visit at my place. What a wonderful time chatting, beading and exploring techniques we had. Together, we discussed the possibility of publishing her designs which many a beader admires, including me, and because she doesn't see how she could possibly find time for both beading and writing instructions while also taking care of her two parents, we decided to team up to publish a few tutorials.

The design I wanted to make first is what I called the Monte Carlo bracelet because the movement makes me think of a pin bend, and Monte Carlo is famous for  their Formula 1 circuit. And because it is reversible. I immediately wanted to add pearls in the little pear-shaped cups and am very happy with the result.

I entirely remade the bracelet to find the best way to teach it and make WIP pictures, and came up with two ways: either by making all the little cups separately or using an all-with-one-thread method, for the more advanced beader.

I am pleased to announce that the first Geometric Jewels Pattern is now available in my Etsy Shop in the section "Geometric Jewels". 

And if life allows, it will not be the last design. Soon more!

SamohtaC Etsy-B-Day

Tomorrow my Etsy Shop SamohtaC will be one year old. It's been a lot of work and learning and love and I am very grateful to all those of you who encouraged me, inspired me and who bought/buy my little patterns. You make my life better! Thank you so much for choosing my designs, for liking them, sharing them, favoriting them, and adding them to treasury lists.

You are wonderful. I hope that our walk (or dance?) on the beady roads, together, will last many more years.

Tomorrow, to celebrate the Birthday and to thank you, you can use the following coupon code to get 25% off of your order:

SAMOHTACDAY2014

Happy Beading! and much love!

 

 and just because this made me smile out loud and the colors match my blog so well:

(tomorrow means 21st March...)