In Honor of Merle Berelowitz and Ms. Maddie's Fabulous Florals

When my son was in grade school, one thing I tried to impress upon him, with respect to success in school and in life was to understand the goal, before you begin the work.  It seems to be a very hard thing to learn, to read the assignment in it's entirity, before you set out on whatever mission you have been given.  He seems to have learned this lesson, and recently won himself a paid internship for the the summer at Amazon.  In his interview group, he was the only one not wearing a suit.  But the e-mail invitation had stressed the casual attire of the corporate environment.  He wore a jeans, a deep blue t-shirt, and a long-sleeved blue and white cotton striped shirt.  He read, and understood the assignment.  I am so proud of him.

I, on the other hand, am apparently still struggling to learn this very important lesson.

I raced along pretty frantically to finish my Bead Dreams piece this year, putting on the final touches and doing the photography on the last Sunday before the Tuesday deadline.  A few weeks earlier, I had checked out the application and rules for the event, to make sure I knew the deadline, and was working effectively toward it.  At that check point, I noticed a special category for this year, in honor of one Merle Berelowitz, who I did not recognize.  The design criteria, to quote the paragraph I read was:

"To be considered for this category, your piece must prominently feature flower beads, Merle's signature supply, or a floral motif.  Nature should serve as the guiding influence, as it did for Merle throughout her career as a beading artist.  She personally crafted Blooms, her own unique garden of hand painted acrylic flowers.  You can view merle's Blooms at www.msmaddiesbeads.com."  

Hmmm, I thought. And I took a quick peek at the Blooms, which were the epitome of pretty; colorful, bright, and happy creations.  What I was working on (which I thought might either go in Crystal or Finished Jewelry) seemed to meet the criteria expected in this memorial category.  My piece was covered with Czech flower beads, and handwoven leaves.  Plus the work was initially inspired by a trip to Yellowstone National Park.  Nature at it's most magical!  

I tucked the information away, and returned to my breakneck beading.  When it came time to fill out the entry form, I re-read the requirement paragraph and debated the merits of trying this new category.  Then I noticed there was a cash prize.  Most of the prizes come in the form of beady supplies from generous sponsors, which is wonderful.  I loved my great new tools and threads from Beadalon last year!  But this was a very generous cash prize, and my mind ran to materials I would love to buy.  "Why not give it a go?", I thought.  

So without further consideration, research, or information, I entered "Ms. Maddie's Fabulous Florals." But not without a qualifier.  At the end the description of my work I wrote, in my entry submission, "While I did not design with this memorial event in mind, my fairy tale forest does seem to fit the criteria, although in a darker, more magical and menacing way than Merle's pretty flowers.  If you chose to include the work, and think it belongs in a different category, please do not hesitate to move it."

Had my son been watching me, he would have been frowning.  

Now, I had no reason to think I had a better than 50/50 chance of even becoming a finalist in this magnificent show of beaded wonders.  Winning any competition depends entirely on who is judging, what they are looking for, and who else shows up to be judged.  Last year I was delighted to be accepted, and shocked to find I had won a second place ribbon in the Seed Bead catogory with my "Picnic in May on Lilac Way."

Once the dust settled, and I received an acceptance notice (!) for my work, "From the Forest of Fairy Tales", I began to think more about what I had done.  

Then, I hunted until I found the category criteria paragraph, and discovered another paragraph that came BEFORE the one I had read so carefully.  "We have a special category in 2014, Ms. Maddie's Fabulous Florals, created in honor of world renown beader, Merle Berelowitz, who passed away last year.  Bead & Button readers have the opportunity to judge the finalists in this category and grant prizes totalling $5,000 to the top pieces."

So, I had scanned this info, but failed to understand it fully.  (My son is now shaking his head.)  There was a world renowned beader who passed away last year, and this catogory was created in her honor.  I got that part, although I didn't know who she was.  But the next bit had not registered at all.  Bead & Button readers would be judging the event.

I began to notice fB comments from other beaders who had entered the Fabulous Florals event, who had clearly known and loved Merle Berelowitz.  They were chatting about imagining Merle looking over their shoulder and whispering in their ear as they worked.  I decided it was time to find out about this bead artist.

And there was lots to read and see!  My first impression, from just looking at the photo of her (clearly wearing one of her own necklaces on the Bead Dreams page) was that of a happy, cheerful individual.  I think often, you get a sense of who an aritist is by the tone and aesthetic in their work.  And the more I looked, the more that seemed to be the truth.  Her colorways are bright and joyful.  And she loved flowers of every ilk and stripe, the more the merrier.
  
But more important, people loved her.  First I found a post on Facebook, from International Jewelry and Accessory Designers, Manufacturers and Suppliers.  This post talked about Merles passing in July of last year, and voiced the original idea of the memorial competition, the "first annual Ms. Maddie's Blooms Beadwork Prize to be awarded to the most creative form of stitched, beaded jewelry incorporating flowering plants and blossoms."  

Memorial events are not created for every beader who passes on.  This artist was special.  I began to read blog posts about her passing.

I read several beader's words, soaking in their sadness and loss, along with bits and hints about Merle.  On Adele Recklies Rogers blog, I found she was a great friend of Suzanne Golden's, and bits about her family and life.  On the Saturday Sequins blog, I discovered a shared delight in sequins and beautiful representations of Merle's work.  Jean Power showed me an awesome pair of yellow boots, and the sunshine Merle must have carried with her.
  
I found an interview on World Artisan Gems with photos of two bracelets I just loved, one, an undersea theme, and the other a teddy bear picnic that was adorable, based on a cake she a created for her daughter.  I can use a pastry bag too, and I have always thought there was a relationship betweed beading and cake decoration.

There is huge list of publications of Merle's work on her own website.  One of my favorite bits of her work was in Bead Unique, a delightful bracelet with tiny cherry beads, called "Summer's Bounty."  

I also found in my current issue of Bead&Button, a bracelet, "Pinkalicious" by Adele Recklies Rogers, created in honor of Merle, which I loved.

I finally discovered that both select pieces of Merle's work and flower beads of her own design and creation are being sold to help to endow this event, sponsored by her family and CJS Sales.  Please have a look at her beautiful work!  I need to chose something to wear to Bead Dreams, I think.

After all of this hunting and research, I felt like I might be beginning to know something about the woman in whose honor my work has been accepted to Bead Dreams.  I wish I had taken the time to look her up earlier, or better yet, had the opportunity to know her.  Given the public voting nature of this event, I will keep my entry to myself until the time is right for it to be presented to you in Merle's memory.

I hope she would feel that my work honors her memory.  And I hope late is better than never, with respect to discovering Merle Berelowitz and her bead art.

Waiting for Spring

Maybe this post does not need many words.  The March Etsy Beadweavers challenge was titled "Are You Blue?  The answer for me was "YES!"  I am so thankful for the slightest warming outside, and the drip of snow melting off the roof.  We have such a long way to go to see the grass again, but every little bit is such a blessing, and goes a long way toward chasing away the blues of this very long, very icy cold, winter.

I had beautiful cabochons purchased from Kinga Nichols of crimsonfrog; blue leaves, captured in icy glass domes, and they were a perfect starting point.  The assignment was to use any or all of three shades of blue, represented by Aquamarine, Turquoise, and Tanzanite.  The leaves looked like Aquamarine to me.

I chose the deeper purply blue seed beads to represent Tanzanite, and Turquoise found it's way into the necklace in person.  One of the inspiration images provided on the blog of Raven Penna of tatooedraven, (the team member who chose our theme-you can read the entire challenge here as well) was a leafless tree, covered with pink spring blossoms, against a blue sky, and I found that very inspiring.

So, since the cabochons had a lovely peachy pink already on board, I amplified and embellished!

I am always a fan of the neat and cleanly finished back, to add value, beauty, and aesthetic appeal to my work.  I always like detail on the yoke of my work as well.

And fringe?  It is one of the reasons I so love beadweaving!! So I am Waiting for Spring!  How about you?  Please, visit our team blog at www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com, and choose your favorite entry.  I have to admit, if I had the cash to spare, I would buy this one, from Karin Houben of gypsyeyesjewelry.  Totally awesome!

 Hugs to my beady buddies.  I have to get back to finishing my Bead Dreams entry for 2014.  Ten and a half days until the due date and counting...

Blame it on Marcia DeCoster

It really IS her fault!  In the fall of 2012, Marcia DeCoster, internationally famous beader, jewelry designer, teacher, and author of many fantastic beading books, contacted me to ask if I would be a part of her book "Marcia DeCoster Presents."  If you read my blog, or know me at all, you can imagine my surprise and my concerns. (Did you mean ME?  I am just a hobby beader you know...) But I was so honored and thrilled to be asked that I said "YES!  PLEASE!".  This was, for me, a substantial undertaking, including photography classes, a fancy lens for my camera, and trying to write responses to her fantastic interview questions that came from my heart.  Once all the work was done, I didn't give it much thought until the book appeared in my mailbox last month. It is awesome, and I highly recommend it!  I am ashamed to admit that the first thing I did was to find my own pages and ogle the pictures and read my words.  The pictures were OK!  And the words rang true...

But my words raised a question.  I wrote "My day job is designing costumes, but I try to keep my beadwork separate from that.  Using fabric would be logical, but my desire for separation keeps my beadwork fiber-free..."  This struck me as an outdated idea.  Originally, I kept the two worlds separate because I didn't want to be tempted by the beadwork that I love to do, when there is WORK to be done.  But in my many years of beading, I have always managed to do my work first, and bead second.  So maybe it was time ro re-examine that separation!

The Etsy Beadweavers 2014 February challenge theme is "Warmth."  Early on, Chris Boyer Maj produced a piece of beadwork inspired by crazy quilting, and I found it very thought-provolking and inspiring.  I love quilting and combining quilting techniques with clothing.  Here's a little reversible vest I made in college, which my sister returned to me when I was cleaning out my mother's house after her death.
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Although the fabric itself is pre-quilted, and a print that represents crazy quilting, I created the details: the reversability, the welt and patch pockets that work together from both sides, the corded velvet edge, the cross-stitch detailing... and so forth.  I began to think how I might apply this to beadwork.  I wanted to make something that would actually be warm, inspired by warm handmade quilts, and the random fun of crazy quilting, which uses whatever you happen to have in your scrap box and lots of embellishment with bits of lace, and embroidery stitches.  I resolved (in the spirit of the thing) to go through my scrap boxes and purchase nothing I did not already own to create my collar.  I found lots of good stuff, patterned a snug warm collar and made a start, somewhere around January 20th.

Now, I really had very little time, and I was playing loose and fast, so I did NO planning. I know this the modus operandi of many bead embroidery buffs, but I never do my best work without at least a little forethought.  I had purchased a piece of shibori dyed ribbon I had planned to use with some Crystal Astral Pink sew-on jewels I had left over from a costume project, so they were added to the pile.  I cut out a simple collar shape with a snug neck (warm being a proirity!) and started basting on ribbon and lace bits.  Before I even had it all on, I started beading the lace.  I regret my haste now, as the bit of embroidery I am least pleased with ended up front and center and my favorites do not play starring roles, but I will write this up to research and development for future projects.

One thing I absolutely love is beading into lace.  I have done so in the past, and this time I really let myself see what the potential of a piece of lace might be, depending on what is revealed and what is hidden.  In the past, I have entirely hidden the lace, but this time I decided, fiber is my friend, and I let it shine.  Here are two examples of what I mean.

The above flower is made from the same bit of lace as the one below...

...just embellished differently with different parts covered and revealed, and surrounded by different bits of other supporting lace.  Loved this!!  I really love trapunto, which is a sort of quilting that is stuffed, and the lace provides great stuffing and dimension for the beadwork.  I also used trapunto technique with my shibori ribbon, stitching it down, stuffing it, and then, quilting into it with drop beads, which I also loved!

I created rivers of the ribbon, that coursed through the work, sometimes bridged with lace and beadwork, and sometimes, almost laying over edges of the beadwork. Finally, I quilted my silk base fabric with beads.

And there are the sew-on jewels I mentioned!

This photo also features the ONLY thing I went out to buy.  I didn't have an elastic cord the right size to fill the corded gold edge, and I do not count that as cheating, since it is not visible.  You may if you like!

I had hoped to create some sort of fancy button loop or bound hole, but I just ran out of time, and finished the piece with hidden snap closures.

I gave it a test wearing.  EVERY DAY this winter has been SO FREAKING COLD that I didn't have to be choosy about the day.  My collar was toasty and comfy and I cannot wait to try again.  This time with several technical improvements in mind, and a less crazy mood for the work.  Yummy!  Thanks so much Marcia DeCoster... because it really is your fault, you know.

In a late afternoon sun beam, in the kitchen... warmth indeed!

Sam in Wonderland

Thus grew the tale of Wonderland

Thus slowly, one by one,

Its quaint events were hammered out-

And now the tale is done,

And home we steer a merry crew,

Beneath the setting sun."

 The "slowly, one by one" part sounds a lot like beading, no?

Stay with me.  I want to show you a necklace that involves beading, Alice in Wonderland, and a "sleeve."

A sleeve is an armful of tatoo.  The ENTIRE arm, usually from shoulder to wrist.  This must seem like random information but it is pertinent because I have a beautiful niece (Samantha, an animal welfare technician for a humane society) with an Alice in Wonderland sleeve. Here is how it looked after her first session with the needle.  Her bravery is vastly superior to my own!

Do you see Alice, the cards, the catepillar and his hookah, and the edge of the white rabbit?

About this time, when the sleeve was in this stage, I found a cabochon from Sandy Spivey with Alice imagery.  I thought it would be perfect for Samantha, and bought it.

Now unfortunately, this particular imagery is by a different artist than Sam's sleeve.  This is a Arthur Rackham illustration, in my opinion, among his best.  Her sleeve uses the illustrations of Sir John Tenniel.  Lots of different artists have taken on the illustration work, including Salvador Dali, but the Tenniel ones are more popular and familar to most people.  I worried that she might consider this a clash, (of style or maybe values) but finally this fall, decided that I would make it up for her and let her decide if it was wearable.

I wanted to honor the barely colorized, sepia look of the cab, so chose muted colors from the cab itself.

I used a delicate matte gold 24k delica in the bezel and some hints of pink and bronze, with a dab of Miyuki Baroque pearls in the surrounding embellishment and the stringing.  I really enjoyed working with the superduos at the edge, but every effort I made with them in the yoke was very rigid and unpleasantly inflexible, so I finally decided that a strung yoke was the best way to encorporate everything I wanted .

I have to admit, I have lost track of the number of piercings in Samantha's ears, but I felt that two earrings would fill at least some of them, if she wanted to wear them, and bravely wire-wrapped cherry quartz points to suit the purpose.

Now, the sleeve is, I believe, complete and really pretty awesome.  It has super vibrant color, which my work lacks.

I know my feeble effort is quiet by comparison, but Sam seems to be pleased with it, and I was happy to do it for her.

If I get really lucky, some day, perhaps Sam will model the necklace for me and send me a picture!

Meeting Challenges

I have been an Etsy Beadweaver for almost four years.  During those years I have learned a lot about beading, photography, competition, the nature of people, (especially in groups) and about myself.  Most of the work in my Etsy shop was created for monthly challenges sponsored by the team.  The challenges have stretched me, encouraged me to step away from my comfort zone, and use materials, colors, techniques, and inspiration I would not otherwise have used. I have tried to win, and I have tried NOT to win, but I believe that just participating as often as I am able is beneficial in many ways. Like any endeavor, you get out what you put in, no matter what your goal.

There is a challenge underway currently, and I thought I would not have time to participate.  But as I looked as my teammates answers to the challenge, I decided I wanted to play along, and I took one weekend and stepped "Out of This World" with my beads, to create a piece I call Klingon Courtship Necklace.

 
 I do not think this is a brilliant piece of design work.  It's good, although I think it lacks clarity and focus.  I like it, and have given it a couple test wearings, and people who see it, like it too, and comment on it. It is certainly possible to knock out a little piece like this in a day or two, in between the laundry and Christmas cards.  If it was the sort of thing I did all the time, I might even be able to produce a really good bit of design work in that time. I love to bead and to design with beads, but for me, beading is a hobby.  To do a good job with design, I have to do the two-steps-forward-one-step-back dance of exploration and discovery.  And that requires time to think, and experiment. Klingon Courtship has garnered a couple votes from my teammates, which I always take as high honor.  Whoever you are, thank you so much for your votes of confidence!

I made a simple pair of earrings to go with it, because I like to wear earrings with a necklace, and I didn't have a pair that looked right.  So they will be sold with the necklace... a little bonus!

There are some interesting and wonderful pieces in this challenge and you can see them all and vote for your particular favorite at our team blog.  Please do!  Sometimes the breadth of ideas our team has really delights me.  I usually like the work that best meets the specific requirements of the challenge. The work that makes me feel something, and illustrates the theme in beads.  You might like that too, or the prettiest work, or the one done in your favorite color.  It's all good.   :)

I also participated in the November challenge, and learned to make Russian leaves, which is essentially increasing and decreasing peyote stitch at the end of each row.  I can see wonderful potential for this technique and look forward to trying out some ideas I had while making enough leaves to cement the process in my head and hands.

I got to write this challenge, as reward for winning the September challenge.  The idea was to use a picture postcard as a color palette, trying to get the hue, value, intensity and proportion of the color in the postcard to appear in the beadwork, which could be anything except a copy of the card.  I did assignments similar to this in a weaving class, and was reminded of those assignments in gift shops on my vacation.  I thought it might make good challenge.

I think the color and proportion is reasonably accurate, although I found I did not want to put in the aqua blue of the little river.  I finally did it with dew-like drop beads, but there many not be enough of them to really represent that color proportionately well.

The shape is a little mundane, but again, I like it well enough, and in test-wearing it, I found it was liked by others as well.  I really enjoy people noticing my beadwoven jewelry, especially those who have not seen beadwork before.  Their reactions please me, and I hope they are inspired to give the technique a try themselves.

I have not been the best blogger this year.  I am finding that trying to maintain two websites, two blogs, and keep up with the constant ebb and flow of beadwork, my clients, and friends on facebook to be a time consuming adventure, on top of my business.  I enjoy it all, but it is hard to always be entirely up to date.  So this post catches up with my work in the last two Etsy Beadweaver's challenges.

Our team will have a new leader in 2014, and see some changes in the next year. I hope challenges will always be a part of the team activity.  Do you belong to a team, or teams?  Do you benefit from membership?  What makes you join a group?

Three Tools I Love

A reader, Jen, contacted me about some of the things is use in my work, and asked that I write about my tool kit.  It has taken me a while to assemble this post, but finally, here we go!

I think MOST of the tools I use and how I use them are common place, but I do a few things differently than most beaders.  So to begin I will talk about the use of thimbles.  I use one.  ALL the time.  Depending my my mood and the project, I choose between two different kinds.  One, I began using when I was tailoring at the Guthrie Theater.

Every professional tailor I know uses a thimble, and most professional stitchers do too, but I have never run across another beader who does.  I generally prefer my open-end tailors thimble above.  It's cooler, and usually my go-to choice in the summer.  Whether open or closed, every thimble has dimples, which allow you to connect with the eye of the needle in a slip-free way.

Fit matters.  Your thimble must be snug, but not tight, on your middle finger, and it should not contact your first finger joint when your finger flexes.  Blow into it before you put it on, and the moisture from your breath helps seal it to your finger. When I first tried to use a thimble, I had been sewing for at least 10 years.  It felt ridiculous, bulky and unpleasant, and I thought I would NEVER get used to it.  But after a few days of constant use, I found I could not do without it. It eases the stress through your entire working hand and arm, and I find even my shoulder tenses if I do not have a thimble and try to sew or bead.   I am also faster with it, because you can connect the two step, push and pull process that is sewing into one fluid motion.

Here is the beginning of a stitch, which could be through a bead just as easily as fabric.  You are holding your needle in your dominant hand, and your work in the other.  You aim the stitch you mean to take, and push the needle into the right spot.  If you are sewing without a thimble, you must do this by SQUEEZING your finger and thumb tightly on the needle, and then let go of the needle, move your fingers to the other side of the stitch, SQUEEZE it again and pull it through.  But if you are wearing a thimble, your fingers can relax on the needle and just steer, while your middle finger does all the pushing.  The side of your middle finger keeps the needle moving, while you re-position your fingers on the other side of the stitch.  I moved my thumb out of the way to show you how my middle finger is positioned in this picture.

The middle, thimble-armoured finger pushes the needle along its path, all the way to the eye, while your fingers reposition themselves to provide the final impetus that finishes each stitch.  So here is the end of the stroke, with my thumb and index finger pulled out of the way to show you the process.

But really, my fingers slide straight across the needle, to reposition and ease the needle through the final step of the stitch.

For me, this is just a faster, easier, and less stressful way to take a stitch.  My most critical tools are my thimbles.  I buy them at Wawak.com and this link will take you to the two pages of thimbles. Skip past the Clover and Dritz offernngs, to the "Wawak"ones. ( If my memory serves, the even numbered ones are English and the odd German, but this could be entirely wrong!)  I have very small fingers and wear a 4 or 5.  An average finger is probably an 8 or 9.  You may have to try several to get a good fit, or you may find that in the summer, you prefer a larger size and a smaller one in the winter.  It's worth fiddling around and getting good ones.  I have many, because I can lose a couple in a day as I work.  You will see Russian thimbles that have slots instead of dimples and they work OK, but, for me, the best control happens with the dimples.  Quilters leather thimbles?  Metal cut-aways? what ever works best for you.

This is my favorite thimble. I took it from my mom's sewing chest when I cleaned out her house, and it has a lovely feeling on my hand.  I have since done some research, and I think it was my Great Paternal Grandmother's engagement gift.  Before the DeBeers made diamonds the engagement gift requirement, thimbles were made by gold and silversmiths, and since household skills were valued, they were common engagement gifts.  I love how it fits, almost as though made for me, and I love the attached karma.

Jen asked specifically about two tools I use all the time, for thread control, and I'll talk about these tools next.  First Bead Stoppers.  This link goes to the Beadalon site, one provider of these little goodies, and they provide lists of retailers who sell their products.

I use these all the time in many ways.  Almost every time I begin a new component, I use this handy wire spring clip to determine how much tail I want to leave, and then to establish tension to make starting easier. I clamp the stopper an inch or two from my starting point, slip it to the back of my hand between my middle and ring fingers, and work against the tension provided by the stopper.  I leave the stopper in place while I work, moving it further from my work and allowing gravity to keep the tail away from my fingers and needle.

When I have multiple components and am working on layout, I can clamp threads for groups of components together to keep them out of my way and the handy loop on the stopper can be pinned to my form, like this:

In a couple places you can see I wrapped my many threads around the work, but this is a silly idea and invariably results in knots and tangles.  Don't do it.  :)

Once it is time to sew together multiple components, I use a different tool for thread control.  The stoppers are great in planning, and for individual components, but they do tend to catch my thread if I am joining many components at once.  So, time for the EZ Bob Bobbin!

I almost always use the longest thread I can manage when I bead, and leave a healthy tail when I begin.  I find that having thread available for connections and embellishment,without having to add improves the neatness of beadwork.  When I finish a component, I secure the thread so I COULD cut it off, but I never do until the very end of the project.  So I often have many working threads available.  I control all those threads while I bead with EZ Bobs.  They are made for use as kumihimo bobbins for beginners, and are available at most yarn shops.  I found listings on Amazon and eBay too, and I know many bead shops sell them as well.  The fact that when closed they are a smooth round dome with no corners or edges to catch my thread is great.  I can capture many threads together, usually using a bobbin for each side of the work, or if its really big, each section of work, and still be able to bead without getting caught on the multitude threads or the spring ends of the Bead Stoppers.  Sometimes I even combine both means of thread control!

Bead stoppers can also be used in stringing and testing fit.  I use a small stopper for each strand I am stringing, and a big stopper to tie the stoppered ends together to test fit. 

I could go on. I am a wordy girl!  But it was the thread control devices I was asked about and it was quite a while back.  And this post is plenty long without my taking on threads and conditioners, which would be my next thought.  So Jen, I hope this answers the questions you had, and if anyone is curious about anything else they see me doing, please just ask and I will try to respond in a more timely way!

Painless Custom Design!

I recently read a post in Warren Feld's Jewelry Design Discussion Group on Facebook about doing commissioned custom design work.  I responded, and then, instantly a prospective client contacted me, as if to test my response.  I said I thought that successful custom work was all about communication, so, just for fun, here it is!

hello marsha
i would like to know if you ever create custom pieces, and if you might consider making a necklace for me. i have a very small piece of turquiose with a pre- drilled hole.
i would really love a piece of your artwork. it is absolutely beautiful! i would want something relatively small and simple and you could just incorporate the turquiose as your artistic ability sees fit.
thank you for your time. i hope to hear from you.
jennifer

Hello Jennifer,
I would certainly consider custom work for you. I would need to know if you have a time deadline, and if you have a price point in mind. I really appreciate the idea at you would just send me the turquoise and let me do with it whatever it tells me to do. :). I would also need to know the measurement of the base of your neck, and if you have a specific length in mind, let me know that as well. I am assuming that you want at least some bead weaving, since that is pretty much what I do.

Thank you so much for you interest in my work! How did you find me, if you don't mind my asking?
Marsha
(I have to admit, I was screening here. Part of doing effective custom design is having an appropriate client, and she was sounding good!)

hi marsha

thank you for getting back to me so quickly. i do not have a deadline of any kind. as far as price, if you were able to keep it under $150 that would be great. i do realize that there may be a custom order fee, so if you have to go a little above that then that would be ok.

yes, i would definitly want you to incorporate the turquoise into a bead woven piece. i love the beaded bezels, and started looking on etsy at bead weaving, thinking that it might suit the turquoise quite nicely. i find your art far superior to the others i've seen. your stitches are tight and uniform, and i love your expressive use of color. i feel as if you have a slightly modern take on a traditional art form.

i am out of town exhibiting at an art show. if you decide that this is indeed something you would be willing to do for me, i could send measurements next week.
thanks again for your consideration! jennifer

(I just loved it that the woman was an artist herself!!!  It seemed a good sign.  She has probably done custom work herself, and maybe has a sense of how challenging it can be, and I liked all her responses and her attitude.  I decided to do the project, and was very curious about her piece of turquoise!)

Dear Jennifer,

I will be delighted take on your project. When ever you are ready to begin, send me your piece of turquoise. I will make a listing for you for a custom project and you will pay $75 down before I begin. Then I will list the finished item and you can pay the remaining $75 when I am ready to ship to you, plus the shipping cost, usually $5. I do not have an extra charge for custom work. I just try to keep track of time and spend an appropriate amount of time for the expected cost. I promise to finish before Christmas, and probably sooner than that, but I have a full time job in addition to beadwork, and am also in the process of some remodeling, so my life is a little crazy this fall.

Your artwork is very cool, and quite steampunk-ish. Should your turquoise piece include a gear or key, maybe, or do you have a feeling I should keep in mind when I work??

My address is:
Marsha Wiest-Hines
2201 Windsor Lake Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Thank you!  Marsha

(I assumed I would spend way, way too much time designing and wanted to have her be OK with the $150, so I proceeded as though that would be the cost.  She was anxious to move ahead.) 

yeah! i'm so excited.
i'd prefer it not look like steampunk. my art could probably be classified as such, although that was not my intent when i started about 4 or 5 years ago. I would rather it be more classic and timeless. I don't care for diagonal or zigzag lines. I have reddish-auburn hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. In clothing, i tend to stick with neutral colors. a lot of brown.
I am having trouble figuring length. the base of my neck measures about 15". I have an old rhinestone necklace. I put it on and will send a pic. the chain is 16.5" long. from the top of the focal stone to the bottom of the longest dangle is 2". I think the proportions look nice on me. I suppose it could go wider. it's up to you. whatever you think.

I will mail it on thurs or fri. whenever you create a listing, I will pay right away. if you need any more info, just let me know.

I can't wait to see what you and the little piece of turquoise "finger" out. I know it will be beautiful.

(I talk about "fingering things out" as I design in my shop statement.  She had gone to the trouble to read what I had written.  YAY!  And the information she sent was terrific.  Some of her requests popped out at me, and I have highlighted those.  They are the things I considered first as I designed.  I will keep her photo private, but it was a pretty simple piece and nicely proportioned. I decided it was a good thing she does not look at what I make for my dancers!!)

Hi Jennifer,

Pictures and measurements are always helpful and thank you for the personal info as well!

I was thinking to wait until I got the piece of turquoise to post the down payment listing, but I can do it now if that is your preference. I am not a steampunk queen, so while I think I could do it justice, I am just as glad that is not what you want. :)

I am really looking forward to seeing your stone and having it in my hands!

Thanks so much! Marsha

thank you. i have packaged the turquoise and will ship it today.

jennifer

Yay! Thank you! I am looking forward to working on your project. :)

Marsha

i am too :)

(I created the listing and she paid promptly. And a few days later, the turquoise arrived.  She was not exaggerating when she said very small. It was rectangular, about 1/4" wide and just under 3/8" tall, and had a slightly off center hole drilled through it, near one end.  One flat side had delicate carving.  I WISH I had taken a shot of the turquoise before I made the necklace, but here's a closeup, as it sits in the finished piece.

(I decided to feature the carving, which alternately reminds me of an elephant or maybe those things in the Pacman game that gobbled dots.  Maybe I should have asked about imagery and orientation, but I just liked the little carving and decided to feature it.  I think it is really a decent piece of turquoise, from it's texture and color, and I immediately wanted to honor it with other good quality materials.  And since she wanted a bezel, I needed a cabochon.)

Jennifer, I have your sweet little chip and will have time to think and design a little this week. Is it OK if I add another turquoise cabochon to it? It really is too small to be a focal by itself, but I imagine it can be like "jewelry" for a larger piece. Marsha

yes, definitly. i knew it would be too small to use as the focal piece. so, yes if it can just be incorporated somehow, that would be great. design with it and add whatever you wish. i so appreciate it, and by looking at all of your other pieces, i know whatever you come up with will be beautiful!

i look forward to seeing it. thanks again.
jennifer

(She is so civilized and realistic.  Feeling good about her really helps my ability to let go and let ideas flow.  I think there is as much a knack to commissioning work as there is to designing for clients, and she rocks the process!!!  Several days passed and after fiddling with several of shapes and colors from my stash of turquoise cabs, I chose and bezeled a teardrop of unstabilized Sleeping Beauty turquoise in Dark Gold 24k Miyuki delicas.  They are the "brownest" of the precious metal- plated cylinders and I love them with turquoise.  I thought the teardrop shape might look beautiful "wearing" the little rectangle piece as "jewelry" as I was imagining.  I also liked the color of the unstabilized stone with the little chip, and thought they could happily share focus, in terms of hue, value and intensity.

Then I roughed out a wrap of tiny 2mm darker turquoise rounds for the cab, transitioning to some yummy Kingman mine bronze infused 4mm rounds, and fiddled for a long time, finally managing a double needle process that held the chip the way I wanted it to lie, and reasonably straight, given the off center hole. Although I was not completely satisfied with the result, I thought it was the right idea, and wanted to get client feedback before moving ahead.  I did this as confidently as possible, while allowing her to say no if she was not happy.)  

Hi Jennifer,

I have an idea roughed out and ready to finish, but I want do show you before I go any further. I believe the proportions are about the same as the rhinestone necklace you showed me. I hope I have featured your little chip, while providing it substance and a beautiful framework. My plan is to finish the yoke with the beads I have used thus far. This finished piece has a really nice Sleeping Beauty mine turquoise teardrop cabochon, and some of the beads are from the Kingman mine, with a bronze infusion. I think your piece is real and probably Sleeping Beauty in origin, but it wanted to cover both the good sources, so it could feel "at home" in its new situation. I do have bigger " Chinese turquoise" beads that I could use in the yoke, or I could embellish it, but I am inclined to keep it simple and let the focal be the star of the work.

Do you like toggle style clasps, or do you prefer a lobster claw style with an extender chain?

If you do not like this, or wish it were different in any way, please feel free to say so.

This is a terrible photo, taken with my iPad and the color is not very real. It is better in person. :)

Waiting to hear, Marsha

Oh, I meant to say as well, if I finish it as I have suggested, I think the final price would be $120.00. Just FYI. Marsha

(It really was a terrible photo!!!  And perhaps I should have done better, but I didn't.  It is hard to understand scale from it.  Luckily it worked...)

oh marsha, it's beautiful! just perfect! i love it, so go ahead and finish it like you planned. i think i would prefer a lobster clasp, if that will work ok with it.

do you take etsy gift cards? i was going to use one for part of the payment. i know i have to use direct checkout instead of paypal, but i didn't see that option the first time. no big deal if you don't.

thanks!
jennifer

Oh good, Jennifer! I will get it finished up early next week.

I have to vend at a ballroom competition all day tomorrow. Lol, kind of like selling at an art fair, except with tons of makeup, false eyelashes and fake tans. You feel naked without mascara! So, much though I would love to finish it immediately, I will probably be ready to ship mid next week.

I take credit cards, debit cards, Etsy gift cards and paypal. Did you have trouble with checkout on any of those methods? If you do not mind, I would like to take good photos and list it in my shop, reserved just for you when I am done. I would also love to share it on fB and my blog, if that is ok. Once listed, you can pay when you are ready, and I will get it in the mail to you.

So glad I fingered out something you like!!

Marsha

(Hmmm... almost too easy.  I wanted to rework several things.  I thought the transition from small to larger beads in the surround connecting with the chip was pretty klunky and wanted to smooth it out by starting the larger beads one position higher and creating a nice, smoothly continuous edge.  Plus, I wasn't crazy about the top of my bezel.  So I ripped it apart entirely, and re-created with the improvements I had in mind.  And then I got another message from my client.)

hi marsha
my brain has been slowly clicking, and now i have a question, only if you haven't gone any farther........on the straight part, the yolk, i think, what if it was like it is now, but there were only 2 or 3 round turquoise beads on each side? then finished with the smaller beads that you have used, or something else a little smaller and more neutral. to my eye it would seem less formal. i want to feel comfortable with it so i can enjoy wearing it more often. if by chance you have already finished it, i do love it as is.

wow! you're good. you are correct about the origin of the piece i sent . it did come from the globe/superior, az area. as far as taking pics, yes, go right ahead. you can use them any way you wish. i would be honored to have it part of your blog. when you were talking about the square, blue ocean necklace, i found it very interesting that math came into play. (maybe that's why i don't bead) :)

let me know your thoughts on changing the necklace part. thanks!

jennifer

(Actually, the yoke was bothering me too.  I was pretty convinced about the beads, but willing to put in more of the seeds between them. What I was offended by was the lighter color some of the turquoise beads I was using.  I felt they were stealing focus from the cab and the carving.  I also thought maybe she was just asking for simpler, since she mentioned, "less formal" and "comfortable."  So I did two things.  First I waited at least a day before I did anything.  I know from my costume business that time to think is always a good thing.)

I will get back to you on Monday or Tuesday, going to bed so I can be up, load the van,and be off to my event before dawn. I think I understand what you want and will show you then. :)

(Then I strung a strap without the high contrast annoyance of the lighter colored beads on one side and more of the brown beads, although I didn't eliminate the turquoise beads.   I pinned on a simple chain on the other side after just a few of the beads, so she could say that was what she wanted, but with brown beads only.  And I sent her to look at photos of some similar pieces that I think are very relaxed, and yet quietly elegant.)

Hi Jennifer,

So finally I am ready to show you a couple options. I would like you to go and take a look at a page on my blog. Scroll down to the jasper necklaces. They are strung with semi-precious beads like the Kingman turquoise I have used on your necklace, and I want you to see that the end result is really not especially formal.www.hauteicebeadworks.blogspot.com/p/2010-gallery.html

On the other hand, this is your necklace, and I want you to love it. On the left side, I have spaced out the turquoise with more of the shiny metallic beads, which might be what you were thinking of. I would like to use at least some of the beads at the connection of the yoke to the pendant, so it can appear that the yoke just wraps around the pendant... That was my design idea here. But it could be just a few beads, enough to establish the idea, and then we could switch to vintag brass chain if you prefer.

Here's another not very good photo. What do you think?

Marsha

Above, The two new possibilities...

One of the stone bead yokes I thought was a good example of relaxed but elegant.

And the other, a yet more casual piece, without the crystal of the first.

hi marsha

yes, the second version with the beads is what i was thinking. after looking at both versions, i do prefer the original one. the second one loses something, or looks detached in some way. almost like they are 2 different necklaces.

so, i should have listened to your trained eye, because you are obviously very good at what you do. thank you for showing me the difference. now i won't be forever wondering.

i do love your original version. if you can finish it like you were thinking, that would be great. i love it!

thanks!
jennifer

(So finally, I took the information my client provided and my own opinions and aesthetic, and created a yoke that clearly delineated the idea of the strap wrapped around the bezel, using both the Kingman bronze infused 4mm beads and some slightly smaller solid deep cyan turquoise.  It was my best effort to meet all requirements and be pleased with the results myself as well.)

I like the sleek silhouette of the focal surround, and I am pleased with the beaded yoke as well, given the gradation I established and the alternating larger and smaller but deep turquoise color, which lets the chip and the cab be the stars of the show.  Everything else quietly assumes a colorful but subdued supporting role.

Jennifer, you have been so kind and trusting. Thank you. I am finished and will post the final results in my shop shortly, reserved for you, You can purchase it when you are ready and I will get it in the mail to you. I am working on a blog post and will send you a link when I am finished with it. If you find there is anything you are not happy with, please just let me know and I can adjust it for you. I am pleased, and hope you will be too. Since all the beads and tools were out, I made you a very simple pair of earrings I think will compliment the necklace as a gift for you. If I can ever be of service again, please let me know. It was a pleasure working for you!

Warmly, Marsha

Do you have strategies for successful custom work?  Special ways you like to work?  Please share!