A Quilting I Will Go

I have a great friend who teaches quilt making.
Once a year she hostesses a weekend long quilt retreat.
Even tho I do not sew I go every year.

It's my annual adventure with my mother's old sewing machine.

Above - I made the block for the group raffle.
Alas I did not win all the other beautiful black and white squares.
But I did participate in a group activity which is always a hoot.

Below - Look! A little needlepoint poodle pillow I made from vintage thrifted bits and pieces.
(if you scroll back up you can see the finished pillow in the upper left hand corner)

I worked some more on the quilt I started last year.

I also made a sock monkey.
A little bit of moss fringe from the poodle pillow became his hair.

Here's the entire graduating class of sock monkeys from this year's quilt retreat.
There he is front and center in his wee banana pants.

Raven

The bead is plain old black with wide bands of Double Helix 'Triton' blobbed on.
The metal on the necklace is all sterling silver.

Seediness

I have a new handheld brass glass press from Devardi.
The thing was ridiculously cheap and the quality is questionable, but I love it.
It makes the most perfect little, wonky seed shape.

Quilty Bits

Once a year I sew.
A great friend hostesses an annual quilt retreat and I go, and I sew.
She always need a few new quilty buttons and I am happy to design, and make, them.

Spring-a-ding-ding

In spring, a lampworkers thoughts turn to strawberries.

This striking pink went all lavender lilac.

This is one of my fave color combos for strawberries -
Cim's Sangre and Cim's kryptonite.

Genny Girls

New earrings made from Genesee Bock Beer cans.

I use my Swanstrom disc cutter and a helicopter punch to make each tin spangle.
The lever back ear wires and split jump rings are sterling.

You've gotta love your local brew.

A Charming Evening

I spent my Saturday night fiddling with a new charm bracelet.

Civil war era two hole bone underwear buttons and bronze.

Wee Birds & Their Eggs

It's almost spring here in Upstate New York.
You can tell because the birds are making a racket.
They're singing their little bird brains out this sunny afternoon.

The pair above are ivory glass rolled in dark ivory frit and the bird is dotted with metallic black.
These below are Cim's "Atlantis" and the egg has white frit.

This pair has a base of Effetre transparent pink rolled in Val Cox "Peony Pink" frit. The birds head is some sort of purple transparent.

Hello Kitty Charm Bracelet

Ooo a commission.
Who doesn't love making a special something?

This bracelet is so tiny.
Made for a 5 1/2" wrist.
This little girl is going to be one happy little princess.

There is lots and lots of dichroic sparkle in the beads which were made with Cim's 'Celeste.'
The charms are a mix of new and vintage.
I bought those hot pink jump rings years ago -
I just knew they would be perfect for something someday.

Sir Unicorn & the Death Birds

Sir Unicorn - smokey topaz skulls, vintage brass rondelles, purple lampwork beads and supernatural horse charms

Death Birds - dyed stone skulls, rhinestone rondelles, lampwork glass beads and bird charms.
(put a bird under it)

Red Fluffers

"Red Fluffers" (sold)

Glazed porcelain skulls, crystals, rhinestone rondelles, my lampwork beads and freaking feathers.

Five inches of deathly, fancy fun.

The feather dangles are made with a pair of ends for leather cords.
I wound up little piles of feathers with superfine red wire to keep everything from floating about my work table. Then just glued them into the ends of the caps. Viola! Feathery foofers.

The glass beads are Cim's 'Kryptonite' shaped in a CG Beads ribbed donut graphite bead roller.
Just because I know you beady flamers out there like to know what's what.

Big Yellow Apple (progress)

Damn, big paintings take a long time.

As you can see, it is progressing.

Spring Flowers

The silly calendar says it's February but over here at Belvedere Beads it's spring.

Glass and sterling silver earrings with semi-precious stones, or freshwater pearls, dangling below.

For me, there is no better inspiration than flowers.