Creative Finds: Beaded Colorways Book Review

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of seed beading. Until I started following Beverly Ash Gilbert's blog. Free-form beading? I can wrap my head around that concept. Following a pattern? Nope. I still really don't. Or can't. Not sure as I did try out two projects in the book, but ended up tearing them both out. The first because I used regular sewing thread (and intended it to be practice...sewing thread is too fragile) and the second because the project I started was laying out funny. Not to say that I won't try the projects in the future. They are spectacular and dreamy. I read the book for a few months before I got the courage to really try it out and just recently received all the correct materials to actually work on it. The projects in this book have provided a lot of eye candy for my creative mind to play with as I dabble in new mediums. Beverly teaches the peyote stitch and 3-bead netting stitch.

As I mentioned, I started projects, but tore them out. I recreated the projects into my own version, which is an update on my Classic Lariat, re-invented as the Beaded Lariat. (I love lariats. Must be from living in Texas for nine years.) I used some Sarah Hornik lampwork beads as the tassles of the first Autumn Leaves Lariat. The bead colorways are from Beverly's collection of Bead Soups and Medleys. I mixed in some additonal gems such as the tiny garnets and green, organically shaped cultured pearls. The free-form beading was wrapped around leather cord, a red hemp cord, and a yellow waxed linen cord.


This Southwestern Beaded Lariat is half finished. I still need to create a new clasp and add the lariat tassles. It's designed differently from the above lariat. The lariat above can be worn doubled around the neck or tied in a single long rope. The one below is designed to be worn as a long lariat and has the hook enclosure as part of the decoractive element on the front. I sprinkled in generous helpings of undyed turquoise roundels, my lampwork beads, and dyed red coral. I also included one of my own light turquoise with red lampwork heart as the focal bead. There will be dangling ropes behind it when I finish it...(not sure when). Again, wrapping the freeform seed ropes around leather cord, red hemp, and light blue waxed linen. I love this color combo (even though it's getting overplayed, I can't help it...it's still so southwest-y, I must still play with it).