A TECHNIQUE DRIVEN Blog dedicated to mastery of surface design techniques. First we dye, overdye, paint, stitch, resist, tie, fold, silk screen, stamp, thermofax, batik, bejewel, stretch, shrink, sprinkle, Smooch, fuse, slice, dice, AND then we set it on fire using a variety of heat tools.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Bead organization and other elements added to fulfill my vision.

I took a piece of a commercial quilt and stitched elastic in two rows to slide my bead tubes into. I can keep them rolled up neatly in color order on a shelf.


This is the whole thing rolled out on the table making it easy to choose just the right bead for the job


In this picture you can see the black dots I made using a sharpie to mark the distance between "tubes" to stitch the elastic into place.


Like all of my art supplies, I have had MANY of these beads for YEARS.


Here are some of the ways I have used beads and other things in my work

 Corrugated card board, cork and a handmade ceramic bead (by me)
                       Glass beads, hand made cloth beads, scrim and strings

 Framing with beads as well as creating a ground
                    Lots of beading as well as burlap, threads and a couched shell
From the top: Sticks, button (the wrong side of Mother-of-Pearls), safety pins as marks,  drawer pull, two small wrenches, more buttons, copper pipe clamps, a washer, a crushed bottle cap and two keys and a keyhole.


From the top: rock stitched on, rafia and sari yarn couched, scrim "sacks" filled with dryer link and dog hair mats stitched on to represent rocks.

12 comments:

  1. Wow! Great ideas for storage, and I love your examples using beads, couching, etc.

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  2. Great idea and your examples are wonderful!

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  3. I love the use of unusual and found objects that "found their way" on to your fiber art.
    Bead On!
    Nancy Eha BeadCreative.com

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  4. oh my gosh - I thought *I* had a lot of beads! Your stash is ... enviable! :)

    And I love what you've done with them...

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  5. I LOVE this idea. I'm wondering if you have a source for the tubes you are using. When I purchase beads, they are in all sorts of containers. I'd love to be this organized but haven't found such uniform containers. Oh, and your examples are gorgeous!

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  6. wow! I love the bead storage device! The rest of the stuff is really cool too!

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  7. Like the way you store your beads, wish I would of seen this before I got rid of all my bead tubes. I moved them to plastic boxes.

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  8. Have to admit a kindred feeling with "thesewinggeek" -- definite Bead Envy!! And I'm not even a beader....yet......

    I have loved all your work you have shared with us and have to say...when at JoAnn's yesterday (on a mission for other art supplies) I saw all those container of beads....and well...I'm sensing a new addiction coming on!! One New Years Resolution shot to pieces!! LOL!!

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  9. What a fantastic way to store your beads! And what a beautiful work you made whit them.

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  10. Being organized is the way to get things done. And YOU...my dear...get beautiful things done!

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  11. Wow. I am really impressed. What a good idea and I love your artwork.

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