"Fallen Leaves"

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"Fallen Leaves"

When the Shibori Silk Ribbon called "Ombre" arrived from the talented hands of Deborah Weaver ~ ArtisticWeavers on Etsy.com ~ 

here is a link to her shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtisticWeavers, 

I loved the colors so much I couldn't bear to cover up her lovely dyed hues with too many beads.  

Therefore, the bead embroidery on this pendant piece is rather minimal compared to my usual projects.  The colors reminded me of the beginning of Autumn when the leaf colors start to change, and the green leaves fall away.

I gathered together several strands of dyed silk ribbons for a necklace for this piece ~ all the colors of which are present in the dyed Shibori Silk Ribbon.  

The beads are all Japanese TOHO glass, plus crystal cut/faceted rounds, seed beads, with topaz-colored glass drops around the outer edges.  The backing is tan UltraSuede.  Although it does not show, I used Corn Yellow NBB (Nicole's Bead Backing) for my foundation, which is the only beading foundation I will use for my projects. Choose from 16 wonderful colors by clicking on the below link: 

www.http://www.beadwright.com/

Fast forward a few weeks . . . 

Although I was pleased with "Fallen Leaves," each time I tried it on as a necklace I wasn't 100% convinced that I would wear it. It appeared to me as something more suited for decorating a purse.  So ... I visited www.Etsy.com and found Jackie Darling, of DarlingsDesigns ~ Jackie custom-makes fabric purses, and she designed a purse just for "Fallen Leaves."  

Here is the link (below) to her shop. Check out her special hand-made fabric purses, and let her know if you have any ideas that might incorporate a bead embroidered piece of your own. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/darlingsdesigns

Here is a photo of the purse Jackie Darling made for me.  I attached the bead embroidered "Fallen Leaves" pendant to the front of the purse.  I am MUCH happier now with my pendant as part of a practical purse, and I have Jackie Darling to thank for the excellent workmanship of the hand-sewn and custom-designed purse, and Deborah Weaver for the gorgeous Shibori Silk Ribbon that is the basis for my bead embroidered pendant.  

click any photos to enlarge image

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"Sun Shower"

"Sun Shower" 

Still having a lot of fun with this Shibori Silk Ribbon ... this one by Deborah Weaver (ArtisticWeavers on Etsy.com) is called Sunset.  I've always loved the yellow/orange colorway, and this ribbon is a very cheerful way to usher in Autumn.

It arrived from Deborah's expert dyeing hands with graduated shades of yellow and orange.  Because I wanted to use a dark copper end closure, and some dark copper metallic beads - I used a raisin-colored fabric dye to add in some dark burnt sienna areas on the ribbon.  Thankfully, I didn't ruin Deborah's great work!  

I'm posting only one photo of this bead embroidered bracelet since it's already flat and can be seen easily.  (Click photo for larger image.) Between the top beaded part and the bottom UltraSuede, I have added the stiffest interfacing sold by my craft store (used for inside cuffs and collars) to give it a nice strength and so it will bend smoothly around the wrist.

The central focal cabochon is a dyed Jasper, as are the three rectangular Jasper stones and round beads on the sides.  In addition to the Jasper I have included cut crystal beads, glass pearls, and a variety of Japanese glass seed beads by Toho.

The beading is sewn onto an orange foundation by Nicole Campanella called NBB / Nicole's Bead Backing. It's the BEST foundation on the market!  http://beadwright.com/   

The edges are finished off with a picot edging that incorporate dark copper cut crystal beads, and the underside is lined with a pumpkin-colored UltraSuede.

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