Thursday, March 24, 2011

Straight Up ZELIA

One of our FloatFest participants owns a bead shop (Beads'N More) in Akron Ohio. Estelle and I had a couple chats about how Zentangle and beadweaving might work hand in hand. I had thought a while back about doing a beaded cuff in a Zentangle design, but it just never happened. Talking with Estelle fueled and reignited those little embers, and as soon as I returned home, I began working on a cuff using a simple peyote stitch. I had never attempted to bead from a peyote chart pattern (much less create one!), but before I began any beading, I had to first create a Zentangle design that could be transfered to a bead chart. Because this stitch is created in staggered lines of beads, yes, you guessed it... Laura's challenge was perfectly timed, floating right into the focus of my project. (How was I going to get those spirals I saw in my head to be any kind of round in this world of straight lines?)
   The cuff is not complete, but thought I would share what's happening so far with the process. 
   Beading from a chart is more relaxing than I had imagined. I never was one for counted cross stitch, although not sure why. I think working from a pattern seemed very confining somehow. But now I am seeing how 'in the moment' this kind of work is. Each bead goes on one at a time, added row by row, in an order that hardly makes any sense to me as I do it. And trying to "figure it out" from a big picture perspective, just confuses me and I have to think too hard. So, in each moment, the focus is on each bead and where it goes, trusting the chart, and hoping the end result will look like the chart I designed. As the piece gets going, it's really exciting to see the patterns emerge. Even the 'mistakes' are ok with me. After all, it's Zentangle/Estelle/Laura-inspired art! (ZELIA). Thank you everyone!!




9 comments:

  1. Marvelous! Approximately what is the size? The spirals look wonderful. I like the very slightly angular look they have.
    --Margaret

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  2. I see a new book in your future! Hurry up.

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  3. It's one inch wide. I wanted to go wider, but thought for my first one, I shouldn't get TOO ambitious! The next one might be two inches.

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  4. It's beautiful - and really looks like a ZIA, which is also cool. Great idea!

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  5. Very Beautiful, Carole! I love it! PS, I just finished my very first Zentangle... inspired by look at all your wonderful goodies at Oakwood! I LOVE IT!

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  6. Awesome, Carole! I love it! As always, your work is beautiful and exciting...and fun!

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  7. this is definitely tangleicious!! and meditative you say??? M

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  8. This is terrific--as always--Carole! Will you submit it to the big bead mags? There seem to be a lot of ties between beaders and tanglers!
    Hugs--Sheryl

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  9. Little did I know of the cross over between the beading world & Zentangle's. Thanks for sharing your ZenPeyote Bracelet, Monica

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