Sunday, June 9, 2019

Lenita

My friend, Lenita, is a beader with her own style. Her work is exquisite and she chooses only the projects she is in love with. She's introduced me and my beading friends to many projects that we've also fallen in love with.

When this design evolved on my bead board, I thought of her so many times. It was almost like she was telling me what she would like me to do. So even if I've missed the mark on what Lenita would like, I still have to say, she was all over this design. As I looked for what to name it once the design was complete, that was simple. (When I started out its name was Lucia).

This design goes back to the basics of beading for me... seed beads and good ol' 4mm pearls. You can use firepolish as well. Even though these are simple beads, the look I was after was a tidy one, so getting the engineering down was tough and I was really confounded by that. Why was this pattern taking so long to develop and write???  Well, I was determined to use Toho beads, as I love the colors. But alas, the Miyuki was the ticket to success. The Toho was just too chunky, darn it. I also used 4 lb. Fireline instead of my usual 6 lb. I have a pile of these test components like you wouldn't believe!

I am especially in love with the filigree earring that is included in the tutorial. If you'd like to make this project, you can find it here:
 https://www.etsy.com/listing/698920492/lenita-bracelet-and-earring-beadweaving?ref=shop_home_active_1